I highly doubt a lawsuit would do anything. I'm guessing you signed a waiver when you started going to the gym.

This thread has potential to go places! Oh...the places it may go....

If a troll, it's actually a really good one, I think.

But here's what I think:
- I would never consider a 16-year old an "instructor." He was a gym belay monkey. But I can see how someone who is new to climbing wouldn't know that.
- Dropped? BAD. Doesn't matter how old the belay monkey was, if the hottest cutie walked past and that's why he let go, or what. The #1 job if the belayer is: Do Not Drop!
- Sue? hahahaha. Maybe if you had actually been hurt, gone to the doctor, incurred expenses.... Still, if you're still feeling some pain, maybe go in and get it checked.
- The belay monkey probably did get chewed up for the drop, just not in front of every one. You could call the gym owner and discuss the incident, and you might get a little more insight on it. I pretty much doubt a gym owner would blow off an employee dropping someone.


Still climbing? You might want to invest in one of my "Do Not Drop" t-shirts! For Him:http://www.cafepress.com/climbasddict.96436625

And, since you're part of a couple, for Her: http://www.cafss.com/climbaddict.96436631

For all you know I could have been climbing when you were in diapers. Blah blah.

Better reread that waiver. I'd almost bet there's a line in there about waiving responsibility for the gym even if the instructors forget to tell you how to or not to do something.
Those waivers are pretty well laid out to protect the gym and its employees. You likely have very little recourse other than filing a complaint with the gym.

It blows my mind that they let someone under the age of 18 work there anyway.

WHy? I know plenty of kids under 18 who are more competent belayers than a lot of adults I have seen.

You have got to be kidding me. This is a top-rope in a gym. There is absolutely no excuse for a gym employee to drop a climber. None. This is in no way shape or form acceptable, nor is it at all "normal." Anyone who drops a climber on top-rope isn't even close to qualified enough to be belaying anyone, anywhere, especially professionally.

The first thing I would do is directly confront the owner. The second is to never climb there again.

If that was me, I stand in the parking lot till that dude exits then I would kick his as* with a 2 x 4 and run my cruiser over his left and right foot to give him a lesson.

That is how I do my out of court settlements

So you'd choose to spend a few years in jail because you've got a sore ankle?

Denver (Reuters): The mangled body of a pedicab driver was discovered in downtown Denver saturday night. The unidentified male suffered from massive head wounds appearing to have caused by blunt 2x4 damage, and his legs were run over by treaded landcruiser tires. However, the ultimate cause of death was by strangluation, and blood-specked srands of what appeared to be the inner core of a climbing rope were found near the scene of the crime. Police apprehended the prime suspect, Majid_sabet, after he was stranded on the popular climb "Bastille Crack" in Eldorado Canyon the following morning.

I'm with Dingus on this one. There is no way in hell you, as a beginner there for instruction, assumed the risk of being dropped by a gym employee, waiver or not.

A lawsuit is also silly and probably totally impractical.
It would represent a disproportionate investment of time and money in the service of revenge, with a very questionable outcome. Bad for climbing and bad for your soul too.

My recommendation is a slight variation on the others. You should write a letter to the gym management. Not a discussion, a letter. A polite letter.

In the letter, you should describe as objectively as possible what happened, what your injury was, how it was treated, what expenses you incurred treating it, and what other activities might have been restricted while you were recovering. If you can include a photo of the injury, that would be good too.

Without getting into haranguing mode, keeping the tone objective and polite, it is appropriate to say that the events you experienced were the result of either negligence or incompetence or both on the part of the gym employee.

The conclusion of the letter should propose what you would like the gym to do. My recommendation is to leave them to their business as regards employee retention and training. The account in the letter is all that has to be said in this regard. Trying to get the kid fired may feed you need for revenge but does you absolutely no good and may not even be ultimately best for the gym. Stay out of that part of it.

It is appropriate to ask them to compensate you in some way. The most obvious way would be to ask for some type of substantial membership accomodation, if you are interested enough to continue and would still want to go that gym. Off the top of my head I'd say a year's membership for you and the gf would not be unreasonable.

Somewhat less desirable would be to ask them to compensate your expenses, which I suspect are quite minimal.

End the letter with a comment about how you are sure that what happened is every bit as distressing to them as it has been for you and that you are sure that it is possible to find an honorable end to this unfortunate incident.

WHy? I know plenty of kids under 18 who are more competent belayers than a lot of adults I have seen.

It's really cute to hear your 5.9-toproping* self lecturing us about who is or isn't "cut out for this sport." You veritable fountain of wisdom, you!








*taken from his profile info. I hereby predict that he will now say "I haven't updated my profile in a while! I am projecting a 12a! I is strawng!"