Participation Statements The British Mountaineering Council state "the BMC recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions." The Association of British Climbing Walls state that "All climbing and bouldering activities have a serious injury of serious injury or death. Participants must be aware of, and accept that even if they follow all good practice there may still be the risk of accident and injury. It is the responsibility of the participant to adhere to the conditions of use.”
The participant (or supervising parent/guardian) should read the following carefully and initial where indicated. The document should then be signed by the participant (or supervising parent/guardian) in the signature box. This Acknowledgement of Risk Form is for unsupervised climbing at Boulder Shack. If you are unsure of any aspect of the form you should not fill this in online. Please come to reception and fill it in where a staff member can answer any questions or clarify any points that may be unclear. If you have any impairments that can affect your filling in of the form or climbing, please fill in the form within the centre with staff support.
Boulder Shack Induction Video You must have watched the Boulder Shack Induction Video and be confident that you understand the risks involved in participating in indoor bouldering Risks & Rules - Please make yourself aware of the fire exits and assembly points.
- Indoor bouldering carries a danger of personal injury or death. I am aware of and accept these risks and I understand that I am responsible for my own actions and involvement.
- Boulder Shack is an artificial climbing environment but the risks are no less severe than when climbing outdoors. There is an additional risk that holds can spin or break.
- The soft matting under the walls does not guarantee your safety. Any fall may result in an injury to the participant or others. We strongly recommend you descend by climbing down carefully.
- If climbing down to the floor is not possible, use a controlled/ planned jump. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can climb down or land safely; don’t climb into a situation that you can not get out of. Injuries can still occur after a controlled/ planned jump, but are more likely resulting from an uncontrolled fall.
- Climbing beyond your capabilities is likely to result in a fall so you must make your own assessment of the risk whenever you climb.
- Report to reception on each visit before you climb.
- Do not sit, stand or boulder under other people.
- Do not grab or climb over the top of the wall except on the top out boulder where the top of the wall is painted green.
- Do not grab, lean on or in any way intentionally touch the roofing structure.
- Keep bags and personal items in the lockers or shelves, NOT on the mats, floors or walkways.
- Water bottles are not allowed on the mats at any time.
- Do not wear jewellery, particularly rings, when bouldering, these can catch and cause injury. Please also empty your pockets.
- No running anywhere in the centre.
- Somersaults and other, similar gymnastic and parkour-style movements are not permitted anywhere in the centre unless under professional instruction.
- Report any problems with the walls, equipment or other climbers behaviour to a member of staff immediately. This is particularly important with broken or spinning holds.
- Be aware of the other climbers, and how your actions will affect them.
- Volumes and large holds are used throughout the centre to improve the experience for customers; please be aware whilst climbing above these there is an additional risk of falling onto them.
- Those climbing whilst pregnant must understand that climbing can increase the risk to mother and unborn child.
- Stand back from the climbing walls unless you are spotting a climber.
Initial here to show that you have watched the safety induction video and read, understood and accept the above Risks & Rules of bouldering at Boulder Shack. Conditions of Use Duty of Care - The rules of use (above) are not intended to limit your enjoyment of the facilities. They are part of the duty of care that we, as operators, owe to you, the customer, by law. As such they are not negotiable and if you are not prepared to abide by them then the staff must politely ask you to leave. Your Duty of Care - You also have a duty of care to act responsibly towards the other users of the centre, follow good practice and abide by the rules and conditions of use of Boulder Shack. Free-weight training equipment - The use of the free weights and training aids in the training area (the black rubber-crumbed area around the scaffold bars by the wooden hold training walls) come with additional risks of injuries to yourself and others. This equipment is for those 18 years old or more, unless under the supervision or guidance of a professional coach or physical trainer. Boulder Shack is not responsible or liable for any injuries, losses or damages that arise from the use of equipment in this area. If you are unsure of how to safely use any of the equipment in this area, please speak to a member of the Boulder Shack Team. Medical Conditions - If the participant has any sort of medical condition or pre-existing injury this may make it more likely that the participant is injured while bouldering or using the training facilities. Please consult your doctor for advice about the extra risk involved. Unsupervised Climbing - Unless you are booked on to an instructed group your climbing session will not be supervised by Boulder Shack staff. You should be familiar with the Risks & Rules of Use. These are described in the online safety video and you should ask a member of staff if they are not clear to you. Staff will provide whatever help and advice they can, but instruction in the use of equipment or climbing techniques will only be provided where it has been booked and paid for in advance. If you are not confident in the use of any climbing equipment or technique then do not attempt to use it without the supervision of someone who is competent to do so. All novices (irrelevant of age) must be supervised by a competent individual, aged 18years plus. Specific unsupervised sign-offs are possible for those aged under 18years; dependent on age and experience, and with completion of an additional ‘Junior Unsupervised Waiver’ filled out by their legal parent/ guardian. Further information on these policies can be found on our website. Supervised Climbing - An adult aged 18 or over who has registered to climb, and proved their competency, may supervise in accordance with the Safe Supervision guidelines (Supervisory Form) and will take full responsibility for the safety of the climbers' they are supervising. On each visit, the paper form at reception must be completed by all parties. Anyone who you are responsible for supervising, must be close enough, and within your sight line at all times to affect and control their behaviour. Each supervisor (whether climbing themselves or not) may supervise two individuals aged 6years plus. Children aged 4-5year olds must always have 1 to 1 supervision, with no exceptions. Groups of three or more supervised climbers of any age must only be supervised by an instructor holding the relevant qualification and insurance. Your Data- By participating at Boulder Shack Climbing Gym you accept that we will be keeping your data indefinitely, however at anytime you can ask for your data to be deleted. In the event of a First Aid form needing to be filled out we will be keep this information for 3 years (form your 18th birthday). We take protecting your data seriously, all of the data that we gather is kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Initial here to show you have had sufficient opportunity to read this entire document and have read and understood the Conditions of Use and agree to be bound by its terms. Dated: November 30, 2023
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