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No 186, June 15, 1999
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Rock Craft | Ropework/belay | Ropework/Knots | Ropework/Rappel

Here's the catch

Better belaying

Belaying is every climber's most critical job. Screw up and grief will follow. And never think that you are so experienced that you can belay on autopilot: A rash of belay accidents involving seasoned climbers proves otherwise. Everybody, listen up.

Sport belaying. You may have learned to climb in a gym. If that's the case, you already know how to lead belay, toprope belay, and lower the leader. Out at the sport crag these tasks are essentially the same. The big difference is that, because of uneven ground or rockfall danger you may not be able to belay close to the wall in a plumb line with the leader's first piece of protection, the preferred position. Then, choose your belay stance with the "drag" factor in mind: What will happen to you when the leader falls and jerks you into the plumb line? Will you be raked across sharp talus or slammed into a corner? Will the leader hit the deck if you get dragged or launched? When the answer is a possible yes, firmly anchor yourself to a stout tree, boulder, car bumper, or even set a belay with multi-directional gear. Anchoring yourself will limit your mobility, but will prevent you from being slammed around and possibly losing control of the belay.

Other considerations: More than one leader has been dropped while being lowered because the belayer wasn't paying attention, ran out of rope, and let the tail slip through the belay device. Prevent this scenario by tying a bulky Figure-Eight knot in the tail end of the rope or tie this end into the belayer's harness. Last, sport belaying often involves much catching, tensioning, and lowering. Leather gloves can save your hands, as can an auto-lock belay device such as the Petzl Grigri.

Trad belaying. Belaying on a traditional climb is complicated because you might belay the leader from below, belay your second from above, or belay traversing pitches where the rope can run in any direction. The key here is to anticipate how a fall will affect you, the belayer, arrange your anchors and yourself to counter this load, and tie in to the anchor snug so you won't be jerked around (figure 1 image).

Your belay anchors on any multi-pitch route are your court of last resort. These must be bomber. You need a minimum of three super-solid, multi-directional pieces. Remember, belay anchors must hold an upward, as well as a downward, pull (figure 2 image). Don't wait until an anchor rips to learn the importance of a solid belay. String your anchors together so they are equalized; a cordelette is a godsend here (see Knots, page 123).

Finally, you'll often rappel traditional routes, making a good combination belay/rappel device — some variation of the slotted block or tube — essential.

Wall belaying. On a big wall you will be feeding out rope in two-foot increments, and a single pitch can take all day. Your biggest challenge is staying alert. Staying comfortable is challenge number two. If you have a portaledge, consider belaying from it. A "bosun's chair," basically a padded, wooden swing seat, is a lightweight and handy alternative.

For hands-off chores like sending up gear to the leader or taking a leak, tie a Figure Eight On A Bight on the slack side of your belay plate and clip the knot to your harness' belay/rappel loop. Better yet, use a Grigri with the back-up knot. Minimize belay tangles by keeping the lead and haul ropes separated and flaked over slings on the portaledge, or in rope bags.

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Rock Craft | Ropework/belay | Ropework/Knots | Ropework/Rappel

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