Funworld January 2008

Steady as a Rock

FECs work to keep guests safe on their climbing walls

by Mike Bederka

What goes up, must come down, of course. The laws of gravity are quite clear on this. However, family entertainment center operators and staff can delicately work within these boundaries to ensure their guests have a good time and, more important, stay safe on their rock-climbing walls.

First off, it’s critical to follow the manufacturer’s manual regarding repair, maintenance, and parts replacement, which may vary from company to company, states the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Next, the government agency said facilities must follow these additional key safety measures:

• Examine auto-belay cables, especially near pulleys, for wear, broken wires, deformation, and “fish hooks” (burrs/broken strands of wire cable).
• Lift or slide the plastic or rubber sheath over the auto-belay cable on the patron/harness end and examine for wear, corrosion, broken wires, and fish hooks. Replace cables if needed.
• Inspect daily the auto-belay cables for fish hooks, wear, and corrosion; replace annually or after 10,000 documented cycles, or earlier if necessary.
• Examine carabiners, swivels, and rings for proper functioning and locking; replace if needed.
• Examine harnesses for wear and tearing and replace if necessary.
• The maximum recommended weight per passenger is 250 pounds, or per manufacturer’s recommendation.
• Make sure the required number of operators are present.
• Don’t exceed the manufacturer’s requirements for maximum loads for individual walls.

As for that last point, Ken Connor of ClubFX takes some extra precautions. With six stations, he’ll max out on four climbers for his 23-foot wall.

“We’re climbing kids as young as 5 or 6 years old,” says the owner of the facility, located in Mooresville, North Carolina. “They’re not so good about staying in their lanes. You want to give them plenty of room. You don’t want them stepping on each other’s fingers.”

Don Cullen follows a similar strategy. The owner of Big Don’s Wild River Mini Golf in Cicero, New York, usually won’t run more than two people at a time even though he has a 25-foot, five-climber wall.

Cullen also adds another layer of security to his wall by fencing in the area around it. That keeps other customers from wandering underneath the climbers.

Weighty Issues and Staff Training
Staff members at Big Don’s rarely have to deal with plus-size guests at the wall (240 pounds is the limit for them), but they must contend with those on the smaller side.

Kids need to weigh at least 45 pounds. “If they’re too light they wouldn’t have enough weight to pull the hydraulic spring-loaded system down,” Cullen says. “They could get stuck on the wall so to speak.”

Young guests also may get stuck for another reason: fear of heights. It’s not uncommon for kids to get halfway up the wall, look down, and then freeze, says Rocky McIlwain, owner of Fun Zone Skate Center in Dothan, Alabama.

When that happens, employees calm their skittish customers, explaining that if they let go, they’ll be OK.

At ClubFX, staffers also play an active role with guests, looking for any potential problems. For example, just because a child meets the weight requirement (40 pounds), that doesn’t guarantee a ride up the wall, Connor says. He may be too young and lack the “situational awareness” to climb.

In those cases, Connor might harness the child and lift him just a few feet off the ground, letting him swing around for a little bit.

“They feel like a big kid,” he says. “That’s all they usually want anyway.”

For the real big kids—those over 200 pounds but not at the max—Connor suggests a test run. The rate of descent increases the heavier the person, so he has them go up seven or eight feet and then drop. This way, they’ll know what to expect if they do it for real.

Just in case guests (of any size) fall awkwardly, there is a four-inch thick gymnastics-type mat to catch them.

The above situations show why staff preparedness plays a crucial role with rock wall safety. Cullen requires new employees to watch a training DVD, and then they’re shown up close how to operate the wall. Management observes the first 20 to 30 times they hook up guests and send them skyward.

An Alternative
Ted Jensen, of Southampton Sports Zone, Southampton, Pennsylvania, says he doesn’t have to worry about the typical safety problems with standard rock walls. Guests on his attraction could climb 40 to 50 feet but never really get more than a few feet off the ground.

Jensen’s mechanical wall is a continuous conveyer belt that goes in a circular pattern; the rocks are screwed into the stainless steel panels.

A computer controls the level of difficulty, and guests have 15 different “mountains” to choose from. A monitor shows how high they’ve climbed.

Customers don’t wear a harness, but the wall has built-in safety features. Sensors at the top and bottom shut down the attraction should customers try to climb over the top or fall off into the foam padding below.

He bought this wall five years ago because his ceiling only stands 16 feet tall, limiting his options. The wall’s footprint is 144 square feet.

“It’s a phenomenal attraction for the amount of space it takes up,” Jensen says.

Mike Bederka is a monthly FUNWORLD contributor. He can be reached at mbederka@iaapa.org.