Buying the Safest Rock Climbing Equipment
Lots of people would like to get into rock climbing but are concerned about the safety. The reality is that rock climbing, particularly in a gym, is very safe. It's designed through the equipment and teaching to have as much focus on safety as possible. There are a few ways to make sure that you are buying the safest equipment possible. Before going into the details, it's important to realize that most rock climbing injuries are due to people not taking safety precautions or being lazy and not due to failures of the equipment itself.
There are three main pieces of rock climbing equipment that are critical to being safe. They are your harness, your rope, and your belay device. The first important thing is to buy all three of these things new. Especially as a new climber, it can be difficult to evaluate the safety of used equipment, and new equipment is all but guaranteed to be in perfect condition. Saving $20 on a harness is not a good enough reason to use an older harness which may be nearly worn out in ways that you cannot easily detect. The same goes with belay devices and ropes.
It's also a good idea to spend a bit more on a belay device. An ATC is very cheap and almost always safe, but has fewer backup options. A Gri-Gri costs a fair bit more but is built to be dramatically safer. If you completely let go of an ATC, the person who is climbing will fall. When you let go of a Gri-Gri, it holds the rope solidly until you purposefully decide to let down the climber.
There are three main pieces of rock climbing equipment that are critical to being safe. They are your harness, your rope, and your belay device. The first important thing is to buy all three of these things new. Especially as a new climber, it can be difficult to evaluate the safety of used equipment, and new equipment is all but guaranteed to be in perfect condition. Saving $20 on a harness is not a good enough reason to use an older harness which may be nearly worn out in ways that you cannot easily detect. The same goes with belay devices and ropes.
It's also a good idea to spend a bit more on a belay device. An ATC is very cheap and almost always safe, but has fewer backup options. A Gri-Gri costs a fair bit more but is built to be dramatically safer. If you completely let go of an ATC, the person who is climbing will fall. When you let go of a Gri-Gri, it holds the rope solidly until you purposefully decide to let down the climber.
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