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Date of Incident
20/11/2019
Country
England
Area
Route
Incident
We were leading climbing in the gym (group of 3), I was going up an easier warm up route as the first climb of the day. When I reached the top I clipped the anchors and let go (something I do regularly when climbing with another partner who was not present). At the moment I let go the belayer was distracted by the 3rd member of the party pointing out a route we could do next, resulting in the belayer looking away from me, the climber.
I fell the majority of the height of the wall before the belayer realised what was going on and grabbed the dead end just in time to prevent a ground fall.
We were very lucky there were no injuries.
Lessons
Better communication required from the climber to ensure that the belayer knows what they are doing once the route is finished.
The belayer should not be distracted by other things or people.
The third member of the party should not be distracting the belayer while they are belaying.
Activity
Indoor climbing
When
Injury
No injury
Causes
Belaying failure or error
Anonymous?
Yes
Reported By
Participant
Wearing Helmets?
Rescue Services Involved?
Author
23 January 2020 at 15:14:27
For more advice and guidance on good practices visit BMC skills
All reports are self-submitted and have not been edited by the BMC in any way, so please keep an open mind regarding the lessons and causes of each incident or near-miss.