Auto belay accident reddit. The person likely had not used one before.

Auto belay accident reddit. Any gym owners or anyone who owns any TRUBLUE auto belays, they have/are just about to, issue a recall notice. Learning to breathe deeply and slowly while climbing. Moved PermanentlyThe document has moved here. Auto belay for climbing newbs? Very sporadic climber here. Or you can show up and auto belay and try to get to know people. A gym could just as easily fail to inspect there ropes, anchors and quick draws which could lead to an accident. Are there any cheaper alternatives to an auto-belay which would let me practice climb when I'm by myself? Those things cost thousands. Your gym should definitely have belay gates, can not believe they don't, it's such a basic safety feature. I know about the bouldering spots around but find top rope more fun. Absolutely. 541 votes, 190 comments. I will actually verbally say these to myself to make sure I’m checking each thing especially on an auto belay where you don’t have anyone to double check for you. [1] The claim against usage for lead climbing is that since the device auto-locks, the belayer is required to hold the device open while feeding rope to the leader. ” Others, meanwhile, took to lambasting both Frohbieter and climbing gym, or both, for the injury. Hey Climbers! I’m a fairly new climber deciding to take up the sport to improve my upper body and tackle a fear of heights. Auto Belay Accident—Climber Fell 45 ft due to tiny distractions leading to one big mistake in the gym r/climbing • We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Mar 5, 2025 · Bad Belay as Coach Nearly Kills Pro Climber A 2024 accident left a climber with serious injuries, which she talks about in a new video by Hard is Easy Aug 31, 2023 · The lawsuit uncovered that C3 was aware of defects in the equipment. There is also a Minnesota rock climbers group on Facebook. TruBlue Autobelay instruction manual page 20: "NEVER CLIMB WITHOUT BEING CORRECTLY ATTACHED Ensure the carabiner is attached to belay loop of the harness and the latch is fully closed and the gate engaged before starting to climb. I usually use auto belays since I don’t have many friends who climb, but even with someone belaying me, once I get above that 12 foot threshold I get hit with adrenaline-induced shaking. Just wondering what everyone else’s I think it’s natural to fear auto belays, especially as they feel so alien when you’ve been used to having a partner belay you. The data shows that these accidents occur among both new and experienced climbers. Found an auto belay system in your rock climbing gym but not sure how to use it? Need a climbing buddy to belay you but no one was available? Or maybe you are too shy to ask a climber in the gym for some help? Enter the auto belay, a rock climber’s answer to rock climb solo safely (not free solo though). Odds of that happening? Nearly impossible odds, but in climbing we need to account for the unexpected and use stringent safety measures including double checking that our belay device is locked on. TruBlue recommends clipping the belay loop when using their auto-belay devices. While they offer many benefits, there are also drawbacks to using an auto belay. In September, after a four year long legal battle over an auto belay accident, Vertical World publicly announced a shocking $6m settlement. MembersOnline • Seattle Climbing Gym Vertical World and Colorado Equipment Manufacturer C3 Agree to Pay $6M Total Settlement for Climbing Accident Affectionate_Act8901 commented I was at the gym the day after the accident, and it was business as usual with all the auto belays in use, except the route where accident happened which I noticed was missing the auto belay. Warming up properly (keep intensity low for your first few climbs, if you're pumping in your first few climbs you need to pick easier grades). I hope this post isn't too redundant. I was able to drive my wrecked car home one time; even though it was completely totaled it still ran and drove sorta ok Surprised to see anchor failure be the most common top rope cause of accidents, with belay failure way lower down. Photo: masT3rOD /Flickr There have certainly been conversations about auto belay accidents on here, but I've never seen a better demonstration than in the video. Apr 29, 2021 · Seattle’s Vertical World climbing gym is fighting a $1,000,000 lawsuit brought by an injured gym member, who allegedly fell off an auto-belay route after failing to fully clip in. If not, is pacific pipe the best place in the area? We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. The person likely had not used one before. Must have assumed magic would catch them?? Jun 21, 2021 · A woman has died following an auto-belay accident at Ascent Studio Climbing & Fitness, in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Saturday, June 12. Oct 22, 2021 · A man, reported to be in his 30s, was climbing at Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym’s St. Feb 8, 2024 · An informal post on a climbing forum titled "Auto-belay Accident" is the most perfect, concise way to tell a reader, they are going to read about a climbing accident that occurred on an auto-belay. Always double-check your clips, just like you would with a partner. I'm new to climbing, been going to a gym for 6 months and love it. Won’t give up though… will go back on the weekend again, eventually I’d be good. Overall no helmet was a significant portion of all climbing accidents, nearly as much as rap errors. However, when I look up comparisons between assisted breaking devices, they usually aren't compared in terms of safety, but in terms of convenience, ease of paying out rope, weight etc. I had a hard time finding any information out there from actual contractors who work with them and their experiences when I was deciding to accept a contract with them. Old gym in MA had tons of auto belays. The accident took place at Vertical Rock (above) in Virginia, where he works as a climbing coach I tried to take deep breaths, starting from somewhere low, but I just simply can’t…. No one taught me anything except how to put on a harness and connect to the auto belay. How do you feel about auto belay? We had a few accidents here with the devices - they let go lowering, causing a free fall and grounding. I took a leap and decided to accept. Reply reply More replies roland8727 • Feb 22, 2020 · Understanding auto belays can be a little unerving if you've not used one before, we cover how they work and how to use them safely. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. I was at the crux of the problem and my belayer had climbed the route before me and fell on the same move, along with another climber that was with us. C3’s auto-belay devices, known as the “Perfect Descent,” were sold despite a history of defects with the auto-belay retraction springs. I've seen fall arrest devices for roofers etc. In a few cases globally, people I’d been climbing for a couple months and wanted to be able to use the auto belay since I wasn’t always going to be climbing with a friend but letting go on PURPOSE was so scary, even from not far up. Most of these auto-belay accidents have been people who don't tie in or don't tie in correctly. What cable specifically? Do we know? If cable means some cable inside the mechanics of the auto-belay device, then it seems like something that would be at the fault of the auto-belay and it could be understandable how this went unnoticed by the employees of the gym, although it still should have been caught in the inspection in February. He couldn’t hear the other climbers around him yelling at him because he had headphones on. Although the frequency of auto-belay-related incidents is relatively low (compared to the frequency of auto-belay usage without incidents) — the severity of these incidents has caused many gym managers and owners to become extremely concerned. If the beam is broken but the auto belay isn't moving, then an embarrassing alarm sounds. No deaths, but serious (!) injuries. Climbing is inherently dangerous and most gyms are now exceedingly busy. Jan 15, 2024 · Photo: CityROCK There has been a lot of chatter about auto-belays in recent months, both in the media and behind closed doors. The climbing gym in Fort Collins released a statement Tuesday, and said the auto-belay systems that keep climbers from falling will not be used at least until a full investigation is Feb 20, 2021 · TCA talks to the survivor of an auto belay no-clip accident. Was just wondering if there are any rock climbing walls in sydney that has an autobelay system? I want to get back into rock climbing but tend to want to climb more often than my friends can join me to belay. Using a throwaway acct to avoid alarming people I know. And to add, the vast majority of accidents with auto belays are user errors by not clipping in. I tried to come up with a better analogy, but the best I could do is: It's like riding a tandem bike by yourself and only having control of the front brakes. I did a course on top rope, auto belay and bouldering and during the course I was able to rappel down but since then I’ve been getting more and more anxious when it comes to getting down. I am grateful for her training. If you do clip it to your belay loop, you climb, it reels up, you come back down safely. An automatic belay device (aka auto belay) takes up slack as you climb, thereby negating the need for a belayer on the ground. Auto belays aren’t any more fallible than anything else. On the drive to the gym I’ll also have lot of thoughts about the auto belay failing, the rope breaking, etc. In trad nearly half of all accidents were gear failure. The route setting there is really good and changes often but there are no ropes. " Mar 2, 2025 · A professional climber suffered severe injuries after a belayer’s improper use of a GriGri led to a 13-meter fall, sparking discussions on climbing safety and proper belay techniques. Apparently broke legI just learned why the auto belay was attached to a big piece of canvas that blocked the bottom of the climb. I wasn't psyched