Insurance Surprise

The climbing gym where I worked in college was surprisingly unsafe. When I climb in gyms I assume that things are so over-the-top double-safe that I should never worry. My boss used webbing to tie off a top rope on an I-beam, and it eventually sawed through the webbing and dropped someone. That's why the insurance company made a surprise appearance one day. They asked to see how the ropes were affixed to the ceiling, and my senior colleague walked them to the back of the wall. The insurance investigators asked how one gets up the back of the wall to inspect the anchors, and my co-worker simply climbed up the wall without a ladder or any ropes. He demonstrated his technique, smearing the brick wall while standing on the 2x4s that hold together the climbing wall, but they did not follow his lead. That was really the beginning of the end for that gym. Luckily they tore it down shortly after to put up some condos, so the owners got a little cash out of the deal.