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BOULDER, CO (3/2/2013) - The Climbing Wall Association, the trade organization for the climbing wall industry, is pleased to announce the release of two new industry publications. The publications address successful business planning and the development of visitor's agreements, respectively.
Contact:
Drew Eakins
Membership Marketing Manager
Climbing Wall Association
Phone: (720) 838-8284
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CWA RELEASES TWO NEW PUBLICATIONS
Climbing Facility Business Planning, First Edition
Guide to Visitor Agreements, First Edition
BOULDER, CO (3/2/2013) - The Climbing Wall Association, the trade organization for the climbing wall industry, is pleased to announce the release of two new industry publications. The publications address successful business planning and the development of visitor’s agreements, respectively.
The first publication, “CWA Climbing Gym Business Plan Creation, First Edition”, addresses the necessary business and financial planning needed to open or expand a climbing gym. Authored by Bob Richards of Open Water Ventures, the publication outlines each part of the business planning document for climbing gym owners.
The second publication, “A Guide to Visitor Agreements”, addresses the concepts of negligence, duty of care, the elements of these agreements, and the protections these agreements can afford climbing facilities. Written by attorney Reb Gregg, the guide provides a framework for climbing wall owners and managers seeking to create or improve their visitor agreements.
“The CWA is very happy to be offering these two important publications” stated CEO Bill Zimmermann. “We hope that our members will find them to be a valuable asset. With the growth of the climbing industry, we feel it necessary to provide resources to help prospective gym owners successfully navigate the business planning process in a cost effective way. We also feel that Visitor Agreements are a vital part of the risk management equation for climbing operations and should be reviewed from time to time. The Guide to Visitor Agreements will help in that process.”
These publications are designed as a complement to existing CWA publications and can be purchased on the CWA website HERE. The CWA would like to thank both authors for their time and dedication to these products.
About Climbing Wall Association
The Climbing Wall Association is the only trade association addressing the needs and interests of the climbing wall industry. We serve climbing gyms, climbing wall operators, climbing wall manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, consultants and others involved in the climbing industry. The CWA provides trade association services to over 400 companies in the climbing industry. The mission of the Climbing Wall Association is to support the growth, health, independence and professionalism of the climbing wall industry.
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Registration for the 2013 Climbing Wall Summit is now open! Join over 400 industry experts May 30 - June 1 for the industry's premier gathering. Attendees will leave the Summit informed, refreshed, and ready to take their businesses to the next level.
Members receive $100 off with a member number.
The goal of the CWA is to foster the growth, health, independence, and professionalism of our industry and the Summit is the cornerstone of these efforts. As a unified and informed industry, we can avoid burdensome and expensive outside regulation. You can join this movement by becoming a CWA member and attending the Summit. Together we’re stronger.
For more information, visit the Summit website.
BOULDER, CO (1/30/2012) - Walltopia, an international leader in climbing wall construction, has partnered with the Climbing Wall Association as the first ever Title Sponsor at this year’s Climbing Wall Summit. The Climbing Wall Summit is the climbing wall industry’s only professional development conference, providing the climbing wall industry with its most comprehensive training and professional development event each year.
BOULDER, CO (1/30/2012) - Walltopia, an international leader in climbing wall construction, has partnered with the Climbing Wall Association as the first ever Title Sponsor at this year’s Climbing Wall Summit. The Climbing Wall Summit is the climbing wall industry’s only professional development conference, providing the climbing wall industry with its most comprehensive training and professional development event each year.
The 2013 Summit will be the 7th successful conference the CWA has organized, bringing together climbing gym owners, equipment manufacturers, college and university employees, municipal recreation employees, and many others.
“CWA is proud to have Walltopia as the Title Sponsor for this year’s conference. Their unprecedented support displays a strong commitment to the further success of our industry and our sport,” stated CWA CEO Bill Zimmermann. “Summit sponsors make it possible for CWA to provide these valuable educational opportunities and promote professional development within the industry.”
Walltopia has produced some of the finest quality artificial climbing walls around the globe. Originally founded in Bulgaria, Walltopia’s innovative structures have made the company a strong presence in the US market. Walltopia has built some of the largest commercial climbing gyms in North America, with facilities reaching 30,000 square feet. Innovation is the driving force at Walltopia. With the development of new industry processes and products like Flat Underhold technology, triangle-based walls, ultra-realistic Rocktopia, 3D Curves, prefabrication, and the transformable wall technology, Walltopia remains at the cutting edge of the climbing industry. Walltopia provides a complete climbing wall service including design, production, and installation.
To find out more about the Climbing Wall Summit, click here.
For more information about Walltopia, click here.
