Managing the Rope When Belaying

Managing the Rope When Belaying

The two ways of managing the rope when belaying are the body belay and the mechanical belay. The body belay is used when the belayer must stop a fall without any other means. The rope is wrapped around the body and uses the belayers body to cinch down on the rope to arrest a fall. All body belays are suited for normal rope handling. However they are rarely suited for the interception of severe falls. The energy produced by the fall is, in part, absorbed by the belayers body. Which could cause injury to the belayer.

Mechanical belay methods (sometimes termed dynamic-mechanical belays) have been developed in order to avoid, or decrease, the inherent dangers of body belays. A good mechanical belay should be easy and simple to handle. It should allow for quick paying out and taking in of the rope. It should stop and hold a wet rope as easily and efficiently as a dry one. It should be suited for double ropes. It should be independednt of the direction of the impact force. It should have a breaking strain of between 250 to 600kg. And it should function without much additional equipment, and be practical.

When establishing a belay position, the belayer should determine the anticipated direction of pull in case of a fall. As the climber moves up the direction may change. The belayer should “aim” the belay in the direction that will best enable a fall to be held. Corrective measures should be taken if the ideal belay position is different from the expected direction of pull. This is achieved by placing more protection (piton, chock, or runner) in a location that re-aligns the belay with the expected direction of pull.

The belayer anchors themselves to a reliable anchor point using part of the climbing rope, or their sling (utility) rope. When the climbing rope is used and the belayer is within an arms length of an anchor, a double figure eight can be used to secure the climbing rope to the anchor. This short section of rope between anchor and belayer is called a self-belay.

If the anchor is furthur than arms length from the belay position, either a sling rope is used for the self-belay, or a bight large enough to reach the anchor is taken and tied off to form a fixed loop. The ability to reach the anchor knot from the belay without moving is important. If the belayer is holding the full weight of an injured climber, they must be able to tie the belay rope without moving.

The self-belay must always be tight, and the anchor, belayer, and expected direction of pull must be as close to a straight line as possible. The belayer ensures that the rope does not run over any sharp projections or edges. If it does it should be re-routed, and if that is not possible padding should be used, such as a rucksack or parka.

The belayer lays out the rope so that it runs freely through the hands without becoming tangled. There is not the option, once belaying starts, to release the brake hand to untangle the rope. Stacking, backfeeding, or piling the rope in one spot is better than coiling, as fewer kinks develop.

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