Rock Climbing Basics

The Beginner's Guide

Fourth Edition. January 2018 Donation Only

Contents

Introduction 4

Preparation 10

Top Rope Climbing 25

Lead Climbing 39

General 53

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The Climbing Harness
Gear Loops
These are for clipping gear
to, such as quickdraws.
This way, you can take
gear with you as you climb.
They're not strong enough
to hold your weight, so
never clip the rope into
them.
Elastic
These stretchy pieces of
fabric help to stop your leg
loops from sliding down at
the back. They can be
adjusted too.
Learn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com
Buckle
These can be used to
adjust the size of your
harness for a comfortable
and tight fit. It's important
that they are fastened
correctly (see page 12).
Leg Loops
These fasten around the
top of your thighs.
Waist Belt
This fastens around the
smallest part of your waist.
Belay Loop
This super strong loop
connects the waist belt to
the leg loops. You use it to
belay from (more on this
later).
7
How To Tie In To a Climbing Rope
You'll need to tie the end of the rope to
your harness before you climb. The best
way to do this is using a rethreaded figure
of 8 knot.
It's really important that you do it correctly,
as this knot is what connects you to the
whole climbing system and keeps you
safe.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Make a loop about a meter
from the end of the rope.
Wrap the end of the rope
around the base of the
loop, then push the end
through the loop.
You should end up with an
'8'. Make sure the knot is
around 90cm from the end
of the rope. The exact
length varies with ropes of
different diameters, but
you'll soon get used to it.
Pass the end of the rope
through both of the two
points on the front centre
of your harness the
same ones your belay loop
runs through. It is
important that the rope
goes through your harness
in exactly the same way as
your belay loop does.

90cm

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Step 4
Use the end of the rope to
're-trace' the figure of 8
knot. Follow the twists of
the rope starting from
where the rope joins your
harness.
VDiff Rock Climbing Basics > Preparation and Technique
Step 5
Continue following the
twists until you end up
back at the start of the
knot.
Pull the whole thing tight.
Step 6
Make sure the end of the
rope is around 25cm long.
If it is shorter, you'll have to
untie and start again. After
this, you will need to tie a
'stopper knot'. Loop the
short section of rope
around the main length.
25
c m
16
Step 7
Do this twice, with the
second loop closer to you
than the first.
Step 8
Push the end of the rope
through these two loops,
away from you.
Step 9
Pull this tight too (make
sure it's pushed right up
against your figure of 8
knot).

If you didn't have enough rope left to tie a It takes a bit of practise to judge just the
stopper knot, you'll need to retie the figure right amount of rope from the start, but
of 8 so that you do. you'll get used to it soon.

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Climbing Calls
'Climbing calls' are certain words that
climbers use so that everyone knows
exactly what is happening, a bit like 'copy'
or 'over' on a two-way radio.
These calls may seem a bit excessive
standing
when you're standing next to each other at
the wall, but they help to avoid any
confusion when you're starting out. Once
you're 50m away from each other outside
and the wind is howling, you'll see why
they're essential!

When the climber is ready to climb, they

tell the belayer to 'take in' the slack rope.
The belayer pulls the rope through the
belay device until it is tight on the climber.

When the rope is tight, the climber tells the

belayer 'that's me'. This lets the belayer
know that the rope is tight on to the climber
and not twisted or stuck anywhere else.

When the belayer is ready to belay, they

tell the climber they are 'on belay' and they
can 'climb when ready'.

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As a final check the climber tells the
belayer they are 'climbing'. But the climber
doesn't leave the ground until they hear
'OK' from the belayer. Everything's good to
go!

If the climber wants a rest, they can tell the

belayer to 'take'. The belayer holds the
rope tight with both hands and replies 'OK'.

If the climber wants to be lowered down at

any point (or if they reach the top), they tell
the belayer to 'lower'. The belayer replies
'lowering'. They then lower the climber
down.

VDiff Rock Climbing Basics > Top Rope Climbing 30

Good Belay Technique

Ready to take in, give

slack or lock off

Rope fairly tight

Hands correct distance

away from belay device

Tight grip on rope

Holding the brake rope in

the correct downwards
direction

Warning: Keep Hold Of The Rope

When you belay you need to keep at least

one hand on the brake rope all the time. It
is this that stops the climber from falling to
the ground.

Letting go of the brake rope is like letting

go of the steering wheel while driving on a
fast country road.

It's incredibly important that you pay

constant attention when belaying and
never let go of the brake rope!

VDiff Rock Climbing Basics > Top Rope Climbing 38

 Rock Climbing Basics:
Lead Climbing

Photographer: Sam Simpson

Warning: Back-Clipping

The rope needs to be clipped through the

quickdraw so that the end of the rope
attached to you comes out of the front side
of the quickdraw. If you fall, the rope will
stay clipped through the carabiner.

If you clip it the wrong way round, the rope

could snap through the carabiner's gate if
you fall. This would unclip the rope from
the carabiner. This is known as 'back
clipping'.

If you're belaying a leader, keep an eye out

for them accidentally back clipping, and let
them know if they have!

Warning: Cross-Loading

Make sure your carabiners do not become

'cross loaded' when you climb (loaded
sideways). Also make sure the carabiner's
gate has snapped shut after you've clipped
the rope through it. Either of these will
make your carabiner much weaker.

Learn more about carabiner strength

ratings:
www.vdiffclimbing.com/basic-biners

Learn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com 43

Clipping The Top Anchor

Once you get to the top of the wall, you'll

need to clip the rope through the top
anchor.

Different walls have different systems for

this some have two snapgate
carabiners, some have one or two
screwgate carabiners that you'll need to
unscrew first. Ask one of the staff before
leading if in doubt!

It's important to make sure that the anchor

you clip does not have another rope
already running through it. Having 2 ropes
through the same anchor can damage
them.

Once you've clipped your rope through the

top anchor, you can be lowered down in
the same way as if you were top roping.
However, if you've attached your own
quickdraws on the way up, you'll need to
collect them on the way down.
Simply lower down, unclipping them from
both the bolt and rope and then clipping
them back to your gear loops. The belayer
will need to stop lowering you at each bolt
so you have time to do this.

Pulling The Rope Down

When you're pulling a lead rope down,

shout 'rope' before it falls, so that everyone
around you is expecting it a falling rope
in the head hurts!

Make sure to pull the rope through so that

the falling end drops down through the
clipped quickdraws this will slow it down
and make it safer.

VDiff Rock Climbing Basics > Lead Climbing 44

Get the Full Version
The full version of this e-book is available
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Learn How To: Further Information:

- Use basic climbing gear * Perfect for those who want to start rock
- Tie into the rope climbing.
- Belay (lead and top rope) * 100+ accurately drawn, full-colour
- Climb efficiently illustrations.
- Understand fall potential * Strong emphasis on climbing safety.
Plus much more. * 63 information-packed pages.
* Updated December 2017