Ten pre-conference workshops selected for the seventh annual Climbing Wall Summit May 30 June 1, 2013. Learn more about the offerings here.
2013 Summit Pre-Confernece Workshops Selected
The seventh annual Climbing Wall Summit returns to the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus May 30 June 1, 2013. Join climbing sports leaders, faculty, manufacturers, climbing wall owners, managers, and staff for the industry’s only professional development conference and exhibition. Pre-Conference Workshops at the 2013 Climbing Wall Summit provide opportunity to get hands-on with leading professionals and gain deeper understanding of topics critical to climbing facilities.
We’ve selected 10 great in-depth workshops for 2013 including five new workshops: Paradox Sports Adaptive Climbing Clinic, Autobelay Rescue Technique, A College and University Forum, Stay on the Wall and Out of the Courthouse: Understanding Your Duty of Care, Planning for Program Success. We have also brought back our most popular workshops including: Climbing Wall Instructor Certification, CWI Certification Provider Course, Vertical Rope Access Techniques for Route Setters, Business Development Climbing Gym Start-up and Expansion, and The Art of Falling – A Bouldering Gymnastic Fall Technique Workshop.
Register for the Summit early to save $100. CWA members receive an additional discount. Pre-Conference Workshops are available only with Summit Registration. Prices and secure online registration via the web site soon.
To learn more about pre-conference workshops go here.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Safety has released a notice of public hearing that will be held on November 28th, 2012 at 10 a.m. at One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA concerning a new law.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Safety has released a notice of public hearing that will be held on November 28th, 2012 at 10 a.m. at One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA concerning a new law. that allows the Department to assess monetary fines for violations of certain statutes and regulations related to amusements as an alternative to initiating criminal proceedings. Climbing walls are currently regulated as amusements in Massachusetts. The Department has drafted new regulations, 520 CMR 1, that establish issuance of these fines by Department personnel. The CWA will have a representative at the hearing.
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Division of Oil and Public Safety plans to propose changes to the current regulations for Amusement Rides and Devices.
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Division of Oil and Public Safety plans to propose changes to the current regulations for Amusement Rides and Devices. A link to the summary of proposed changes is posted on the CDLE web site here. If you would like to review the current regulations you can find a link here. A hearing will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday October 25, 2012 at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment 633 17th St. Room 2A Denver, CO 80202 to discuss the proposed changes. CWA will have a representative at the hearing.
The UIAA Safety Commission adopted its first-ever safety standard for braking devices which went into effect July 1st, 2011. The standard lays out performance parameters and testing procedures for four kinds of belaying and abseiling devices: manual, locking-assisted, abseiling devices and abseiling devices with a panic function. Manufacturers meeting the standard will be able to display the UIAA Safety Label on their braking devices.
The requirements set forth in the standard are based on the forces that can develop during fall arrest with the use of dynamic ropes. Requirements vary according to device classification, which includes manual devices (i.e. tube or plate devices), locking assist devices (Gri-Gri®) and devices with a panic function (Eddy®). All classifications require a strength test to demonstrate that neither the device nor the rope are compromised during braking, and both the locking assist and panic function devices must also be tested for rope slippage.
Petzl’s GriGri2 and four pieces of equipment from Black Diamond have become the first braking devices to be certified by the UIAA and can now bear the UIAA Safety Label. The Black Diamond devices are: ATC, ATC-Guide, ATC-XP, ATC-Sport. Other belay/rappel devices are in the process of being tested for compliance with this standard.
Organizations that require the UIAA safety label for climbing equipment, can use the UIAA certified equipment web search function to determine which belay/rappel devices have valid safety labels. More information www.theuiaa.org/news_174_First-ever-safety-standard-for-braking-devices.
Uninsured climbers may look to you if hurt in your facility regardless of their expertise, prior experience, or any agreement you might have in place with them. Climbing wall operators should be concerned not only with liability insurance, but also with the quality of the medical coverage of your patrons.
Consider purchasing Accident Medical Insurance to cover participant injuries. Accident medical insurance, unlike liability insurance, is payable without regard to fault and is intended to “make whole” the participant for out of pocket medical costs in the event of an accident. Liability insurance provides relief to the injured person only if you were somehow responsible for the incident.
The participant accident medical insurance is available only to current members of the CWA as a member benefit through Stratus Insurance Services. The primary insurer for the program is National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh PA; a member of American International Group, an A rated company.
Insurance rates with the new carrier have been reduced by nearly half, making the coverage even more affordable. Contact Cameron Allen at Stratus for more information or get an application form (www.climbingwallindustry.org/insurance.php)
Initially targeting facilities with auto belay devices, the Department of Labor eventually approached over 75 businesses regarding amusement licensure. Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Oil and Public Safety attempted to regulate recreational climbing facilities in Colorado. The facilities approached were commercial climbing gyms, including a prominent gym in Boulder.
