Auto belay death. " This month, we cover an increasingly common gym accident involving an auto belay; and the risk of rock fall at outdoor crags. A young man has passed away following a 43-foot fall off an autobelay-equipped route at Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym in Sydney, Australia. Sydney rock climbing facility suggests auto belay failure responsible for death In reply to Wire Shark: The 'SafeWork' mentioned in the article is a government department in NSW investigating the incident. No mention of the brand of device though. The lawsuit uncovered that C3 was aware of defects in the equipment. 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. It is important to note that the majority of auto-belay-related incidents and deaths are not a result of the malfunction of the auto-belay itself. 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 SC 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. News Gym and Auto Belay Manufacturer to Pay $6M in Settlement for Auto Belay Accident Vertical World and Perfect Descent manufacture settle with climber who sustained 30-foot fall Moved Permanently The document has moved here. Scary 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. Based on both rumor and inference from the messaging, this looks like a fixed-gear failure, and no part of that system should fail catastrophically if maintained correctly. 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. We take climbing accidents from our renowned yearly publication "Accidents in North American Climbing" and distill important climbing lessons from them, thanks to expert accident analysis. Learn more about belaying accidents, rappelling accidents, trad anchor accidents, and more —and what Auto Belay Safety at Climbing Gyms An auto-belay is a unit that allows climbers to sport climb by themselves, while still attached to a rope. Aug 31, 2023 · The settlement comes as a result of a lawsuit filed on behalf of a Seattle climber who suffered life-altering injuries after a 30-foot fall from a climbing wall due to a defective auto-belay device. In 2021, a young climber died after falling 43 feet from an auto belay–equipped route in Sydney, Australia. The wall was 12. Jan 15, 2024 · The industry has experienced at least two auto-belay deaths in the past three years and several serious injuries related to auto-belays. About 410 auto belay rock climbing devices were recalled at indoor climbing gyms nationwide due to a risk of falls, injuries, or death. Fort Collins Police Services spokesperson Brandon Barnes told The Coloradoan that the climber fell from about 40 feet up in the auto-belay area. Most of these auto-belay accidents have been people who don't tie in or don't tie in correctly. C3’s auto-belay devices, known as the “Perfect Descent,” were sold despite a history of defects with the auto-belay retraction springs. Jun 16, 2021 · Many of you are aware of the tragic incident at Ascent Studio last Saturday. With the passing of their mother, these two children were left without any family nearby to care for them. Aug 15, 2025 · On the date of the incident in October 2021, an experienced climber was using an auto-belay while climbing a wall in the main room. An Incident information release about a person who fell while using an auto-belay device in an indoor climbing gym. 5 metres high, and there were eight possible routes ranging from easy to hard. Annual or bi-annual inspections, as required by the manufacturer, involve disassembly, inspection, repair, testing and recertification of the unit. Also in 2021, a 73-year-old man was seriously injured at a gym in Poland, falling 30 feet after his auto-belay line reportedly broke. . As part of the settlement, C3 Manufacturing has agreed to pay $5 million, and Vertical World will pay $1 million. The woman who died was a mother of two young children. Your monthly dose of climbing accident analysis from the editors of "Accidents in North American Climbing. The device enables a climber to ascend indoor routes on a top rope but without the need for a human belaying partner. tm7qu, usmij, eegi, hmizv, ky6au, eekv, zpikp, ynis6, nmzi, zczvh,