UKC

Climbing walls in UK, I remembered using my own belay device. Same in North Vancouver BC, come to Ontario though and they have gri gri's put on each rope in the gym ready to use and you're to use them not your own device.

Not a fan of having things done for me, as like to keep up the skills and knowledge base myself and keep familiarized, but that's me..

Also, lead climbing, just did checks, got up there and did it and passed, but now at a new gym locally, I have to back clip, z clip as well as the normal clips, that's alien to me as never had to do those bad clips before, I guess it was safer to not even go there in the first place.

Anyone else noticed these differences? What are your thoughts anyway?

In reply to atlantis:

The Grigri thing sounds dangerous as most people will be safer with the device they're most familiar with. I wonder how that went down when the news that Ashima decked came through. Perhaps they have shares in Petzl?

Z clipping is not really dangerous and something you can only do where the bolts are really close together but I suppose it doesn't hurt to make people aware of it.

In reply to stp:

I came across this in New York as well. Certainly felt less safe as I never use a GriGri, fortunately I do know how as there was no check to make sure we did know how to use them either. It was an insurance thing.

In reply to Šljiva:

That's really dodgy then. There are certainly ways they can be used wrongly.

I use a grigri all the time and really like them but I've certainly got friends who much prefer non auto locking devices and don't get on with Grigris. As a climber I'd definitely prefer my belayer to use what they normally use rather than force them to use something they're both unfamiliar with and don't like. That seems ludicrous.

I also think there's a danger that if one habitually uses an autolocking device for a while then when you climb elsewhere with a non autolocking device you may be out of the habit holding the rope tightly enough to hold a fall.

I've never heard of any walls in the UK having such daft rules.

In reply to atlantis:

I had two walls in the US insist I did that crazy hand crossing technique when passing their test for bottom rope belaying. They weren't actually arsed how I actually belayed as long as it was safe and didn't expect me to do anything funky when doing the lead belaying 2nd part of the test. This was about ten years ago might not be the case anymore.

In reply to atlantis:


Yeah! I had that in Waterloo Ontario. V weird!

In reply to stp:

Exactly, and that's what I told them here too, the gym manager if you like, told me it's the rules in Ontario gyms, and for sure it's not the same in BC, well it's not in the UK either I told him, and it's less safe.. he didn't argue, but what can you do.. They're OTT on rules in this part of Canada if you ask me, rules on being politically correct not on common sense obviously.

A guy for my lead test in the gym on Monday that I'm partnering up with for it, thinks use the gri gri outdoor climbing tomorrow to get used to it.. but tbh I agree with you all here, it's better to stick to what we are comfortable with and personally I don't like the gri gri but am only using it in the gym here as I have to.

In reply to bouldery bits:

Ontario is just a weird province if you ask me.. it's crazy how their climbing rules differ too. In North Van it was like the UK, just show them you can lead belay, set up properly and go, none of this other nonsense, and never have I see gri gris hanging off all the ropes in the indoor gym and been told I have to use them. Nuts.

In reply to ultrabumbly:

Not familiar with any crazy hand crossing technique either, geez, do these people ever make up their own dumb rules, it seems so..

Just be the same everywhere I say, cut out the crap and just show you can belay, climb, lead properly and be done with it.

In reply to Šljiva:

A guy from Ontario that climbs outdoors too, we are tomorrow, he thinks it's a dumb rule too and said it's an insurance thing, to avoid costs, so that seems to be it. I think it would raise them as to me it's less safe having to use one when never loved or wanted to plus it's more to think about.

In reply to atlantis:

Couldn't say it better myself: http://www.climbingtechniques.org/which-belay-device-should-i-buy.html

In reply to atlantis:

Actually I think if they did that in the UK they'd have very few Grigris left by the end of the first week.

I wonder if the insurance covers theft of equipment?

In reply to stp: the whole place felt like an accident waiting to happen. The ropes were also slung over scaffold bars that ran around the ceiling about a foot away from the walls, making for some big swings - especially fun in a corner :s
Add to that the odd setting with routes marked by bits of coloured tape and it wasn't much fun.
Went once and then went and joined an extremely cool gym for a couple of weeks instead as climbing anywhere else near Manhattan seemed to require a day membership at around $50!

In reply to stp:


Don't judge other people by your standards!

I climbing wall I know well rents out belay plates, harnesses, shoes etc. No deposit paid and no records of who's got what.

Losses (obviously not counting wear and tear) in four years are single figures.