UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Floor Walker Role & Responsibilities 1. Checks Climbing Wall Environment: • The ropes are through both of the Krabs at the top and they are ‘daisy chained’ to ensure that they are off the floor. • The mat is pushed up against the wall • The floor is clear of items/litter • The ‘conditions of use’ sign is up • If you are the first to do it that day, please sign the ‘Wall Check Sheet’ to say that you have completed a ‘daily wall check’ Climbing Wall Personal Equipment: • All items are there (currently there are 9 harnesses, 9 helmets, 4 screw gate krabs, and 4 belay devices) • Check to ensure there are no apparent abnormalities • All straps extended to their maximum and all buckles fastened • Krabs should be attached to the belay devices • Check the ‘near miss log’ and ensure nothing new has occurred that requires further attention Weekly Rope Check: • All ropes need to be pulled and checked carefully for any abnormalities • They then need to be replaced by either leading the route, climbing an adjacent route or using a tether line. • Following this check please sign the ‘wall checks sheet’
2. Supervising Casual Use Sessions Pre checks of the wall (environment & equipment) are undertaken before people start to enter the climbing wall area Ensure that the maximum capacity of the wall is not exceeded Ensure that people’s use of the wall is consistent with their level of sign off Ensure that the ‘Conditions of Use’ are adhered to Seek to carefully interject if there is concern for the safety of any one involved in the climbing process be it the climber, belayer, or onlookers
3. Monitoring & Dissemination As a member of the core staff involved with the wall we ask that you actively seek to share information/observations regarding the wall.
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UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
4. Group Leader Inductions This will include: • Show them the wall and facilities (e.g. changing rooms/toilets) • In the wall area provide a verbal outline of the ‘conditions of use’. In particular: o Groups can stash their kit under the benches therefore leaving the wall area ‘clutter free’ o Identify the height limit for bouldering and traversingexplain this is a maximum and depending on their group they may choose to adopt a lower height limit o No harnesses to be worn when bouldering/traversing o Explain that there is a gap behind the bouldering wall so groups must not attempt to climb beyond the top of the bouldering wall o They need to keep an eye on the bouldering mat and ensure that it remains pushed up against the wall o We have a ‘tying in’ policy i.e. all climbers need to be tied in rather than clipped in. o The wall ropes are only to be used for top roping. If they are removed for any reason then they need to be replaced through both karabiners at the top at the end of the session. o The far left hand routes are only to be used for leading purposes o All under 18s are required to wear a helmet o We operate a 1:9 ratio (one instructor to 9 group members o When they are instructing a group they need to stay on the floor i.e. they cannot climb when they are responsible for a group o They need to stay within the remit of their qualifications • Ensure they understand what to do in an emergency • Take a copy of the instructor(s) climbing qualification, first aid and a copy of the insurance certificate the instructor will be working under. These copies are then placed in the file in the pockets entitled ‘Instructor Documents’. The relevant information then needs to be written on the front of the pocket. • Explanation of what to do upon arrival and departure (collecting key, submitting register, documents)
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UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Seeking Good Practice General Guidelines Good
Practice Keep the environment ‘clutter free’ Ensure the bouldering mat is pushed up against the wall Avoid putting fingers through the bold hangers Any loose holds should be identified to the floor walkers
Bouldering/ Traversing Good
Practice: Remove harnesses Remain within height limit Climb or lower down
Common Issues Jumping off the wall Climbers being unaware of other climbers
Harnesses Good
Practice Positioned snugly on the waist All clothing within the harness Harness appropriate for the wearer All buckles securely fastened and clear to see Bum strap attached
Common Issues Harness positioned too low (typically on the hips) Leg loops twisted Belay loops skewed Centralisation buckles being used ineffectively i.e. one tightened excessively Either one or more buckles unfastened Harness strap wrapped around masking buckles and/or creating an additional loop that may prompt confusion
Helmets Good
Practice Snug fitting to prevent significant movement Chin strap adjusted to sit in line within the jaw and ear Sat just above the eye brows
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UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Chin Strap fastened with the excess strap tucked away to prevent entanglement
Common Issues Too loose resulting in the helmet moving whilst the climber is moving The chin strap adjustment system incorrectly adjusted resulting in the straps not sitting in line with the jaw and ear Chin Strap undone
Tying In Good
Practice Rope loop matching the harness belay loop Fig of 8, neat and tightened Two loops in the stopper Stopper butted up against the Fig of 8 with the tail being between 5-10cm max
Common Issues The rope too long The tail too long Too many loops in the stopper Reweaving the tail No Stopper Knot
Belaying Good
Practice Attentive Appropriate Body Position Belay device threaded appropriately Krab securely fastened Method by which the ‘dead rope’ is always securely held Both hands on the ‘dead rope’ for lowering Lowering only after discussion with the climber and maintaining a steady rate of descent Two hands on the ‘dead rope’ during lowering and using a ‘passing motion’ in which the rope is ‘held and moved’ rather than allowing the rope to slide through the belayer’s hands
Common Issues Belayer standing in an inappropriate position Hand too close to the belay device Waiting with the rope in the ‘open’ position Belay device threaded inappropriately Belay krab cross loading 4|Page
UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Hands upside down when handling the ropes Hand moving in front of the ‘live rope’ during belaying Shuffling the hands/letting the rope run through the hands when lowering
Leading Good Practice Appropriate rope for leading and for the chosen belay device Clipping in line with torso area Clipping so that the climber’s rope exits ‘on top’ Clipping all routes Common Issues Back Clipping Z Clipping Moving/waiting with the rope out and held by the mouth or hand
Belaying a Leader Good
Practice Attentive Physically spotting the leader until the first extender is clipped Identifying when extenders are being correctly/incorrectly clipped Dynamic belaying when/if appropriate
Common Issues Lack of concentration Thumbing a Gri Gri to pay out slack but not maintaining physical contact with the ‘dead rope’ Paying out slack when the climber is ‘Z clipping’
When & How to Tackle Issues: Your role is to keep people safe physically, and emotionally. This will require you to process information quickly and effectively and then take appropriate action 1. Establish the Level of Danger: o Will the issue result in immediate harm or is it simply a habit that could be beneficially ‘tweaked’? o Your response to this question should help to determine the approach that you take to deal with it.
