Auto Belay Accident. Unfortunately these accidents are still occurring in the UK even tho

Unfortunately these accidents are still occurring in the UK even though best current practice is in place. Feb 27, 2025 · Consumers should immediately stop using recalled auto belay devices and contact Head Rush Technologies for a free onsite inspection and repair. I'd be interested to see some numbers on auto belays versus bouldering accidents. 22. 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. I don't know the statistics, but I'd wager that lowering/rappelling accidents are more common, or more frequently serious/fatal. forgetting to clip-in. My gym has several large bouldering areas. A larger auto-belay gate will be put in place and auto-belay inductions with competent climbers will remain in place. 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. Jun 20, 2025 · A climber who forget to clip in to the auto-belay is caught by a climbing instructor during a terrifying fall. 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. In a cycle, counting how many seconds you have left to “rest,” there are many opportunities for you to forget double, triple, quad-check your setup 2 AUTO BELAY INDUCTION E. Yeah, auto-belays aren't being removed because they're bad engineering. e. It reopens on Friday, Oct. 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. Fixed barriers at the bottom of climbs are often in place to stop people climbing the route until the climber is connected to the autobelay – surely this stop people? Not totally. Oct 22, 2021 · Today, a Sydney, Australia climbing gym removed its auto=belays in the wake of a recent death at the facility. Most of the accidents have happened when climbers were well into their climbing session. 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. . 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. End of rope slipping out of belay device. Must have assumed magic would catch them?? Seattle’s Vertical World and Colorado-based manufacturer C3 have settled in a lawsuit following a severe climbing accident that occurred on August 1, Aug 18, 2025 · How Norway dealt with an alarming wave of autobelay accidents. Always check your knots. Hector Diffut then fell to the ground and suffered serious leg injuries. We have had a number of accidents in the UK where people have climbed on an auto belay route without clipping in. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. And unfortunately did not double check his partner, the auto belay. Sep 21, 2023 · The law office representing Vandivere, Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala Attorneys at Law, stated in a press release that Vandivere fell “due to a defective auto-belay device. On June 12, a woman (57) died after falling 40 feet while climbing indoors. While reviewing last year’s accidents, a particularly improbable incident stood out. The person likely had not used one before. The auto belay is fixed to the top of the route and the climber clips into a wire that pays out from the device, which enables the device to belay the climber as if they were on a top rope. ” Furthermore, the press release stated that the accident was caused by “improper supervision by Vertical World staff, and inadequate training for climbers by Vertical World. 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. Almost exactly a year ago, a climber fell, unroped, from the fourth-pitch belay anchor of a 15-pitch climb. Fortunately, the latest accident data indicate that countermeasures are effective. Jul 11, 2023 · In January 2023, we reported an auto belay accident that sadly occurs with some frequency. In September of 2023, a three-year lawsuit over an auto-belay accident ended in a $6M settlement. Feb 20, 2021 · TCA talks to the survivor of an auto belay no-clip accident. Scary Absolutely. The device enables a climber to ascend indoor routes on a top rope but without the need for a human belaying partner. The following report describes an accident in the Canadian Rockies that will be published in the upcoming 2024 Accidents in North American Climbing. Auto belays Some indoor climbing walls offer auto belay devices that enable a solo climber to top rope without a belay partner. Visually inspect your partner’s knot before every pitch. ” Others, meanwhile, took to lambasting both Frohbieter and climbing gym, or both, for the injury. She appeared to have either become disconnected from an auto-belay or failed to clip into it. Walls and structural frames should undergo periodic professional inspections for any signs of stress, corrosion, or loosening. He couldn’t hear the other climbers around him yelling at him because he had headphones on. The auto-belay itself is safer than the webbing and rope that comprise the rest of the system. Jan 15, 2024 · Most auto-belay accidents happen because of human error–i. If you're worried about it maybe ask what the auto belays are rated for. Climbers often start climbing to one side of the barrier to Although auto-belay gates were in place, this does not always prevent these sort of accidents. They're being removed because it turns out a partner check is just ridiculously important to avoid accidents on ropes over the long run. 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. In just the past year, an accident at High Exposure involving an auto belay resulted in a $1 million settlement, and Vertical World is fighting a $1 million lawsuit concerning an injured climber who allegedly failed to fully clip in to an auto belay. Annual or bi-annual inspections, as required by the manufacturer, involve disassembly, inspection, repair, testing and recertification of the unit. Colorado-based C3 Manufacturing and Seattle’s 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 Dec 29, 2025 · Auto-belay systems require scheduled servicing as per the manufacturer's guidelines, often quarterly or semi-annually, by certified technicians. A police investigation found no fault in the equipment. 