Top rope auto belay accident reddit. And yes we are scared of falling.

Top rope auto belay accident reddit. Cons: slightly annoying in top belay/guide mode if you are using a single rope. He just stood there looking confused and his partner piped up to explain that ‘he’s only climbed outside and we only lead so he doesn’t know how to top rope belay’. I've never used an auto belay, but I'd imagine your just clipping into a locking 'biner on the end of the rope. With the 'newer' (quite old, still) models of auto belays, there's virtually zero maintenance required, even. 310 votes, 227 comments. 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. It's missing a key safety feature. 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). Like you, they also had a reason for picking the auto-belay over the available top rope climbs, and your reason is no more important than whatever theirs is. 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. Putting the 'biner through both the leg loop and the waist loop would tri-load the 'biner, and placing it only through the waist loop could risk a back injury. Bizarre it’s not standard Reply reply SkiMonkey98 • the ‘right’ way to belay I totally agree it's weird to ban Grigris, but you should also 100% be using the 'right' belay technique with your brake hand constantly on the rope, if only to build good habits for when you inevitably end up using an ATC for whatever reason Reply reply thefiendhitman • Hey Tundrawolf_ This is from wikipedia: [. I usually climb with doubles so this is not a big deal. When auto-belays share space with other climbing terrain, you not only have gates that are easy to climb around, you have climbers that are used to climbing around them. Last night I was leading and was hanging when i looked over at another climber friend about to reach for the finishing move on a fifty foot wall. He still hates it and realizes he'd burn the shit out of his hands if the auto belay were to fail and he attempted to catch himself, but it helps mentally even just a tiny bit. Statistically almost all auto belay accidents are from people forgetting to clip in. A common mistake while belaying a lead climber is to hold open the device the entire time, thus defeating the auto-locking Curious if anyone knows of any decent top-rope gyms in Tokyo? I know bouldering gyms are a dime a dozen (Apparently B-Pump is the best of that lot?), but it's hard to find a place with any top ropes (let alone autobelayers). You can see the rope leading up to it right at hip level. On top rope. 1. Not that I am aware of which auto belay it was but a friend was just recently telling me of a time where he was using an auto belay and once at the top of the route he no longer felt the distinctive tug of the auto belay. Yes this exactly. The elastic cord keeps the devices from interfering with each other and the set up works great. I have only gone bouldering and today I tried auto belay for the first time. The base is attached to the bottom of the wall and the top has a ring where you clip the auto belay. I tie in to the tie-in loops when leading or toproping. Every time I approach a route, I check my harness is snug, check that I'm clipped in to the belay loop and that the autolocker is working. When he looked up the webbing was ejecting out of the device in front of him. but I don't know if they're intended for regular usage. Plus I want to dip my toes in some lead climbing this season. To the point where last time I tried I just had to climb down as I couldn’t 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. The Watertown (and I think Stoneham) CRG has bouldering, top rope, lead, and auto-belay too! Rock Spot is also a great one too. 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. They put a triangular tarp about 4 ft high. , the Petzl attaché has a pear Hi, I'm based in Singapore but am in London for about 2. The auto-belay system has the cord clipped at an anchor point on the ground. So I had a semi accident with my GF whem she belayed me on toprope and we took a controlled fall, nothing more than what you would expect on a lead climb. Oct 22, 2021 · A man, reported to be in his 30s, was climbing at Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym’s St. I've seen fall arrest devices for roofers etc. Also makes you clip in with two opposed carabiners instead of tie in and various other weirdness. Peters location when an accident on an auto-belay system occurred. I went back to climbing a month after my injury, pre-surgery, and had a couple of ultra painful moments doing very innocuous toe and heel hooks on top rope, that I didn’t think would be an issue. However, if the staff said there was an accident, it suggests they weren't closing the stations regularly enough. I also don't waste time teaching people to belay on an ATC. For a gym, especially top-rope, new climbers tying the wrong knot or not finishing it up might be an even bigger safety concern though. Top rope, lead, multi pitch, rope ascension, single-line raps; the device does a lot. I would start at the bottom of the wall and just climb up a little and then let go. The Grigri is a more versatile device. Hit the the top of the wall at 30 ft. even if the cause of the accident was failure to use the auto-belay altogether. 