Seeing it’s Friday, I feel I need to make a small rant.
Last weekend, I took my two boys (7 and 6) to the Seilpark Zurich for 2 hours of tree rope adventure.
In other parks I’ve been to (eg Rheinfall (CH) as well as one in Australia, they use a rather idiot-proof belay system, Such as Kong Coudou Pro to ensure safety.
I was suprised when we arrived to see a fully manual belay system, especially for kids 4-7. Kids this age can barely tie shoelaces let alone ensure they are clipped in. A brief training was provided but once left alone, I caught my kids completely unclipped at least 4 times.
On the yellow (training routes ) this was fine, as they were barely 120cm off the ground. But the green routes (which kids this age are allowed to do) were up 5-8 metres above the ground. I spent 90 stressful minutes trying ensuring my kids didn’t make any dangerous mistakes.
I did challenge the operators, but they were in the “manual forces a safety culture” camp.
Am I over-paranoid? I support teaching manual techniques and a safety culture, but not in a “fun park” environment where you a) pay a lot of money, b) are time limited, and c) where small kids can make mistakes that will hurt or worse.
Rheinfall Seilpark use a two-clip system with interlocked carabiners, so it is almost impossible to become unsecured. The Kong system used a single high-strength carabiner with a small slot that you can pass over anchor points.
My question is, where is the liability? In such an “activity park” environment, where you have paid customers / parents / kids who do such an activity rarely, is it sufficient to give them 10 minutes training then push the responsibility onto the parents?
Sorry to be that guy…but what does the contract says?
I’d assume that the park tells you how it works, and you become entirely responsible that the boys are tethered by at least 1 line at all times. But, check their terms and conditions. I’d say this is aligned by the local culture. By making parents liable, the park does not make customers feel restricted.
I was once there for company event. My impression is that parents climb with the children, not only watch from below.
I used to be one of those kids - albeit in France. Loved the “parc de l’avventure”; where we would get a 10-15 minute brief and then be unleashed on the parc.
Yes, there’s some risk - but that’s why there’s marshalls (and parents must keep an eye on kids at all times) to ensure you never unclip both biners at the same time…
As this was my first visit (and based on other parks) I went with the intention of monitoring from below (as permitted in their regulations), which I did. Next time I would want to climb with them, but this costs an additonal 50chf (adults are 3 hours instead of 2 , but the additional hour I can’t use). However even here there are gaps, as only one person can negotiate a challenge at any time, so you may be a tree away when your kids makes a mistake.
It may help to minimize discussions between employees and parents. It avoids the employee having to tell “no your child can’t do that” when the world should already know how gifted and mature the child is. There are parents like this and one way to deal with them is telling “it’s your responsibility”.
Of course, this may contribute to smooth operation, not much beyond that.
Can’t give details, but more than 1 bottle has been opened at home after my wife dealt with one of these parents. Different context, but it’s always about a gifted child.
My kids are far from gifted when it comes to common sense, so I wouldn’t be one of those parents.
However I think we are diverging a little from the point. A rope park is supposed to be a controlled and prepared enviromment for adventure, not unlike a theme park.
I guess here you could make the comparison: would you let your kids go on a roller coaster where they could manually release the safety harness or belt during the ride?
Surely it would be in the interest of the park to have the highest level of safety possible, and not wait until an incident occurs so the test of criminal liability / reputational damage is forced.
If it’s purely for kids a system where you are always locked in is obviously best. But if it’s for adults it’s a pain in the ass, because you cannot overtake. If you end up behind someone timid you are there for hours.
Best solution is, tell your kids they unclip nothing unless you are watching - talk it through each time.
Some other parks offer hybrid solutions, where the easier climbs are set up like this, and adults can still use a fully manual system to allow overtaking. I’d be happy with this.
