Alpine Tips
Belaying the leader with a “fixed point” belay
Common practice in many parts of Europe, belaying a leader directly from an anchor rather than your harness is a new idea for many Americans. This article covers an overview of the technique, pros and cons, an FAQ, photos of how to set it up, and print / video resources for further study.
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Alpinesavvy thanks Angelique Brown for translating the French technical documents mentioned in this article, Richard Goldstone for editorial comments, ACMG Alpine Guide Sean Isaac for some FAQ details, and IFMGA Certified Guide Patrick Ormond for a few extra fixed point belay tips.
Note: All climbing techniques, especially one as important as belaying a leader, are best learned under the guidance of a qualified instructor, ideally a credentialed mountain guide. Please seek out proper instruction if you want to learn this technique. This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace in-person instruction and practice.
image: climbgermany.com / Georg Sojer
If you've been climbing for awhile, you might remember around 2001 when the Petzl Reverso belay device was introduced. For most climbers, it’s most innovative, and to some controversial feature, was the ability to belay your second directly off the anchor and have the device autolock.
Now, the autolock feature was great, but belay your second off of the anchor?! Why would I do that? That's what the belay loop on my harness is for! Those crazy Euros, always inventing stuff we don't need . . .
The general acceptance of climbing “best practices” does evolve, but it tends to do so rather slowly. In the progression of belay technique, we've gone from hip and body belays, to doing everything off of the harness, to the now generally accepted procedure of belaying the second directly from the anchor. What might be next?
Belaying the LEADER directly from the anchor is known as a “fixed point” belay.
The primary reasons to use this:
Prevent the belayer from being violently yanked into the air, slammed against the rock, and potentially being injured or even losing control of the belay
Reduces the force on lead protection due to rope slippage
Allows a greater chance of actually holding a factor 2 fall.
The German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, or DAV) is one of the leading proponents of this technique. Here's what they have to say about it. (pdf article link) (Bold text mine)
“Consequently, you ought to be familiar with the anchor belay method which is the basic method for multi-pitch routes. Generally speaking, the body belay method (from the belay loop) is an option in particular on pitches fully equipped with bolts and with smaller distances between the bolts. The anchor belay method, however, is the more recommendable belay method in routes with a more alpine character, i.e. with only few or questionable intermediate fixing points, traverses, confusing route courses or the possibility of far, uncontrolled falls.“
It's also recommended by the French National Mountain Guide School (École Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme, or ENSA). Here are their conclusions: (The quotations are from this video, see it below.)
3:20 “If you’re tied into an anchor, the (belay) method which generates the lowest forces on the runner holding the fall is when the belay system is placed directly on the anchor. This is also the safer and more comfortable method for the belayer.”
5:27 - “When the belayer does not have the option of belaying dynamically on a large ledge, we recommend you build an anchor with a fixed central point and belay directly on this central point.”
image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZQnCGl24A
There are some compelling reasons and specific situations when might want to use this. There are also some specific requirements of anchor building to do this most effectively, that may well run counter to what you think you know about anchor construction.
It's not the purpose of this article to tell you everything about this technique, nor to suggest you should start using it tomorrow. It's more to provide information and resources so you can consider if and when you may want to implement this in your own climbing.
The following points are from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) video, linked to at the bottom of this article. Consider a fixed point belay when there is/are:
Two very solid anchor components that can take a hard upward pull, usually 2 bolts or ice screws. (A fixed point belay can be done on a trad gear anchor, but you need a solid upward directional piece. It’s a good idea to initially learn this technique on bolts, then try it with a trad anchor.)
The anchor master point is waist to head height, chest high is ideal. This makes for easier rope feeding. If the anchor is much higher or lower (like on a slab), it can be difficult to feed rope properly.
Large weight difference between climbers (heavier leader and a lighter belayer).
Higher potential for a leader fall.
Potential for a higher impact/high fall factor.
Potential for a long leader fall, such as slab routes or alpine ice routes.
Possible issues in giving a reliable belay, such as an inexperienced belayer, icy ropes, a poor stance, or a belay under a roof of other feature where the belay might get yanked into, or maybe a traversing pitch, where the belayer might be pulled sideways.
What are some of the key features of a fixed point belay?
In the event of a fall, force is transferred directly to the anchor, rather than to the belayer's body.
When building the anchor, you don't try to “equalize” forces the two bolts or screws. That's right, no equalization.
The belayer often belays the leader with a Munter hitch, because it has some slippage and thus lowers forces on the leader. (The Munter belay doesn't really mean the rope slips through your hand. The brake hand is pulled towards the knot, and the increased friction as the rope runs through the knot absorbs some of the energy from the fall.) It's also possible to belay with a belay plate, provided you redirect the brake strand until solid gear is placed by the leader.
Because of more rope possibly slipping through your belay device or Munter hitch, wearing gloves is highly recommended.
The belay carabiner should be attached to the anchor in such a way that there will be minimal upward travel in case of a leader fall. A rule of thumb for this: try to limit upward movement to about 20 cm / 6 inches or less. This means keeping your anchor material fairly tight and the hole you clip to fairly small, examples of that below.
It can be easier to feed rope if the belayer is hanging below the master carabiner, rather than off to the side.
Bolts oriented vertically usually work best, like the vertical Fixe chain and ring anchor shown below, or the diagram at the very top of the page. This style of vertical anchor hardware is optimized for belaying the leader directly from the bottom ring. However, it's also easy to rig a fixed point belay horizontally, see example below.
Note: the belayer has the option of beginning the pitch using a Munter hitch, and then after the climber is further up, has more rope out and a few good pieces in, can transition to a more traditional belay from their harness. This isn’t an “all or nothing” system. You can use a “hybrid” of two different belay methods on the same pitch. To do this, have a look at the pitch. If you think your leader can get in some solid placements about 5 meters away from your anchor, pull up about 7 meters of rope, and add your belay device. Belay directly from the anchor with a munter hitch until they clip a couple of pieces, then have them get into a rest stance for a moment while you transition to a harness belay. (This is one you definitely want to practice in a controlled environment.)
What are some downsides of a fixed point belay?
Can be more difficult to feed out rope quickly
Increases the force of the fall on the leader
Generally, this system should NOT be used when: single pitch climbing with the belayer on the ground, if the belayer needs to be positioned away from the anchor, If the anchor point is low down or on a slab or otherwise in an awkward position, or when there's no option to create an anchor that can take an upward pull.
Fixe chain and ring anchor; a perfect set up for a fixed point belay.
A few common questions, comments and grumbles. . .
Does a fixed point belay increase the force on the top piece of gear? It depends on the particulars of the belay (Munter hitch or ATC, firm grab or let a bit of rope slip out), but generally the answer seems to be “no” to “a little bit.” As mentioned above, tests by the French National Guide School state that the direct belay generated the lowest forces on the top piece of gear. Tests by the DAV (German Alpine Club) show that forces on the top piece of gear are essentially the same as when belaying the leader off your harness. Part of the reason for this is that the belayer’s weight is taken out of the equation, so there is less of a pulley effect on the top piece of gear.
From Mountainproject: “Practical tests by the German DAV, the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and the Italian CAI showed that belaying from the body without the possibility of actively moving into the direction of the falling leader (aka dynamic belay) results in similarly high forces (ca. 5,7 kN) on the last bolt/nut/cam, as belaying from the anchor directly (ca. 5,8 kN).”
“Does a fixed point belay increase the force on the belay anchor?” No. Testing (See the French Mountain Guide School video link below at 2:14) shows the forces on the anchor are actually reduced. From the translated ENSA article, link below: “Paradoxically, the force is generated on the anchor is more significant when the belay is on the harness. The belayer, pulled by the faller, takes on speed, and therefore kinetic energy. Once the belayer can no longer move, the anchor experiences two stopping forces, the faller and the belayer.”
“Isn't it better to clip the anchor is the first piece, to redirect the rope and prevent a factor 2 fall?” Short answer is no. In the worst case of a factor 2, it's better for the force to be held by the completely equalized anchor then the two times multiplication of force that happens with a clipped redirect due to the pulley effect.
“Does a fixed point belay increase force on the falling climber?” Yes. The force on the falling climber is no longer partially being absorbed by the belayer being pulled upward, so more of it goes to the leader.
“Does this create dangerous three-way loading on the carabiner?” No. Even when catching a hard lead fall, the forces in the system are nowhere close to what is required to break a carabiner (which is around 17 kN if it's loaded equally in three directions.) Here's a more detailed article about off-axis carabiner loading.
“Can I use a tube belay device or a Grigri instead of a Munter hitch?” You can use a tube device, but you need to take the extra step of redirecting the brake strand before the leader clips the first piece of gear, which is one more thing to remember and might make it initially a little harder to feed rope. After the leader gets some solid gear in, you can remove the redirect piece and probably have a smooth easy belay. A Grigri is not recommended, because it allows less rope slippage, which can increase the force on the lead climber and the top piece of protection.
