There are a few ways to do it right, and nuances to each method that depend on which device you are using. There are some correct principles for safe and effective belaying, which are universal, but it’s not true to say there is only a single proper way to belay. They probably get this idea from gyms, where draconian belay tests mandate everyone demonstrate the gym’s one and only approved hand sequence / technique. I think many new climbers get the impression that there is only a single “right” way to belay. Belay Devices and Skillsīefore diving into the kind of belay devices you need and why, I want to say a few words about how your choice of device informs the technique you will use. Here’s what you really need to know about belay devices. He thanked me and carried on, and I ran outta there before I could be held liable.Īlthough the hip belay is indeed the original tried and true technique, there are thankfully far better belay devices out there that will help you keep your partners safe-and alive. “You want to belay like this.” And I proceeded to show this kid how to hip belay. “No, no, no, you’re doing it all wrong,” I said. Was I really going to try to explain to them the concept of using a “GriGri”? Upon reaching the “belayer,” however, I suddenly found myself at such a loss of words that I didn’t know where to begin. Horrified but also very amused by this spectacle-writers love it when idiots recklessly endanger their own lives it’s like a gift!-I ran over to stop this slow-motion tragedy from progressing any further. When he ran out of room on his waist, he started wrapping the rope around his right arm. His friend, meanwhile, “belayed” the other side by wrapping consecutive coils of rope around his own waist, spinning in circles as slack came to him. One of the kids looped the top-rope around his waist a few times, tied an overhand knot, and launched up the wall. They had no climbing equipment, and clearly no understanding of safety but they were gung-ho. Running on a treadmill at a local rec center, I noticed two young teenagers set up beneath the gym’s little 25-foot climbing wall.
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