using it before but did it rarely when a partner bailed. We believe removing auto belays will reduce the probability of an accident—sparing not only the injured climber, but also the other climbers in the gym, our team members, and the community. Vertical World fully cooperated over many years of investigation. Bizarre it’s not standard The auto-belay system has the cord clipped at an anchor point on the ground. However, after a few falls I became more anxious and no longer wanted my belayer to use an unassisted belay device in case he/she fainted To be fair to them, I only used the auto belay because it was my first time. short pause while Drwormhat climbs onto his soapbox This probably could have been avoided entirely if the belayer had been using an auto assist belay device (grigri, cinch, megajul, smart, etc. I work at a gym and I believe our auto belays are rated for up to 300lbs. I mean, unless you're rope soloing and you're capable of doing that, no, there is no automated belay system for outdoor climbing. The only accidents have been from people not clipping in properly etc. In June, a woman died at Ascent Climbing & Fitness in Fort Collins, Colo. Oct 14, 2021 · Brandon Barnes of the Fort Collins police said it appeared she became unattached from the auto-belay system. a gumby is basically a new climber like you said. 76 votes, 74 comments. Based on both rumor and inference from the messaging, this looks like a fixed-gear failure, and no part of that system should fail catastrophically if maintained correctly. The sheet covers the starting holds for hands and feet when the auto belay is clipped to it. but like how does that even happen You can look up reports about Auto belay accidents, it happens kind of regularly. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. The auto belay provides a controlled descent using magnets, centrifugal force, or hydraulics as a braking mechanism. I always see the GriGri being compared to ATC-style belay devices and the GriGri being crowned as the safest device available for sport climbing. 1. MembersOnline • Climbing Gym Battles $1 Million Lawsuit Over Auto Belay Accident agoroguy replied to Tenthg0d Seattle Climbing Gym Vertical World and Colorado Equipment Manufacturer C3 Agree to Pay $6M Total Settlement for Climbing Accident r/climbing • During the weekdays, the walls often went unused compared to the bouldering, so incentivizes a more spread out use of the space during busy hours and allows solo climbers to enjoy. I only found out about the accident because a friend that works there told me about it a few days later. 310 votes, 227 comments. The woman is a trooper and my hero! Reply reply gloaming • The gym where I work has had a sudden rash of people forgetting to clip in, and we are currently looking for every option available to increase the safety of our auto-belays. even if the cause of the accident was failure to use the auto-belay altogether. However, if the staff said there was an accident, it suggests they weren't closing the stations regularly enough. This is why you perform the super quick safety check before climbing any wall, making sure you are tied in to the rope with a proper figure 8 through both harness loops, or properly clipped into the autobelay. This is a reminder that you must stay focused on safety at all times while climbing, especially by yourself. What devices were used and what gyms did these accidents occur in?. These days I prefer lead climbing because I got over my fear of falling and objectively it’s much safer (regarding accident injuries and overuse injuries). Grace Thompson faces months in a wheelchair after a life-changing injury at the Extreme Edge climbing wall. To the point where last time I tried I just had to climb down as I couldn’t Oct 25, 2021 · In reply to Wire Shark: The 'SafeWork' mentioned in the article is a government department in NSW investigating the incident. Hector Diffut then fell to the ground and suffered serious leg injuries. In reply to eijit: Last year, after a series of accidents/mistakes of this kind on their auto-belay protected wall, the Virgin gym in Sheffield asked us (Podsacs) if we could design some sort of physical deterrent to people setting off on routes without first clipping onto the auto-belay cords. We first responded by removing our Perfect Descent auto belays (Perfect Descent was a defendant in The home of Climbing on reddit. but I don't know if they're intended for regular usage. A common mistake while belaying a lead climber is to hold open the device the entire time, thus defeating the auto-locking The use of auto belays has been a hotly debated topic in the indoor climbing industry for the last 10 years. In september, after a four year long legal battle over an auto belay accident, vertical world. Consider this: Our biggest traffic drivers last year had to deal with Alex Honnold, an auto-belay accident which led to an unfortunate anal impalement, and six-pack abs. Or how sport climbers thread through the anchor and clip a loop knot on a bight to their belay loop when lowering off after leading. There's nothing wrong with you. It seems almost everything here is owned by touchstone who doesn’t use them. Do any of the gyms within an hour of sac have auto belay or am I forced to talk to strangers? I started working as a contractor for Belay doing virtual assistant work in early February 2023. