LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, NON-RESPECTING OR IGNORING SAFETY RULES ON CLIMBING MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURIES AND EVEN DEATH!
Entrance to the gym is only permitted after filling out a WAIVER through which you find out about the safety precautions you need to respect, the risks posed by rock climbing and you take responsibility for all your actions inside the gym.
- Through this WAIVER and using the safety maneuvers you will declare knowledge of, we will inform you of the types of rope maneuvers you are allowed to perform inside the gym.
- For your own safety and the safety of others, Vertical Spirit staff reserves the right to ban some courses of action or rope maneuvers if they deem them not up to par with performance standards. Also, we may restrict gym access if you don’t respect the safety precautions.
- Minors who are younger than 14 can only enter the gym during climbing classes or accompanied by an adult (parent, legal guardian, coach, representative of the parent or legal guardian) who will take responsibility for their safety.
- For minors THE WAIVER must be signed by the parent, legal guardian, coach or a person empowered by the parent, in the presence of the designated staff of the Vertical Spirit Climbing Gym.
- It is strictly forbidden for children to play in the gym and adjacent spaces, running in the gym or on boulder mats, playing with sports equipment in the training area, as well as their presence in the gym in the absence of a parent, guardian or instructor.
THE CLIMBING GYM IS NOT A PLAYGROUND!
GENERAL SAFETY RULES FOR USING THE FACILITIES OF THE CLIMBING GYM
- Consuming alcoholic beverages or drugs during training sessions is strictly forbidden, as well as access to the climbing gym of persons under their influence.
- Using curse words or vulgar language may lead to losing access privileges to the gym.
- Running inside the gym is forbidden.
- No food, drink or pets is permitted in the climbing area; with the exception of bottled water.
- Parent / guardian / coach supervision is required for children under 14 years old.
- Children may not play on the bouldering mats or nearby the climbing wall area!
- Playing with the safety equipment (ropes, harnesses, carabiners, belay devices, quickdraws) or with the physical training equipment found in the warm-up area is strictly forbidden!
- Bringing any object on the bouldering mats or in the climbing wall area, with the exception of the personal climbing gear and water bottles, is strictly forbidden!
- Do not climb while wearing rings of large jewelry.
- Use of loose chalk is not permitted. You may only use chalk balls to cut down on the amount of chalk that can be inhaled.
- WATCH OUT! Artificial climbing holds set on the wall might break and injure nearby persons. Vertical Spirit buys holds from internationally certified producers. In case of breaks, the gym’s owners, their collaborators, volunteers or those responsible for gym activity supervision cannot be held responsible for the breaks or any injuries brought to persons inside the gym.
- Each climber has a duty to draw the attention of others or to notify the gym’s staff if they notice mistakes concerning safety maneuvers.
- You may not move holds or any other materials and tools in the gym.
- Watch out for your personal belongings! Vertical Spirit does not claim responsibility for the loss or theft of personal items and is not under the obligation to offer safe areas for their storage.
- Entering the gym or any adjacent areas (locker rooms, bathrooms, access hallways, table area) with bikes, scooters, tricycles and other transport equipment is forbidden.
- Those who break the safety and conduct rules or who ignore the instructions given by gym staff may be prevented from using the gym’s facilities. Any fees paid beforehand will not be returned in case of expulsion.
- Using the Vertical Spirit facilities is only allowed after paying the requisite fees. The fees will not be returned in case you don’t carry out the agreed sport activities.
- The timetable for the sport activities will be agreed on before paying the requisite fee and may not be changed afterwards except in extreme cases.
SAFETY RULES FOR PRACTICING INDOOR SPORT CLIMBING
- The minimum age for belaying without supervision from an instructor is 14.
- You may only use safety equipment and belay devices that have been certified by the UIAA.
- To tie into the rope, you may only use the figure-eight knot, which has been run through your harness loops for lead climbing or through 2 safety carabiners that have been certified by the UIAA (for climbing on toprope).
- All climbers must use specialized climbing shoes. Climbing in street shoes or in inadequate footwear is forbidden.
- Climbing the lead walls without using a rope is only allowed for up to 3 m above ground (measured starting from the lower end of your body) and only if there are safety mats on the ground with a minimum thickness of 15 cm.
- To climb the lead climbing walls beyond 3 m (measuring from the lower end of the body) climbers must use a harness, dynamic belay rope, the quickdraws mounted on the wall and a belay device.
- Toprope climbing is only allowed in the dedicated sectors and by using the ropes specially set by the gym staff, which have been run over the safety toprope bars on the ceiling.
- It is recommended to keep the rope between your arms when climbing on toprope.
- The climber and the belayer must check each other to ensure that they have correctly tied the safety knot and that they are using the belay device properly.
- You must clip all the quickdraws on the climbing wall.
