Belaying

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belaying

Belaying refers to a variety of techniques climbers use to

exert tension on a climbing rope so that a falling climber
does not fall very far.[1] A climbing partner typically applies
tension at the other end of the rope whenever the climber
is not moving, and removes the tension from the rope
whenever the climber needs more rope to continue
climbing.

The term "belay" also means the place where the belayer
is anchored; this is typically a ledge, but may be a
hanging belay, where the belayer is suspended from
protection in the rock.

Leader and belayer climbing in

Joshua Tree National Park

A belayer is belaying behind a lead

climber.

How belaying works

In a typical climbing situation, one end of the rope is fixed to the harness of the climber,
using either a Rewoven Figure Eight, bowline, or double bowline knot. The rope then
passes through climbing protection, which is fixed into the rock. Attachment to the rocks
may be via bolts that are permanently fixed into the rock, or by traditional protection that the
climber places and later removes without altering the rock.

The rope runs through the protection to a second person called the belayer. The belayer
wears a harness that has a belay device attached. The rope threads through the belay
device. By altering the position of the end of the rope, the belayer can vary the amount of
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tension on the rope. In one position, the rope runs freely through the belay device. In
another position, it can easily be held without moving, because the tension on the rope is
so great. This is called 'locking off' the rope.

If the climber climbs three feet higher than the last piece of protection in the rock, and then
falls, the rope allows him to fall the three feet to the protection, and another three feet below
that. If they fall any further, rope is pulled upwards through the protection from the belayer
below. Because the belayer generally keeps the rope locked off, the climber's fall should be
arrested and they are left suspended, but safe, somewhere below the protection.

A dynamic rope, which has some stretch in it, is often used so that the climber is not
brought to a sudden jarring stop. Some climbers choose static ropes for abseiling/rapelling
because it's easier to use.

As the climber continues to ascend, they clip the rope into higher and higher metal loops
fixed into the rock, so that in the event of a fall they don't fall further than the "unclipped"
length of rope allows. While the task of belaying is typically assigned to a companion who
stays at the bottom, self-belaying is also possible as an advanced technical climbing
technique.

The person climbing is said to be on belay when one of these belaying methods is used.
Belaying is a critical part of the climbing system. A correct belaying method lets the belayer
hold the entire weight of the climber with relatively little force, and easily arrest even a long
fall. By using a mixture of belaying angle and hand-grip on the rope, the belayer can gently
lower a climber to a safe point where climbing can be resumed.

Belayer responsibilities
The belayer should keep the rope locked off in the
belay device whenever the climber is not moving. As
the climber moves on the climb, the belayer must
make sure that the climber has the right amount of
rope by paying out or pulling in excess rope. If the
climber falls, the free-fall the distance of the slack or
unprotected rope before the friction applied by the
belayer starts to slow their descent. Too much slack
A demonstration of the belay device
on the rope increases the distance of a possible fall,
with rope and carabiner without a
but too little slack on the rope may prevent the climber proper locking gate
from moving up the rock. It is important for the belayer
to closely monitor the climber's situation, as the
belayer's role is crucial to the climber's safety.

When belaying on overhanging bolted routes, particularly indoors, belayers often stand well
back from the rock so that they can watch the climber more easily. However, when belaying
a lead climber who is using traditional protection, this can be very dangerous. The belayer
should stand near to the bottom of the route in order to decrease the angle of the rope
through the first piece of protection. This, in turn, decreases the force pulling it up and out
of the rock if the leader falls. Standing too far away from the rock can result in protection
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unzipping, with the lowest piece being pulled away
from the rock, followed by the next, until all of the
protection may potentially be pulled out.[2] Standing too
far away from the bottom of the climb also means that
if the leader falls, the belayer experiences a sudden
pull inwards towards the rock and may be pulled off
their feet or into the rock.

belay device held in the 'locked off'

position and under tension. In this way,
the belayer is holding the full weight of
the climber with only one hand.

Communication
Communication is also extremely important in belaying. Climbers should wait for a verbal
confirmation from the belayer that they are ready to begin.

US terminology
In the US, usually the climber asks, "On belay?" or "Belay?" and wait for the belayer to
reply "Belay on." Once ready, the climber follows with a, "Climb ready" or, "Climbing".
The belayer usually acknowledges this by calling, "Climb on."

