Automatic Belay Systems for Rock Climbing?
The Dangers of Automatic Belay Systems for Rock Climbing are real. Because rock climbing is a unique and fun sport which people of all ages enjoy. It is also a great complete body workout. Climbing facilities offer a supervised and controlled environment, where individuals of all experience level can take part in this fun sport. There are many facilities that offer portable or mobile rock climbing walls for parties, festivals, and events in which the trainers and coaches are present to ensure the safety of the people.
Whether you opt for indoor climbing, portable wall climbing, or outdoor climbing, a climbing partner or a belayer is essential. A belayer is the climbing partner who belays the climber as he/she climbs. Belaying can refer to different techniques, which allows an individual to apply friction on the climbing rope, so in case the climber falls, he/she doesn’t go far or hit the ground. Any facility serious about the safety of their climbers understands the importance of a belayer and employ highly trained individuals for the job. They physically hold the rope for every climber, which is also attached to their harness to enhance the safety of the climbers.
Dangers of Automatic Belay Systems for Rock Climbing
In recent years, many facilities have started incorporating automatic belay systems to replace belayers. These devices appear handy to have as they enable the climbers to work alone without any assistance. The climbers have to clip their harness into the device located at the bottom of the wall and it automatically starts retracting as they start climbing upwards. Once the climbers let go of the wall or fall, the auto belay device helps by slowly lowering them to the ground. Sounds safe, right? It actually isn’t. There have been numerous accidents, falls, and even deaths reported due to the malfunctioning of these auto belay devices.
Many portable rock walls have also started including these auto belay systems in order to save the cost of paying belayers. This has also increased the accidents ratio as these auto belay machines are not maintained properly, inspected, or upgraded, which results in them snapping and causing serious harm and even death. There also have been many cases in which the accidents were caused due to climbers forgetting to attach the carabineer to their harness or attaching it incorrectly, resulting in the fall.
Auto belay machines are inconsistent with climbing and should be avoided at all costs, as they put the lives of the climbers at risk. The belaying skill is one of the major cornerstones of climbing safety, which cannot be replaced by auto belay devices. It is unfortunate that many rock climbing facilities are using these unsafe devices merely to save a little money and are playing with the lives of many. It is important to maintain the safety measures of rock climbing by employing trained professionals to hold the rope instead of relying on such unreliable machines.
If you are looking for a reliable company or facility to hire a safe portable rock climbing wall for a birthday party, festival, or any other event, consider BlackRock Climbers. They take the climbers’ safety quite seriously and ensure that you and your guests have a pleasant and entertaining time without worrying about faulty Auto Belay Systems.