A Special Word on Safety at inSPIRE Rock

Each of you is aware that there is always an inherent risk of injury and even death while climbing. It’s up to all of us to work together to reduce that risk of injury and death.

If it can happen to John Long…

Recently in the new Gym Climber magazine, there was an interesting article by John Long entitled “Safety’s Worst Enemy.” Many of you know John Long has been climbing since the late ’60s and early ’70s. He is a renowned and respected climber who wrote the bestselling book How to Rock Climb. He is an authority on how to climb safely. Yet in his article, Long reminds us of the dangers by telling his personal story of how he fell while climbing at his local indoor climbing gym. While climbing on a rope, Long made a simple mistake that led to 50 days in the hospital, five surgeries, and nearly a year on crutches. Friends, if this can happen to John Long, then it can happen to us.

Complacency is the Enemy

When we become complacent, we let down our guard and begin cutting corners. We fail to double-check our or our climbing partner’s gear and knots. We assume we’ve got it right because we’ve done this hundreds of thousands of times without a problem. We become comfortable, and that comfortability leads to complacency, and complacency leads to serious injury. We must all be vigilant in monitoring ourselves, our children, and others in the gym. Let me say again… Parents and children under 13 must be physically supervised in the gym.

Safety Checklist:

Being safe and vigilant is all our job. Let’s work together to reduce the risk!