Belaying the leader with a “fixed point” belay
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 main 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/
Here ‘s a short video on how to tie a bowline on a bight.
When you're done, your anchor sling should look like this. Note that the twin loops are small, just a few inches across.
The good news is, you tie this once and leave it. This sling becomes your permanent direct belay anchor rig. Clip the two carabiners together and loop it over your shoulder when you’re climbing.
Look up at the next pitch. Where’s the first bolt? For this example, let's say it's a bit up and to the right, so we’ll belay off of the right hand bolt. If the next pitch headed up to the left, you’d belay off of the left bolt.
Clip the locker to the right bolt.
Clip the nonlocker to the left bolt.
Tie an overhand knot in the sling. Clip the loop to the left bolt. Adjust to remove most of the slack.
Clove hitch yourself to the locker on the right bolt.
Clip a locking HMS carabiner to the double loop bowline. Have the gate facing outward or to the right, so if you catch a lead fall, the brake strand of the Munter ideally goes along the spine of the carabiner, and not on the gate. (Using a triple action locker like this can mitigate this potential problem.)
Tie a Munter hitch in the HMS carabiner. Ready to belay.
Articles (Listed in approximate order of usefulness)
(While the fixed point belay has undergone extensive testing in Europe, part of the reason it may not have caught on is because some of the technical documents are not yet translated to English.)
Here’s a link to a helpful annotated bibliography on this topic compiled by Derek DeBruin (posted here with his permission.)
Comprehensive PDF slide deck on fixed point belay and other ways to mitigate high fall factors, by Derek DeBruin
IFMGA Technical Commission Meeting Report by Piani Resinelli, 2005, in English. “During this meeting of the IFMGA Technical Commission many of us were forced to open up our minds a bit and re-examine our practices for belaying the leader. The following discussion should be of keen interest to the Technical Committee and (I believe) should bring about some change in the how we teach belaying on our courses.”
Good article from the German Alpine Club, translated to English
Comparison of Fall Forces between Fixed-Point and Redirected Belays in Rock and Ice Climbing Systems Derek DeBruin, American Mountain Guides Association 2018. (Discusses methodology and results from very high fall factor testing.)
Concise blog post from Jason Martin (AMGA Certified Rock and Alpine Guide, and Executive Director of the American Alpine Institute, or AAI.)
If you speak French, a VERY detailed article from the French National Guide School
If you speak German, a detailed technical .pdf article about various styles of anchors, including fixed point belay
Videos
A detailed video from the French National Guide School (École Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme, or ENSA). In French, with subtitles. Note the pads on the wall so the belayer doesn’t get slammed around too much.
This video comes around the excellent (if awkwardly titled) “Safety Academy Lab Rock” video tutorial series, produced by the well-regarded German company Ortovox, and backed by Petzl and the German Mountain and Ski Guides Association (“Verband Deutscher Berg und Skiführer” or “VDBS”).
Finally, here’s a longer video from AMGA Guide Patrick Ormond. This presentation was a training session for other guides.
(It might be my favorite, because he gives a shout out to Alpinesavvy at 1:16. =^)