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UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Degree of Potential Urgency & Severity
2. Determine the Appropriate Approach to Tackling the Issue:
⇓ Distant non verbal communication i.e. establishing eye contact then indicating towards the issue (a nod and a raised eyebrow can be very effective!) ⇓ Pass the message via someone else (can help ‘save face’ but ensure they will pass the message accurately and sensitively) ⇓ Wait for belayer and the climber to be on the floor and then have a quiet chat ⇓ Put you hand on the ‘dead rope’ whilst you intervene and ask them to stop what they are doing and lower the climber ⇓ Put your hand on the ‘dead rope’ and take physical control of the belay process
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UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Qualifications Relevant to the Climbing Wall & What they Mean: Qualification Title
Can they teach Bouldering/ Traversing? Yes
Can they teach Top Roping? Yes
Can they teach Leading? Yes
Can they teach Abseiling? Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Climbing Wall Award (CWA)
Yes
Yes
No
No
Climbing Wall Award with Abseiling component
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Climbing Wall Award with Leading Component
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Climbing Wall Award with Abseiling & Leading components
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
South West Climbing Wall Supervisors Award
Yes
Yes
No
No
Alpine Guide Mountain Instructor Certificate (MIC) Mountain Instructor Award (MIA Single Pitch Supervisors Award (SPSA) Single Pitch Award (SPA)
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UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Glossary (i.e. understanding the jargon!) Back Clipping: This refers to when a leader clips the rope in to an extender the wrong way around i.e. the rope is left in a position in which it could inadvertently open the extender Krab should the leader take a fall. Belayer: “The person who is safeguarding the rope for the climber” (Peter, 2004) Belay Device: “Friction device used by the belayer to help control the rope” (Peter, 2004) Bolt ons: This phrase is often used when referring the climbing wall holds that are bolted on Bolts: This phrase is often used to refer to the bolt hangers on the wall i.e. the metal rings that extenders/quick draws are clipped into Bouldering: Bouldering is short routes that are climbed without the use of ropes Extenders: Extenders are the pieces of equipment that are used to attach the rope to the bolt hangers. They are often referred to as ‘quick draws’ or ‘runners’ Dynamic Belaying: A method of belying a leader in which more movement is enabled through the belay system resulting in less force exerted if a fall is experienced. Full Body Harness: This is a harness that has a chest harness component. It is used by people who need assistance keeping up right. Young children and ‘very top heavy’ people tend to benefit from using full body harnesses Insitu: This is the phrase used to refer to items that are in position i.e. in situation. For example, there are numerous extenders on the wall that are ‘insitu’. Karabiners (Krabs): The name of the metal clips with an opening mechanism referred to as a ‘gate’. They serve a number of purposes in a climbing context. Typically they are either snap gates or screwgates. Leading: Leading is the process of climbing a route without a rope from above safeguarding you. In a leading context the leader climbs with the rope below them clipping extenders as they ascend. Quick Draws: See ‘Extenders’ 8|Page
UCP Marjon Climbing Wall Floor Walker Training; LA 10/10
Runners: See ‘extenders’ Top Roping: Climbing the route with a rope from above protecting you Traversing: Traversing refers to climbing in a horizontal direction i.e. side to side rather than upwards. Tying In: This is the process in which the climber ties the rope to their harness Snap Gate Karabiners: These karabiners have no locking mechanism on their gate Screw Gate Karabiners: These karabiners have a locking mechanism on their gate. They are locked and unlocked by ‘screwing’ the gate. Z Clipping: An error made by a leader, in which the rope is pulled from beneath the previous extender resulting in a ‘Z’ shape being formed in the rope.
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