The CWA worked closely with affected members in a two-pronged effort to deflect this regulatory assault. The CWA directed its efforts to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office while members directed their efforts to the Department of Labor. CWA secured a meeting with both agencies. We communicated our position that regulating a climbing gym or a climbing wall in a recreational or educational setting as an amusement ride or device is inappropriate for a number of reasons and probably illegal.
In several states, attempts to regulate recreational sports facilities as amusement rides have largely failed, thanks to the CWA and our active intervention. Administrative findings and trials in states such as New Jersey have established that the application of amusement licensing statutes to non-amusement settings is inappropriate at best and unlawful at worst (see H&S Development Corp. d/b/a New Jersey Rock Gym, v. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and Susan Bass Levin, Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County: Law Division, Docket No.: ESX-L-0879-05, Decided December 7, 2006).
The Department of Labor initiated a rule-making process to better define the scope of amusement regulation in the state. CWA staff remained engaged to provide oral and written testimony throughout the process. Emergency regulations were issued in January, a final hearing was conducted in February, the rule-making process was concluded in March and revised regulations took effect in May.
CWA was successful in helping to narrow the definition of regulated climbing walls to:
"Regulated climbing walls include climbing walls located in amusement settings and fixed or portable climbing walls for use by the general public as amusement devices and not for sport or fitness training."
We successfully provided language exempting recreational climbing facilities as part of the regulation:
"Climbing walls used for sport and fitness training, typically located in educational facilities, schools, gymnasiums, sport and recreational facilities, or other facilities devoted to sport and recreational climbing, training and instruction."
Special thanks to board member Robert Angell for his expert assistance in this process. Thanks also to the Colorado members who participated by alerting us, coordinating intervention efforts, and supporting the CWA.
Proposed legislation placed commercial climbing gyms under the stringent regulatory framework for amusements. Thanks to a heads-up from Lance Brock at Climb Nashville, CWA was able to help protect climbing facilities from Tennessee House Bill 0039 (Montgomery) and Tennessee Senate Bill 0075 (Overbey) were introduced to address safety concerns related to climbing.
As introduced, the bills would have added climbing walls to the definitions of amusement devices subject to inspection and review by the elevator and amusement device safety board. The bill would have also removed exemptions for some previously exempted activities.
The proposed law would have established as an “amusement device” any mechanical or structural device that permitted a person to walk along, around or over a fixed or restricted route or course or within a defined area for the purpose of amusement, pleasure, thrills or excitement, including a climbing wall. This definition is vague to the extent that it could have been interpreted to include recreational climbing walls and gyms.
The State’s fiscal summary indicated that the licensing and inspection effort would have increased State revenue by $87,300 annually with a one-time expenditure of $20,000 and $46,300 in recurring expenses netting the State $21,000 in the first year and $41,000 in subsequent years. We have noticed that as states’ tax revenues decline, agencies are finding creative ways to increase fee revenue.
CWA promptly registered as a lobbying organization, hired a lobbyist and successfully persuaded the bills’ sponsors to withdraw support for the proposed legislation.
The curriculum is based on the CWA's Industry Practices and the performance-based certification standards. These documents outline the basic practices by which most climbing walls operate and minimum technical skills for instructional staff.
The goal of the certification program is to establish to a voluntary set of standards for technical skills and instruction and to train instructors worldwide. The certification standards represent a consensus view of the minimum qualifications necessary for climbing wall instructors. In the hope of providing access to the greatest number of instructors possible, the program will not require certificants to maintain individual memberships in the trade association. The program was designed to be integrated into existing staff training programs and is cost effective.
By establishing a common baseline for training, performance and evaluation the industry can better manage the risks inherent in the sport and provide the most consistent service to its customers. A common standard of training will enhance the credibility, image and prestige of participating climbing facilities and help defend the climbing wall industry from ever increasing regulatory activity.
The program will be delivered through a network of member program providers. The program will be introduced at the Climbing Wall Summit by several CWA member providers who are some of the most experienced instructors and gym industry professionals in the country. By having providers distributed geographically around the world at CWA member facilities, the program should be easily accessible.
Programs will be offered at the request of any climbing facility, university or fitness center at their location, or at pre-scheduled and advertised dates at the host facilities of any of the program providers. A schedule of courses will be maintained on the CWA web site.
The program officially launch at the Climbing Wall Summit May 12-15, 2011 in Boulder Colorado with courses taught by staff of Vertical Endeavors.
For more information about the CWA’s certification program please visit: /www.climbingwallindustry.org/certification.php.