falling to the ground

Training in a gym is less than ideal, but it was raining, and we needed the workout, so off to momentum in sandy, the best climbing gym around here.

I'm beginning to notice that it takes me a good three climbs before I'm adequately warmed up. After about three, I can climb well, however, those first couple and I look like a deer on ice skates. Momentum is awesome because it has a series of cracks, and we need to practice cracks. Kaleb has the movements down, I on the other hand look like...well a deer on ice skates.

Anyway, a good 4 hours in the gym felt great. But the real excitement was not the climbing.

I was on the wall when suddenly I heard a large thud. Looked over, and a climber and a belay were tangled together on the ground. From where I stood, it look like the climber was leading, and fell about 40 feet, to land directly on top of his belay. Now you may think, well climbing is dangerous and people fall. But not like that. When someone is on belay, it takes very minimal effort to stop them from hitting the ground. I know, I've stopped K many a times. Anyway, this poor climber was hauled out in an ambulance, while his friend held a bag of ice in his hand. Which, I thought was in poor taste.

This is not the first time I've witnessed a gym climber fall to the ground. The first was at weber state, and the girl hit from about 10 feet up. she was ok.

So, my conclusion is this: gym climbing is dangerous. And if a guy with blisters offers to belay, run the other direction.