Every public crag sign and responsible gym will tell you that climbing is an inherently dangerous sport. We’ve had people die at the very “safe” gyms here. They make you sign wavers for a reason.
The point is those sentiments you’re espousing invite risk. Every action is mitigation, not assumption of safety. I don’t climb with people that talk like this for a reason.
my point, which spawned the conversation, was that mountain climbing and cave diving are far far more dangerous than rock climbing, which I don’t really think is up for debate. Someone just took that to mean “rock climbing is not dangerous as all” which is a separate statement.
You never let anyone who you don’t trust belay you ever, that’s given.
I like auto-belays, since those are guaranteed to be serviced regularly in good gyms. But at one point they are not enough, and you need a partner that you can trust your life with.
But I keep telling people that climbing reponsibly indoors is safer than many other activities, simply because you are aware of risks and are equiped to handle almost everything. Which is not the case for many outdoor activities.
I’ve seen a rock fall next to the belayers from the top, and only survived because the climbers fall pulled them closer to the wall, narrowly missing the head. They did not have a helmet on.
Every public crag sign and responsible gym will tell you that climbing is an inherently dangerous sport. We’ve had people die at the very “safe” gyms here. They make you sign wavers for a reason.
Mostly when you fuck up.
Very, extremely rarely is it due to the equipment.
But you can die thousands of ways even inside your home.
Climbing if done responsively is safer than walking in some parts.
The point is those sentiments you’re espousing invite risk. Every action is mitigation, not assumption of safety. I don’t climb with people that talk like this for a reason.
my point, which spawned the conversation, was that mountain climbing and cave diving are far far more dangerous than rock climbing, which I don’t really think is up for debate. Someone just took that to mean “rock climbing is not dangerous as all” which is a separate statement.
Kind of like that “oh so you hate waffles” meme.
You never let anyone who you don’t trust belay you ever, that’s given.
I like auto-belays, since those are guaranteed to be serviced regularly in good gyms. But at one point they are not enough, and you need a partner that you can trust your life with.
But I keep telling people that climbing reponsibly indoors is safer than many other activities, simply because you are aware of risks and are equiped to handle almost everything. Which is not the case for many outdoor activities.
I’ve seen a rock fall next to the belayers from the top, and only survived because the climbers fall pulled them closer to the wall, narrowly missing the head. They did not have a helmet on.
That’s nice, but I was saying it’s less dangerous, and not insane. Not that it’s not dangerous at all.