Your Safety

Introduction

London Climbing Centres (‘LCC’ and ‘the Centres’) is a trading name of the Lakeland Climbing Centre Ltd (company no.3006915, VAT registered no.633620069), and these terms and conditions relate to our London locations only.

The rules of LCC that are set out below are not intended to limit your enjoyment of the facilities. They are part of the duty of care that we, as operators, owe to you, the customer, by law. They are not negotiable; if you are not prepared to abide by them, the staff must politely ask you to leave.

Your duty of care

You also have a duty of care to act responsibly towards the other users of the Centres. Statements of ‘Good Practice’ are posted around the Centres adjacent to the relevant facilities. These describe the accepted methods of use and how customers would generally be expected to behave towards each other.

General

• All participants are required to complete a registration form before their session
• LCC accepts no responsibility for the personal injury or illness of any guest
• LCC accepts no responsibility for any loss, theft or damage to valuables or personal property
• Items left in the Centres will be placed in lost property and retained for one month, after which they will be disposed of or donated to local charities
• Non-climbing visitors to the Centres must register at Reception and abide by the rules applied to visitors
• CCTV is in operation at the Centres for your safety
• We reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions without notice

Risks

The British Mountaineering Council recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.

Although a climbing centre is an artificial environment, the risks involved are no less serious than when climbing outside on a boulder, crag or mountain. There is an additional risk that bolt-on holds can spin or break.

The soft flooring under the bouldering walls is designed to provide a more comfortable landing for climbers falling or jumping from the bouldering wall. The soft flooring does not make the climbing any safer. Broken and sprained limbs are common on this type of climbing wall despite the soft landing. Uncontrolled falls are likely to result in injuries to yourself or others.

Climbing beyond your capabilities on any wall is likely to result in a fall. Any fall may result in an injury despite the safety systems in place to avoid it. You must make your own assessment of the risks whenever you climb.

Safety Rules

• Report to Reception on each visit before you climb
• You must exercise care, common sense and self-preservation at all times
• Report any problems with the walls, equipment or other climbers’ behaviour to a member of staff immediately
• Be aware of the other climbers around you and how your actions will affect them
• Do not distract people while they are climbing
• Stand well back from the climbing walls unless you are spotting a climber. Never stand directly under someone who is climbing
• Never climb directly above or below another climber
• Do not climb over or on top of any climbing walls and structures. Do not grab or touch any girders, metalwork, or lights
• Always climb within your capabilities and descend by down climbing or, at the very least, a controlled fall/jump
• Keep the safety mat free from objects or obstructions such as bags, clothing, brushes, and shoes
• No food or drink is permitted on the mats
• Do not climb under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Smoking is not allowed in the Centres
• Respect the Centres and all the equipment therein. Damage to Centre property will not be tolerated

Adult unsupervised bouldering

• Before you climb without supervision, the Centres expect you to be able to describe the dangers involved with the relevant facilities and accept the risks involved
• You are required to register to say that you understand the Conditions of Use, that you are prepared to abide by the rules above and that you understand the risks involved in your participation
• While you’re climbing without supervision, the Centres expect you to be aware of all other climbing users
• Anyone who cannot register as competent is classed as a novice and must not climb without supervision
• Unsupervised climbing is just that! If you are not confident in the use of any climbing equipment or technique, then do not attempt to use it without the supervision of someone competent to do so

Junior climbers

An adult registered at the Centres as competent and who has passed a supervisor assessment for the relevant facilities may supervise up to two novices/juniors.

Unsupervised Bouldering (14-17)

• If your child is an experienced climber, they can take the Unsupervised Junior Assessment. If signed off by our staff, they can then climb unsupervised at the Centres
• Children aged 14 and 15 must be accompanied to the Centres by an adult to be signed off as an independent climber
• Children aged 16 and 17 may bring a completed copy of the assessment to the Centres provided that their parent or legal guardian has signed it. We reserve the right to call you to verify consent
• For all ages, a parent or legal guardian must fill out the registration form on behalf of the child

Group supervision

• All instructors leading groups must hold a SPA/CWI award as a minimum and either be registered with LCC as a freelance instructor or be working for a centre that is registered with LCC
• Assistants are those nominated by the group leader and must be suitably trained and experienced for their role (i.e. within the MLTUK matrix)
• If you are not yet registered, you must bring proof of your qualification(s), and a copy of your Civil and/or Public Liability Insurance
• It is the responsibility of the Lead Instructor to ensure proper supervision of the group
• Instructor to student ratio is a maximum of 1:6

Instructed sessions

• All fees are inclusive of VAT at 20%
• Fees are payable by credit or debit card
• Full payment must be made at the time of booking
• In the event of a client cancellation for a session at an LCC venue, the course/session is refundable or transferable up until 2 weeks before the date of the session
• Within one week of the course/session date, the fee is non-refundable but is transferable to an alternative date/time depending on availability and at the discretion of LCC
• Within 36 hours of the course/session date, the booking is non-transferable and non-refundable
• LCC will make every attempt to ensure that your sessions/events will run smoothly as scheduled and will endeavour to rearrange your booking should it prove impossible to provide a service as a result of a situation beyond its reasonable control
• LCC will not accept liability for any additional losses you incur as a result of a situation beyond our reasonable control
• In the event of LCC cancelling a booking, the client shall be entitled to one of the following:

a. A full refund of all money paid

b. A transfer to an alternative course/session/event

c. A transfer to an alternative date

• LCC staff and instructors reserve the right to remove participants from any session if it is deemed that their behaviour places at risk the safety or enjoyment of that individual or others

Concessions

We offer concessionary pricing on day passes, 10 punchcards, and memberships. Proof of status will be required.

