Top rope auto belay accident what happened. Oct 14, 2021 · 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 completed. even if the cause of the accident was failure to use the auto-belay altogether. “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. In the auto belay scenario you lack an extra set of eyes. Jun 21, 2021 · Though auto belay accidents happen every year, deaths are uncommon. Oct 12, 2020 · Auto belays are a great way to get in lots of laps on a climb without forcing your friend or climbing partner to belay you over and over, or just a great way to work on top rope routes if you’re climbing alone. In September, after a four year long legal battle over an auto belay accident, Vertical World publicly announced a shocking $6m settlement. This creates a continuous loop that protects the climber in case of a fall. The climber is connected to the rope that is connected to the system which automatically raises the rope when the climber ascends, stops if the climber falls and lowers the climber when she or he reaches the top of the climbing wall. , trusted the auto belay and decked. Mar 3, 2025 · What happened? 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. If you didn't see that they were definitely clipped into the auto-belay, it's very likely that this is what happened. The result is a comprehensive comparison-tested review, and some Feb 11, 2025 · Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. Nov 8, 2020 · After the explanation, I found a climb that had a top rope set up next to an auto belay. Nov 22, 2022 · Though auto belay accidents happen every year, deaths are uncommon. Most top rope accidents that we do see are lowering accidents. This way, climbers don’t fall very far when they fall. They're being removed because it turns out a partner check is just ridiculously important to avoid accidents on ropes over the long run. 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. With the 'newer' (quite old, still) models of auto belays, there's virtually zero maintenance required, even. Apr 28, 2025 · Belaying a climber on toprope—where the rope runs from the belay device up through an anchor at the top of the climb and back down to the climber’s harness—is as straightforward as it gets. 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. Mar 21, 2024 · Before you get your top-rope belay certification, make sure you know these 10 essential things to ensure a safe and successful climbing experience. I ground man for l on belay ?? 5y View all 3 replies Paul Blunden Today’s top 172 Repairer jobs in Australia. was deeply affected by nearly killing his buddy, and I've wondered how others involved in accidents go on afterwards. Jan 9, 2021 · I do have some thoughts on the accident. As the climber moves upwards, the belayer takes out slack through their belay device so that if the climber falls, the belayer can There is a psychological term for it that i cannot remember right now, but it summarizes how the sheer routine of doing things can obscure a mistake in that routine because it became a subconscious routine, in part. For a top-rope focused gym (especially if there are no auto-belays) it makes sense to have the gri-gris perma-attached to the rope, that way the belayer can't fuck up and load the gri-gri the wrong way. The leader had two screws at chest level and was Oct 27, 2015 · almost any auto-assist / auto-lock belay device performs differently with a different rope diameter (or rope stiffness or slickness/fuzziness). All the rope had slipped through the leader’s belay device, so the second fell/slid the rope’s distance while being pounded massively. See a fair amount of anti auto-belay comments. So this crazy thing happened to me while speed climbing. I hope this post isn't too redundant. ” Sep 22, 2023 · A three-year lawsuit over an auto-belay accident has ended in a $6 million combined payout from the climbing gym and the auto-belay manufacturer. Your two eyes are your only double-checking mechanism. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 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. Can you belay someone heavier than you? The short answer to the question: Yes, you absolutely can belay someone heavier than you top rope. There are different variations of rope climbing. Vertical Hold offers the best climbing experience for all ages and climbing levels. That grade is the upper limit of what I climb. A young man died after falling 43 feet from an autobelay-equipped route at a gym in NB: If you get to the top of the belay and you have to yank the webbing to make it retract fully, tell the staff. The leader had two screws at chest level and was Feb 22, 2020 · How Do Auto Belays Work? An automatic belay device (AKA auto belay) takes up slack as you climb, thereby negating the need for a belayer on the ground. An auto belay system also employs a safety rope; however, no partner is involved. The majority of climbing facilities worldwide now use auto belays. Many states only allow 1-2 years from the date of injury to file a claim, making it crucial to act quickly. The belayer will use a belay device such as an ATC to control the rope. Photo: masT3rOD /Flickr; CC BY 2. Jan 22, 2025 · Climbing Coach Recovering After Failing to Clip into Auto Belay Hector Diffut, 26, fell 30 feet from the top of an indoor wall after forgetting to clip into the auto belay. Hit the the top of the wall at 30 ft. But before learning about each method, let’s At my university gym, one of the wall employees was getting some late night crag action on an autobelay. 