Ridiculous Climbing Gym Policies...Let's Hear Them

Petsfed wrote:

From my experience, it takes a complete noob between 10 and 20 pitches to really, consistently execute the use of an ATC, even when every element of it is clearly and slowly explained. Its approximately the same with a gri-gri. The only difference is that we tend to talk about gri-gris as auto-locking, even when we're teaching them.

They are objectively better belay devices, but we let the auto-locking part make us stupid.

I completly agree with Eli's post here. When I teach people to belay I always take a fall on the 2nd or 3rd pitch I do (warning them first of course). Once you do this they know what to expect from a fall and then I go up the next pitch letting them know I'm going to suprise them with a fall. Generally I find that when you're not at a popular crag with distractions this is sufficient for the day and then I can climb whatever and the new belayer will be extremely attentive and catch me even if I slip unknowingly. Of course the next time we have to do a refresher but limiting distractions and explaining the results of failing to catch the fall usually gets their attention enough to be a good belayer even if their reflexes aren't completely dialed in yet.

Jim Urbec wrote:

At the gym in Miami some people have the very bad habit of thinking they can just do traverse laps along the bottom of the wall under TRs, lead belayers, whateves.  So I can see how that would progress from trying the starting move to warming up.

I never could've been possessed by the thought that people would scramble around underneath lead climbers. The lead wall was totally vacant when I was doing this. 

Paul Hutton wrote:

I never could've been possessed by the thought that people would scramble around underneath lead climbers. The lead wall was totally vacant when I was doing this. 

Can't have exceptions because everyone has excuses.

Blake Neville wrote:

 Really hard to fuck up "grab the rope and put your hand down when I fall. Give me rope when i climb."

Hold my beer.

slevin wrote: On a visit to one of the climbing gyms in Philadelphia I witnessed the gym allow climbers to order pizza and steak sandwiches delivered to them mid-session in the gym.

This policy would never be allowed in Boulder where I climb.

Does your gym also happen to have a policy against having fun?

slevin wrote: On a visit to one of the climbing gyms in Philadelphia I witnessed the gym allow climbers to order pizza and steak sandwiches delivered to them mid-session in the gym.

This policy would never be allowed in Boulder where I climb.

In Europe, the land of vapid socialism, one can purchase beer in a climbing gym. And, I am not talking that root beer swill.

slevin wrote: On a visit to one of the climbing gyms in Philadelphia I witnessed the gym allow climbers to order pizza and steak sandwiches delivered to them mid-session in the gym.

This policy would never be allowed in Boulder where I climb.

Dude u live in boulder and are just NOW telling us???

Ted Pinson wrote:

Hold my beer.

You can belay me any day

slevin wrote: On a visit to one of the climbing gyms in Philadelphia I witnessed the gym allow climbers to order pizza and steak sandwiches delivered to them mid-session in the gym.

This policy would never be allowed in Boulder where I climb.

Mike D wrote: I’m sure it’d be fine, but the delivery person won’t be able to find a parking spot within six blocks of the gym. 

Lol

Julian H wrote:

Yes, it is full of average people. 

Exactly. The average person belays like shit.

Recently, I went to a local climbing gym. Not to climb, but to attend a meeting in their conference room. I was required to sign a waiver just to be on the premises.

To be totally fair, I did make the 4-flash of several discussions that evening, and I ate a cookie without using ropes or protection.

Mike McHugh wrote: Recently, I went to a gym. Not to climb, but to attend a meeting in their conference room. I was required to sign a waiver just to be on the premises.

This is normal and appropriate. A soccer mom once tried to sue us because she tripped on the stairs trying to step into the climbing area. 

A climbing gym is not a "normal" environment and presents risks beyond just the climbing itself.

Tradiban wrote:

This is normal and appropriate. A soccer mom once tried to sue us because she tripped on the stairs trying to step into the climbing area. 

A climbing gym is not a "normal" environment and presents risks beyond just the climbing itself.

I'm sure the brilliant legal minds of MP will have opinions about whether a standard liability policy should cover slips and falls. It is nonsensical to me.

Perhaps I'm old and just railing against the age we live in.

Get off my lawn.

Tradiban wrote:

This is normal and appropriate. A soccer mom once tried to sue us because she tripped on the stairs trying to step into the climbing area. 

A climbing gym is not a "normal" environment and presents risks beyond just the climbing itself.

We had a lady move a crashpad out of the way and not use a spotter when bouldering. Then wanted to sue when she fell and broke her arm...

Paul Hutton wrote:

I never could've been possessed by the thought that people would scramble around underneath lead climbers. The lead wall was totally vacant when I was doing this. 

It's probably the design that lends to this behavior along with a healthy pitch of egotistical-douchebaggery.  You can traverse the complete rectangle both long sides have lead routes, short sides have TR. its a legit great workout the kids on the climbing team will jump off walk around the belayer and jump back on all the time.  but you always get the D-bag who thinks his workout is more important than someone else's safety.  Two of my sons were on a lead route.  middle son who was belaying should have told him to stop, but I get it he was focused on his brother climbing.  I however had zero problem with yelling "Hey jackass!!!"  in that very direct pointed tone that comes from years of military service...

Jim Urbec wrote:

It's probably the design that lends to this behavior along with a healthy pitch of egotistical-douchebaggery.  You can traverse the complete rectangle both long sides have lead routes, short sides have TR. its a legit great workout the kids on the climbing team will jump off walk around the belayer and jump back on all the time.  but you always get the D-bag who thinks his workout is more important than someone else's safety.  Two of my sons were on a lead route.  middle son who was belaying should have told him to stop, but I get it he was focused on his brother climbing.  I however had zero problem with yelling "Hey jackass!!!"  in that very direct pointed tone that comes from years of military service...

I'm a Navy vet. You can't get mad at your boy's when they duplicate your behavior, now lol! 

eli poss wrote
Have you've ever seen a belayer get yanked around and let go of the brake strand to brace for impact, protect their face, catch their fall, etc.? It has happended even to experience climbers. They may be competent at belaying, but their natural reflexes are overriding their climbing reflexes.

Conversely, have you ever seen a belayer take the hit in order to keep the brake hand on or brace themselves while still holding on to the brake strand? How about someone who slipped on rappel and caught themselves on the rock while still gripping the brake strand? Their learned climbing reflexes are at least partially overriding their natural reflexes. That's who I want to have belaying me. 

I was skeptical of gri-gris until I had to dodge a microwave sized block that my partner pulled off. If i'd been using an atc-like device, I would've been knocked unconcious and he would've hit the ground. The device, and not the 170 pounds of dumbass operating it, saved both of us that day.

Meanwhile, I watched something similar happen with folks employed as climbing instructors. The belayer dodged, but since they lost control of an ATC belay in the face of 80 pounds of sandstone grapeshot, the climber did deck.

If the device forces the belayer to work through the trolley problem everytime there's rock fall (or moose attacks, been through that too), I'm going to call that a strong argument against.

None of that matters much in the gym, but the gri-gri has been available and in use longer now than the ATC was when the gri-gri was first released. If it was really that hard to learn to use it safely, it would've left the market *decades* (note plurality) ago.

My gym has a deity that can manipulate time and space. Once you enter his domain you are entirely subject to his arbitrary whim.

This video plays on repeat on the wall TV. There are no belay tests, for the obvious reason that if you're mucking up you'll have the sheriff playing grab ass.

Last night I was informed that it is Evo gym policy that you must keep your brake hand on the gri gri with your thumb over the cam at all times while belaying. Now THAT is a ridiculous gym policy.