“I'm concerned that belaying with a Munter hitch will twist the rope.” Belaying a leader with a Munter generally does not twist the rope, because there’s not a continuous load, such as when rappelling. If belaying with a Munter hitch, using an auto-locking carabiner can minimize any chance of the rope messing with the carabiner gate.
“When I'm bringing up my second, can I do it from the fixed point, or do I have to completely re-rig the anchor?” Yes, you can bring them up off of the fixed point. No need to change anything on the anchor.
“I like to give a ‘soft catch’ dynamic belay so it's less force on the gear and on my partner. This technique doesn’t let me do this.” A well-timed jump for a “soft catch” is great if you're standing on the ground or a big ledge, but it doesn't work at a tiny ledge or hanging belay station. (Plus, the French tests indicate that letting a bit of rope slip through your belay more effective in lowering forces then using a more dynamic style belay.)
What?! Those bolts aren't equalized! That's not a real anchor! That’s right. You're not trying to distribute the force evenly like in a more traditional anchor. All of the load is on one anchor, and the other is there for redundancy/backup. This technique is only to be used when the gear placements are unquestionably strong. This usually means two bolts or two bomber ice screws. Keep in mind, the maximum upward force tested in a lead fall is about 4 kN. Also, the munter hitch will begin to slip at around 2-3 kN, further reducing the peak force.
“Can I do a fixed point belay with a gear anchor?” You can, but there needs to be an upward pull component of the anchor. (This is for sure a more advanced technique, definitely practice it with a qualified instructor, and we're not going to cover this belay style from gear anchors in this article.)
“How do I use double ropes?“ You need to use a tube style belay device, not a Munter hitch. If you do this, the brake strand must be redirected until the leader clips at least two fully reliable protection points, a.k.a. bolts.
“What's up with that double loop bowline on a bight? Isn’t a bowline an unstable knot? Is that redundant with just the one strand around the knot? What if you ring load it, is that a problem?“ The double loop bowline on a bight has been extensively tested by Canadian and European mountaineering associations, who had determined it’s fine for this application. Test result: 20 kN, #SuperGoodEnough!
So, what if you don’t have a nifty Fixe vertical anchor rig like the above photo, but a standard American style two bolt horizontal anchor? No worries - here’s one of several ways to do it. This can be tied with cord or webbing, here were using a sewn sling. (Note, this is pretty much the same system shown in the drawing at the very top of the page, just turned horizontally.)
You need:
one sewn double length / 120 cm runner, nylon preferred (also works with a cord loop)
one regular carabiner
two locking carabiners, with1 of them a pear shaped , HMS belay carabiner, if belaying from a Munter hitch. Canadian Guide Sean Isaac likes the Edelrid HMS Strike Triple FG carabiner, which is a triple action, captive eye carabiner that makes for a more secure belay.
First, prepare your anchor sling. You could tie this with a simple overhand loop. But a bowline on a bight (aka double loop bowline) is better, because the two loops are stronger and its easier to untie if you want to. Now, most folks have never tied a double loop bowline, let alone in webbing. It can be a little tricky to tie correctly. If you tie it wrong, you may get a slipknot. If you tie it correctly, you should have two small loops a couple of inches in diameter. So, take your time and do it right.
Once you're tie it, you probably don't have to untie it for a while. (If you happen to catch some big whippers on it, probably best to untie it and retie the loops in a different spot.)
Tip: Put the sewn bar tacks on the far other end away from where you tie the bowline on a bight.
I know of two ways to tie a double loop bowline. The diagram below is probably the simplest. The video shows another method.
image: Georg Sojer, https://www.outdoor-magazin.com/klettern/basiskurs-alpines-klettern/
There's lots more to learn about the fixed point belay.
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Belay communication - the “silent system”
In Climbing 101, you learned the standard verbal calls. Most of the time those work well. But what if you have a long pitch? That goes out of sight? High winds? A hoody layer or two over your ears? The standard calls may not work, and you better have a different way to communicate. Here’s a good one: the so-called “silent system.”
The fictional example of Maria and Jorge (shared here with permission) is from Derek DeBruin, and originally appeared in the American Alpine Club blog as part of a longer article on belay communication. Derek is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide and Assistant Alpine Guide. Connect with Derek: Facebook and Instagram.
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
Big wall climbing: excellent place for a good communication plan. Moonlight Buttress, Zion National Park. Utah USA. Me (belay) and my pal Gent Mende (leading)
Photo: Chau Phan Mende
You and your partner are on a multi pitch rock climb, at the belay at the start of the second pitch. The pitch is fairly easy climbing, but it’s close to a full rope length, and goes around a corner with the next belay out of sight. In addition, the wind is picking up.
Your partner heads out on lead. After about 10 minutes of climbing the rope comes to a stop. You think you hear a faint call from your partner above, but you can’t make out the words. You of course continue to keep your partner on belay. The rope doesn’t move for a few more minutes. You think this probably means your partner has built an anchor, but you’re not sure, so you continue to keep the belay on.
Suddenly, the rope starts to move up quickly. You feed it through your device as fast as you can until it goes tight on your harness. About a minute later you feel some hard pulls on the rope.
“Huh,” you think, “what ‘da heck is this?” A few more minutes go by. The rope doesn’t move, you don’t hear any verbal calls from your partner.
So there you are, in what has become an uncertain and stressful situation: you don’t know if you’re on belay, and you also don’t know if your partner still needs your belay! This is a MESS in which many climbers will find themselves someday! Obviously, the simple verbal calls you learned on your first day climbing are not working in this situation.
Fortunately, there are several solutions. Let's have a closer look at a good one, the so-called “silent system”.
Here’s the core idea: if you can’t communicate verbally, the second simply keeps feeding rope until the rope is tight on their harness. They wait a minute or so, and then start to climb. Agree on this system before you need to use it!
Here's an example written by AMGA Rock Guide Derek DeBruin (shared with permission), with the fictional Maria and Jorge on a multi-pitch climb.
“Maria reaches the top of the pitch and secures herself to the anchor. Because they suspected the possibility of poor communication, Jorge and Maria agreed in advance to use only the necessary formal verbal commands. As Maria is secured to the anchor, she shouts, “Off belay!”
Unfortunately, Jorge is unable to hear this command. However, he knows that there are only two reasons that he might need to feed rope to the leader. Either Maria is still leading, or she has arrived at the belay stance and is pulling up excess rope. Since Jorge is unsure which is the case, he simply continues belaying until he reaches his end of the rope. As he did not hear Maria issue the “off belay” command, he has no reason to affirm this command. Instead, he skips this and simply proceeds to the next command, “Maria, that’s me!” He then removes his belay device from the rope. (The device is no longer needed because the rope is tight on his harness.)
Maria has pulled the rope until it is tensioned and thinks she hears Jorge shout a command to her, but she’s not positive. Regardless, her next step is clear: put Jorge on belay. She does so promptly and shouts, “On Belay!”
Meanwhile, down below, Jorge is diligently waiting to climb. Prior to starting the climb, Maria and Jorge agreed to a 30 second waiting period. After shouting, “Maria, that’s me!” Jorge waits 30 seconds and then removes himself from the anchor to begin climbing. He does this knowing that Maria will promptly put him on belay after the rope is tensioned, a task that should take no more than 30 seconds. Jorge and Maria could have agreed to any amount of time they felt appropriate; again the prior agreement is the important thing.
After the agreed upon amount of time, Jorge bellows, “Climbing!” and makes a couple moves. He has one last chance to make sure that he is on some form of belay. He’s making sure the rope is travelling up, in the characteristic progression of a belay cycle. In this sequence, Jorge and Maria have accepted that it might also be possible that Maria is not actually belaying. It is possible that she is still leading, and the team is now accidentally simul-climbing. Even though this may be scary and hopefully avoidable, Jorge and Maria understand that Jorge will have to climb in that scenario, even if he’s not on belay. What choice does he have?
Meanwhile, back at the top of the pitch, Maria cannot hear Jorge, but she can feel the slack in the rope he generates by climbing. She pulls the rope through the belay system and after a few feet of movement is sure Jorge must be climbing. As a confirmation, she yells, “Climb on!”
Notes . . .
Talk about this method with your partner BEFORE you think you might need it. Partners need to be in agreement. A 10 second discussion can save you from a very stressful and potentially dangerous communication breakdown.
One option for the leader is to put the second on belay with an plaquette style device BEFORE pulling up the slack rope. This is going to be a bit inconvenient if there is a lot of rope at the top, and it's not standard practice. But it does add a little extra insurance, and allows the second to start climbing pretty much the moment the rope goes tight on them. Again, a factor to agree on before you need it!
