Sport Climbing with Unequally Weighted Climbers

I weigh 190, my girlfriend is 120, we took a trip to the red last summer and I took a ton of falls with no issues of her getting pulled up too high, but if you feel like you want her tethered, you might consider cloving a sling into the atc's caribiner directly to remove her from the 'tether' system so if you fall there won't be any pulling on her harness between the rope/tether and won't pull the belay loop in weird ways.

Medic741 wrote:I weigh 190, my girlfriend is 120, we took a trip to the red last summer and I took a ton of falls with no issues of her getting pulled up too high, but if you feel like you want her tethered, you might consider cloving a sling into the atc's caribiner directly to remove her from the 'tether' system so if you fall there won't be any pulling on her harness between the rope/tether and won't pull the belay loop in weird ways.

You can belay directly off the anchor, removing the belayer from the system entirely, but in that case you need to be certain your anchor is bomber and your belayer knows what they're doing. I wouldn't recommend clipping belay device, anchor, and belayer all into the same carabiner, risking cross-loading or tri-loading. It's much better to pull the belay loop in "weird ways" than a carabiner.

I have the exact same issue. This is how I handle it.
1.) I don't care that I receive a soft catch.
2.) I don't care that no one ever receives a soft catch form me.
3.) I encourage my belayer to stay out of the fall zone as we are going to meet if he does not.

2.) I don't care that no one ever receives a soft catch form me.

Well, you wont be climbing with me then. Providing a soft catch is one of the fundamental aspects of providing a proper belay. It is not an "option" or a "feature" or even something that is just nice to know--it's part of the belay, like knowing never to let go of the brake hand. I have seen far more people sustain injuries from swinging back into the wall after getting a hard catch than I have seen from decking or some other sort of belay error. A lack of ability to provide the proper catch for the proper scenario shows a lack of experience falling, which translates to a general lack of experience in climbing, or at least in climbing anything difficult enough to throw you off.

Less of a hard catch is the reason, when anchoring a belayer I prefer a belayer to be anchored to a weighted object rather than a tree, or gear anchor. At least the catch won't be completely static?

You've been climbing 20+ years and don't know how to deal with this.......

NorCalNomad wrote:You've been climbing 20+ years and don't know how to deal with this.......

Winner!!

And to add, there are probably less than 50 people in the world who are 220 and 5% body fat.

How are you measuring? My guess is that you're estimating based on how ripped you feel.

In my early 20's, I measured my bf a lot because of several classes I had on the subject. The main thing I learned is that the tests don't mean much. On the skin folds, I ranged from 1% to 20%. On the electronic impeedance, I was around 15%. On the water tank, I was actually negative percentage. I was 135lbs at the time. I was probably around 10% but who knows.

I can't think of a single person or piece of equipment that I've ever been able to produce reliable results with. This is quadrupally true for any test performed at home, the gym, or in the Kinesiology lab at a college.

NorCalNomad wrote:You've been climbing 20+ years and don't know how to deal with this.......

It sounded to me like he does know how to deal:

Fink wrote:My current strategies with my experienced friend: --When I'm belaying them: intentionally stand a couple feet back from the route so that I get pulled in a bit, make the vectors work in our favor. Additionally, focus on giving a super-soft catch and jumping into catches (often belay with an ATC instead of gri to accentuate the effect). --When they're belaying me: build trad anchors to take an upward pull.

He asked how to communicate it and if there were better ideas. I don't see where he doesn't understand the concepts. Is it wrong to ask for better ideas?

NorCalNomad wrote:You've been climbing 20+ years and don't know how to deal with this.......

Wow, great elitist attitude! Do you have a better solution than what he proposed? Or do you just enjoy being simultaneously like being condescending and ignorant?

matt c. wrote: Wow, great elitist attitude! Do you have a better solution than what he proposed? Or do you just enjoy being simultaneously like being condescending and ignorant?

considering this is MP, I'm pretty sure (s)he likes being condescending.

Jake Jones wrote: You will care when you break your ankles. Your partner will care when they break theirs.

I read this as "You'll shoot your eye out".

eli poss wrote:Assuming your climbing single pitch, if you're worried bout yanking up your belayer and there are trees at the base, tie the other end of the rope to a tree (bowline w/ stopper) and clove into your belayer's haul loop at the correct length (situationally dependent). This anchors them to the ground w/o any additional gear (other than a spare locker) and, given the dynamic element of the rope, shouldn't hurt their back even in the event of a very hard fall.

Have you actually tried this? Yes it probably won't hurt their back, but will completely crush their hips...

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote: there are probably less than 50 people in the world who are 220 and 5% body fat. How are you measuring? My guess is that you're estimating based on how ripped you feel. .

Is there some other way to measure it? I didn't read the rest of your post because I'm -30% body fat. And yes, I am ripped as shit.

Simon W wrote: Is there some other way to measure it? I didn't read the rest of your post because I'm -30% body fat. And yes, I am ripped as shit.

I think the only truly accurate method is cutting out and measuring the fat on a corpse.

Simon W wrote: Is there some other way to measure it? I didn't read the rest of your post because I'm -30% body fat. And yes, I am ripped as shit.

Get a DEXA scan of you want an accurate measure. A hydrostatic test is decent as well. But basically people don't sustain 5% and especially with that much muscle. Even professional bodybuilders on a ton of drugs walk around ripped at about 10% and then cut back and for a brief window hit around 5% for a contest and feel like crap doing it.

Stagg54 wrote: Have you actually tried this? Yes it probably won't hurt their back, but will completely crush their hips...

yes i have tried this and have not experienced any discomfort. maybe i'm just nuts, though.

Jake Jones wrote: Ralphie did shoot his eye out. ...

Still don't give two shits

Is anchoring the belayer to a tree via the belay loop, under the atc, a good way of securing the belayer? Or am or should I use a different method. Me at 6'4" 260lbs and my wife at 5'7" 135lbs I would usually use the tree method. I havent taken a fall yet but dont climb real hard either. Just having fun. Id prefer not to turn my wife into spaghetti, most days, when inevitability I were to pull her through the first bolt. I have found with another partner that with the rope stretch from my weight tends to give me a fairly soft fall.

Again I am not climbing anything crazy.

Also, Im not fat just big boned.

Any info or guidance would be appreciated.

Patrick Kinsella wrote:Is anchoring the belayer to a tree via the belay loop, under the atc, a good way of securing the belayer? Or am or should I use a different method. Me at 6'4" 260lbs and my wife at 5'7" 135lbs I would usually use the tree method. I havent taken a fall yet but dont climb real hard either. Just having fun. Id prefer not to turn my wife into spaghetti, most days, when inevitability I were to pull her through the first bolt. I have found with another partner that with the rope stretch from my weight tends to give me a fairly soft fall. Again I am not climbing anything crazy. Also, Im not fat just big boned. Any info or guidance would be appreciated.

Just curious- what have you and your partner worked out? Em Cos is spot on here and in some other multi page belayer epic thread. Also, have you gone to a gym and done some falls together? Big confidence booster for both parties, IMO.

You need to lose weight (whether that be muscle or fat I do not know, but if your numbers are true then you are pretty ripped my friend and should spend more time climbing and less time squatting). If you are 6'5" and 220 lbs with 5% body fat then you are the definition of a body builder who will probably lose because he should be 235 lbs and 3-4% body fat (at 6' 5). I'm a 6'5" former bodybuilder turned climber and climb comfortably at 185 (8% body fat). When I am pushing it for a climbing comp. or a big project I'll try to make it to 175, but never feel good staying there for too long.