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ssb74
Dec 16, 2012, 11:28 AM
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I am building a simple rock climbing wall for my kids but I am having trouble with making it safe. Due to the set-up, I cannot use a safety net or padding and I cannot afford a belay. I was thinking about setting up a rope that they would hook up to about half way up the 14' wall but I'm not sure what kind of rope to use. Any thoughts/suggestions would be very much appreciated.
(This post was edited by ssb74 on Dec 16, 2012, 11:32 AM)
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acorneau
Dec 16, 2012, 11:50 AM
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ssb74 wrote: I am building a simple rock climbing wall for my kids but I am having trouble with making it safe. Due to the set-up, I cannot use a safety net or padding and I cannot afford a belay. I was thinking about setting up a rope that they would hook up to about half way up the 14' wall but I'm not sure what kind of rope to use. Any thoughts/suggestions would be very much appreciated.
What price would you put on your children's health?
A simple belay system isn't that expensive. Locking biner, ATC, two harnesses, VERY short rope and some anchoring hardware is probably $200 or so. A good gym mat is probably about the same.
The other option is to not build it so tall and use some smaller/thinner pads you can keep elsewhere when not in use.
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ObviousTroll
Dec 16, 2012, 11:53 AM
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You plan on setting something up that they can climb on without any supervision? Not safe no matter how you set it up. Expecting your kid to use proper judgment of all the gear and techniques involved in roped solo climbing is not safe.
What you are talking about would be a system using roped solo climbing and those inherent devices. Like I said though...
Best bet would be to create a roped top rope system that you or another experienced adult will be around to provide a belay, using proper climbing rope.
Somebody else will fill in my gaps once this thread gets moved to the beginner forum. 
(This post was edited by ObviousTroll on Dec 16, 2012, 11:57 AM)
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camhead
Dec 16, 2012, 12:51 PM
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Just build a bouldering wall; something like this in size if not appearance:
Surround it with a soft landing like wood chips.
And still be prepared to deal with the occasional broken arm.
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milesenoell
Dec 16, 2012, 9:24 PM
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If you have room for a wall how is it that you don't have room for a pad? Old mattresses are cheap/free and can be moved when not in use.
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ssb74
Dec 17, 2012, 6:45 AM
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I appreciate the info very much. The only belays I found were over $2000. Could you point me in the right direction to find a $200 set up?
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bearbreeder
Dec 17, 2012, 6:49 AM
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i strongly suggest you ask a real person in real life how to set stuff up and come take a look at your setup ...
if you are worried about safety you dont want to go asking on the intrawebs about how to set up a "safe" system for your kids from some random person who could be a 12 year old replying on his nonmindo gaming system ...
to put it simply, if you need to ask how to do it on the intrawebs when safety (and kids) are involved with climbing ... you need to go ask a flesh and blood experienced person ...
its that simple
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camhead
Dec 17, 2012, 7:16 AM
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ssb74 wrote: I appreciate the info very much. The only belays I found were over $2000. Could you point me in the right direction to find a $200 set up?
You are talking about auto-belays. Everyone here is talking about manual belays in which you control the rope yourself.
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acorneau
Dec 17, 2012, 4:59 PM
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This stuff from REI...
Black Diamond ATC belay device: $17
Black Diamond Rocklock screwgate biner: $10
Black Diamond Alpine Bod harness (for you): $40
Petzl Simba harness (for the kids): $60
Then...
~75 foot dynamic rope, 10.5mm (or so): $60
(Gear Express usually has good deals on short ropes)
And...
Fixe stainless steel double ring anchor from Fixe USA (x2): $30
Grand total: $217 (excluding tax, etc.)
(This post was edited by acorneau on Dec 17, 2012, 5:01 PM)
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shockabuku
Dec 17, 2012, 8:22 PM
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How old are your kids?
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