Have a close look at the route topo; what does the next pitch look like? Consider wind speed, pitch length and/or route going out of sight. Any one of these can make it impossible to hear a verbal belay call; two or more of these factors and you're more likely to have difficulties.
As the belayer, you need to watch for clues of what’s happening above. One, if you know the rope has gone out for the approximate known length of the pitch, and you notice that the rope has stopped moving for a few minutes, you can be pretty darn sure that your partner is in the process of building an anchor. If, after this pause, the rope quickly starts to be pulled up, your Sherlock Skills should deduce that the leader is pulling up slack, and you are about to be put on belay. You can be even more certain of this if you know the pitch length; if you know the pitch is 40 meters, and the leader has pulled up 60 meters of rope until it’s tight on you, you can be 99% sure they are at the anchor and are just about to put you on belay. Keep an eye on the middle mark of the rope, and use that to help estimate how much rope is out. (This assumes bolted anchors. For alpine climbing when you're building your own gear anchors, this guideline may not apply.)
Be cautious linking pitches. It seems trendy in some circles to link pitches together, especially if you're itching to use that new 80 meter rope you just got. However, linking pitches has several downsides. In addition to increased rope drag, having to carry a bigger rack, and maybe not having all the gear you need, another big problem is increasing the likelihood of the usual verbal commands not working. If you are going to link pitches or run out the rope, be sure to agree on a backup communication plan. (Might be a good time for a 2 way radio, more on that below)
Improved verbal calls. Verbal comms can work even in a challenging environment. A few tips:
Yell LOUDLY and direct your voice downward to your partner, not outward.
In alpine climbing, you can often choose where to build your anchor. Consider using shorter pitches to be sure you’re heard.
If possible, extend your clove hitch tether to the anchor a bit, which may let you lean around the corner and perhaps have line of sight with your partner.
What about rappelling?
A silent way to signal “off rappel” is for rappeller to grab both rope strands and pull them back-and-forth through the anchor. This does a couple of things. 1) It’s a clear and obvious symbol that they are off rappel, and 2) it does a sort of “test pull” of the ropes and can show the remaining person up top where there might be a snag so they can hopefully deal with it..
The one downside to this method is that it doesn’t work if the top person has pre-rigged their rappel. Like climbing, and in life, pros and cons to just about everything.
Other options . . .
Rope pull signals
As the saying goes, they work great, until they don't. Rope pull signals can work quite well in favorable conditions, like relatively little rope drag, the pitch goes more or less in a straight line, there aren't cracks or protrusions where the rope might get hung up, etc.
Some folks try out a system that initially sounds pretty clever, with different numbers of pulls meaning different things. However, if you pull four times but your partner down below only feels two or three, which may have a completely different meaning, then the potential for serious miscommunication should be obvious. Avoid any system like this.
The pull signal that I used for quite a long time is this: Once the leader is safe, they built an anchor, they pulled up slack rope and they put the second on belay, then they pull on the rope as hard as they can five or six times. If the person down below only feels two or three, that’s all the signal they need to start climbing. Most of the time this works quite well, but I had it not work a few times when there was lots of rope drag. I think the “silent system” is better.
Radios
For a more technical solution, short-range FRS radios are Increasingly popular. Some newer models have beefier construction, better electronics, and are a big improvement over the ones you may have used 10+ years ago.
However, radios come with their own problems, such as high cost, batteries that can die, one extra thing to remember to bring along and take care of, and sometimes a hassle to carry on your harness. In some scenarios, such as with multiple partners, very long pitches, ski touring or big wall climbing, they can definitely be useful. However, as a default solution, it's not my first choice.
Block leading - don’t “trap” the leader
When climbing in blocks, where one person leads several pitches in a row, it's important to rig the anchor so the leader can easily unclip and continue. A good way to do this: use an extra locker to connect to the master point carabiner, rather than cloving directly to it.
When block leading, the same person leads several pitches in a row. (As opposed to swinging leads, when you alternate leads with your partner.)
Consider this anchor scenario (left photo): The leader arrives at the belay, and clips themselves directly to the master point carabiner (purple) with a clove hitch. Then, they put their second on belay with a Grigri, which is also clipped to the master point carabiner.
This is fine for swinging leads, but . . .
Can you see the (small) problem here when block leading?
How can you prevent the issue by rigging slightly differently?
Whoops, how is the leader going to remove that clove hitch without deconstructing most of the anchor? They can’t. (Ask me how I know this is a problem; I’ve done it!)
By cloving directly to the master carabiner, the leader has essentially “trapped” themselves. Even if they did clove themselves on the gate side instead of the spine side, they would still have to open the masterpoint carabiner, which is less than ideal.
When using a master point carabiner like this, it's good to think of it as being ‘“welded” closed; once it's shut, it doesn't get opened again until the anchor is completely broken down.
(Admittedly, this is a minor mistake and not a lethal one, but it’s annoying and usually takes a few unnecessary shenanigans to decluster it.)
A better rigging choice is shown on the right.
Here, the leader uses one extra locker to clove to the master carabiner. This allows them to easily unclip and continue to lead, without being trapped in the system, and without opening the master carabiner.
In most cases, clipping in like this with one extra locker is usually a better choice, because it gives you more options for general rigging and declustering unexpected situations.
For example, when you agreed to swing leads, but your partner arrives at the anchor and says “Hey, how about you keep on going, I’m tired . . .”
Other concerns, issues?
I know there are some anchor Polizei who are gonna get their feathers ruffled because the second is not belayed next to the spine of the carabiner. IMHO, it's nothing to worry about. The largest possible load when bringing up your second is going to be 2-3 kN; no possible way the carabiner could be damaged from that.
Concerned about three-way loading on the carabiner? It's fine. Carabiners loaded like this have been tested to break at about 17 kN, WAY more then you're ever gonna put on it and a recreational climbing context. Check out the photo below from Black Diamond.
Lower from a plaquette - transfer load to Munter
If you're using a guide plate belay device such as a Petzl Reverso, it's important to know how to lower your partner if needed. There are various ways to do this, and some of them are rather complicated. Provided your second can give you a momentary bit of slack, here's a simple way to transfer the load from your device onto a Munter hitch.
Photo credit: diagram by Andy Kirkpatrick, used with permission. From his excellent book “Down”, highly recommended!
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
If you use a plaquette style belay device such as the Petzl Reverso or Black Diamond ATC Guide, it’s important to know how to lower someone if needed.
There are many ways to do this. Lots of them are somewhat complicated, and can increase the risk of accidentally dropping your partner, so learning one or two techniques inside and out is important.
Here’s a lesser known, but simple, way lower from a plaquette - transfer the load from your belay device to a Munter hitch. (It's similar to the Load Strand Direct or “LSD” lower, which we cover in this article.)
This method requires that your second can give you a tiny bit of slack for just a moment, which should be possible the vast majority of the time.
Tie a third hand/autoblock backup to the brake strand. (Adding a “catastrophe knot” a bit further down your brake strand is a fine idea as well.)
Clip an HMS locking carabiner to the anchor.
Tie a Munter hitch in the brake strand and clip it the HMS carabiner.
Ask your struggling second for just a few cm of slack, for a moment. When you get it, it unclip the blocking carabiner from your plaquette. Nice! The load smoothly goes from the plaquette onto the Munter, and you’re ready to lower.
Photo credit: Andy Kirkpatrick, From his GREAT book “Down”,
Finally, here's a nice video that shows the technique. (Demo starts about 1:20)
How to (almost) never drop your belay device
Your belay device is a crucial piece of gear, and you don't want to drop it. Keep the device clipped to your harness pretty much all the time, and only unclip it for a moment when loading and unloading the rope.
A classic beginner mistake (which I did for, ahem, a rather long time!) is to remove your belay device from your harness, hold it out in front of you when loading or unloading the rope, and then re-clipping it to your belay loop. If you do this, all you need is a moment of fumblefingers and you're going to drop your device, whoops! (Hope you know how to belay / rappel with a Munter hitch or do a carabiner brake rappel . . .)
I'd like to think that most people would learn the correct method on their very first day of climbing, but, based on the embarrassingly long time that I did this wrong myself, and the number of people I still see doing this incorrectly, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
(A possible contributing factor to sloppy technique are the many people learning to climb in rock gyms using Grigris that are more or less permanently attached to the rope, which makes them impossible to drop, or steal.)
(More experienced climbers reading this are probably rolling their eyes at this basic tip, but if you already do this as second nature, feel free to click on to something else . . . )
A better approach: Keep your device (pretty much) connected to your harness when loading and unloading the rope. Yes, with the carabiner gate facing left is shown here, you do need to unclip it from the rope for a brief moment. When you do this you can pay full attention and hold your belay device firmly with your left hand.
Doing this makes it just about impossible to drop.
The demo here is with a Grigri, but the same principle applies for a tube style device.
Clip the Grigri to your belay loop.