Retail returns and exchange policy

You may return your merchandise for a full refund or exchange of size within 14 days of the purchase date stated on your receipt on the basis that the item hasn’t been used and all tags/packaging are present, or if the product is faulty.

Shoes

Shoes must be clearly unused and include the original undamaged packaging. Please return the shoes in the original manufacturer’s box they were sold in. Shoes purchased must be free from chalk and contamination and show no signs of being used for climbing or going outside. If they do have signs of use, they cannot be returned or exchanged unless faulty.

Clothing

All items must be unused and include the original packaging with all tags attached. If you plan to return an item of clothing, it must be in the same condition as when it was purchased. Once clothing has been worn and/or washed, it cannot be returned or exchanged unless faulty.

Returns on faulty goods

Goods found to be faulty within the first 30 days of the purchase date (as stated on the receipt) can be returned for a full refund.

Goods which develop a fault later than 30 days after the purchase date can be returned. However, we have the opportunity to repair or replace faulty goods where possible. We also have an opportunity to prove that the fault was not there when the customer received the goods, i.e. the goods have been misused, damaged in use or worn out. In these instances, it may require us to send the item to the manufacturer if a fault is not apparent or requires a more technical opinion. We will refund the customer if we cannot have the item repaired or replaced.

We do not offer refunds on goods that have been damaged or where the customer has tried or had someone else try to repair them. However, the customer may still have the right to a repair, replacement or partial refund.

Casual entry

This is a daily fee that allows re-entry to any LCC venue on the same day.

Please note: All LCC centres are cashless

Punch cards

• Punch cards are valid for a maximum of five years from the date of purchase
• Punch cards cannot be transferred to other users
• Punch cards that are not used in full cannot be refunded
• Punch cards cannot be exchanged for cash
• Punch cards can be used at all London venues
• Each punch allows re-entry on the day it is used

Gift cards

• Gift cards are valid for one year from the date of purchase
• Gift cards cannot be refunded or exchanged for cash
• Gift cards can be used to purchase any products and services
• Gift cards are redeemable at all of our London venues

Prepaid Memberships

• This membership option allows unlimited access to our London venues
• One-month prepaid memberships cannot be frozen. Six-month and twelve-month memberships can be frozen for a minimum of one month. Please email [email protected] with the date upon which you would like to start the freeze
• At London Climbing Centres’ complete discretion, in cases of injury or other exceptional circumstances, members may be given the option to skip a month of billing or freeze their membership Please email details to [email protected]
• If all of our centres are forced to close due to a pandemic or natural disaster, your membership will automatically be frozen, and we will contact you directly
• If just one of our centres is closed for up to five days, we will not automatically freeze your membership. You would need to contact us at [email protected] to request this

Recurring Memberships

• This membership option allows unlimited access to our London venues
• It is paid by credit or debit card by continuous payment authority
• These memberships repeat monthly until cancelled via email
• Due to software limitations, you cannot hold a punch card and a membership at the same time (even if your membership is frozen)

Setting up the recurring memberships

• Recurring memberships may be set up and paid for by someone other than the member, provided the member is already registered as a competent climber
• For Recurring Family Memberships, up to two under 18-year-olds can be added. The juniors’ names must be confirmed when setting up and remain the same for the membership duration. Extra family members, junior or adult, can be added for £40 per month. All family members must be connected to one account for billing

Billing cycle

• Recurring memberships run month to month, starting on the first day of the month and ending on the last day of the month
• Payment is taken upfront, pro-rata from the purchase date to the last day of the month, and for the first complete month
• The first recurring payment will be taken on the first working day of the second full month
• Subsequent payments will be taken on the first working day of each month. The statement Indicator is LONDONCLIMBINGCENTRES

Declined payments & changes of payment cards

• Changes in the account information or card details need to be notified to LCC at least 10 days before the billing date by emailing [email protected]
• If payment is declined, we will contact you to check your payment details and take the payment. If we cannot contact you, the outstanding payment will be added to the next instalment
• If a payment is declined a second time, your membership will be terminated. Any outstanding fees will remain payable

Cancellation

• Recurring memberships can be cancelled by giving written notice to [email protected]
• Notice of cancellation must be received by LCC at least five days before the first day of the billing cycle
• Late notice will not take effect until the following billing cycle

Transferring, freezing and refunding memberships

• Memberships cannot be transferred or refunded
• Members may freeze their recurring membership for a minimum of one month. Memberships are frozen on the next billing date and cannot be frozen part-way through the month. Please email details to [email protected]
• If you would like to change a family membership named junior, please email details to [email protected]
• At LCC’s complete discretion, in cases of injury or other exceptional circumstances, members may be given the option to skip a month of billing. Please email details to [email protected]
• In the event that all of our centres are forced to close due to a pandemic or natural disaster, your membership will automatically be frozen, and we will contact you directly
• If just one of our centres is closed for up to five days, we will not automatically freeze your membership. You would need to contact us at [email protected] to request this
• If your membership has been frozen for at least six months, it will be automatically terminated, and you can set up a new membership upon your return if you wish

Credit

• In the event that your LCC account has credit applied, this can be used for any product at the Centres but will automatically offset future dues
• Any credit applied before 1st December 2020 has no expiration date
• Credit added to your account on or after 1st December 2020 will expire after one year

Price changes

• LCC may change registration, entry and payment plan fees and membership perks at any time
• Changes will not be applied retrospectively
• We will notify our customers of any upcoming changes in prices or membership perks by putting up notices on our website and in the centre in advance
• Recurring membership customers will be notified by email

Storage and processing of payment information

• Recurring memberships use a third-party payment portal, Stripe, a certified PCI provider, to store card details and take payments
• Your payment details are not stored electronically by LCC

Privacy Policy

Our separate Privacy Policy can be found [here].