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. Listen to Sam's story and her wise words of advice to help climbers avoid this mistake. Jun 20, 2024 · Consumers should immediately stop using recalled auto belay devices, and contact Head Rush Technologies for a free inspection and repair. Your two eyes are your only double-checking mechanism. Auto Belay Accident—Climber Fell 45 ft due to tiny distractions leading to one big mistake in the gym Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. Absolutely. Statistically almost all auto belay accidents are from people forgetting to clip in. I'm curious how it plays out. An Incident information release about a person who fell while using an auto-belay device in an indoor climbing gym. Jun 20, 2024 · The recalled auto belay device can fail to retract, posing a fall hazard and risk of serious injury or death. 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. Scary Sep 6, 2023 · Hector Diffut, 26, fell 30 feet from the top of an indoor wall after forgetting to clip into the auto belay. As part of the settlement, C3 Manufacturing has agreed to pay $5 million, and Vertical World will pay $1 million. 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. I work at a gym and I believe our auto belays are rated for up to 300lbs. Mar 10, 2025 · Whether you’re trying a double bowline or something else, prevent accidents by using this checklist every time you tie in. " This month, we cover an increasingly common gym accident involving an auto belay; and the risk of rock fall at outdoor crags. Crash mats need checking for tears and compression integrity. 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. Oct 21, 2024 · The auto belay device backup brake can fail to activate, posing a fall hazard and risk of serious injury or death. While there has been speculation on whether the climber had forgotten to do so or was simply trying to pull off a stunt, the snippet shows him reaching for different coloured rocks—as opposed to doing a proper route—implying that something was already amiss. In recent years there has been increasing evidence of incidents and climber injuries and even fatalities where autobelays were being used incorrectly. Moved Permanently The document has moved here. Using an auto-belay means you can workout in your “zone,” with your headphones, thinking about the next hours chores you must work on. News article: Mountain Network - Ongeval 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. Sep 24, 2024 · A fine imposed on an indoor trampolining company after a child fell four metres from a climbing wall has been more than tripled to $40,000 following an appeal. If he or she leaves the ground before you can check, stop the show and ask, “How’s your knot?” Ask that they check it and show you. Autobelays are a fairly recent addition to Norwegian climbing gyms. It is important to understand that however experienced you are, people can still make mistakes. 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. As with most auto-belay accidents, user failure is the major cause. The following report comes courtesy of the Safety Committee of the Jul 8, 2024 · The Sports Car Club of America is deeply saddened to confirm the death of member James Belay, who passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2024, during an SCCA Road Racing event at Roebling Road Raceway in Bloomingdale, GA. Although the man was wearing a harness, he had failed to clip in to the auto-belay system, which would have caught him when he fell. 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. 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. I know you're being flippant, but it's important to highlight that the accident happened while lowering. g. Jan 13, 2026 · Since 1970, Climbing Magazine has been the voice of the climbing world, publishing climbing news, interviews, features, opinions, and advice. Fort Collins Police Services spokesperson Brandon Barnes told The Coloradoan that the climber fell from about 40 feet up in the auto-belay area. In the auto belay scenario you lack an extra set of eyes. Must have assumed magic would catch them?? Something to be aware of: there's a difference between an auto belay failing due to some design or manufacturing flaw and failing due to wear and tear. Nov 9, 2025 · Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. Colorado-based C3 Manufacturing and Seattle’s Aug 31, 2023 · The lawsuit uncovered that C3 was aware of defects in the equipment. Jan 25, 2023 · Your monthly dose of climbing accident analysis from the editors of "Accidents in North American Climbing. C3’s auto-belay devices, known as the “Perfect Descent,” were sold despite a history of defects with the auto-belay retraction springs. In 2014, conservationist Mark Hesse died 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. Oct 25, 2021 · In reply to Wire Shark: The 'SafeWork' mentioned in the article is a government department in NSW investigating the incident. Most auto belays are clipped at the bottom to a big triangle that is in your way to start the route. As of October 1, 2024, the company has received no reports of incidents or injury in Canada. Their introduction was followed by a surge of accidents, many of them very serious. Some of those people have been very experienced climbers and some new to auto belay. Authorities have not yet released the woman’s name. The accident took place at Vertical Rock (above) in Virginia, where he works as a climbing coach Feb 8, 2024 · This is a climbing accident where the injured forgot to attach himself to a belay. 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. This accident had a happy ending and contained a powerful lesson. ANALYSIS Though fatal accidents at indoor climbing gyms are extremely rare, there have been multiple cases involving auto-belays. No mention of the brand of device though.

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