Said by the belayer to acknowledge the climber is starting their climb. Said by the climber to indicate they are starting their climb. Said by the belayer to confirm that the belayer is ready and that the climber is on belay. Climbers should wait for a verbal confirmation from the belayer that they are ready to begin.Ī climber is said to be 'on belay' when they are correctly attached to the rope and the rope is correctly attached to the belayer by an appropriate belay method.Ĭommonly-used commands in US climbing communities are: "On belay?"Īsked by the climber to confirm if the belayer is ready. Standing too far away from the bottom of the climb also means that if the leader falls, the belayer experiences a sudden pull inwards towards the rock and may be pulled off their feet or into the rock.Ĭommunication is also extremely important in belaying. Standing too far away from the rock can result in protection unzipping, with the lowest piece being pulled away from the rock, followed by the next, until all of the protection may potentially be pulled out. This, in turn, decreases the force pulling it up and out of the rock if the leader falls. The belayer should stand near to the bottom of the route in order to decrease the angle of the rope through the first piece of protection. However, when belaying a lead climber who is using traditional protection, this can be very dangerous. When belaying on overhanging bolted routes, particularly indoors, belayers often stand well back from the rock so that they can watch the climber more easily. It is important for the belayer to closely monitor the climber's situation, as the belayer's role is crucial to the climber's safety. Too much slack on the rope increases the distance of a possible fall, but too little slack on the rope may cause the climber to "whip" or swing into the rock at a high velocity, possibly injuring themselves. If the climber falls, they free-fall the distance of the slack or unprotected rope before the friction applied by the belayer starts to slow their descent. As the climber moves on the climb, the belayer must make sure that the climber has the right amount of rope by paying out or pulling in excess rope. The belayer should keep the rope locked off in the belay device whenever the climber is not moving. Leader and belayer climbing in Joshua Tree National Park Protection may come in the form of fixed protection, such as permanent pitons or bolts, or in the form of removable protection, such as nuts, hexes, and spring-loaded camming devices. The rope then passes through some form of climbing protection. Thus, in a typical modern climbing setup, one end of the rope is fixed to the harness of the climber, most often by a figure-eight knot. In the modern day, most climbers use a variety of gear to belay, notably harnesses and belay devices. In its simplest form, a belay consists of merely a rope that runs from a climber to another person (the belayer) who can stop the climber's fall.
A correct belaying method lets the belayer hold the entire weight of the climber with relatively little force, and easily arrest even a long fall. Belaying is a critical part of the climbing system.