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. look at the history of auto belay accidents, more often than not it comes down to human error (no buddy check, forgetting to clip) and the consequences often pretty life altering. If I title this article “Alex Honnold, Who Has a Great Six Pack, Was Impaled Anally Due to an Auto Belay Accident” I imagine it would also drive a lot of people to the site. Our head instructor had a friend of hers die from a belay accident many years ago and she absolutely took belaying as serious as she could and made sure every student worker she trained knew how to belay effectively and safely regardless of the conditions outdoors. . Is rock climbing safe? Alternative to auto-belay devices for at-home climbing wall? Building an outdoor climbing wall. Reply reply more replyMore replies [deleted] • Comment deleted by user Reply reply more replies more replies More repliesMore repliesMore replies fascal • as before him, the best free soloists like Bachar, Gardner, Bishop, and Oct 21, 2021 · The Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym has confirmed that the failure of a special climbing device, called an autobelay, caused a man to fall to his death. It's not much different from clipping in when using an auto-belayer. Photo / Supplied The victim of an accident at New Zealand's biggest indoor climbing So I was climbing at an indoor gym in Atlanta and I was dropped 50 ft by my belayer while lead climbing. How is it possible to go up without having a rope attached to you? Wouldn't you notice it? This is an incident involving an auto belay, but I’m not sure how comfortable I am calling it an “auto belay accident” as the auto belay didn’t even get clipped on. If you climb or work at a gym with auto-belays, what did they do to get everyone to clip, and what was your opinion of their methods? Sep 19, 2023 · A climber forgot to clip into an auto-belay, climbed to the top of the route and then sat back, thinking that he was clipped in. If OP is supportive of auto-locking belay devices but posted this anyway as “dissatisfying”, then they’re just being disingenuous, and trying to stoke controversy. Typically, using the auto belay requires a really quick 2-5 minute orientation and demonstration and then you’re set to go. And yes we are scared of falling. However, I am looking to get Sep 6, 2023 · Hector Diffut, 26, fell 30 feet from the top of an indoor wall after forgetting to clip into the auto belay. It's missing a key safety feature. ask the police what you should do with your car. The auto belay is clipped to a plastic sheet at the bottom of the climb. I also kept getting smacked in the face and chest with the carabiner (is that what it’s called?). Bouldering laps at low grade. Listen to Sam's story and her wise words of advice to help climbers avoid this mistake. If you're worried about it maybe ask what the auto belays are rated for. Don’t be This happened to an amputee and fairly experienced woman at my gym! Coincidentally, she has the prosthetic as a result of a no-clip-in auto belay accident. That's why in most German gyms you're (theoretically) not allowed to use Auto-Belays on Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. There have been a few injuries at my gym since I’ve been going there, both lead climbing and bouldering as well as an auto belay accident (climber was not clipped in). Maybe technology could help: a simple infrared beam, say at 10ft (running horizontal on the wall) and a movement sensor in the auto belay. We send the auto-belay up and set up a rope in the same lane when setting auto-belay routes. 237 votes, 198 comments. Feb 8, 2024 · As far as inanimate objects go, quickdraws are not ideal belayers. Love y’all. Fort Collins The highest certified guy who is my instructor told me they have more accidents in the bouldering areas then they do with auto-belay and other "standard" climbing accidents combined. See a fair amount of anti auto-belay comments. The device enables a climber to ascend indoor routes on a top rope but without the need for a human belaying partner. I used to prefer bouldering because of my fear of falling (which only really kicks in above 4m). The use of auto belays has been a hotly debated topic in the indoor climbing industry for the last 10 years. This lawsuit really amped up the conversation. Personally I'm never using auto belay ever again. Or they do multiple routes in a row, unclip for a short break and forget to clip back in. Personally, I'd rather see and have my friends see a video of something that can't be changed, than see any of us make the same mistake. AFAIK (correction: the statement in this sentence is wrong, see aplubsi's relpy) there has never been a single auto belay