Climbing gym waiver template
A climbing gym waiver is the release every climber signs at their first visit, and the place your gym's safety rules get initialed. This one covers bouldering, top-rope, auto-belays and lead, with partner checks, belay tests and supervision for kids. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and let first-timers sign before they walk in the door.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Climber or parent
Climbing Gym Waiver and Release
This Waiver and Release is given to Climbing gym name, Climbing gym address (the "Gym"), by the climber signing below, or by a parent or legal guardian for a climber under 18. It covers bouldering, top-rope, auto-belay and lead climbing, classes, youth programs and fitness areas.
1. The climber
- Climber's full name: Climber name
- Date of birth: Climber date of birth
- Climbing experience: Climbing experience
- If under 18, parent or guardian name: Parent or guardian name
Climbers under Supervision age must be supervised at all times by a parent, guardian or Gym-approved adult, and may belay only as the Gym's youth rules allow.
2. Bouldering
Bouldering means climbing without a rope over padded flooring, and falling is part of it. Pads reduce but do not prevent injuries. The climber will climb down when they can rather than jump, try to land on their feet and roll, keep the fall zone under other climbers clear, and never walk, sit or leave belongings beneath someone climbing. Initials: Initials after bouldering
3. Ropes and auto-belays
- Only climbers who have passed the Gym's belay test may belay, and only those who have passed its lead test may lead climb or lead belay.
- Before every climb, climber and belayer check each other: harness buckled and snug, tie-in knot finished and dressed, belay device and locking carabiner set up and locked.
- On an auto-belay, the climber clips the carabiner to their belay loop and checks the gate is closed before leaving the ground, every single time.
- Lead climbers clip every quickdraw in order. Belayers stay attentive and do not sit down or use a phone while belaying.
Staff may stop anyone from climbing or belaying who is not following these rules, and may require a new test. Initials: Rope rules initials
4. Equipment
Rental shoes, harnesses and belay devices are inspected by the Gym. Personal equipment must be in good condition and may be checked by staff, who can refuse its use. The climber reports any loose or spinning hold, damaged rope or faulty auto-belay to staff at once and stops using it.
5. Risks
Indoor climbing carries risks, including falls to the floor or pads, falls caused by belay mistakes, being struck by a falling climber, hold or piece of equipment, holds that break or spin, rope burns, finger, shoulder and ankle injuries, and, rarely, catastrophic injury or death. The climber understands that their own choices and those of their partner affect these risks, and accepts them. Initials: Initials after the risks
6. Health
Conditions staff should know about, such as heart conditions, seizures, recent injuries or pregnancy: Health conditions. The climber will not climb or belay after drinking alcohol or using drugs.
7. Release
To the extent the law allows, the signer, for themselves and any minor climber, releases the Gym, its owners, route setters, instructors and staff from claims for injury, illness or death arising from climbing, belaying, classes or use of the Gym, including claims of ordinary negligence, but not gross negligence or willful misconduct. Initials: Initials after the release
8. Emergencies and general terms
Staff may give first aid and call emergency services, at the climber's or family's cost. Emergency contact: Emergency contact. This waiver covers every visit until a newer version is signed and is governed by the laws of the state of State. If any part is unenforceable, the rest still applies. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Signer's phone: Signer phone Email: Signer email
I have read this waiver, including the bouldering and rope rules and the release. If I sign for a minor, I am their parent or legal guardian.
Climber, or parent or guardian of a climber under 18
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
What a climbing waiver has to cover
Climbing gyms have two very different kinds of risk. Ropes and auto-belays fail rarely, but when they do it's usually a human step that was missed: a half-tied knot, an unlocked carabiner, a climber who walked to an auto-belay and started up without clipping in. Bouldering is the opposite: falling is normal, and many of a gym's injuries come from awkward landings on the pads. A good waiver names both, sets the rules that prevent the worst accidents, and gets the climber's initials on each.
What the template covers
- The climber: name, date of birth, experience, a parent for under-18s, and an age below which kids are supervised.
- Bouldering: falling as part of the sport, climbing down instead of jumping, landing and rolling, and keeping fall zones clear, initialed.
- Ropes and auto-belays: belay and lead tests, partner checks before every climb, clipping in to the auto-belay every time and attentive belaying, initialed.
- Equipment: rental gear checks, staff checks of personal gear, and reporting spinning holds or damaged ropes.
- Risks: falls, belay errors, falling climbers and holds, rope burns and finger, shoulder and ankle injuries, initialed.
- Health: conditions to disclose and no climbing or belaying impaired.
- Release and emergencies: a release of ordinary negligence for the climber and any minor, initialed, and an emergency contact.
Mistakes climbing gyms make
- Treating bouldering as the safe option for beginners. Put the landing rules and fall-zone rules in writing, and walk first-timers through them.
- Relying on signage alone for auto-belays. Have every climber initial the clip-in rule, and pair it with gates or mats that block unclipped climbing.
- Letting climbers belay because they say they've done it before. A belay test at your gym is the only proof that counts.
- Leaving kids unsupervised in the bouldering area. Set the supervision age in the form and enforce it at the desk.
- Writing one waiver for the gym and forgetting classes and youth teams. Say it covers programs too, so families sign once.
Industry practice and state law
Match the rope and auto-belay rules to the practices your insurer and the climbing gym industry follow. States also differ on releases, especially for minors, so check yours before you lean on section 7 for kids' programs.
How to collect it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens in your SignMaster account with one signer, the climber or a parent.
- 2
Fill in your gym's details
Add the gym name and address, the supervision age and your state. If your tests differ from section 3, cover a rule with White-out in the editor's Markup tools and type yours in a Text box, then save.
- 3
Put a sign-before-you-come link on your website
Turn the template into a public signing link and add it to your website and first-visit emails, so new climbers sign at home and go straight to shoe rental.
- 4
Catch walk-ins at the desk
Print the link's QR code for the front desk, or hand a walk-in your iPad with Sign in person.
- 5
Everyone keeps a copy
Each climber and your team get the signed PDF with its certificate of completion. Regulars don't sign again until you publish a new version.
Turning waivers into a member list
Every first-time climber is a future member, youth-team parent or birthday-party host. On a paid plan, with Save signers to Contacts on, each person who signs the waiver lands in your SignMaster contacts automatically, so the next agreement you send them, such as a youth team commitment or a membership contract, starts from a contact you already have. The Responses tab, also on paid plans, keeps every waiver's answers in one table you can export.
Questions? Answers.
Does a climbing gym waiver need to cover auto-belays separately?
It should name them. Section 3 includes the clip-in rule with the climber's initials, which records that they were told the single most important auto-belay rule.
Can a parent sign the waiver for a child who climbs?
Yes. The parent fills in the child's details and their own name and signs. States differ on whether that releases the child's own claims, so check your state's rule before you rely on it.
Do climbers need to sign every visit?
No. Section 8 says the waiver covers every visit until you ask for a newer version, so one signature lasts until your form changes.
Who fills in which blanks?
You fill the gray ones: the gym name and address, the supervision age and the state. The climber or parent fills in the climber's details, health notes and emergency contact, initials four times and signs.