How to Properly Use a Belay Device While Rock Climbing
Climbing is a sport which certainly has gotten a lot safer over the last twenty years or so, mainly due to great advances in the climbing gear and the technology associated with it.
However, in the early days of climbing, the hip belay was used quite often, which is a pretty scary thing to be thinking about! However, this is a fairly safe position provided the belayer is anchored into a point - but never truly relied on.
In fact, much of the gear in the earlier days of climbing was more mental than actually providing much protection at all.
With the creation of belay devices, there are numerous options that you can opt for when it comes to selecting something which will assist you in belaying.
Most standard climbers will be using an ATC, whilst you might also see assisted braking-devices, known as Grigri's, which are getting increasingly popular as climbers find more difficult routes.
Essentially the belay device creates a S-bend in the rope, which increases the friction significantly, allowing for the arrest of the rope in case of a fall.
When you're climbing a multipitch or belaying from the top of a route, there are also multiple ways of belaying from there; but we won't discuss this in this article.
Your role as a belayer is to ensure that there's minimal amount of slack in the system, and to watch your climber and prevent them from hitting any objects if they fall.
On a top-rope belay this is relatively easy to achieve - draw in rope as your partner climbs, and ensure that the rope is always tight.
When I say tight though, I don't mean that you should be pulling the rope as tight as possible! If you do this, you'll likely end up pulling your partner off the wall, which obviously isn't desirable! To draw rope in properly, you should follow the procedure as follows:
There are plenty of devices out there and sometimes making a decision is hard, but all of them have the same basic function and must be certified in order to be released onto the market.
Trust your gear and keep yourself safe out there!
However, in the early days of climbing, the hip belay was used quite often, which is a pretty scary thing to be thinking about! However, this is a fairly safe position provided the belayer is anchored into a point - but never truly relied on.
In fact, much of the gear in the earlier days of climbing was more mental than actually providing much protection at all.
With the creation of belay devices, there are numerous options that you can opt for when it comes to selecting something which will assist you in belaying.
Most standard climbers will be using an ATC, whilst you might also see assisted braking-devices, known as Grigri's, which are getting increasingly popular as climbers find more difficult routes.
Essentially the belay device creates a S-bend in the rope, which increases the friction significantly, allowing for the arrest of the rope in case of a fall.
When you're climbing a multipitch or belaying from the top of a route, there are also multiple ways of belaying from there; but we won't discuss this in this article.
Your role as a belayer is to ensure that there's minimal amount of slack in the system, and to watch your climber and prevent them from hitting any objects if they fall.
On a top-rope belay this is relatively easy to achieve - draw in rope as your partner climbs, and ensure that the rope is always tight.
When I say tight though, I don't mean that you should be pulling the rope as tight as possible! If you do this, you'll likely end up pulling your partner off the wall, which obviously isn't desirable! To draw rope in properly, you should follow the procedure as follows:
- Watch your climber as he/she ascends.
As he/she does, excess rope will become apparent, and you'll have to begin to take rope in as your partner climbs. - With both hands on the belay end of the rope, draw the rope in by lifting both hands in the air and pulling the excess rope through.
- Your hands should now be rather far away from the belay device.
Slide your left hand back up, and your right hand will follow.
Never let go of the belay end of the rope for any reason whilst doing this.
There are plenty of devices out there and sometimes making a decision is hard, but all of them have the same basic function and must be certified in order to be released onto the market.
Trust your gear and keep yourself safe out there!
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