As a right hander, hold the Grigri firmly in your left hand, unclip it from the carabiner for just a moment, slide the top plate up with your left thumb, and then immediately reclip the bottom half of the Grigri to your belay loop. Let go of the Grigri. The bottom plate is securely clipped and the top plate should be hanging free.
Now you can load the rope, carefully checking that it's loaded correctly.
Once again holding the Grigri firmly in your left hand, unclip it from the carabiner for a moment, slide the top plate down with your left thumb, and then immediately re-clip it to your belay loop.
The rope is now loaded correctly, and both holes of the Grigri are clipped to your harness. Ready to climb.
Reverse this to unload the rope, as shown in the video below.
A couple of questions/comments I've heard about this method . . .
What about using a keeper cord on the Grigri? Some people find them useful, but I find they get in the way and snag on things. By paying attention and using this technique, you should never need the cord.
What about facing the carabiner gate to the right instead of the left; that way you never really have to take to Grigri completely off the carabiner? That might work for people with superb coordination or who are left handed. As right hander, I always have my belay carabiner gate facing to the left so I can open the carabiner more easily, so that's how I set it up. If it works for you facing right, go for it.
Does the same technique work with a tube style device? Yes. Personally, I use the exact same method: carabiner gate facing left, grip the device firmly with my left hand, open the carabiner gate for just a split second, clip the wire from the device and both rope strands, and then re-clip.
There’s a related method that some people prefer that allows you to keep the wire on your device pretty much on the carabiner the entire time. After loading the rope into your device, you can push the two strands off to the left next to the gate, open the gate, clip the strands, and the wire stays on the carabiner all the time. There is a second or two when the gate is open and you could theoretically fumble it and drop it, but it's very unlikely.
See photos below. You can use your right thumb to hold the wire in place when you open the gate.
To me, both these methods offer a comparable level of security, try each one and see which works best for you. Bigger picture, keep in mind the thing we generally want to avoid: removing your device entirely from your harness and holding it out in front of you to load or unload the rope.
Here's a short video that shows how it's done. Again, the same concept applies to just about any flavor of belay device.
Try a "D" carabiner with your Grigri
Because the rope never touches your carabiner when you use a Grigri (or any similar assisted braking device), you can pretty much use any kind of carabiner you like. In fact, Petzl suggests that you don’t use an HMS carabiner.
Out of habit, many climbers always reach for a large, pear shaped, “HMS” belay carabiner anytime they are belaying. (In case you’re wondering what “HMS” means, it’s an acronym for the German, “Halbmastwurf sicherung”, which loosely translates as “Munter hitch belay” carabiner.
However, when using a Grigri (or many similar assisted braking devices) the rope never touches the carabiner. This means you can use pretty much any kind of locker you like. In terms of saving weight, having compact gear, and most importantly the carabiner behaving and staying in proper alignment, using a “D” carabiner may actually be a better choice.
In fact, Petzl recommends it. From the always informative Petzl website:
“Beware of pear-shaped carabiners, which in this application have a tendency to rotate and often become poorly positioned.”
Check out the carabiner recommendations below in this graphic from Petzl. Noticeably absent are the two large HMS carabiners from Petzl, the William and the Attache. (Of course, there are loads of other carabiners from other manufacturers that can be used with a Grigri; I'm using this nice diagram as an example.)
Personally, I’m a fan of the Petzl Sm’D (shown in photo at the top of page.)
To be clear, I’m not saying it's dangerous or incorrect to use an HMS carabiner with a Grigri. However, a “D” carabiner might give you slightly better performance, and be more in line with Petzl’s guidelines.
image: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/Choice-of-carabiner-for-attaching-a-GRIGRI-to-the-harness
Here are a few more specialized carabiners that can work well with a Grigri.
Two methods for faster belay transitions
On longer multi pitch routes, efficient belay changeovers can save a surprising amount of time. Here are two elegant ways to do this.
Having a simple and consistent method for belay changeovers, clearly understood by both partners, can really speed up multi pitch climbing. Here are two approaches, each offering a secure, speedy, and simple method to swap leads, with a minimum of gear and futzing around.
For this example, let’s assume:
A climbing team of Heidi and Hans, on a multi pitch route, where the partners are swapping leads every pitch.
Each climber has a plaquette style belay device (such as a DMM Pivot, Petzl Reverso or ATC Guide), and each climber has two designated locking carabiners to use with this device.
The second is belayed directly from the master point of the anchor.
They have reasonable ledges to stand on, not a full hanging belay.
The belayer is belaying the leader from their belay loop and not using a fixed point belay directly from the anchor.
Method #1 - Transfer the belay device from the anchor to the belay loop
Heidi leads pitch 1, builds an anchor, puts Hans on belay, and belays him up.
Hans arrives at the anchor, secures himself to the anchor with a clove hitch and calls off belay.
Key move: Heidi unclips the the belay device from the anchor master point, slides it down the rope, and clips what was the blocking carabiner to her belay loop. The rope never needs to come out of the belay device, slick!
Heidi ties an overhand on a bight / backup knot below her belay device to go hands free, and helps Hans rack for his lead.
When Hans is ready, he unties his clove hitch and begins leading pitch 2.
Method #2 - Exchange belay devices after each pitch
No video for this one, so you’ll have to follow a description. It takes a while to explain it in words, but in real life it’s faster than it might sound. :-)
Heidi leads pitch 1, builds an anchor, puts Hans on belay, and belays him up.
When Hans arrives at the anchor, he’s secured by Heidi‘s plaquette and the dynamic rope. There’s no need for Hans to search for a spare carabiner, use a personal tether/PAS to connect to the anchor, clove hitch his rope to anything, etc.
Heidi ties an backup / overhand on a bight in her brake strand, which lets her to go hands-free. She starts passing her remaining gear to Hans, who racks it for his lead on pitch 2.
Key move: exchange belay devices. As Hans is racking for the next pitch, Heidi takes the belay device and two locking carabiners from Han’s harness. She clips his device to her belay loop and puts Hans on lead belay for his upcoming pitch. The rope is (hopefully) already neatly stacked with Han’s end on top.
Hans is now secured by both belay devices: one from Heidi‘s harness, and one connected to the anchor master point.
Hans is racked up and ready to lead pitch 2. Hans unties the backup knot below the plaquette on the anchor. After clear communication with Heidi that he’s on lead belay and she's ready for him to climb, Hans removes the plaquette and the two locking carabiners from the anchor master point, and clips them to his harness. Hans heads out, completes pitch 2, and uses Heidi‘s belay device and her carabiners in the same way to belay her up.
They repeat this until they get to the top of the route. (And of course, make sure you check your harness and give all gear back to its rightful owner when you’re done.)
Redirect the Grigri brake strand for extra friction
If you're using a Grigri or similar device on a top rope belay, and you have a heavy partner, small diameter, and/or wet/icy rope, sometimes you need additional friction. Here’s an easy way to do that - redirect the brake strand through a second carabiner.
When top rope belaying with a Grigri or similar auto locking belay device, you may find you need extra friction when lowering. This could be due to lowering a heavy partner, skinny rope, slippery rope sheath, wet/icy rope, cold hands, gloves, or some combination of the above.
One crafty way to do this is to redirect the brake strand through a second locking carabiner clipped to your belay loop.
You can use a normal locking carabiner to do this, or the more specialized (and expensive, and strange looking) Petzl Freino carabiner, which has a secondary “braking spur” designed specifically for rope redirect and extra friction when belaying or rappelling a single rope strand.
IMAGE: HTTPS://WWW.REI.COM/MEDIA/PRODUCT/716219
Like with all lowering techniques, the effectiveness of this depends greatly on the variables mentioned above: rope diameter, how slippery the sheath is, if the rope is wet / icy, weight of your partner, etc. Practice in a controlled environment before you try it in the real world.
Karsten posted two nice photos on his Instagram, which pretty much sums it up.
Method 1 - SOME extra friction - brake strand redirected through the gold locking carabiner.
photo: instagram.com/karstendelap/
Method 2 - a LOT of extra friction, with the brake strand redirected through the locking carabiner AND passed back over the Grigri.
photo: instagram.com/karstendelap/
3+ ways to avoid factor 2 falls on multipitch routes
You finish pitch 1 on a multi-pitch route, look up, and see some hard moves right off the belay to start pitch 2. Here are several ways to safeguard your belay and prevent a possible factor 2 fall.
This tip was written with the assistance of Richard Goldstone, thanks Richard!
image: German Alpine Club
Scenario: You’re on a multi-pitch sport route, leading the first pitch. You arrive at the anchor bolts, and look up ahead to the next pitch. You notice that the moves to get to the runout-rather-far-away first bolt on pitch 2 look pretty hard, about at the the edge of your partner’s ability.
Avoiding a potential factor 2 fall on your anchor is of course critically important. How can you do this?
