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Falling on People While Gym Bouldering

Original Post
skelldify · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 464

It never ceases to amaze me how clueless people can be while standing or walking around a gym bouldering area. I've come very close to crushing quite a few people when falling off boulder problems. The worst part is that the most common reaction seems to be that it was my fault!! ("Whoa dude, watch out!") This often leads to verbal confrontations when I inform them that it is their duty to be aware of people climbing, and that they weren't in my fall-zone when I started the problem.

Just to be clear, I always warn anyone who is in my fall-zone, saying, "You might want to move, because I'm probably going to land right where you're standing." They shuffle. "No, outside this area! [gestures with hands]." They shuffle a little further.

People have no clue that they could get seriously hurt when someone twice their size falls on them!!!

One time I fell, realized a very small human was below me, twisted to avoid him, and tweaked my back. I was sore for a week. It's bad, but I've started falling ass-first to ensure that if someone does get hurt, it won't be me.

I'm not taking wild falls here, but I am a very large dude, and require some space.

This is just extremely frustrating. It's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt. Hopefully it won't be me. I've encountered this problem at several gyms. I think gym staff need to do a MUCH MUCH better job of patrolling this.

Thoughts :-)

Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55

You can't fix stupid :)

Alan Doak · · boulder, co · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 120

My gripe is with people who leave their Sigg or Nalgene water bottles lying around the bouldering area. Landing on one of those is enough ruin your season.

20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346

As my pal says:



Sometimes learning the hard way is the only way.
matt c. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 155

My gripe is with people who leave their Sigg or Nalgene water bottles lying around the bouldering area. Landing on one of those is enough ruin your season.<
yes! I often want to throw these across the room. Nothing like adding rolling obstruction on top of a 2 foot mat.

To the OP, I have a very similar problem at my gym. For some reason, simply telling people to 'watch out' doesn't work. I also get blank stares when I explain to people that I don't wish to hurt them and it likely that i will fall on them. Strangely enough,I what I have found effective is explaining to someone that i am concerned about rolling my ankle on their head. I explain it in such a way that indicates that have no concern for their safety at all. This works particularly well if you explain it to a parent of a poorly supervised child.

climetimb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 0

just send the problem - then downclimb!!

ha, just kidding...I like when obviously new climbers walk out of nowhere and just stare at the holds 1 ft from the wall....and then grab holds from multiple problems half way up the wall and then take 15 seconds to make the first move...flail...fall...and go right back up and do the same thing...meanwhile 6 people are staring at this dude and eachother like wtf?

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

I personally think the quest for ever higher indoor bouldering walls has gotten ridiculous. They are fun but the danger level is getting out of hand, especially with blown out pads and morons like you describe wandering around clueless below and nonexistent/incompetent spotting. I am kind of amazed that we haven't had any broken necks yet (that I know of). There do seem to be an awful lot of broken ankles.

mustardtiger · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 20

I went to denver a month ago and the wall height at earth treks surprised me a little. Seemed a little sketchy when the crux is at the top. People stayed out of my way there though, unlike the cincinnati gyms!

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330

Our local gym in Davis is pretty small and the lead climbing area is a small open room with a roof over the top. It has now become a place where people have decided to practice their two-person yoga/ Cirque-du-Soleil balancing tricks. Never mind that there is a yoga room at the gym. I'm waiting for someone to take a swinging fall off a route and play wrecking ball across a pair of aspiring acrobats.

mustardtiger · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 20

That crap has gotten popular at our gym also. A lot of people thinking it's place to practice gymnastics or show off their balance with hand stands. Don't worry about the person maxed out on a circut trying not to fall on them!

Short Beta · · Troy, MI · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 45

I'm from Michigan and they just opened up a brand new Planet Rock climbing gym with bouldering walls that are really quite high. The pads are great but with tons of newbies pouring into a brand new gym, it leaves room for some squashing accidents.

I really think that the staff at the gym is responsible for instructing people to be aware around the bouldering area. Reason why is because the fact that people could be falling off of a boulder problem is not totally obvious to those who are just starting out climbing.

I overheard a staff member at the gym very clearly instructing children to be looking up and around constantly while around the bouldering area. This made me really happy but it needs to be said to ALL new climbers, adults included. Staff should monitor this closely and instruct parents to keep close eye on their kids. Parents don't know this stuff either.

David Gibbs · · Ottawa, ON · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2
Short Beta wrote:I'm from Michigan and they just opened up a brand new Planet Rock climbing gym with bouldering walls that are really quite high.
Do they have three locations, now? Or did they close one of them? (A quick google suggests that maybe the Pontiac location has closed?)
Jon Nelson · · Redmond, WA · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 8,196

Similar to what Tim suggested above -

Climb with wildly exaggerated motions. Forget about "quiet feet". Make people think you're about to fly at any moment. Squeal.

With lead climbing, the above approach also helps focus your belayer's attention.

SeaJellie · · Ann Arbor, MI · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 5

David Gibbs: Yes, Pontiac is closed. I'm sad about the new gym opening, they took away one of the best route setters I've ever seen from the A2 gym!

Short Beta · · Troy, MI · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 45
SeaJellie wrote:David Gibbs: Yes, Pontiac is closed. I'm sad about the new gym opening, they took away one of the best route setters I've ever seen from the A2 gym!
Which route setter are you referring to?
Ian G. · · PDX, OR · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 280

Better question is who is liable in the case of serious injury.

...And no, those forms you sign when you go to the gym don't mean sh!t to a good attorney.

Tug · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 0

Just fart before you start.

Christian RodaoBack · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 1,486

Seen a guy lead climbing in the gym with the prototypical too-cool-to-pay-attention belayer fall near the 3rd clip and crater directly onto the back of the neck of a girl who was obliviously standing underneath. She went unconscious and dropped like a sack of potatoes and woke up a few seconds later on the ground.

Then they decided they should move her to a more comfortable spot, had to intervene and say "Don't even think of moving her until the paramedics come." Off to the hospital for x-rays after that, think she was fine in the end but what a shitshow...

Steven Lee · · El Segundo, CA · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 385

At the one gym in Cincinnati I go to, parents just let their little kids run around like crazy underneath the bouldering section. They love running on the mats, and parents never seem to care much. It's gotten bad enough that sometimes we (spotters) make a little circle around the climber to keep kids from running underneath them.

mustardtiger · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 20

The joys of climb time. Kids see big matts under the lead wall and instantly see a wrestling Matt or a place to do flips.

mediocre · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 0

Best injury I've witnessed in climbing was an op tib-fib from a straight down fall about 10 feet up. Very impressive. Luckily it happened early on a saturday morning so that there weren't a couple of 8-year old birthday parties running around on top of the poor guy.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
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