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ericthebat
Feb 11, 2014, 9:57 PM
Post #51 of 53
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Registered: Apr 14, 2003
Posts: 7
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I would be interested to know if any authoritative conclusions were reached with regard to the described autobelay incident.
The posts in this thread are variously of greater or lesser value, and demonstrate a classic weakness in this medium, especially when misinformation, rumors, hearsay, and opinion cloud what really needs to remain an unbiased and thorough examination of all evidence in such an incident.
Had a casual reader not bothered to follow to the end of the entire thread, a very different sense of the event would stick in his or her mind. Some type of user error appears to be primary, complicated by the unwillingness to admit as much. Yet the bulk of the discussion focused on the device, malfunctions, maintenance, etc.
I have a personal interest here, because my local gym, the Boulder Rock Club, has several Trublue units, and perhaps because they are financially invested in the company, they are diligent about servicing them. Yet, our gym has had two, and now possibly three user error incidents, the most recent one the first fatality- a friend with decades of experience and a huge resume.
Noone saw him fall, but some heard an impact. He was basically DOA, and while harnessed, was not clipped in at all to the Autobelay. The two prior accidents both also involved men over 60, at least 10 years experience, and both simply spaced out clipping in. One let go at the ceiling, and instantly realized his error, surviving with a few major breaks and internal bruising. The other fellow had lesser injuries but had fallen lower.
I know of no device failures (unlike other older models and brands); the most disturbing element is the trend of user failure to even remember to clip in.
I know gyms and companies are starting to examine strategies to avoid these mistakes, but it is a paradox that the device is actually totally outside the accident, save for its presence in the facility.
Logically, things that I worry about, like the use of earbuds, general distractions, overall climbing experience, lack of specific testing for the autobelay, have not been factors in our recent accidents.
Trusting a mechanical device is one thing; fostering a safety-conscious environment that instills an internal, reliable 'checklist' is a tricky psychological exercise, obviously not perfected in 150 years of climbing. Without some workable protocols, autobelays may be perceived as attractive nuisances that have risks with few benefits for the average facility. The same might be said of climbing walls themselves.
Outdoors, especially here in Boulder, climbing tradition and general awareness run so deep that the concepts of self-reliance and responsibility are implicit in the activity. Indoors, a different universe with its own criteria makes the facility management the final arbiters for all aspects of safety- just because you're Tom Frost doesn't waive your belay test (really witnessed at the BRC!).
I hope your facility doesn't get overreactive, but don't be too surprised if they find the tradeoffs with autobelays too problematic to risk.
E Aldrich
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csproul
Feb 11, 2014, 10:35 PM
Post #52 of 53
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Registered: Jun 4, 2004
Posts: 1769
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I'm sure official conclusions were made, but to my knowledge, they were never made public. The auto-belays were removed from this gym and the gym's director was replaced. It is my opinion, and all of the (maybe unsubstantiated) rumors that i heard about this accident supported-that there was never anything wrong with these devices and that the climber either did not clip in, or only partially clipped into the auto-belay.
(This post was edited by csproul on Feb 11, 2014, 10:41 PM)
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jae8908
Feb 17, 2014, 5:20 PM
Post #53 of 53
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Registered: May 15, 2011
Posts: 270
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The gym apparently let their auto belay lines fully retract every night before closing. When they opened the next day employees would either self belay up to retrieve them or have another employee belay them up to retrieve them. One employee decided to "free solo" up to retrieve one without being on belay or without anyone being there at all. She fell before even reaching the auto belay to clip herself in.
Source: TruBlu rep.
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