Assuming you have a few meters of rope left after your lead, here's a Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) that may make things quite a bit safer for everybody.
Don't stop at the anchor. Clip one of the bolts with a quickdraw, and keep on climbing to the first bolt on the second pitch. Check to see that it’s stout. BACKCLIP it (see diagram), call for a take and lower, and lower back down to the belay. Now build your anchor and bring your partner up. You will probably be belaying off of your belay loop (not directly off the anchor), with the rope to your follower redirected through the first bolt on pitch 2.
(According to the image, this may be known in Germany as a “plus clip”; Can any European climbers verify this?)
So, how does this reduce your risk?
The rope is now already clipped through the first bolt on pitch 2. When you swap leads and your partner begins pitch 2, they begin climbing with a “toprope” through the first bolt. (Note, because you backclipped and lowered, when your second gets up to the bolt, the rope will be in the correct orientation through the carabiner. So clever!)
This is a good thing for everybody, because now they can never take a factor 2 fall on to the anchor. (If YOU had fallen when you climbed to this bolt on the second pitch, it should be no problem, because you would have had a large amount of rope in the system to absorb the force.)
And, assuming you’re swinging leads, there’s another small benefit. There's no moving the belay device from one position into another, it stays on your harness in the same configuration, which is a minor time savings and one less thing to do at the belay transition.
Now, the obvious potential downside to this, as with any redirected belay, is that if for any reason that upper bolt were to fail when you are bringing up your second, it's going to introduce an amount of slack two times the distance to that first bolt. That’s probably going to cause one hell of a drop and shock load! In addition, the redirect has introduced a pulley effect on the top bolt. Granted, any bolt in a reasonably decent condition should be able to hold this force just fine.
If you keep a pretty snug rope on your second to minimize any slack, the top bolt should not take any kind of significant load, but it's still something to keep in mind. Even so, you probably should not do this when you’re trad climbing.
If you're not too excited about redirecting through that top bolt, keep on reading, there's a solution.
Now, if you forget to do a “plus clip”, or don't like the condition of the bolts and choose not to, you still have a few options.
The “chariot belay”
Lower yourself below the anchor with at least 3 meters of rope and have the climber clip the anchor as the first piece. Doing this puts more rope between the belayer and leader, eliminating the chance of a factor 2 fall. This is referred to by some as a “chariot belay”.
Keep in mind the chariot belay has a few downsides:
It might involve some tricky rope work, both for you to lower yourself and for you to get back up when it's time to start climbing, depending on the terrain. A prusik loop or Tibloc might be helpful to ascend the rope.
The terrain below your anchor might make this impractical, such as if the anchor is just above an overhang.
It's going to put some potentially large forces on your anchor. You have the force of the falling climber countered by the belayer holding the fall, which creates a 2:1 pulley effect on the anchor. Yes, you've technically avoided a factor 2 by having more rope out, but you're increasing the force on your anchor, which the thing you want to avoid in the first place.
In this case, it's probably best to do a fixed point belay. This solution does not prevent a factor 2, but it gives you a much greater chance of catching the fall, along with less force going onto your anchor. The fixed point lead belay is a new concept for many people, we cover it extensively here.
image credit: Derek DeBruin http://staff.weber.edu/derekdebruin/fixedpointbelay/Fixed%20Point%20Belaying%20Slides.pdf
Tie a “catastrophe knot” so you don't drop your leader
The second pitch goes straight up off of the belay. If the leader falls, they could hit the belayer. To be sure you maintain control of the rope if this happens, you can tie a “catastrophe knot” clove hitch in the brake strand of the rope, as we cover in this tip here. This does not prevent a factor 2 fall, but it's probably going to keep you from dropping your climber to the ground. (Yes, this has happened, in one tragic and fatal accident I know about at Smith Rock in Oregon.) But, that's why you do whatever you can to avoid the factor 2 in the first place, right?)
The Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) described below comes from the excellent book, “The Mountain Guide Manual”, by Mark Chavin and Rob Coppolillo. Highly recommended!
Here’s one more option. This is a clever rigging method that avoids the redirect / pulley effect from belaying your second through the high bolt, but still makes it available for a “top rope” through the first bolt on pitch 2.
You start things exactly as you did before for the “plus clip”: climb past the anchor, backclip the first bolt on the next pitch, and lower back to the anchor.
This time, rather than re-directing your belay through the high bolt, you tie a “Big Honkin’ Knot” (aka “BHK”, double strand overhand on a bight) through both strands of the rope going to and from the high bolt. This makes a double-stranded bight knot with two loops, which you then clip into the anchor. (You can also tie a clove hitch on the strand of the rope returning from the top bolt, and clip that onto your anchor.)
You now belay your second normally directly off of the anchor in front of you, NOT redirecting through the high bolt.
When your second arrives at the anchor, you untie the BHK or clove, pull through the entire rope through the top bolt until it goes tight on your partner (yes, this is a bit of a hassle) , and then put them on lead belay. They are now “top roping” through the first bolt on pitch 2 just as above, eliminating any possibility of a factor 2 fall.
Yeah, this might be a little hard to visualize, but go set it up in the rock gym or in a tree in your backyard or something and you'll figure it out pretty fast.
See the book below for a few illustrations on how to do this, pgs. 35-36. (There’s a LOT of other first class material in this book as well, highly recommended! Go buy it now!)
Reminder, Alpinesavvy does not have any advertisements, affiliate links or paid product reviews. I only recommend this book because I think it's great, not because I make any money because you buy it.
Lowering a climber - reasons and methods
There are times when lowering, rather than rappelling, is a smarter way to get down a route. Learn of some of the scenarios when this might be a smart move, and several common ways to set it up.
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of an experienced climber, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
Scenario:
You and your partner have topped out on the classic West Ridge of Forbidden Peak in the Washington Cascades. Now it’s time to descend; a series of short rappels and down climbing the low 5th class ridge. Problem is, the wind is ripping and you see all kinds of rope-eating blocks ready to entangle your rappel rope if you toss it in the normal manner.
This is a good time to think about lowering your partner.
If the first climber down is lowered on one strand, with the other rope end clipped to a locker on their belay loop, there is minimal chance of the rope hanging up anywhere, causing a spaghetti pile halfway down, or blowing into some rope-eating rock crevice.
Lowering can also be a Good Idea when:
If you have an injured climber who might be unable to rappel on their own.
Climbing with a beginner who may not know how to safely rappel.
You're climbing at an area that has good access to the top of the cliff (Ouray Ice park, for example), so you can lower the first person to get the rope down.
Someone dropped their belay device, whoops.
Someone wants to take another lap on the route, or try the crux moves a few more times.
Climbing teams below you who might get annoyed if you suddenly drop a rope on their head.
More efficient descending: You and your partner climb a two pitch route. If you can lower one person to the ground from the top of the second pitch, then the second person can make two rappels. (If you're counting, that's one lower and two rappels, instead of four rappels.) In certain circumstances, and depending on the skill level of your partner, this might be faster and decrease the risk.
If you’re rapping into unknown terrain where the location of the next anchor is uncertain. If the next anchor down is farther than half of your rope, you need to do some crafty rope tricks to get there. It's much better to figure this out while you’re on a safe top rope than from dangling at the very end of your rappel ropes! The first person down may need to pendulum to locate a good anchor spot, and this is much easier to do when you can use both hands. Also, If the first person down is lowered a little too far past the anchors, hopefully they can climb back up on belay, rather than doing a rather complicated rope trick of transitioning from rappel to ascending the rope. Communication between partners is of course very important when doing this. Consider using hand signals to avoid yelling.
Notes:
This is best done with a single rope rappel.
The climber being lowered can bring both ends of the rope with them as they are lowered.
Communication needs to be rock solid between the partners, because of course you don’t want to lower the first climber past the anchor. But on many alpine routes you want to be doing short rappels anyway to minimize the possibility of a rope getting stuck, so communication is often easier because you’re closer together.
Lowering is best used when you and your partner can clearly see one another.
Avoid having the rope run over any sharp edges.
Using an autoblock third hand backup is strongly recommended.
Remember to close the rope system by having the top climber tied in to the end, or at least a solid stopper knot.
Having a middle mark on the rope is especially helpful so you (hopefully don't have to) lower them past halfway. If your rope does not have a clear middle mark, find where it is by flaking from the ends and slap on some tape to make a temporary one.
Here are several common ways to rig a lower:
Munter hitch
Redirected plate device
Redirected Grigri
1 - Munter hitch
Probably the simplest way is to tie a Munter hitch on the anchor master point and lower off of that. Add an autoblock friction hitch to the brake strand and attach it to your belay loop as a “third hand” backup. Note that lowering from a Munter hitch can put some mean twists in your rope! To help minimize this, try to keep the brake strand parallel with the loaded strand.
Photo: Left, good technique with the load strand more or less parallel with the brake strand. Right, holding the brake strand out to one side can introduce twists to your rope.
