Evolution of Flooring at Stone age climbing gym Bryan Pletta

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Evolution of Flooring at Stone age climbing
gymBryan Pletta
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Limitation of Data

• Accident reports collected from 1997 to 2009 at
  Stone Age Climbing Gym.
• No accident reports available for 1999 data set
  not complete.
• Data were not normalized for user visits gym
  traffic has grown substantially.
• Severity of accidents range from minor scrapes to
  patrons requiring ambulance evacuation.
• Consequently, these numbers are intended to show
  general trends only.

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Evolution of Flooring at Stone Age

• Crumb Rubber, 1997-2002
• Chopped Foam Pads, 1997-1998
• Cut Foam Pads 6 Thick, 1999 2000
• Cut Foam Pads 4 Thick, 2001 - Present
• Blue Gymnastics Floor, 2002 - Present
• Seamless Pad, Fall 2008 - Present

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Crumb Rubber Floor
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Cordless Pad
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Carpet Bonded Foam with Seamless Pad
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Historical Percentage of Accidents Due to Various
Climbing Activities
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Bouldering Injuries Contributing Factors
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Observations

• Crumb rubber flooring performed well but was
  dirty and impossible to clean.
• Blue gymnastics floor is easier to clean and
  provides a consistent landing surface.
• Evolution from thick inconsistent crash pads to
  thinner consistent pads reduced but did not
  eliminate bouldering injuries due to striking the
  pad edge.
• Seamless pads in bouldering areas appear to have
  reduced bouldering related injuries.