A climbing wall defines vertical, transverse (horizontally in-and-out, toward-and-away-from wall) and lateral (horizontally sideways) directions, mutually orthogonal. A surface treatment simulates rock by texture, holds, or both. A line (rope, cable) extends from a belay anchor, spaced away from the wall, to a climber at the wall. Line distance is controlled to eliminate slack to start, and continuously if the wall is increasingly steep and possibly curving sideways (laterally). When climbing ends, the climber swings transversely (and, optionally, laterally sideways) away from the wall in a pendulum fall, swinging (oscillating) about the belay anchor for multiple cycles and clear of contact with the wall. The fall may be intentional (the climber releasing a grip on the wall), accidental (falling from own weight), or due to line tension initiated by an automated timer or operator intervention.