Auto belay failure. The data shows that these accidents occur among both new and experienced climbers. The device enables a climber to ascend indoor routes on a top rope but without the need for a human belaying partner. Oct 25, 2021 · While autobelays are safe if used properly, and current models have near nonexistent rates of failure, many gyms don’t require autobelay users to pass top rope belay tests, and/or have low (or nonexistent) age minimums for autobelay use. 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. Most of these are falls from the top of the wall due to failure to clip in, making them catastrophic. " This month, we cover an increasingly common gym accident involving an auto belay; and the risk of rock fall at outdoor crags. 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. One caused a ground fall from ~25 feet up, one instance was caught and after a couple tugs the system caught and the climber was able to be safely lowered and the third instance resulted in a down climb to safety. Because if this was a maintenance failure they're liable. Jan 25, 2023 · Your monthly dose of climbing accident analysis from the editors of "Accidents in North American Climbing. Jan 15, 2024 · The industry has experienced at least two auto-belay deaths in the past three years and several serious injuries related to auto-belays. We came to the decision to remove auto belays. Fort Collins TRUBLUE Auto Belay - Beware. The number of auto belay accidents are increasing. 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. Mar 3, 2025 · A few weeks ago, a climber in the Netherlands was pretty badly injured when the webbing (!) of an auto belay apparently snapped, causing them to fall from approximately 8 meters. Peters location when an accident on 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. Oct 22, 2021 · Today, the gym confirmed that the incident involved an auto-belay system. Apr 24, 2023 · An auto belay is a mechanical device that is used in rock climbing to provide an effective and efficient way of lowering a climber to the ground after they have completed their climb. 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. Local gym in my area uses these auto belay systems, in the past two weeks they've failed 3 times. This means that newer, less experienced climbers can tend to gravitate towards autobelays. Most of these auto-belay accidents have been people who don't tie in or don't tie in correctly. 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. A man, reported to be in his 30s, was climbing at Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym’s St. They eliminate the need for a climbing partner who belays the climber, belaying is manually controlling the rope to hold the climber…. It is important to note that the majority of auto-belay-related incidents and deaths are not a result of the malfunction of the auto-belay itself. fwprky fvzieg mcoee rryo vomp kqredre vfsle yucxbk kaghml qwspoau