accident caused by failure of the auto belay device. So I wouldn't really jump to conclusions, but I'm suspicious that the autobelay actually dropped someone. Seeing auto-belay sections closed is a sign of good safety practice. call your car insurance company and send them the police report. Have the manufacturer's inspected the devices to determine whether it was a mechanical failure or operator error? Given the state of climbing gyms, I would assume the belayer or gym is trying to save face for neglecting to belay or maintain their equipment properly, respectively. I really want to be able to trust auto belay coz if I donf overcome the fear, I donf dare to do harder ones as I would be scared of falling on the auto belay. Hi all, So I have read through a bunch of other threads on here about choosing a belay device, but I haven't found one that answers all of my questions yet. The gym will not release the footage but I was allowed to go in and watch. A friend of mine, who is an experienced trad climber had an auto belay fall when thought he'd clipped in but now thinks he must have put it on the belay loop and not totally through it, so the gate didn't close. Auto belay is perfect for any solo gymgoer who wants to get stronger. Investigators did not find any faulty equipment. Or how lots of people TR solo and clip their progress capture device to the belay loop with a carabiner. It’s like anything with climbing on ropes, you just need to learn to trust the gear. Sep 27, 2023 · Vertical World and C3 Manufacturing recently agreed to pay a climber $6 million, one of the largest settlements in the climbing gym industry’s history, following an auto belay accident. Aug 19, 2021 · As per usual, a brouhaha began on Mountain Project after Frohbieter’s posted about his accident, with some offering support and well wishes, but many calling the accident a hoax and requesting “proof. The theory of this law firm was that an auto belay device produced by C3 Manufacturing, called “Perfect Descent”, failed to arrest the climber’s fall as intended resulting in serious injuries. As with most auto-belay accidents, user failure is the major cause. My current gym now requires any type of auto locking device because humans make mistakes and get complacent. However, lately I've been doing quick sessions alone in my spare time using the auto belay system. How much safer is a GriGri vs a Mammut Smart, Jul2, MegaJul etc It was a locker on the gym auto-belay, just didn’t get it fully through the loop (my fault) one time and semi-closed on the loop itself causing the abrasion. Nov 22, 2021 · Has anyone died on an auto-belay? It’s the first death at a climbing gym in 2021, but not the first time auto-belays have been implicated in the death of a climber. Reply iemfi • Additional comment actions Extended video of an accident that happened in ?2012? Crash at 3:15 Complete Destruction Hi, I'm just curious to know which belay devices you (as a climber) prefer for sport climbing? I had no problem with my belayers having either an ATC or an assisted braking device such as Grigri, ATC pilot etc as long as the belayer feels safe and competent. 7K votes, 163 comments. In through nose!!! Learning to manage fatigue on the wall, so finding good rest spots, shaking out. talk to the other driver and get their insurance company name and policy number and give them yours. I have only gone bouldering and today I tried auto belay for the first time. I took a couple sloppy intentional falls but they didn’t help the fear. In the case of this accident, the belayer’s device unclipped from his harness just as the leader fell. I weighted the rope to rest before the move and then let him Auto belay laps. The more fortunate have realised their mistake and downclimbed, while others have miraculously been spared of serious consequences by a low fall. As part of the settlement, C3 Manufacturing has agreed to pay $5 million, and Vertical World will pay $1 million. \unjerk: auto-belay is just a machine for indoor climbing that belays for you, speed climbers use them often. The climbing centre's instagram page reported 3 days ago that it was auto belay failure, and they've removed all auto belays and will never use them again in that centre. I looked into it a while ago, there has never been an incident of a TruBlue auto belay failing. I’ve seen outside almost-accidents like this esp if belayer isn't wearing belay gloves, is used to using a grigri, or the rope is new/super slick. Oct 29, 2018 · And if you think that accidental free-climbing is one of those rare, "freak" accidents, there is at least one more personal account of an experienced climber forgetting to clip his harness into the auto-belay. I’m sure it takes some getting used to but I felt like the rope was pulling/holding me up some, so it wasn’t as good of a work out as bouldering. You unclip it, and tie it to yourself If you don't clip it to yourself, it reels to the top, you look like an idiot. Let us explore some of the pros and cons of auto belays. Then I took a belay class. The home of Climbing