Trad belaying reddit. I am looking to start buying some of my own sport gear (I hope to start doing some trad soon): namely a harness, belay device (ATC probably), shoes and helmet. I have been climbing for about 2 years, but only bouldering and top roping indoors, and I have only ever used a typical ATC belay device, which I am very comfortable with. advice request for belaying someone with a large weight difference A friend of mine recently started climbing. 70 is more weight on the approach, more rope to pull through and manage at your tiny belay. This comment by R Flores is probably the most concise and easiest description for rigging a TR at Otter In trad climbing, the belay device is frequently positioned in angles where this is not obvious or not the same as when its on the harness. I teach lead climbing/belaying on a regular basis and if we applied the same rule, none of the people I taught should have learned it, including myself. Is that a common thing in the US? Personally I think lead climbing should not be tied to a certain grade and you can have lots of fun indoors as well as outdoors without having to climb super hard. it's dangerous. I’ve been seeing more people bringing up followers on multi pitch routes using grigri‘s from above, i. When the device is insufficiently cammed, the rope slips fast, and will slip through your hand. Figured I'd link some resources for folks who are planning to head up this year. Open to all advice, criticism, and insults if they're clever. keep your brake lines under control. A common mistake while belaying a lead climber is to hold open the device the entire time, thus defeating the auto-locking Other info: I live in Bay Area, California. Check out the poll and feel free to I’d think this setup would really constrain your ability to respond in the (admittedly unlikely) scenario your second needed a rescue, and (more likely) may lead to awkward forces and angles for you if your second fell and weighted the rope. The C4s have seen about a dozen pitches, the friends are fresh out the box. The FPLB can be pretty tricky and unnerving for folks when they first try it, so consider hiring a certified guide to assist if necessary. new to climbing so i don’t know the etiquette. Would love to hear your I do crag (where i do use gri gri for hard routes), but in the mountains trad climbing i always use the reverso for belaying a second, a first and even rapelling. The home of Climbing on reddit. If you are trad climbing, belaying further away from the wall during a fall can exert an outward force on the first piece of pro which may cause it to pop. But could I use it on the belay station bolt to help prevent my (lighter) climbing partner eating the wall if I fall? If multipitch or belaying from above I would use two pieces and a sling just for speed to get my belayer climbing quicker but to each their own on 2 vs 3 pieces. As someone who pretty much uses the grigri2 for everything, I found this interesting and want to know what r/tradclimbing uses. Climbing outside is like a fringe special type of rock climbing, only the losers at the climbing gym do that Howdy. A soft catch is difficult unless you rig a chariot belay*. one negative for belaying 2 seconds with the atc in guide mode: if the pitch is overhanging and some weights the device, you may have to be extra cautious so the device actually locks the other follower, i. How do people typically deal with this? - I figure doubling up the gear at the first placement is What climbing shoe is everyone using and what do you think of them? 47 votes, 10 comments. i took the beginner course at my gym and know how to belay. Hi all, So I have read through a bunch of other threads on here about choosing a belay device, but I haven't found one that answers all of my questions yet. To be clear, that comment was about top belaying, i. I am a college student with little extra cash so I am really looking at gear that is good quality but not very expensive. 12. While most people have addressed the main points of excellent belaying I will say that getting some belay glasses has DRASTICALLY improved my belaying as well as eliminating my sore neck! My usual preference for building an anchor on trad routes is the standard three piece system using a cordalette. Do it this way or you aren't climbing today. , belaying from the above, using the MegaJul in guide mode. ) Clip into the anchor as your first piece - you should (almost) ALWAYS do this from a belay station (anchors) as most belay devices won't catch a downward fall. ATC on multipitch trad climbing I’ve seen both, and used both. We cover gear, setup, safety, communication and technique. Not pictured: screw gate biner for belaying, Grigri, adult diapers. When it comes to trad, you do not want to be in the situation where you are a 5. I like trilock Am'D for top rope masterpoint where I can't supervise it all the time. Another downside is that belaying dynamically becomes more difficult and that a fall will be stopped more abruptly which often leads to me slamming into the wall (not to the degree where it would injury me though). I would say one of my closer calls in climbing was due to short roping Edit: zoomed in and now I don’t know if it’s short rope or not so I can’t level this accusation The Mega and Giga Jul are belay devices that are basically an ATC but with the added bonus of assisted braking (like the Gri Gri). I'm an intermediate PNW peak bagger and am interested in moving into proper alpine trad climbing in the next ~year. Whenever the leader is placing gear on a comfortable stance, use that time to make sure the rope will feed smoothly into your belay device. I have been climbing a bit over the last six months, and I have been renting all my gear. Any tips on what I should Question - How to place first piece? Recently started climbing some easy trad routes - I’ve noticed that when belaying from the ground, the first piece is liable to getting pulled around a bit and shifting position as the belayer moves around. Belaying with a grigri is fine on trad (mayyyybe unless it's super sketch gear. Share Add a Comment Sort by: Best Open comment sort options Best Top New Controversial