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brbledsoe
May 8, 2009, 3:58 PM
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Hey there, I'm looking for climbing gym and home wall auto-belays OTHER than; redpoint descenders, rock werx auto belay, spectrum sports generation 4 auto belay, and belay in the box. They are all $1,850 or above and two or 3 of those would empty my bank acount...any suggestions?
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kennoyce
May 8, 2009, 4:10 PM
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learn to belay
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Carnage
May 9, 2009, 2:05 AM
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If this is for a home wall just learn to self belay with a rope and an ascender(or mini traxon or something ). Cost like $100. Search the forums for info about self belaying
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brbledsoe
May 9, 2009, 3:37 AM
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I would do that but there will be children climbing under supervision of inexperienced climbers who only know how to secure harnesses and buckle carabiners into the donut.
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vegastradguy
May 9, 2009, 11:17 PM
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brbledsoe wrote: Hey there, I'm looking for climbing gym and home wall auto-belays OTHER than; redpoint descenders, rock werx auto belay, spectrum sports generation 4 auto belay, and belay in the box. They are all $1,850 or above and two or 3 of those would empty my bank acount...any suggestions?
sorry, those are you options for certified, insured systems that you can clip folks into and not worry about someone dying.
although, the redpoint descender, last time i checked, was about $1,600, not $1850. maybe they uppped their prices. also, dont forget about the required annual maintenance charge of $200-$600, depending on device and required parts/labor.
yes, they are expensive, but you are strapping lives to them and trusting that they work. personally, i wouldnt want to go on the cheap for them- especially with children- kind of sends a bad message.
another option is to go with a fixed belay system- gri-gri's fixed to the ropes along with locking carabiners fixed to the other side. its a clip and go for the child and a 10 minute lesson for the parent to learn to pull the rope through the gri-gri and then pull the lever to lower. this works very well at a gym i climb at that caters to this sort of crowd. of course, there are cons to this set-up, but its something to consider and quite a bit cheaper than an autobelay.
(This post was edited by vegastradguy on May 9, 2009, 11:19 PM)
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Terry2124
May 10, 2009, 5:06 AM
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vegastradguy wrote: brbledsoe wrote: Hey there, I'm looking for climbing gym and home wall auto-belays OTHER than; redpoint descenders, rock werx auto belay, spectrum sports generation 4 auto belay, and belay in the box. They are all $1,850 or above and two or 3 of those would empty my bank acount...any suggestions? sorry, those are you options for certified, insured systems that you can clip folks into and not worry about someone dying. although, the redpoint descender, last time i checked, was about $1,600, not $1850. maybe they uppped their prices. also, dont forget about the required annual maintenance charge of $200-$600, depending on device and required parts/labor. yes, they are expensive, but you are strapping lives to them and trusting that they work. personally, i wouldnt want to go on the cheap for them- especially with children- kind of sends a bad message. another option is to go with a fixed belay system- gri-gri's fixed to the ropes along with locking carabiners fixed to the other side. its a clip and go for the child and a 10 minute lesson for the parent to learn to pull the rope through the gri-gri and then pull the lever to lower. this works very well at a gym i climb at that caters to this sort of crowd. of course, there are cons to this set-up, but its something to consider and quite a bit cheaper than an autobelay.
What your saying would work but not so good with people who have no knowledge about climbing.
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angry
May 10, 2009, 6:21 AM
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I saw a handmade auto belay using a cinch and some sort of spring loaded reel. You did have to use the cinch to rap down when you were done though so it wouldn't be appropriate for your use.
For less than the price of 3 auto belays, I think you could build a 10 foot deep landing zone of fun plastic balls. Like the McDonalds playland. I'd still make them use a rope, it'll be easier to find them at the bottom of the pit.
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stefanohatari
May 10, 2009, 8:28 AM
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You might want to reconsider. What if:
a child climbs to the top but forgets to clip in (happens all the time);
a child climbs to the top, clipped in, but for some reason can't or won't come down (clothing stuck on hold, etc.);
the autobelay malfunctions with a child somewhere on the wall.
Will someone be present with the training and climbing ability to rescue a stuck child? This is not an argument against autobelays, but a warning that autobelays do not eliminate the need for supervision by climbers.
brbledsoe wrote: I would do that but there will be children climbing under supervision of inexperienced climbers who only know how to secure harnesses and buckle carabiners into the donut. |
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vegastradguy
May 10, 2009, 4:47 PM
Post #9 of 11
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Terry2124 wrote: vegastradguy wrote: brbledsoe wrote: Hey there, I'm looking for climbing gym and home wall auto-belays OTHER than; redpoint descenders, rock werx auto belay, spectrum sports generation 4 auto belay, and belay in the box. They are all $1,850 or above and two or 3 of those would empty my bank acount...any suggestions? sorry, those are you options for certified, insured systems that you can clip folks into and not worry about someone dying. although, the redpoint descender, last time i checked, was about $1,600, not $1850. maybe they uppped their prices. also, dont forget about the required annual maintenance charge of $200-$600, depending on device and required parts/labor. yes, they are expensive, but you are strapping lives to them and trusting that they work. personally, i wouldnt want to go on the cheap for them- especially with children- kind of sends a bad message. another option is to go with a fixed belay system- gri-gri's fixed to the ropes along with locking carabiners fixed to the other side. its a clip and go for the child and a 10 minute lesson for the parent to learn to pull the rope through the gri-gri and then pull the lever to lower. this works very well at a gym i climb at that caters to this sort of crowd. of course, there are cons to this set-up, but its something to consider and quite a bit cheaper than an autobelay. What your saying would work but not so good with people who have no knowledge about climbing.
it works quite well, actually- i see it done every day with literally 10 minutes of training. obviously, its a good idea to keep an eye on the parents (or whoever the belayers are), but the worst case is the child doesnt weigh enough to lower off- which is a problem with an autobelay as well (min weight on those things is about 60lbs).
on that note- if you are using belay bars up top, it might be a good idea to only have a single wrap on them if the climbers are small children- the double wrap is most effective for adults and can hinder lowering little kids.
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robdotcalm
May 10, 2009, 11:25 PM
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brbledsoe wrote: I would do that but there will be children climbing under supervision of inexperienced climbers
That statement is so absurd that my first assumption is that this is a troll. If it's for real, be aware that children have no business climbing under the "supervision" of inexperienced climbers. You're exposing kids to dangers for which you are liable and rightly so.
Guardedly,
Rob.calm
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