![]() For climbers inexperienced in belaying from above, or even just experienced climbers who are rushed and tired on a long multi-pitch, such mistakes might be hard to spot.Īn indirect belay is where the belay device hangs from the belayer themselves, usually from their harness’ belay loop, rather than directly putting force on the anchor. If the device is incorrectly configured, it will not lock.This requires more care and is less intuitive than lowering a climber on a redirected belay or top rope. Lowering a seconding climber who is sitting and has loaded the rope can be difficult, and dangerous if done incorrectly.Your partner’s/ buddy’s life will be directly hanging from the anchor. Direct belays require an absolutely bomber anchor.Guide mode belay devices are designed to be auto-locking when correctly used in a direct belay manufacturers instruct to always keep a hand on the brake rope, but by design, the belay device should lock automatically in the event that the seconding climber falls. The munter hitch can also be used in a direct belay, though it offers no assistance braking.īy using a direct belay with a guide mode belay device, the belayer is free to move around the belay station while belaying. ![]() The Petzl grigri can also be used in a direct belay, though a redirected belay should be preferred when possible. The belay is direct because the climber’s weight hangs directly off the anchor.Īny guide mode belay device, such as the ATC guide or Petzl reverso, can be used in a direct belay. This is where the belayer hangs the belay device directly from the anchor’s master point. The most common and safest way to belay from above is the direct belay. This is because, even with tube devices with space for two ropes, belaying up two separate followers would require you to periodically take your hand off the brake rope to take in slack. You can only bring up one climber at a time.This is a very minor worry, because you probably shouldn’t trust your buddy’s life to a point that can’t hold more than 200lb, but it’s worth bearing in mind. ![]()
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