"ground-fall" in climbing gym

Our first draw is around 10ft

How far back was she standing? If there is enough force to pull her to the clip then you are going to fall 10ft + her distance from the wall + any slack in the system and rope stretch. I see poor belayer stances all the time, including at the gym. A lot of people don't think about the distance between their belayer and the wall. I'm very conscious of it because there is a significant weight difference between my husband and myself, so I know I could easily be pulled. The closer you are to the ground the more force you put on the system in a fall, so it's especially important to be aware of this on shorter climbs. If she can't anchor herself then she should be close to the wall and be ready to brace for a fall.

This is also something to keep in mind outside, for both of your safety. Getting slammed into a rock wall when your climber falls isn't fun.

Another possible explanation could be that she was griping the rope above the grigri when you fell. Frequently a belayer will leave their nonbrake hand resting on the rope above the grigri after feeding out slack. Then when the climber falls the impulse is to grip tight. That could create enough friction to delay the locking mechanism, causing more rope slip. But then she'd likely have rope burn on her hand unless she was wearing gloves. Personally, I prefer the smart to the grigri (I have both) because it seems to lock easier. But a belayer needs to make sure that they have their hands in the correct place regardless of which device they use.

Complacency is dangerous, even in a gym. Both of you should discuss all the aspects of the fall and see where you can improve. I know it's hard when your climbing partner is also your romantic partner but it's a lot better to have awkward conversations then to have one of you end up seriously injured.

/r/climbing Thread