274 votes, 101 comments. Where residents and visitors alike can share news, events, gatherings, stories, and more. I've been to most of the movement locations, and still would prefer ubergrippen over them any day. A day-pass here is $15, with a monthly membership running you at $56 / mo. I thought the same thing and I realised it was kinda silly, it's the same for bouldering no one will judge you if you're a beginner, just be aware how many auto belay there are because other people will also use the auto belay. I wasn’t a huge fan. She slipped and felland kept falling. When you jump off, it will lower you back down at a safe speed. Most of these are falls from the top of the wall due to failure to clip in, making them catastrophic. 7K votes, 163 comments. My question is, how can I improve my When I climb all the way up (top rope) and it's time to let go, I realize that I am 15+ meters up and this is the first time that the rope, my knots and the belay are tested. The climber, Michael Vandivere, sustained a 30-foot fall and subsequently suffered a number of severe injuries, including 12 pelvic fractures, a traumatic brain injury, lung injuries, bladder Sep 23, 2016 · One of the main elements in the auto belay set-up that is different from regular top rope climbing, is the absence of a partner. Climbers usually race up the holds as fast as they can , touch a sensor at the end and push off the wall, while the auto-belay slowly lowers them. After stopping things right away and getting his climber to climb the few feet back to the ground I asked him what he was doing. I’m not a big fan of single tube devices like the jul2 unless you never plan to climb outside. IMO, this is best practice. So it depends on the gym, clearly, unfortunately 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. She broke both femurs and her hips. I know you're being flippant, but it's important to highlight that the accident happened while lowering. The data shows that these accidents occur among both new and experienced climbers. I'm very paranoid about belaying accidents, and would like to find a device that can be used as a backup for a belay, to lock on the rope if the primary belay device fails and sets the rope free (whether due to user error, or being knocked unconscious due to rockfall etc. There was a bad (but not fatal) accident in my favorite top rope gym the other day and it's been announced that the gym will… 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. If you can belay on a Grigri, you can belay on an ATC. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. Ascension ascender facing away from me, clipped through top loop (capturing the rope) - also clipped to the belay loop with an oval carabiner. I’ve had to basically reteach people how to belay properly that learned on a grigri without developing best practices (for any belay device) like always keeping your hand on the break strand. My friend always tries to stick to auto belay routes that are next to regular top ropes so that he can hold the top rope on the way down. I've also seen shunts for self-belaying however I'd prefer a top-rope mechanism. 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. Yep, that would be rude. A close call that I am aware of with an auto belay was due to someone's t-shirt and/or belay loop getting stuck in the carabiner gate and preventing the gate from fully closing and autolocking. Both of my children, who weigh at least 100lbs less than me, can successfully belay me on top rope. Any hidden gems?? Also, are memberships not a thing? A lot of places seem to be day passes only. That’s why bouldering is more approachable to beginners. 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. 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. Are there any cheaper alternatives to an auto-belay which would let me practice climb when I'm by myself? Those things cost thousands. My climbing gym only has 24ft top rope/autobelay walls. “We rarely have incidents happen with top roping, so compared to bouldering, auto belays, and lead climbing, it seems to be one of the safer forms of indoor climbing. Also how does the shape of the carabiner affect things and which orientation should it have? I. Most top rope accidents that we do see are lowering accidents. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. ]though Petzl recommends the device for use in both applications. 5 weeks in July for an event and visiting friends (lived there 15 years ago). This way you cannot start climbing without clipping since the tarp blocks the starting holds when the auto belay is clipped onto the ring. The auto belay was allegedly found intact and at the top. She couldnt release her hand, so I had to quickly climb up the wall again to 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. We came to the decision to remove auto belays. At a climbing gym like this, you would be clipped into an auto belay. ” What are auto belays Auto Belay Reddit In september, after a four year long legal battle over an auto belay accident, vertical world. God damn it was so much fun. However, habits like these lead to pretty terrible belay technique that increases the chances of fucking up when you’re not using a grigri. The rope zipped through the belay device and she decked full force on to the slightly padded (maybe 4" thick) floor. How is it possible to go up without having a rope attached to you? Wouldn't you notice it? I treat it like top-rope soloing outdoors. In trad nearly half of all accidents were gear failure. Your two eyes are your only double-checking mechanism. I work at a gym and I believe our auto belays are rated for up to 300lbs. The number of auto belay accidents are increasing. ). Attach a grigri to your belay loop and climb. That usually implies that he clipped it into something weak like his belt loop or it was incompletely clipped to his harness and came off. Otherwise, go up/down once and hand off to the next person and wait your turn. 103 votes, 190 comments. I know there’s a few more in the area, but those are my top choices!! One time my best friend was stuck at the top because of her fear of the auto belay. Then go higher. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. In this case, clipping into a pre-tied knot with a carabiner leave a lot less space for mistakes. , trusted the auto belay and decked. One time my best friend was stuck at the top because of her fear of the auto belay. 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. Feb 8, 2024 · This is a climbing accident where the injured forgot to attach himself to a 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. Plus there's a strong sense of community at them; super friendly atmosphere. It is an autobelay failure because the autobelay doesn't have a partner check like a traditional belay system. It takes all of ten seconds. A massive central boulder has tons of 15-ft tall bouldering routes, with 14 top-rope and auto-belay routes behind it topping out at around 30ft. I check it anyway, but if i forgot, i would want an auto locker. Is it possible to climb an auto belay wall by top roping or lead? In my experience, either the AB cord would get in the way or there wouldn't be any top anchor for top rope climbing, as the auto belay would be there. Every gym I’ve climbed at in the US has required a belay test (for top rope and lead. Hi - If I missed this in the FAQ I apologize but don't remember seeing anything specifically on this. The physicality is identical (for top rope belaying. The home of Climbing on reddit. My gym uses static rope for certain top rope routes. best top rope/auto belay climbing hi! i might be moving to pittsburgh for school soon and was wondering what gyms are the best for top rope climbing. . However, the most serious incidents reported in indoor climbing gyms — death, becoming paralyzed, and other severe forms of bodily harm — tend to happen on ropes and auto-belays. At my university gym, one of the wall employees was getting some late night crag action on an autobelay. 237 votes, 198 comments. This guy 100% completely forgot to clip in. Most of the accidents have happened when climbers were well into their climbing session. Don’t be We send the auto-belay up and set up a rope in the same lane when setting auto-belay routes. Oct 27, 2022 · Bryan concurs. We set and forerun on the rope and return the auto-belay to the bottom when the route is completely finished. Reply reply More repliesMore replies RedDirtNurse • 20 votes, 50 comments. ” I use an auto locker for my belay device because it is just an extra layer of safety. Most of my anticipated outdoor projects this year are at least double that length. Slam a carabiner on the anchor, put the rope through it and pull, quick flip of the rope and your partner is on belay, another flip and they're on a clove. I usually ask if they have a finishing knot requirement as I tie in. I tie my ascended to the belay loop when solo toproping. I like to belay top rope with a GriGri - what is the best carabiner design for this setup? Is a Petzl Attaché screw-lock ok? I also have a Camp Orbit 2 auto lock. I'm based in grad student digs near Victoria. I enjoy top-roping and would like to get a few sessions in while I'm in London. Insane first time gym climber free solos to top of roped wall and brags on Insta about getting yelled at by staff for almost dying 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. I 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. They have one in South Boston and one in Dedham. Over and over until you start to trust the gear, systems and belay. it seems like there are a lot of great bouldering places but i can’t see myself regularly bouldering that often! Oct 29, 2018 · Carabiner is on the proper hard point of the harness, is locked, and the belay device is properly loaded. Even though she held the rope more than a couple of fist lengths from the belay device, her hand was dragged and jammed between the belay device and the rope. Roped climbing in any form takes more equipment- harness, rope, helmet, belay device and eventually QuickDraws and stuff to make anchors if you are going to sport or top rope outside. Thanks for any info! My gym has several large bouldering areas. If you do clip it to your belay loop, you climb, it reels up, you come back down safely. I started splitting my time between top rope and bouldering at my gym. Sep 21, 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, 2019. Lower yourself with the grigri's lever when you want to descend. Tie it in an MMO or instantly lower someone if you need. The free end of the rope is secured by the brake hand of the belayer. E. Hey guys, I recently signed up for a top rope / auto belay carnival style comp. Other than that, I'll just echo the advice to belay as tight as you can any time the climber is effectively on top rope, especially for up to 3 bolts or even 1/3 or 1/2 up the route. The rope is under tension and constantly wants to go up, so it will follow you as you climb. This is generally not an issue for top rope, especially if your gym wraps the rope around the pipe at the top of the route, as most do. As his climber moved up the wall. Climb easy walls up to highball boulder height and jump off. IF I was to clip in with two carabiners for toproping it would be on the belay loop, not the rope tie in points. Jan 15, 2024 · And almost all of these injuries are less serious than injuries from climbing on top rope, lead, or auto belay. I don't know the statistics, but I'd wager that lowering/rappelling accidents are