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. To the point where last time I tried I just had to climb down as I couldn’t If you clip in with a carabiner, you should always use the belay loop, and never leg and waist loops. Apr 11, 2023 · In this month's dose of climbing accidents, we cover a rappel failure that was most likely caused by an improperly set-up top-rope anchor. You pretty much have to play out slack and just fucking go for it through cruxes if your belay won't auto-feed (this means 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. Seeing auto-belay sections closed is a sign of good safety practice. Most of the accidents have happened when climbers were well into their climbing session. Oct 25, 2021 · In reply to Wire Shark: The 'SafeWork' mentioned in the article is a government department in NSW investigating the incident. And ideally the maximum weight difference is 40 kg / 88 pounds as well. 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. Before top roping, lead climbing, or using the auto belay on your own, you must take and pass the required test or orientation first. I did find that I rely on dynamic movements a lot in bouldering when I don’t necessarily have to, so the more static nature of top rope (at least at my gym) was a hard adjustment. Mar 4, 2025 · The device is mounted to a fixed position at the top of the route. No mention of the brand of device though. 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. Feb 22, 2020 · Belaying is an often overlooked, but essential skill to safe climbing, we share how to belay when climbing safely for top roping and lead climbing. Both of my children, who weigh at least 100lbs less than me, can successfully belay me on top rope. News article: Mountain Network - Ongeval Feb 8, 2024 · In the case of this accident, the belayer’s device unclipped from his harness just as the leader fell. Most auto-belay accidents are the result of individuals failing to completely clip into the device, or forgetting to clip in entirely. 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. In January 2014, Mark Hesse, 63, a climber with decades of experience, fell to his death after failing to clip into the auto-belay device in the Boulder Rock Club, Boulder, Colorado. " This month, we cover an increasingly common gym accident involving an auto belay; and the risk of rock fall at outdoor crags. The Role of a Human Belayer In top-rope climbing, the climbing rope extends from your climbing harness, passes inside an anchor at the summit, and ends back at the belayer’s hands. In this case, clipping into a pre-tied knot with a carabiner leave a lot less space for mistakes. Oct 2, 2022 · How heavy should a belayer be? Ideally the belayer’s minimum weight is 40 kg / 88 pounds. It seemed that A. Rope solo lead climbing is best used when aid climbing in my experience. Colorado-based C3 Manufacturing and Seattle’s 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. 5. 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. The rope zipped through the belay device and she decked full force on to the slightly padded (maybe 4" thick) floor. Bouldering injuries were primarily due to falls on the mat. You'd think it would be impossible for someone to do it, but I know of three different occasions where this occurred. Oct 27, 2022 · Bryan concurs. 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. Jun 28, 2018 · While there are several techniques that “belaying” refers to, in general, belaying is the act of exerting tension on a climbing rope to counterbalance the climber when they fall. Oct 29, 2018 · Lead Belaying Mistakes Account for Climbing Accidents Most of the injuries in lead and top-rope climbing were due to belaying mistakes at 10 cases out of 23 lead/top rope climbing accidents logged. Putting those two together: A description of the proper method of toprope belaying, and a discussion of some of other important considerations in toprope belay. So, if the belayer weighs less than this, the OHM alone may not solve the issue. Read more May 5, 2025 · A belay device is essential for catching falls anytime you're climbing on a rope. She slipped and felland kept falling. If a climbing rope fails to retract into the auto belay device, there will be a lot of slack in the rope as a climber ascends. How is it possible to go up without having a rope attached to you? Wouldn't you notice it? Whenever I go on the autobelay I check that I'm still attached in the beginning, at least once on the way up and I've never used an auto belay, but I'd imagine your just clipping into a locking 'biner on the end of the rope. One of the most common incidents reported in Accidents in North American Climbing is lowering a climber off the end of the rope (specifically, allowing the end of the rope to pass through a belay device, causing the climber to fall to the ground). Feb 23, 2024 · A 22-year-old climber fell 50 feet after forgetting to clip into the belay device at the bottom of the climb in a Polish gym. However, I am looking to get We have contacted Eric Lachance, technical director of the Quebec Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing, who will be on site the 27th along with a representative from the manufacturer in order to inspect the auto-belays, including the one which caused the accident. This way you cannot start climbing without clipping since the tarp blocks the starting holds when the auto belay is clipped onto the ring. As evidenced by Hesse’s death in 2014, auto belay accidents do not discriminate between the experienced and inexperienced. 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. 