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amphotography89
Apr 27, 2012, 12:44 AM
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So im pretty new to climbing but have been hitting the gym a few days a week and pushing my self to get better.
Today I was working on a fairly difficult route at the gym. pretty steep overhang. a few very talented guys were cheering me on and helping my push through the crux and then.... i missed the next hold and BAM it the edge of the boulder mat with my foot and destroyed my ankle. even though I am now crawling around my house because I can't walk (yes im seeing the Dr.) I can tell you that the physical pain is nothing compared to how embarrassing that was. hahahaha but they guys were cool. and im still going to push on and climb once I heal. Just know that most of the climbers out there are pretty cool dudes/dudettes. they just got me ice and asked if I was ok.
Any of you other fellow noobs have something like this happen?
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bandycoot
Apr 27, 2012, 7:45 AM
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All gyms should have a flat, continuous surface for you to land on, whether that is small rocks, foam, whatever. Any gym that has mats that can be dragged around is offering up an uneven surface for ankle rolls or worse, and you should make this clear to them and request that they improve the safety of their gym. I see this all too often in indoor climbing gyms, and even if there is a flat foam landing ignorant climbers still drag pads under problems. They'll even do it for you, without asking, putting your legs in danger. Suboptimal!
Just say no to uneven surfaces in climbing gyms! This is a preventable injury that probably happens daily across the country.
Sorry you got hurt though, and I'm glad you'll be back at it.
Josh
(This post was edited by bandycoot on Apr 27, 2012, 7:46 AM)
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karmiclimber
Apr 27, 2012, 2:05 PM
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I've been climbing off and on for a number of years. Yesterday, at the gym, I was traversing and fell like a total noob. My grip strength just gave out and I fell kind of with my one leg into the wall. Not through the wall, I just kind of smashed my ankle into it. To make matters worse, there were all of these baby bro's (11 year olds with really strange looking outfits...their knee high socks (?) matched their shirts and their hats matched their shorts.) standing around, you know - NOT CLIMBING, and laughing at me. Nothing injured except my ego, thankfully. 
Edit to add: It should be noted that I am sure it was laughable, because I fell on my arse and curled up kind of like sonic the hedgehog when I fell. I don't know why, I just did. 
(This post was edited by karmiclimber on Apr 27, 2012, 2:40 PM)
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jt512
Apr 27, 2012, 4:38 PM
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bandycoot wrote: All gyms should have a flat, continuous surface for you to land on, whether that is small rocks, foam, whatever. Any gym that has mats that can be dragged around is offering up an uneven surface for ankle rolls or worse, and you should make this clear to them and request that they improve the safety of their gym. I see this all too often in indoor climbing gyms, and even if there is a flat foam landing ignorant climbers still drag pads under problems. They'll even do it for you, without asking, putting your legs in danger. Suboptimal!
Those pads actually help if you don't land on the edge of them.
Jay
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bandycoot
Apr 27, 2012, 4:43 PM
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That depends on the gym floor. At the current gym I climb at, they probably wouldn't.
And I think that it's important to note that your comment has an "if" in it. You're trading one type of risk for another, but if the floors are already padded I see essentially zero injuries and the edge of those pads causes many.
Josh
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jt512
Apr 27, 2012, 5:01 PM
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bandycoot wrote: That depends on the gym floor. At the current gym I climb at, they probably wouldn't. And I think that it's important to note that your comment has an "if" in it. You're trading one type of risk for another, but if the floors are already padded I see essentially zero injuries and the edge of those pads causes many. Josh
You'll get fewer acute injuries without pads, but more chronic injuries. The gymnastic mats cushion the landing considerably more than just the standard padded floors. I'm careful about where I place the mats.
Jay
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lena_chita
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Apr 27, 2012, 5:03 PM
Post #7 of 16
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amphotography89 wrote: So im pretty new to climbing but have been hitting the gym a few days a week and pushing my self to get better. Today I was working on a fairly difficult route at the gym. pretty steep overhang. a few very talented guys were cheering me on and helping my push through the crux and then.... i missed the next hold and BAM it the edge of the boulder mat with my foot and destroyed my ankle. even though I am now crawling around my house because I can't walk (yes im seeing the Dr.) I can tell you that the physical pain is nothing compared to how embarrassing that was. hahahaha but they guys were cool. and im still going to push on and climb once I heal. Just know that most of the climbers out there are pretty cool dudes/dudettes. they just got me ice and asked if I was ok. Any of you other fellow noobs have something like this happen?
I missed the part where I was supposed to laugh, but yes, it happens, and quite often.
Every time you have an uneven surface under you, you run a chance of landing badly and hurting your ankle, or worth. It could be the edge of the pad, a seam between two pads, rocks, clueless climbers who are sitting under you and not paying attention...
That's why you have to pay attention, and, ideally, have spotters who move the pads as needed and spot your fall.