During the climb, the climber may ask the belayer for "Slack," "Tension," warn of a "Rock!,"
or that they are about to be "Falling!." At the top of the climb, the climber may elect to climb
back down, be lowered down, walk back down, set up a new belay point for another pitch,
or set up a new line to rappel down from. The choice must be made clear to the belayer.
When the climber is in a safe position independent of the belay they call "Off belay."

At times, it may be impossible for climbing partners to hear one another, for example, in
bad weather, by the sea, or near a busy road. Silent belay communication is possible via
tugging the rope. Some people use walkie talkies in areas where communication is limited.

UK terminology
When the climber is tied onto the rope & is ready to climb "Ready to climb"

When the belayer has attached the rope to the belay device, & is ready to belay "Climb
when ready" (or in recent years "On belay" or "Belay ready")

When the climber is about to start climbing "Climbing"

When the belayer is belaying "OK"

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When the slack rope is taken in by the belayer and it becomes tight and therefore the
belayer doesn't need to take the rope in any more the climber says "That's me"

During the climb, the climber may ask the belayer for "Slack", or to take in the rope "Take
In" (NB: The command "Take in slack" is NEVER used as it's confusing)

If the climber is about to fall and they need the belayer to know & take in the rope, they may
say "Tight" for a tight rope or "Take In" to take the rope in.

When the climber is in a safe position independent of the belay "Safe" or "I'm safe".

When the belayer has taken the climber off belay "Off belay"

Warning SHOUTS for falling objects "Below!", when throwing a rope off the edge "Rope
Below!", when a rock has been dislodged and is falling "Rock below!"[3]

Anchoring
When belaying for a significantly heavier partner, the belayer is advised to create an
anchor point BEFORE allowing the climber to lead a route. The anchor point does not
prevent a fall, but prevents the falling climber from counterbalancing the belayer during a
fall, possibly causing a "take off" (a situation where the belayer launches into the air or
towards the rock).

To set up the anchor the belayer should insert a relevant piece of protection (i.e., a nut or
cam) into a crack below their body. The anchor arrests any upward force produced during a
fall thus preventing the belayer from "taking off." Unlike belays set up at the top of a climb, it
is not usually necessary for belayers at the bottom to have more than one point of
protection as long as the single piece is sturdy and safe - "bomb proof," as climbers
characterize.

Belay methods
Climbers now almost exclusively use a belay device to achieve controllable rope friction.
Before the invention of these devices, climbers used other belay methods, which are still
useful in emergencies.

Belay devices
Main article: belay device
A belay device is a piece of climbing equipment that improves belay safety for the climber
by allowing the belayer to manage his or her duties with minimal physical effort. Belay
devices are designed to allow a weak person to easily arrest a climber's fall with maximum
control, while avoiding twisting, heating or severely bending the rope.

Munter hitch / Italian hitch

Main article: munter hitch
A munter hitch is a belaying method that creates a friction brake by tying a special knot
around an appropriate carabiner. This type of belay, however, causes the rope to become
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twisted. It can also be used on double ropes. Simply tie the munter hitch with both ropes as
if they were one.

Body belay
Before the invention of belay devices, belayers could
add friction to the rope by wrapping it around their
body; friction between rope and the belayer's body
was used to arrest a fall. This is known as a body
belay, a hip belay, or a waist belay and is still
sometimes used when climbing quickly over easier
ground. On vertical rock it is no longer used as it is
less reliable and more apt to injure the belayer
stopping a long fall.
Body belay during rescue training in
Switzerland in 1924

Australian belay
The Australian belay is used on many high ropes courses for supporting participants on
vertical, as opposed to traversing, elements.[4] The Australian belay allows untrained
participants to engage in the safety and support of their fellow participants on an element,
and allows a single facilitator to oversee an element with multiple individuals participating.
The Australian belay does not use a traditional belay device, but rather ties two or more
people into loops on the working end of the rope as a belay team, who walk backward as
the participant ascends the element, taking up slack as they go. Additional participants can
be tied into the loops or left free to help hold clipped in members of the belay team in place.
The Australian belay requires a clear runway back from the element almost double the
height of the element in order to allow the belay team to support climbers all the way to the
top.

References

See also

Look up belaying in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Capstan equation

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