more common, or more frequently serious/fatal. The Southie one has bouldering and top rope, I think. Auto belay will definitely continue to improve your top rope climbing if you can't go with your partner so just go for it. It’s like anything with climbing on ropes, you just need to learn to trust the gear. [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. Jun 21, 2021 · The innocent lapses in attention that lead to auto-belay accidents are also to blame for top-rope and lead climbers who forget to finish their tie-in knots—mistakes with similarly dire consequences. There is no case where you can not not be tied in. ) Both have top rope/lead climbing and bouldering areas. I'd be interested to see some numbers on auto belays versus bouldering accidents. She was a foot or two above the last clip and was at the anchor after this final move. End of rope slipping out of belay device. I also kept getting smacked in the face and chest with the carabiner (is that what it’s called?). Microtrax on top with elastic cord to keep it elevated - clipped to belay loop to oval carabiner. just like the climber unfortunately did. The most serious top-rope accident in the study occurred when a climber followed a climb on top rope that had been led by their partner. In the auto belay scenario you lack an extra set of eyes. When the auto belay is my partner, I do double checks with the auto belay before I leave the ground just as I would with a human partner. Some prefer high friction ones, some prefer ones where it's easier to feed rope when you need it, there's always a trade off. Basically the best belay device is the one you feel is like an extension of your own body, you should be comfortable using it without having to think about it. You bring your rope and biner block or just bowline the rope to the top of the cliff. 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. The auto belay provides a controlled descent using magnets, centrifugal force, or hydraulics as a braking mechanism. Hi all! I’ve been climbing for 2 years now and I just started outdoor rope climbing (woohoo!). Mar 3, 2025 · Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. Rappelling involves cleaning the anchor then using a personal belay device (commonly an ATC, grigri or other) to rappel/abseil back down to the base of the climb. Apparently broke legI just learned why the auto belay was attached to a big piece of canvas that blocked the bottom of the climb. If your belayer primarily topropes indoors, those are almost always heavy and slow/thick ropes. You can do repeats if no one's waiting. Is there anything unsafe about this? 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. And yes we are scared of falling. Surprised to see anchor failure be the most common top rope cause of accidents, with belay failure way lower down. Reply reply testlipidesmu92 • Seeing auto-belay sections closed is a sign of good safety practice. Drop the rope off the side. Usually if you say you need a lead test they skip the TR one) Typically consists of having each person load their belay device, tie their knot, and go over belay commands. Sep 6, 2023 · Hector Diffut, 26, fell 30 feet from the top of an indoor wall after forgetting to clip into the auto belay. And unfortunately did not double check his partner, the auto belay. My safety check for autobelaying is checking that my carabiner is locked and attached correctly to my harness, taking a look at the top of the route and making sure there’s nothing visually wrong with the autobelay and making sure there’s tension on the rope. The weight savings doesn’t seem worth the cost of not being able to easily rappel. She's okay now but our gym is closed all year because of it. Tirades, Welcome to Charlotte, Things to do, Buying/Selling, and Charity are all weekly topics. i didn't buy it for that purpose or anything, but i had some twisters and some autolockers and i put the twisters on my slings for going in direct and used autos for belaying. We have 90 minutes to climb as many routes as possible, and collect… It was traditionally used to belay up a second from the top, where the climber side rope is pulling downwards, and you can use your legs to brace yourself again something. I am grateful for her training. They aren't as big as movement, but aren't even close to as busy. It’ll be my main focus/goal for this outdoor season. Similarly, harness failure (assuming he wasn't improperly attached to an unrated gear loop or something) is Building an outdoor climbing wall. There's an auto belay in the video, but so inconspicuous you may have missed it. Auto belay is perfect for any solo gymgoer who wants to get stronger. The bells in your head don't go off when you climb around an auto-belay gate if you do that all the time on lead on the same wall. The force is all on you and your belay device and the anchors don’t get worn out as much when compared to lowering. Overall no helmet was a significant portion of all climbing accidents, nearly as much as rap errors. Just wondering what everyone else’s If you clip in with a carabiner, you should always use the belay loop, and never leg and waist loops. A subreddit for Charlotte, North Carolina. If you're worried about it maybe ask what the auto belays are rated for. 541 votes, 190 comments. 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. Is there anything that's relatively easy to reach by public transport? I'm looking for a place with reasonable auto-belay facilities Just adding to the discussion: Imagine the crag has walking access to the top. eplm ifpycm jqh olwvhp jjavhnep tqee vobjota jpc ugzyax usnprx