2 - Redirected plate device
This is slightly more complicated to set up, but offers solid advantages. No rope twist. Excellent friction and control. No pulley effect increasing force on the anchor. Easy to lock up and go hands free if need be. And, although it looked like it might twist your rope, it (generally) doesn't.
Let's look at a few different ways to rig a redirected plate.
Here's one of the simplest. Because the device is oriented downward, we have to redirect the brake strand through something, otherwise you're just running a rope around a carabiner with zero added friction.
(Side note: if you accidentally clip the LOAD strand rather than the BRAKE strand back into the carabiner, your mistake will be instantly obvious as the device will get sucked up into the carabiner and do all kinds of weirdness. You’ll probably only make this mistake once . . .
It's easiest to simply take the brake strand and clip it to some higher component of the anchor. A third hand auto block, clipped to your harness, is a highly recommended backup.
I find it easiest to set this up by holding the belay device in front of me (just as if I were lowering someone off my harness) threading it with the load strand on the correct side, and THEN clipping the device onto the anchor.
Note: if you're redirecting it to the shelf of an anchor, be careful that the moving rope is not running over sling or cord.
If you're short on locking carabiners to redirect the strand up high, or the anchor does not have a convenient higher clipping point, you can also use the same carabiner that the device is clipped to, as shown in the photo and video below. (This can misbehave a little bit depending on which strand of the tube the rope goes through, the shape of the carabiner, and a few other variables. I recommend practicing with this one a lot if you think you want to use it, and as a first option, go with the method shown above.)
Here’s an Instagram video by AMGA certified Rock Guide Cody Bradford that shows the method.
Here's another way to rig a redirected plate device - with am offset quad anchor. This is tied like a regular quad, only with a pair of loops at two different heights rather than having them all the same height. With this offset, it gives you a perfect place to clip your file plate on the lower loop, and the redirect carabiner on the upper loop. Learn more about the offsite quad here. Here's a photo from the article:
Here's an efficiency tip: If you’re lowering the first person from a rappel anchor and the second also needs to rappel (which is highly likely), you can save time by pre-threading the rope through the hardware, and then setting up the redirected lower. By doing this, when the first person has reached the lower anchor, the second person will already have the rope threaded and be ready to go on rappel.
Note how the belay device is attached to the carabiner. You clip the rope through the device just like you were belaying from your harness. You do NOT set it up in guide mode, like you would to bring up your second.
At first glance, you might think this is wearing out the anchor hardware, but that in fact is not the case. All of the load is on the belay device, and the brake strand without any tension is passing through the hardware.
Here's a short Instagram video on how to set this up from AMGA Certified Rock Guide Cody Bradford. (I can’t embed this on my website, you'll have to use the link.) In the video, note the very Crafty Rope Trick of using the backside of the leaders clove hitch to connect the second, which enables their rope and to be untied and threaded.
Here's a nice video from Smile Mountain Guides showing the redirected plate lowering technique. (Start at about 8:10.)
3 - Redirected Grigri
The redirected Grigri works on a similar principle to the redirected plate. The brake strand must be redirected through some higher component of the anchor to provide adequate lowering friction.
If you’ve seen the odd looking Petzl “Freino” carabiner, and wondered what it's for, this is it - an easy additional friction point. If you’re guiding and lowering people from a Grigri a lot, it might be worthwhile to get this specialized and expen$ive carabiner. (I don't have one, so no action photos.)
image: https://www.rei.com/media/product/716219
For the rest of us, you can do the same thing with a simple redirect - here, with the brake strand clipped through the wire gate carabiner. Be sure and rig the Grigri so the handle is facing out from the rock, and the camming action of the Grigri is not impeded by rubbing against the rock.
Need to lower from an ATC guide? Try the "LSD"
Belaying directly from the anchor with a plaquette style belay device like an ATC Guide has one significant drawback - it's difficult to lower your second if you need to. But with this Crafty Rope Trick, it's no problemo - all you need is some LSD.
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
This tip is from a few great sources: IFMGA Guide Karsten Delap, book from Marc Chauvin and Rob Coppolillo, “The Mountain Guide Manual”, and a video from AMGA Rock Guide Cody Bradford
Black Diamond ATC guide, a “plaquette” style belay device.
Plaquette style belay devices like the Black Diamond ATC Guide and Petzl Reverso are great, allowing smooth rappels, to be rigged as an ascender, and to autolock when belaying your second. But they do have one major drawback - if you need to lower your second, it's generally not safe, easy, nor intuitive to do so.
Doing this incorrectly has led to numerous accidents; read about one of them here.
Here’s a Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) that's about the easiest method you’ll find to lower your second off of a plaquette. Note that this does not require any seldom used, hard-to-remember rescue geek knots like the Munter Mule Overhand (MMO), nor any sudden unweighting of the belay device that might cause your second to wish they wore their brown pants that day.
Plus, it has a great name - the “LSD” or “Load Strand Direct” lower.
Note: this method does require your follower to unweight the rope for a moment and give you a small bit of slack. In just about every climbing situation, this will be possible. Even so, I can already hear the peanut gallery out there, yelping “OMG, what if they’re unconscious! What if they fell on a traverse and are hanging out in space or on a 5.15 blank wall?” True, in those two scenarios this not going to work. However, those two situations are so incredibly unlikely to happen, it's certainly safe to learn this as your primary lowering technique. And, be smart about it - if your second might have a chance to swing out into space, you should probably be belaying with some other method all together, like with a Munter hitch, which is super easy to lower on anytime. (Or use a DMM Pivot belay device, which greatly simplifies the lowering process.)
And, if they REALLY can’t give you any slack, there is another way to do it with a redirected sling, check the video link below.
Safety note: Depending on a few factors, this technique can significantly reduce the friction from your belay device. As mentioned, be sure and practice in a controlled environment such as a stairway to see how it works, and consider tying an overhand on a bight catastrophe knot maybe 20 feet below you when you start to lower, in case you misjudged. As mentioned, always have a third hand back up, and gloves are recommended.
Typically, this technique is used to lower someone a short distance, not the entire length of a pitch. If you want to lower your second a very long way, a better setup may be to redirect the brake strand rather than the load strand. Learn how to do that in this article.
Okay, let's get to it.
Scenario: You’re belaying your second directly off the anchor from a plaquette style belay device. For whatever reason, they need to be lowered (after they’ve reached the top of the pitch, or from anywhere else, 2 feet or 200 feet.) Here's what you do.
1 - Tie a quick overhand or figure 8 on a bight as a backup knot in the brake strand of the rope.
2 - Put a prusik, autoblock or similar friction hitch on the brake strand, and clip it to your belay loop with a locking carabiner. This friction hitch will back up your brake hand when you start to lower in a moment. This is important, don't skip it.
3 - Untie your overhand or figure 8 backup knot.
4 - Clip a spare carabiner (non-locker is fine) to the anchor master point, with the gate opening facing down. Note that this carabiner needs to be the same size or smaller than the carabiner that’s holding your belay device.
5 - When all this is set up and double checked, ask your second to unweight the rope for a moment. Doing this will cause a little slack in the load strand. Pull up this slack rope, and clip the load strand through the new carabiner on the master point. (Load Strand , clipped Direct to the anchor, = “LSD”, get it?)
6 - Normally with a plaquette, the rope leading to the second exits the device at the top. When the rope is weighted, it presses down on the strand underneath it, locking the rope. By clipping the loaded strand higher on the anchor, it's no longer pressing down on the bottom strand, so the rope is now “unlocked”. Slowly let out slack from the brake strand of the rope, backed up with the friction hitch. You should be able to lower your partner slowly and in control.
You definitely want to practice this in a controlled environment before doing it for real on the rock. The friction might be less than what you’re used to, and you need to be ready for that.
There are lots of factors that can affect how fast the lower is, such as rope diameter, whether the rope sheath is new and slippery or old and crusty, the weight of your climber, the amount of rock/snow your rope is running through causing additional friction, the carabiners you’re using, and other variables. That's why you have the friction hitch backup; if the load starts to move too quickly and your palms are smoking, that hitch is there to stop things in a moment. Wear gloves if you have them. Practice in a controlled environment (like a staircase) before you ever do it for real. If the lower is faster than what you like, you can redirect the brake strand through a carabiner on your rope tie in point, which will add additional friction and slow down the lower.
Here’s the sequence.
Our second is on a standard plaquette belay directly off the anchor. (In this example, the second is directly at the anchor. In reality, the second could be anywhere along the length of the pitch, needing to get lowered.)
Step 1 - Add a third hand / autoblock, and clip it to your belay loop.
Step 2 - Add a second carabiner to the master point. (Non locker is fine.)
Ask your climber to give you a few inches of slack. Clip this slack rope into the carabiner you just added. You’re now ready to lower.