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. Or they do multiple routes in a row, unclip for a short break and forget to clip back in. Today’s top 172 Repairer jobs in Australia. Nov 22, 2021 · Can auto belay fail? Most auto-belay accidents are the result of individuals failing to completely clip into the device, or forgetting to clip in entirely. Jan 24, 2023 · Auto belays are great for climbing roped walls without a partner and for training endurance or doing laps on climbs, as you don't need a human belayer. Scary stuff Dec 4, 2022 · What’s Top-Rope Climbing? Top rope climbing, or top roping, is a style of climbing where the climber ties into the end of the rope, which then threads through top rope anchors at the top of the climb and back down to a belayer at the bottom of the climbing route. In this video, Pete Takeda, Editor of Accidents in North American Climbing, and IFMGA/AMGA guide Jason Antin are back to provide an accident analysis and give you some quick tips on how to mitigate risk when top-rope soloing. We offer rope climbing routes that you can either top-rope, lead climb or in some places, climb solo using an auto-belay. Customers are not allowed to rehearse, practice belay techniques, or climb prior to taking the belay test. Most auto belays are clipped at the bottom to a big triangle that is in your way to start the route. 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. 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. Jan 4, 2024 · Top rope climbing is a beginner-friendly style of climbing where the rope runs from the climber's harness up to an anchor system at the top of the route and back down to the belayer on the ground. They eliminate the need for a climbing partner who belays the climber, belaying is manually controlling the rope to hold the climber… 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. But on the auto-belay it’s up to the climber to double-check his or her system. In saying that, New Zealand has different "standards" in top roping. In short, the leader was at an anchor while the second approached the anchor, big avalanche, leader was OK, second unfortunately found dead after the avalanche passed. 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. In top-rope and lead belaying, we constantly check each other’s knots. With three locations to call home, each gym is complete with Top Roping, Lead Climbing, Bouldering, Auto Belays, Yoga, Fitness, Slacklining and more. Focus: The route I was on was a 5. When the climber reaches the top, or if they fall, the device automatically catches the climber and slowly lowers them to the ground. That might be the case here. But which one is the best? Belay devices come in three different categories — tube-style, auto-blocking devices, and assisted braking devices — and our expert climbing testers have put in hundreds of hours belaying and testing all three kinds. 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. Jun 26, 2023 · In a belay class, you'll learn about the different types of belaying (top-rope and lead), how to use the belay device, and the importance of communication between the climber and belayer. 10. In order to top-rope in our gym, you will need a harness, climbing shoes, and an assisted braking device (ABD) style belay device to belay with. In my haste I neglected to check anything. This guy 100% completely forgot to clip in. Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. Reply reply animalwitch • 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. The device enables a climber to ascend indoor routes on a top rope but without the need for a human belaying partner. The researchers were surprised at the incidence of injuries from top-rope climbing, as top-rope was assumed "safer" than lead climbing or 3 Methods Of Belaying From Above There are 3 methods of belaying from the top. She's okay now but our gym is closed all year because of it. If I'm going to be doing any free climbing as part of the route I'm doing solo, I use a Silent Partner as feeding rope manually through the solo belay device is a HUGE PITA when free climbing. It’ll take some getting used to for sure. What Is The Difference Between Auto Belay And Manual Belay? Manual Belay has two individuals involved: one will be the climber and the other will be the belayer who will support the climber by taking or feeding the rope. We set and forerun on the rope and return the auto-belay to the bottom when the route is completely finished. We first responded by removing our Perfect Descent auto belays (Perfect Descent was a defendant in When things go wrong enough on top rope such that you would call it an “accident”, it tends to be pretty bad. but like how does that even happen You can look up reports about Auto belay accidents, it happens kind of regularly. I was being certified to climb at a small gym with an auto belay and he was telling me the most common accident in climbing gyms is people forgetting to clip into the autobelay because there is no one to double check. The minimum age for the Belay-Check is 14. Read the full accident report to get analysis on why the rappel failed, and how you can avoid an accident like this—with locking carabiners, opposite and opposed QuickDraws on an anchor, and more. He forgot his harness and auto-belay, and drops himself as he usually would do after reaching the top. Jan 9, 2009 · I do have some thoughts on the accident. I'm curious how it plays out. Being fearful of such accidents, I squeeze check the biner, pull check the auto belay rope and sometimes even jump off at 2 meters or so just to make sure I’m clipped in / the system is working. When the climber falls or leans back to descend, the auto belay is supposed to smoothly lower the climber to the ground. This lawsuit really amped up the conversation. In this article, we’ll walk you through what an auto belay is and if it’s safe. When he looked up the webbing was ejecting out of the device in front of him. Bend Rock Gym needs to provide information about why this happened, including the specific mode of failure. Jun 29, 2022 · Can auto belay fail? Though auto belay accidents happen every year, deaths are uncommon. I can see the merit in doing both rope rope and bouldering and how progressing in one would naturally help the other. If your belayer primarily topropes indoors, those are almost always heavy and slow/thick ropes. Statistically