Preferred Belaying of Leader on Multipitch
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I'm curious what people's preferred methods of belaying the leader on a multipitch are. Belay off the anchor, belay off your harness directly, through a redirect or some other method? I'm also curious about what happens should the leader fall before placing a piece of gear or pulls the gear resulting in factor 2, or close to it, falls. |
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Off the harness and the fist piece (before leader even unclips his PAS) is a QuickDraw to one bomber (or closest to it) piece of the anchor. We use more so that if the leader falls before the piece the belayer can hold him in the normal belaying position rather than inverted |
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Always belay the leader from your belay loop. Even if I'm at a 100% hanging belay where I'm sitting in my harness, I belay off my loop. The reason for belaying off of your loop is that it provides more of a dynamic catch. This helps in lowering the force of the fall. |
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Tyler Newcomb wrote:(before leader even unclips his PAS)Oh, crap! You said PAS in a climbing forum?! |
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For the leader: Always off the belay loop. Clipping the anchor for the first "piece" if there is a chance they'll fall before their first piece of pro. |
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NorCalNomad wrote:For the follower: Always off the anchor.How strange, I´ve been doing it wrong for 45 years. Thanks for correcting my technique. |
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Off the belay loop almost always. |
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Good reads here: |
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NorCalNomad wrote:For the leader: Always off the belay loop. ... For the follower: Always off the anchor.I try to avoid using terms like "Always" and "Never" when discussing climbing technique... |
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As often as possible, I use some kind of assisted lock (Mammut Smart for me). With the lead line clipped to the best piece of the anchor, or an additional point added as high as we can reach. The leader unties their Clove Hitch, and is all ready on belay off the anchor point. If it looks like a run-out is mandatory between the anchor and the next piece. A screamer with a locker could be used to add a little mental duck tape for that first clip. |
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If one thinks theres a good chance of a fall off the belay, its advisable to lower the belayer to reduce the fall factor if possible |
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"I try to avoid using terms like "Always" and "Never" when discussing climbing technique..." |
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I never said other people should do that. That's just how I do it. |
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Jim Titt wrote: How strange, I´ve been doing it wrong for 45 years. Thanks for correcting my technique.+1 Me too. |
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NorCalNomad wrote:I never said other people should do that. That's just how I do it.It is hard to believe that you do not find yourself in situations where belaying off the anchor is not possible, or at least not the best option. |
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I can't think of one in the last five years were I would have rather belayed with a redirect. Hooking an ATC guide or grigri up to the master point is so easy and seamless. Also makes any rescue/ partner hauling stuff easy since you don't have to escape the belay. |
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NorCalNomad wrote:I can't think of one in the last five years were I would have rather belayed with a redirect. Hooking an ATC guide or grigri up to the master point is so easy and seamless. Also makes any rescue/ partner hauling stuff easy since you don't have to escape the belay. I'm not saying it's for everyone it's just the best way for me. I honesty would like to hear what your thinking is for an instance of where you couldn't belay off the anchor. The only I can think of right now would be multipitch Ice or a shitty sandstone anchor where you might want to minimize a shock load on your anchor. Im almost always on granite or have solid bolts.Watch this .... tv.thebmc.co.uk/video/how-t… ;) |
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Jim Titt wrote: How strange, I´ve been doing it wrong for 45 years. Thanks for correcting my technique.learning the proper way to climb from anonymous folks on the internet can be enlightening eh? |
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Miike wrote: learning the proper way to climb from anonymous folks on the internet can be enlightening eh?I´m thinking of moving onto sex next:-) |
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bearbreeder wrote: Watch this .... tv.thebmc.co.uk/video/how-t… ;)Yes, this. I'd say I am about 50/50, sometimes on the anchor, sometimes off the harness. There are many situations just like the video when the anchor is at or below your level where belaying off the anchor is not ideal. Sure, if I have two good bolts above me it's off the anchor every time. |
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Ashort wrote: Yes, this. I'd say I am about 50/50, sometimes on the anchor, sometimes off the harness. There are many situations just like the video when the anchor is at or below your level where belaying off the anchor is not ideal. Sure, if I have two good bolts above me it's off the anchor every time.Reading comprehension is a tough thing, eh? Look the orig post was about belaying a leader on multipitch climbs. Read a damn book, do some research and go experiment (while climbing). The internet is about as worthwile as a bag of hammers. |