I agree with bandicoot that in an ideal gym there should be a well padded even floor without a jumble of pads. But most places I've climbed at have some sort of built-in floor padding + portable pads combination.
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bandycoot
Apr 27, 2012, 5:06 PM
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You're careful, because you know better. A lot of people, like the OP who is new, probably don't. Maybe I'm traumatized since idiots would sometimes drag one under me mid crux at an old gym I climbed at and I'd land with one leg on, one off. No bueno!
My current gym has insanely good padding and additional padding is unnecessary. This should be standard at any modern gym.
Josh
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unsunken
Apr 27, 2012, 5:12 PM
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While landing on the edges of pads can be an issue, the kind with the slanty edges seem to mitigate that issue.
In the past 6 months, I've had 2 friends break a leg on the continuous padded floor. For this reason I am very much in favor of the pads you drag around.
One was because there just wasn't enough padding and took an unexpected fall, so the shock to the end of the tibia was too great.
The other was because there was lack of awareness. Someone stood underneath the landing spot, and this climber landed in someone else's footwell where there was little padding. With movable pads, people tend to stand on them less and are forced to realize that someone may be climbing above them.
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j_ung
Apr 27, 2012, 5:30 PM
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In 1989 I had been climbing for around 3 years, when I and a friend headed to the White Mountains in NH to try longer routes. We'd been hitting the Gunks and Seneca pretty regularly.
Our first line was the Standard Route on Whitehorse Ledge, the first three pitches of which clock in at around 5.2 or 3. We, of course, roped up for them. At the Toilet Bowl belay (I think that's what it's called) I was dutifully bringing my second up on rope, when three or four guys passed us—walking up the low-angle slab—that we had just spent a couple hours leading and seconding. Apparently Whitehorse 5.3 tends to be featherbagged.
Heh. Now that was embarrassing.
Several years later, I redeemed myself a little bit, when I and another friend sledded down that very same slab in winter.
(This post was edited by j_ung on Apr 27, 2012, 5:32 PM)
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granite_grrl
Apr 27, 2012, 6:58 PM
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I've twisted my ankle at least a couple of times landing on the edge of pads. Both inside and outside.
Many newer climbers don't seem to understand pad placement, doing things like pushing the pad flush against the wall, or protecting the start of the problem, but not the finish. Not that this means you still won't hit the edge of the pad and do damage to your ankles, but you'll hopefully lessen it.
Keep in mind that every fall when bouldering is a ground fall, and the ground can hurt.
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ClimbClimb
Apr 29, 2012, 1:11 PM
Post #12 of 16
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bandycoot wrote: My current gym has insanely good padding and additional padding is unnecessary. This should be standard at any modern gym.
Yes. I seriously don't understand why this isn't the standard... padding isn't' that expensive, and it's an obvious improvement.
To the OP: hope you heal fast.
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johnwesely
Apr 29, 2012, 2:01 PM
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ClimbClimb wrote: Yes. I seriously don't understand why this isn't the standard... padding isn't' that expensive, and it's an obvious improvement. To the OP: hope you heal fast.
I am pretty sure padding is really expensive.
(This post was edited by johnwesely on Apr 29, 2012, 2:02 PM)
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johnwesely
Apr 29, 2012, 2:28 PM
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ClimbClimb wrote: johnwesely wrote: I am pretty sure padding is really expensive. Compared to ankle and knee surgeries? I realize that the climbers and their insurance companies or governments pay for the medical treatments, but overall, this seems inefficient. The stuff seems to be about $10 per square foot when you buy individual Metolius boulder crash pads. That's cheaper than most hardwood or tile floors, for God's sake! And I'm sure it's much cheaper when you outfit a whole bouldering area with the foam. Seriously, there's no excuse. It's indoor bouldering... please don't tell me that it violates the "gym rat climbing ethic" by reducing the risk of ankle sprains. 
I imagine that the gyms with less than adequate foam are generally struggling to make ends meets. New floors are going to cost 1000s of dollars at least. I can see how it would be hard to do.
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mheyman
Apr 29, 2012, 3:06 PM
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ClimbClimb wrote: bandycoot wrote: My current gym has insanely good padding and additional padding is unnecessary. Not sure how any specific padding could be insanely good for all situations. Many gyms I have been to have areas where the climbing styles are mixed, IE boulder problems mixed with TR and/or lead routes. Example: I used to go to a gym where I had made it a habit to solo a particular vertical straight up, sloper TR over a stack of at least two mats on the floor padding. No one would have wanted to have to walk around on anything feeling like the stack of mats I used for that “highball” boulder problem. ClimbClimb wrote: bandycoot wrote: This should be standard at any modern gym. Yes. I seriously don't understand why this isn't the standard... padding isn't' that expensive ??? obviously your not operating a gym? Good padding is a significant investment.
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