Old Q&A Anaaatomy • I don’t have anyone to practice belaying with let alone practicing trad climbing in the gym. I’m planning on running laps this summer on easy trad lines round the southeast. Oct 19, 2022 · Here are some older slides I put together that illustrate some of the forces in fixed point belaying as well as the alternatives to a fixed point belay (including chariot belay): Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about trad climbing including the skills, gear, and popular destinations. The older style of belaying off the harness has the leader clipping a piece of the anchor to protect against a factor 2 fall, which could be near the maximum impact force of the rope (8-9kN), means that the clipped piece of the anchor is acting as a 2:1 pulley and can actually feel more force (1 & 2/3 maximum impact force due to frictional Hey Tundrawolf_ This is from wikipedia: [. I hope this post isn't too redundant. Historically, I have enjoyed the use of my Petzl Reverso in guide mode belaying directly off the anchor's master. ) It was two 3-hour sessions, the first session we only did lead+top-rope belay just to get the moves and feeling down, the second session we actually lead-belayed and had to take some pretty large falls to know how that felt. However, I am looking to get Looks like they are short roping the climber? Or am I wrong? Short roping someones on a runout or on sketchy trad can be super dangerous too. (we use a single for sports climbing longer pitches in Spain or France). e. The dynamic belay is seldom used in trad climbing, and when belaying on a multi-pitch you can't move around. Reply reply Gunny-Guy • I am a little old school about it but won't use a locking device for belaying a leader on trad, for bringing up the second I personally like belaying direct off the anchor using a Reverso or similar. I always click the carabiners as double check after attaching them regardless of the locking type. Dec 15, 2021 · However, knowing how to belay from above is essential for multi-pitch climbing and trad climbing, and can also be handy when you need to keep rope stretch to a minimum. Kong GiGi for bringing up followers. Just getting ready to start leading some trad, having followed a fair few times now. Now, you can also use this device to rappel without a prusik. Not really sure where to start is a book or YouTube channel you guys would recommend? Feel free to share how you got into this niche sport. Similarly, if the weather is closing in, belaying off a single bomber thread or two good hexes would be objectively much lower risk than wasting time trying to find additional pieces and getting caught in a thunderstorm. Specific skills include: gear/protection placements, building anchors by placing gear and equalising them, Prusik skills, and learning trad climbing calls (shouts/instructions). And yes we are scared of falling. I did it many times and it was very hard work. Apr 4, 2025 · The leg loops and waist belt are super comfortable while climbing, walking around the crag, or belaying your partner on their project. It's important to remember that you are a true climber when you see a photo of someone belaying in a helmet and you just know in your heart of hearts that it's an indoor kinda situation. It's bad to short-rope your leader on a sport route, but even worse in trad considering they'd be falling on gear. This post is to help me establish a plan to get there. Background: I've been into peak bagging in the cascades the last few years, including some of the following Rainier DC Eldorado Shuksan Sulphide Ingalls South Ridge (following) Ruth Icy Traverse A lot of class 3 I think overall if you have a conversation about safety, are willing to give and accept feedback about belaying, address any weight discrepancies safely etc, it’s probably fine, but I’d personally meet first in a controlled, public setting like a gym before going outside. Gear placement, rope management, anchors, belaying, route finding, looking at the rock itself for problems. What do you use, and why? Do you have different systems for belaying from the top versus bottom? Extended belay or not? Hi all, with the release of the Petzl Neox I've seen a lot of discussion about the best application for different devices and was surprised to learn some people even use a different device for belaying a leader vs follower. If she's not a tradwife material, you can either mold her into one (me) or go find another. You can add some dynamics if you wear gloves and are very skilled with a non locking belay device. Building Anchors and Belaying from the top at Otter Cliffs, Acadia NP. It can occasionally cause trouble if you high clip, where once you climb up to the clip after high slipping, the slack introduced by your ascent doesn't feed back through the ohm, so if your belayer isn't watching the So is it possible to attach the belaying device to a fixed point (like a sling around a tree, a ground-near bolt or something similar) and have her belaying me without a harness? As far as I understand it, falling would be a lot harder. . This is usually how gear zippering happens but this is under the worst case scenario. " "That's cool. This past weekend I had a guide teach me and a few other friends the fundamentals of multi-pitch trad. IOW, not a GriGri. Started trad climbing this season. I've been climbing for many years but everyone I've climbed with has been relatively close to my weight - I'm around 150 for context. It’s so easy to just buy a trad rack at a reasonable price it’s just asking for trouble if you’re a novice trad climber. I kind of wish the ethic was more positioned to clean climbing like the UK Reply reply MisterMackisback • As far as generalisations go, these are pretty Some people say rope management and belaying, but I've not personally experienced that. I use it regularly. Belaying with a Grigri vs. Wish you luck! Side story, my husband found me at an anime convention. The popular trad climbs were put up years ago with 50's and 60's when those were the norm (60 is still the norm for trad climbing IMO). Embrace rejection until you find a woman who says yes. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. Halfway through the weekend he taught us a technique to improve efficiency when climbing at a cliff that you cannot walk off. 18K subscribers in the tradclimbing community. 34 votes, 40 comments. Lead climbing is simple, it's the belaying that actually is the dangerous/tough part. I generally prefer to clove hitch into the master point, attached a 2nd locker for my follower to clip into, and use a reverso on the shelf as my belay device. My friend is somewhere above 350. trueIn multi-pitch trad you probably don't have much choice as the belayer will be tied to the anchor after the 1st pitch. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. His body is just kinda dangling up there, but more importantly a small piece of rock broke off and I think has completely fractured my skull and given me a concussion (I don't wear helmets because that's pretty much aid climbing). I'm not a trad dad, but to me this seems a little bit scary; I can't quite put my finger on it but I absolutely prefer to instead use it as a normal ATC and with a prusik. I personally wouldn’t set a top belay up like this - there are other ways to extend your master point - but that doesn’t you shouldn’t ever do it. So my buddy just took a bit of a fall on trad and broke his neck in what appears to be a fairly peaceful death due to poor gear placements. Hi! You can try your luck by going up to women in public when you're out and about. The megajul is my first belay device capable of belaying a follower and it just feels like such a chore and has so much friction. [1] The claim against usage for lead climbing is that since the device auto-locks, the belayer is required to hold the device open while feeding rope to the leader. Has some light drawbacks. They're easiest to set up on bolts, but possible with trad gear (make sure you have both downward and upward pull pieces). ]though Petzl recommends the device for use in both applications. 8 climber, 25 feet above your last pro, and you suddenly realize the route is a 5. This might all well and good on the brand new bolts of that sport climb, you can flail on those things all day. Been getting into indoor top rope climbing & getting certified to belay in my gym… I was curious which kind of devices do you… I am a M28 and about 170lb, with a girlfriend (105lb) I’m instructing on very easy trad. Learn to belay a lead climber, including how it differs from top-rope belaying. Do you use the grigri for long multipitch stuff where you want to cut weight as much as possible? On trad routes, especially without a lot of protection, you want to stand directly below the first placement so it doesn't get a pull in the wrong direction and pop. Tis the season and I'm starting to see some silly anchors in my social feeds. ATC guide for belaying trad. Typically there are convenient spots to belay at those lengths. Traditional climbing: use at your own risk. 13, has done Salathe, Lurking Fear, and the Nose) and his shit fell out of his ass when he heard I've been doing this. 19 votes, 57 comments. Learn how to belay a follower from above on a trad climb or multi-pitch sport route. Not much of an issue for me climbing in the Red, just curious. It is easy to be less attentive while trad belaying, but don't take your role lightly. Belaying multiples off the same bolts, climbing after the rain, etc. It's expensive, but nice. I have noticed in California and Nevada the relaxed attitude has left a lot of crags kind of “loved to death” by people doing less-than-optimal things. Has anyone gotten a belay from a significantly lighter weight belayer on multipitch routes? When constructing your anchor did you prioritize protecting them from upward pull with an upward facing piece? Have you Nice! We're on similar journeys 😁 My 'Trad' wife of 23 years has been my favorite climbing partner by far👍 (my son is belaying her on Devil's Tower (in May, believe it or not🙄🙃) I used to have autolockers for everything at some point but then got into trad and alpine stuff and started to appreciate lightness and ease of use. Looking to just practice the basics of easy multi-pitch, I would like someone that's detail oriented though, I've seen some crap over there from guides. The molded gear loops are easy to clip, and while they won't hold enough gear for most trad climbing, they hold plenty of quickdraws and associated belay and rappelling gear for multi-pitch sport climbing. Hey trad community! As a newer leader, I’m fascinated by what people carry for their belaying, rappelling, anchoring… If the belays had bolted anchors, could you attach an ohm to one of the bolts as your first piece? I know it's not recommended for trad, but I've heard that's because it puts (potentially) too much force or upward pull on the first piece and could lead to zippering your pieces. 1. Nice write up. She seems comfortable with me pushing into harder routes but I have an important question. Grigri 1 for gym, sport, top-rope. clipped on the Belaying off the harness or building anchors with the climbing rope is a great way to reduce forces on your anchor, but if your anchor is questionable you should think about placing better pieces rather than making bad pieces work better 49 votes, 136 comments. " Reply reply TheGodSamaritan • Trad dadz epitomize the "old dog, new tricks" saying Reply reply More replies [deleted] • My trad mentor told me to never belay directly off the anchor, as belaying off you harness kept more give in the system. I went over this situation while doing some rescue drills with my trad sensei (he climbs 5. Furthermore, getting pulled into the wall violently is pretty painful in certain situations. can I just walk up to someone at the gym and ask if they want to “trade” being belayed? or would that be frowned upon? (I am top rope “certified” i. And you should be wearing gloves when belaying a leader on a tube device "Son, I been belaying this way since before you were born. Recommend a Seneca Rocks Trad Guide for Newb. Primarily, my belayer has complained about lowering speed being harder to regulate with a grigri + ohm. As far as my skill level 11 votes, 24 comments. ztrvzld lrugrc hphqra rhbt qwkjgvfg iukfz nmo izhflwu hwixy xsfhr