Here's a nice video of the whole sequence in action.
And here’s a video from AMGA Certified Guide Cody Bradford showing a simple technique to use the LSD lower even if the rope is fully weighted.
Transformers! Your ATC belay device is also an ascender
Your ATC Guide or similar plaquette-style belay device is of course great for belay and rappel, but can also be rigged as an ascender. Learn how here.
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of an experienced climber, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
First off, a few disclaimers and cautionary notes . . .
Using a belay device in this manner is not explicitly approved by any manufacturer, as far as I know. Alpinesavvy offers ideas and information, not advice. Use this at your own risk. Instruction from a qualified professional is highly recommended when learning any new belay technique.
This technique can fail if you use a skinny rope and a large belay device!
I was easily able to put this into failure mode with a single strand rappel using an old style Black Diamond ATC Guide, and an 8 mm rope. Under even a small load, the rope strands can become inverted. This causes them to either jam together and you can't move the rope at all, or even worse, the strands become reversed, and you will fall / slide under load. Be sure and test this under a controlled environment with your preferred rope and belay device before you ever try it for real! (This is why you should never use a device like this to rope solo.)
If using a skinny rope, be extra careful! Matching your ropes to the proper size belay device is always important, especially in this case. Consider using a device such as the Black Diamond ATC Alpine Guide, specifically made for smaller diameter ropes. You have been warned, be careful!
DMM Pivot belay device
Auto locking plaquette-style belay devices (such as the DMM Pivot, Black Diamond ATC Guide and Petzl Reverso) have become pretty much standard gear. The auto locking feature when belaying your second directly off the anchor has another nifty capability: rope ascender.
Now, you don’t want to use this when you head up a big wall climb, because it does add extra friction and it’s not quite as secure as a dedicated ascending system. But, for improvised rope climbing, such as in a rescue scenario, or if you find you need to ascend a rappel rope for some reason, this is a pretty cool trick.
A few notes . . .
Doing this is WAY better than the old school method of ascending a rope with two prusik loops!
The effectiveness of this system, and the ease that you can ascend, greatly depends on the type of belay device you are using, and the rope diameter, how old/stiff the rope sheath is, and some other variables. Generally, if you have a newer smaller diameter rope with a smoother sheath, this is going to be easier. If you have a newer style belay device made for smaller diameter ropes, and and try this with a stiff sheath 10mm rope, you will have a L O T of friction and hassle pulling the rope through the device.
Practice, practice, practice in a controlled environment before you ever tried this in the real world.
If you’re on lower angle terrain, you might just be able to step up on the rock and pull slack through your device. If it's steeper, you'll probably need to rig some kind of a step for your foot, which I cover in this tip.
There are two possible scenarios where you can set this up.
one starting from a ledge or flat ground or otherwise good stance
when you’re on rappel
Let's look at each one.
Method 1 - Rigging to ascend from a ledge or flat ground
Let’s start with the easiest set up, and assume you are on the ground or a ledge and have a rope you need to climb. This rope can be a single strand or a double strand. (Hopefully this is obvious, but this rope needs to be fixed in some way at the top anchor, either directly tied, or looped through an anchor point like a standard rappel. )
You simply rig your belay device just like you would to belay up your follower directly off the anchor, and clip the “anchor” carabiner to your belay loop. One locking carabiner in the ear, which you would clip to the anchor master point (here, the black one), and one locking carabiner blocking the rope the rope (here, the yellow one).
(Note: this system works a bit better if the rope blocking carabiner is round metal stock, rather than some fancy weight shaving I-beam type construction. The rope slides more easily and there’s a bit less friction on the rounded metal. If you have one, use it, if you don’t, no biggie.)
Standard set up, just like you would for a direct belay from the anchor (black carabiner would clip to masterpoint, yellow carabiner blocks the rope, the strand to the “climber” is always on the top.)
Now, instead of clipping the black carabiner on the anchor, you simply clip it onto your belay loop. Now, if you sit back in your harness, the rope should lock off. Slick!
Method 2 - Rigging to ascend while on rappel
Hopefully this won’t happen very often, but sometimes when rappelling, you need to go back up the rope. Maybe you missed the anchors, or maybe the rope got stuck above you, and you were careless and went below it without untangling the mess. Whatever, it doesn’t really matter, you were rapping down and now you need to climb up. Here’s how to do it.
There’s two different ways this can be rigged. It depends on whether you are rappelling from an extended rappel or from your belay loop . An extended rappel is easier and safer; lots more on extended rappels at this Tip.
Let’s look at each one.
First off, whenever you’re doing any shenanigans like this way off the deck, tie a “catastrophe knot” in the rope below you. This is an overhand on a bight in both strands, clipped to your belay loop. This is insurance; if you screw up any part of the next couple steps, you’re not going to fall to the ground. So do this first. If you were rapping with an auto block, going hands-free to do this is easy. If not, use the old-school Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) of wrapping the rope a few times around your leg to go hands free.
“Catastrophe knot” - Overhand on a bight in both strands, clipped back to your belay loop with a locker.
Note: Both these methods require you unweight your rappel device for a moment. Hopefully you can find some kind of a stance where you can temporarily unweight the rope. If you can’t do this, you’ll have to get creative. Add a short prusik plus a foot loop and standing in it, or use the Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) of wrapping a few loops of rope around your foot and standing up, temporarily unweighting your rappel device.
Note: For clarity, the catastrophe knot backup is not shown in the following photos.
A - Rappelling from an extended rappel (easier and safer method)
An extended rappel makes this method safer, because you do not need to unclip your rappel carabiner as described below in method B. When you do this for the first time, you might actually amaze yourself, because it’s so fast and easy, it almost seems like a magic trick.
The set up shown below, with one single runner, is one of various ways to rig an extended rappel. The extended rappel is covered in depth here.
(For clarity, this photo doesn’t show an auto block third hand backup below the rappel device. If you only have a short way to ascend, you can leave it on. For a longer climb back up the rope, it's probably better to take it off, as shown in the video below. )
1 - Clip a locking carabiner into the “ear” on your rappel device.
2 - Unweight your device using one of the methods mentioned just above, and clip the “ear” onto your belay loop. Note the gold carabiner and yellow rap extension sling stay attached the whole time.
Sweetness, you’re ready to ascend!
Your extension gives you enough slack for the blocking carabiner to properly work. Nice! One more reason to use an extended rappel.
Bonus: one more cool thing about this method is that if you want to transition back into rappel, all you do is reverse the process. Simply unclip the black carabiner from your belay loop and you are back into rappelling position.
Here's a nice instructional video that walks you through this step-by-step.
Here’s a video from AMGA Certified Rock Guide Cody Bradford showing how to do this.
While sadly Cody is no longer with us, his Instagram continues to stay up and is a great source of tips like this, check it out.
B - Rappelling from your belay loop
1 - Clip a locking carabiner to the “ear” of your rappel device.
2 - Unweight your device using one of the methods mentioned just above, and clip the “ear” onto your belay loop.
3 - Carefully, and I mean VERY carefully, unclip your rappel carabiner (here, the gold one) from your belay loop, WITHOUT unclipping the rope. If you unclip the rope at this moment, you are completely unattached to your rappel device, so practice this on the ground and do it VERY carefully!
You DID tie that catastrophe knot, RIGHT? This step is DANGEROUS! Pay ATTENTION!
This sketchy and awkward step is NOT required if you're using an extended rappel, as shown above. (Take the hint, use an extended rappel . . .)
When you're done, it should look like the photo below.
You now have your rappel device in the ascending position.
The importance of a "ground plan"
There are four different things that a leader can do when they reach the top of a pitch. Be sure and agree on which one is going to happen with your partner before you leave the ground, not after.
Clear communication and expectations between partners is a vital aspect of safety when climbing. This can become critically important if voice communication is limited by a long pitch, wind, route going out of sight, or other Less Than Ideal (LTI) circumstances.
Spend some time at the beginner routes at your local climbing area, and you’re bound to hear some conversations like the following:
Excited newbie leader, reaching the anchors on a one pitch sport climb: “Yeah! Wooo! Phew! Belay off!”
Attentive belayer from below: “Are you sure about that? Don’t you want to clip the anchor and lower off?”
Newbie leader: “Oh, hmmm, yeah, right, okay, better keep me on belay. Ready to take? You got me, right?”
Yes, this is a potentially lethal mistake narrowly averted by an attentive belayer. It has happened: distracted leader calls “Belay Off”, their partner obeys, the leader clips the rope into the anchor and thinks they’re going to be lowered, leans back on the rope, and falls to the ground. Yes, awful. And easily averted by about a 10 second conversation on the ground before anybody starts climbing.
There are four different things that a leader can do when they reach the top of a pitch.
(For this discussion, let’s leave out big wall climbing, where the leader would usually fix the rope for the second to ascend.)
lower off
rappel off
belay their partner up to their position
walk off
Before the leader heads up, take a moment on the ground (hence the name) to confirm which one of these four things is going to happen.