almost all auto belay accidents are from people forgetting to clip in. I work at a gym and I believe our auto belays are rated for up to 300lbs. Aug 4, 2016 · If this was one of those non-permanent walls (almost cylindrical in shape with 4/5 auto belays around it) they often have a metal bar at the top through which the rope runs and leads the rope a good 2 ft away from the wall (at the top). I am grateful for her training. These assessments are used to evaluate the competency of participants prior to accessing Auto Belay, Top Rope, and/or Leading in the gym. Auto Belay, Top Rope, and Lead Assessments are pass/fail assessments administered by Triangle Rock Club Staff. (The precise circumstances of the June 12 accident at Ascent Studio Climbing & Fitness are still unknown. The base is attached to the bottom of the wall and the top has a ring where you clip the auto belay. The person holding the belay rope, or the belayer, pulls the rope through a belay device as the climber goes up. Today, the gym confirmed that the incident involved an auto-belay system. . 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. Another top-belay that I've seen used a carbiner auto-block, which was not part of this arrangement. She broke both femurs and her hips. Direct belay – this is the recommended method by climbing schools today Redirected belay – this is the method used for many years and is still common today Indirect belay These 3 methods differ in how the belay devices are being set up and how the belaying is done. If you're worried about it maybe ask what the auto belays are rated for. The use of auto belays has been a hotly debated topic in the indoor climbing industry for the last 10 years. I tied into the top rope and clipped into the auto belay and set off so he could get the feel of things. Feb 7, 2024 · Most auto-belay accidents happen because individuals fail to completely clip into the device or forget to clip in entirely. 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. 0 Yeah, auto-belays aren't being removed because they're bad engineering. There are countless ways to have a bouldering accident that results in a non-fatal injury, not so much in top rope. She was a foot or two above the last clip and was at the anchor after this final move. I once stopped a guy that clipped into the top rope rather than the auto-belay, the route had both. What are Vertical World’s requirements for passing the Belay Test? A top-rope Belay Check must be passed prior to use of any top-rope or auto-belay systems at Vertical World (VW). Sources These are the prime sources for the part about it being a problem with the webbing (it was also covered in national media, though pretty briefly): 1. However, if the staff said there was an accident, it suggests they weren't closing the stations regularly enough. The auto belay systems remove the need for a belay partner entirely. ). That's what my belay device did the whole time I knew it before the fatal fall and I assume that had something to do with its failure (edited to reframe in answer of original post! thanks for giving me this space to air my grievances!) Jun 29, 2025 · An auto belay climbing route is a type of route that allows climbers who may not have a climbing partner to climb top rope style routes. No buddy check and people just forget to clip in. Reply reply OhHiHowIzYou • Jul 11, 2023 · This accident had a happy ending and contained a powerful lesson. Sounds pretty simple right? We send the auto-belay up and set up a rope in the same lane when setting auto-belay routes. Auto belay does not need a second person as it already has a braking system in-built into the device Nov 22, 2021 · Most auto-belay accidents are the result of individuals failing to completely clip into the device, or forgetting to clip in entirely. Jan 4, 2021 · What Does the Auto-Belay Device Offer? To better understand the value of an auto-belay device, we should briefly highlight a human belayer’s role. They put a triangular tarp about 4 ft high. 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. Jan 15, 2024 · And almost all of these injuries are less serious than injuries from climbing on top rope, lead, or auto belay. All the rope had slipped through the leader's belay device, so the second fell/slid the rope's distance while being pounded massively. 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. Jan 25, 2023 · Your monthly dose of climbing accident analysis from the editors of "Accidents in North American Climbing. If this was one of those non-permanent walls (almost cylindrical in shape with 4/5 auto belays around it) they often have a metal bar at the top through which the rope runs and leads the rope a good 2 ft away from the wall (at the top). May 31, 2025 · Climbing Rope Lawsuit Trueblue Belay Lawsuit Get A Free Perfect Descent Auto Belay Recall Lawsuit Evaluation With Our Lawyers Time is limited to pursue legal action for injuries caused by defective Perfect Descent Auto Belay devices. I 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. Do autobelays fail? While autobelays are safe if used properly, and current models 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. Last month, the Climbing Wall Association (CWA) released updated Auto Belay Guidance in hope of reducing auto belay incidents and improve the culture of responsibility in the sport of climbing. Climbing is inherently dangerous, and you can die in any way possible. Why do so many people not like auto-belays in gyms? Personally find them super convenient for training. 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. That's why in most German gyms you're (theoretically) not allowed to use Auto-Belays on Aug 30, 2018 · What happened to the old fashion top rope belay. 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. mfvzg pqmvsi ffoj gws aualk asmizly ixyabul qauf oems uzaktrg