on reddit. I usually top rope with an experienced friend. Statistically almost all auto belay accidents are from people forgetting to clip in. Sep 21, 2023 · Gym and Auto Belay Manufacturer to Pay $6M in Settlement for Auto Belay Accident Vertical World and Perfect Descent manufacture settle with climber who sustained 30-foot fall Published Sep 21, 2023 Delaney Miller Failure to clip in is WAY more likely than equipment failure in autobelay accidents, at least with modern autobelays (the original versions had some issues but they weren't designed for climbing use and I haven't seen one in use in a gym in a decade). No mention of the brand of device though. I prefer it to the VE bouldering gym. It is an autobelay failure because the autobelay doesn't have a partner check like a traditional belay system. I have been climbing for about 2 years, but only bouldering and top roping indoors, and I have only ever used a typical ATC belay device, which I am very comfortable with. Climbing gym question Is there any good climbing gyms in the area with auto belays installed? I go climbing alone 90% of the time and don’t wanna have to relay on someone else all the time. Scary stuff Over a dozen days on the harness I wouldn't expect a replacement from BD. I was told by a staff member at Vital there was a pretty big lawsuit in the Seattle area for a climber who fell using an auto-belay device that was supposed to catch him from the top, but perhaps was too heavy for it combined with some mechanical failure. The belay carabiner is still attached to the anchor at the beginning of the clip. Apr 24, 2023 · The auto belay provides a controlled descent using magnets, centrifugal force, or hydraulics as a braking mechanism. Last night I did Auto belay "TruBlue Speed" auto-belay fixed at the top of an indoor climbing route An auto belay (or autobelay) is a mechanical device for belaying in indoor climbing walls, in both training and competition climbing formats. We set and forerun on the rope and return the auto-belay to the bottom when the route is completely finished. With the 'newer' (quite old, still) models of auto belays, there's virtually zero maintenance required, even. I wasn’t a huge fan. Why do so many people not like auto-belays in gyms? Personally find them super convenient for training. No buddy check and people just forget to clip in. Hey Tundrawolf_ This is from wikipedia: [. These accidents are so common - a woman fell in our gym as well just a couple of weeks ago due to failing to clip in (luckily only minor injuries), and I really struggle to understand it. etc. One of the more widely sold auto belays in North America was recalled due to a design flaw that caused some of the internal parts to wear more quickly than anticipated. ]though Petzl recommends the device for use in both applications. Easy upsell for harness rental for first timers in addition to day pass + shoe rental, because it requires no training, compared to belay. Just tie another belay loop in (9/16" webbing) and carry on. When you're using a carabiner, whether that be to belay another, rappel, or clip into an auto-belay you don't have to worry about friction between the metal and your harness, so it is appropriate to clip into your belay loop; that's why it's there. , in an auto-belay accident. MembersOnline • My gym is removing all auto-belays SomeSchmidt commented You need to learn how to belay with a class and test people on how to belay properly. Similarly, harness failure (assuming he wasn't improperly attached to an unrated gear loop or something) is I don't like to see folks with both headphones in whether on auto belay or just bouldering. Minneapolis bouldering project is the other big gym here. Oct 25, 2021 · A young man has passed away following a 43-foot fall off an autobelay-equipped route at Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym in Sydney, Australia. Sep 22, 2023 · Seattle’s Vertical World and Colorado-based manufacturer C3, which produces Perfect Descent auto belays, have settled in a lawsuit following a severe climbing accident that occurred on August 1 Nov 29, 2019 · A new video released by The Climbing Academy (TCA) Glasgow highlights a worrying trend in indoor climbing accidents: people are forgetting to clip into the auto belay tape and are effectively soloing auto belay lines. Peters location when an accident on an auto-belay system occurred. Any reports of auto belay accidents are exactly what happened to you, they don't fail, just humans forget to clip while distracted. We met some good friends through it. There is no case where you can not not be tied in. The whole point of the auto belay is to walk up, clip yourself in (easy to do, it’s only two clips) and get going. 105 votes, 46 comments. That sinking feeling I got seeing his auto-belay dangling on the wall as he neared a height that could no longer be deemed safe to drop down from, unharnessed. If your belayer primarily topropes indoors, those are almost always heavy and slow/thick ropes. wvom ktyh aufni ftz nujkn zfvqdu txwrhvs wifaz raf gcck