Sometimes you can easily eliminate one or several of the options. Is there no way to walk off the route? Well, let’s skip that one. Have you already agreed on a multi pitch climb, and for sure the second is going to come up? Well, then that’s pretty settled as well.
But even a standard one pitch route has some choices to make. The most important one is probably if the last person at the route is going to rappel or be lowered, with lowering usually the preferred option.
Whatever the possibilities, you should have complete agreement as to what's going to happen while on the ground, and not yelling at each other back-and-forth on the cliff.
Now, you can of course change the ground plan later on if for some compelling reason you need to, just to be sure that this change is also clearly communicated to your partner.
Learn to belay with a Munter hitch
A Munter hitch belay might seem old school, but it’s free, weightless, and a good skill to have in the toolbox. And for belaying the second, it has a big advantage over new school “plaquette” style belay devices.
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
At Smith Rock in Central Oregon many years ago, I came across a group of Eastern European climbers working on a hard sport route. They looked a little scruffy from weeks of sleeping out of their car, and their off-brand gear gear was well worn, but the thing that really caught my eye was no belay devices. They were working a 5.13, with the leader taking more than a few falls and takes, with the belayer only using a Munter hitch.
Now, belaying a leader with a Munter hitch is something that hasn’t quite caught on (yet) in the United States. But belaying a second with a Munter is a simple and useful skill that should be in everybody's toolbox.
Why might you want to learn this technique? The most common reason is to belay your second directly off the anchor. Belaying directly off the anchor is usually a preferred technique if your anchor is super strong, as in two bolts, but people typically do it with fancy belay devices like the ATC Guide or Petzl Reverso.
These devices generally work great. But if you ever need to lower someone while the rope is under load, they have the downside of requiring a rather complex, potentially dangerous, and easy to forget sequence of steps, known by some as “defeating the plaquette”. (If you want to learn how to do this, have a look in our video section.)
And, if you do this wrong, you can have a serious accident in a split second.
image: Multi-Pitch Belaying- Potentially Fatal Errors to Avoid - www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9np7B1Zao4
With a Munter hitch, there is no such futzing around. Your second calls for a take and needs to be lowered a few meters? They lose their mojo and need to be lowered all the way to the ground? No problem. Just release a little tension on your brake hand, the hitch will “roll” over to the other side of the carabiner, and you can lower away.
Want to make lowering with a Munter hitch even more secure for your second? Just add a friction hitch (prusik or Klemheist) to the brake strand of the rope, and clip it to your belay loop. Now, of course you should still never take your brake hand off of the rope, but this friction knot does give you a little back up.
And of course, another benefit to learning this is if you ever drop your belay device, you can still easily continue the climb.
Many people think that using a Munter hitch in any form is going to twist your rope into some evil tangle. Not if you you use two hands. Your ”feed” hand pulls in slack rope up, and the the “brake” hand simultaneously pulls it down. If you only pull on the brake side of the rope, you’re going to get a lot more friction, do more work than you need to, and potentially get some twists into the rope.
Lowering with a Munter: You can minimize rope twist by keeping the brake strand parallel with the load strand, as seen on the left. Holding the brake strand out to the side, as on the right, can increase pigtails in your rope, as well as reducing braking friction.
As always when using a Munter hitch, it’s best to use a large pear-shaped “HMS” belay carabiner with round metal, which helps minimize friction.
There’s a crafty trick that makes your Munter hitch auto lock when belaying your second. Learn how to do it at this article.
Using a thinner rope or a new one with a sheath that’s a bit slippery works best. I’ve tried it with my ancient 10 mm workhorse rope with a fuzzed up sheath, and it’s quite a bit of work to feed that rope through the hitch.
If you’re climbing with snowy or icy ropes, the munter hitch is sometimes the only belay method that can work.
Note: When belaying with a munter hitch, you get maximum braking friction when both strands of rope are parallel to each other. This is exactly opposite to the normal braking action when using a belay device, so this may require you to un-learn what might be engrained in your head. Give this some practice in a controlled environment (a staircase is a fine choice) before you use it in the vertical. (This is covered briefly in the video below, starting about 2:00.)
As with most climbing things, it's a better show than a tell. Watch this short video to learn how to belay the second with a Munter hitch.
Belaying the second from the anchor - pros and cons
Belaying a second can happen off your harness, or direct off the anchor. Learn the benefits of this technique - and one time to consider not using it.
Most climbers start out learning to belay off of their harness. For most snow climbs and most all instances of belaying a leader, this is still usually the best method. But for belaying a second when rock climbing, belaying directly from the anchor with either a Munter hitch or some version of an autolocking belay device has a host of advantages. Here’s a few of them.
Advantages . . .
better on difficult pitches (where fall is likely for the second), as it’s usually easier to catch and hold a fall
better for easy terrain (where second is moving fast and will likely not fall) as you can take in rope faster
puts less force on the anchor (only the weight of the second)
autolocks with Reverso, ATC Guide, or other modern belay devices (or just use a Munter hitch to keep it simple!)
belayer is free to move around more
easier to escape the belay and initiate a rescue
easy to rig a mechanical advantage haul to pull up the second if needed
easier to properly equalize the anchor toward the direction of load
Disadvantages . . .
fall directly impacts anchor (rarely a problem on rock if the anchor is stout.)
So, when might you want to belay the second off of your harness? Basically, when the anchor is anything less than 200% solid.
That means most of the time when you are snow climbing, and in many alpine rock climbing situations. When climbing alpine rock (which typically means many pitches over a long day and trying to move as efficiently as possible over relatively easy climbing) an "anchor" might be one decent cam plugged into a crack, or a sling around a small tree or over a rock horn, or some other single point of gear.
In this case, the belayer will typically sit down, try to brace their feet in a solid position, and belay off of their harness. By doing this, the belayer takes the impact force for any fall onto them, and the anchor is essentially backing up their stance.
Note: if you choose to use an auto locking blade device such as an ATC Guide or Petzl Reverso, keep in mind that there have been many serious accidents when people use these devices in correctly, often when trying to lower someone when the rope is under load. Be absolutely sure you know how to use these devices correctly before ever trying it on a real climb.
image: “Multi-Pitch Belaying- Potentially Fatal Errors to Avoid” - youtube.com/watch?v=s9np7B1Zao4
Belayer’s responsibilities to the climber
The belayer has a LOT more to do than it may first appear. Do you know all of these duties? Did I leave any out?
The belayer has many duties beyond feeding out or taking in rope. A good belayer, when belaying either a leader or a second, will consider doing the following:
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Spotting-and-belaying-at-the-start-of-the-route?ActivityName=Rock-climbing
Belaying the leader, most important! If you're on the ground, spot the leader before (or even after) they make the first clip! No need to “belay” if there’s no gear in. This usually means the belayer drops the rope and stands with hands outstretched, ready to keep the leader’s head and upper body from smacking anything if they fall before clipping the first piece of gear. The moment the leader clips the first pro, the belayer drops their hands to the rope and starts the belay properly. Keep your thumbs tucked in and your fingers together (aka “spoon”), and not fingers spread out (aka ”fork”) to avoid injury.
If you are with a new partner and top roping, ask how much slack is desired. Many beginners want you to keep the rope fairly tight, while more experienced people will probably want a little slack.
Never pull the leader off by keeping rope too tight! Always gives them a meter or so of slack rope so they can move freely. If the leader is climbing above a ledge, you can snug it up the rope a little, but never restrict their movements.
Be attentive and watch; feed rope if they need to clip, take rope in if they are looking sketched.
Keep the rope out of the leader’s way before the first clip. This may mean you stand off to one side to keep the rope away from their feet.
Help build a multidirectional first gear placement, if needed.
Give encouragement to the climber, but avoid idle chatter. Keep your communication as short and clear as possible.
Tell leader about rope getting stuck in cracks or around horns (“flip rope”).
Warn leader (“grounder alert”) if they have climbed too far above their last piece of gear.
Tell leader about amount of remaining rope if it’s getting close to the end. Use the call, “feet 2-0”. (Most belayers underestimate the amount of rope left.)
Make sure the rope feeds freely. Flake the rope well, and watch for tangles. Tarps, rope bags or duffel bags are good for this.
If you're on a single pitch climb and plan to lower your leader, be sure the middle mark of the rope does not pass through your belay device, and you have closed the rope system by having a knot in the end of the rope. These steps prevents the common accident of dropping your climber when lowering because your rope is too short.
Tell leader if they back clip (more of an issue when sport climbing, not a concern with long runners).
When belaying the second up to your stance, as the second approaches the anchor, the belayer tells them two things: 1) where to clip and 2) where to stand.
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Spotting-and-belaying-at-the-start-of-the-route?ActivityName=Rock-climbing