- The belayer will not stand futher than 2 m from the base of the climbing wall and will pay full attention to the the climber whom they are belaying.
- When climbing on lead, be careful not to stand above another climber.
- You may not play with the safety equipment or make any jokes regarding safety maneuvers, safety gear and general conduct while training for climbing.
- You may not bring any object inside the climbing area except from your personal climbing gear (this may injure other climbers, for example in case of a fall on said object).
- Clipping various objects to your harness, with the exception of those used for climbing, is forbidden.
- Do not use the bolts mounted on the wall to climb. Use only holds and wall for climbing.
- Do not touch exposed metal i.e.: top rope attachments, structural steel, lead anchors etc.
SAFETY RULES FOR BOULDERING
- You may not boulder in the sport climbing area.
- You are recommended to have at least one spotter when you boulder.
- You may not stop on the safety mats or walk underneath persons who are climbing.
- Children may only boulder under the supervision of a parent / legal tutor / instructor.
- Children may not play or run on the bouldering mats.
HOW TO SAFELY USE AN AUTO-BELAY : STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
It’s very easy to learn how to use an auto belay. The proper use of an auto belay is simple and straightforward. As with everything in climbing, it is important to avoid learning bad habits and build the right ones from the start. Most auto belay accidents occur due to human error when an experienced climber becomes complacent and forgets to clip in. Obviously, an auto belay won’t work if you’re not attached to it.
The best way to avoid complacency when climbing is to focus on the process rather than the outcome. Establish a routine that includes all the proper safety checks. Do not go straight to the end goal without double-checking everything simply because you’re confident that you did it right because you’ve done it a million times before. You have a routine safety check when you’re using an auto belay just like you have an established routine for your safety check with your belay partner.
If you’ve never used an auto belay before, you should alert the climbing wall staff that you have not been trained in the proper use of an auto belay. They will instruct you in how to safely use the auto belay device in their specific setup.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR AUTO BELAY CLIMB
1. CHECK YOUR HARNESS
• Check the climbing harness is correctly fitted and tightened
• If your harness has a standard buckle, remember to double it back
• Different types of harnesses require different safety checks. This is not a complete guide to checking your harness. You are responsible for being familiar with your harness and how it should be worn.
2. CHECK AUTO BELAY OPERATION BY PULLING OUT A SHORT SECTION AND ALLOWING IT TO RETRACT
• If the Auto Belay line fails to retract, do not clip into the Auto Belay and request assistance
3. OPEN THE TRIPLE ACTION, AUTO-LOCKING CARABINER
• The carabiner is opened by sliding the gate down, rotating the gate’s collar and pushing the gate open towards the center of the carabiner. Be careful to not let go of the carabiner or else the entire webbing will retract into the device.
4. CONNECT THE CARABINER TO THE BELAY LOOP ON THE HARNESS WITH THE GATE FACING AWAY FROM THE USER
• As previously mentioned all harnesses are different. For most harnesses, the correct connection point is the belay loop. Do not clip the carabiner into multiple hard points. This will cause tri-axle loading. The carabiner is designed to work best when force is exerted on it in two directions. If three directions of force are exerted on the carabiner it will increase the risk that the carabiner will fail.
5. CHECK THAT THE CARABINER IS PROPERLY LOCKED
• Allow the latch to snap shut, ensuring the collar has rotated back and is locked. Ensure that no clothing, webbing or other objects are obstructing the gate or latch.
6. ENSURE THE CARABINER IS ONLY LOADED ALONG ITS VERTICAL DIRECTION
7. DOUBLE CHECK YOUR CARABINER IS ATTACHED TO THE PROPER POINT ON YOUR HARNESS
8. DOUBLE CHECK THAT THE CARABINER IS LOCKED
TIPS FOR PROPER OPERATION WHILE CLIMBING
• Never climb alongside or above the Auto Belay.
• Do not climb faster than the auto belay is able to retract. The model of TRUBLUE Auto-belay systems at Vertical Spirit Climbing Gym it is not designed for speed climbing!!
• Do not climb outside the belay zone.
• The auto belay boundaries are marked on the floor / mattresses with black & yellow stripe at the starting point of the climbing routes. Do not climb a route outside the auto belay boundary.
PROPER OPERATION WHILE DESCENDING
• Do not start your descent from above the auto belay.
• Prior to descent, make sure that your descent path is clear from obstacles and other climbers.
• Always descend feet first, using feet to fend off obstacles and prepare for landing.
• Reattach the carabiner to the belay gate or designated attachment point
The Vertical Spirit team would like to create a safe and fun environment for all climbers, practitioners and spectators. This is why Vertical Spirit claims the right to forbid or restrict access to the gym of any persons whose actions or behavior are inadequate, risky or unsafe.
