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| The follow - through figure eight |
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| The follow - through figure eight finished should have 5 pairs - count them to check your knot! |
| The most frequently used tie-in knot is the follow-through figure eight. The follow-through figure eight is better than the double bowline in that it has less of a chance of getting untied. If you don't know how to tie a follow-through figure eight knot check these pictures out: |
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A water knot is the knot most used to
join webbing together. It is very simple, and does not
use a lot of the webbing. It tightens itself when
weighted, and once tightened, has a very slim chance of
untying itself.
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| The most common knots used for setting
up anchors, besides the follow-through figure eight, are
the figure eight on a bight, and the clove hitch. A figure eight on a bight is an excellent knot that can be tied anywhere along the length of the rope. It creates a loop in the rope that does not change size when stressed. It can also be tied in webbing. It is useful when setting up belay stations and belay anchors. A clove hitch is great for anchoring any part of the rope to a carabeiner. The clove hitch keeps the rope from moving one direction or the other when it is pulled tight. Clove hitches are used most in setting up anchors.
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Top rope anchors are fairly straight forward. If there is a set of bolts and hangars at the top of the climb that you can use, go for it, as long as they look safe. If there aren't any bolts, then your next best option is the nearest tree. Please don't hurt yourself and the trees using small ones - only use natural anchors that are solid. Sometimes the nearest tree is pretty far away, so you need a lot of webbing to get over to the top of your climb. Never ever run the rope over the edge - this is one of the fastest ways to destroy a rope.
If there aren't any bolts, and there isn't a natural anchor, then you have to use traditional pro to make an anchor.
Always equalize your anchors. Equalized anchors have the same amount of stress on each piece of webbing. A backup on your anchor is a must - top rope anchors should be attached to at least two different anchors. A combination of a tree, bolts and hangars, and trad is not unheard of!
| Top rope belaying is fairly simple, once
you get the hang of it. If the climber is much heavier
than the belayer, the belay might want to clip into an
anchor on the ground so that they are not pulled upwards
by a sudden fall. Examine the picture at right (click on it for a larger image). The carabeiner that is attached to the belay device is clipped into the belayer's harness, or belay loop on the harness. The climber is tied to the end of the rope leading upward. A proper set up looks like the
picture below:
Notice the belayer's hand position. Since the belayer is right handed, their right hand is the brake hand. Their left hand is the guide hand, on the end of the rope that leads to the climber. If the belayer is left handed, the positions are switched. As the climber goes higher, the belayer pulls out on the rope, away from their body, with their brake hand, while guiding the other end with the guide hand. This action pulls down on the rope, which crosses over a top rope anchor, which pulls upwards on the end the climber is tied to. If the climber falls, the belayer simply pulls the brake hand which is holding the brake end of the rope down to their side. This creates enough friction to stop the climber from pulling anymore rope out than is already out, therefore suspending the climber. Things to remember when belaying:
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When leading a route, a slightly different anchoring system needs to be set up for the belayer. Someone belaying a climber on a lead route should always be anchored to the ground. The reason for this is because the shock force that is encountered in a fall on lead is much greater than that of one on a top rope fall. The greater shock of the falling leader can pull the belayer upward very sharply, and could cause them to drop the rope if they were injured. A lead belayer can anchor to just about anything when they are on the ground - a large rock, a tree, or your nearby truck bumper!
Now that the belayer is safe, the climber needs to evaluate their anchor situation. A leader will not use an anchor at the top of a climb for a belay, but when they reach the top, they will need something to rappel off of.
The leader uses bolts and hangars already on the climb, or places traditional protection to use as an anchor.
Lead belaying is similar to top rope belaying in some ways, but very different in others. When belaying a leader, the belayer is letting rope out, and taking it in - it can get very hectic if not done efficiently! After the belayer is anchored (note the green webbing anchored into the ground that the belayer is clipped into in this picture), the leader ties into what is called the sharp end of the rope. The sharp end of the rope is simply the end of the rope that the belayer is holding with their guide hand. The leader ties into the rope using a normal figure eight follow through knot. The leader then proceeds up the climb. When the leader reaches the first anchor to clip into, or sometimes referred to as just the clip, the leader clips the rope into it. The belayer is now considered to be on belay. The belayer then pulls in just enough rope with the brake hand to keep the slack out of it. As the climber moves up the wall, the belayer must let out enough rope to allow the leader to proceed up the wall. This process continues - every time the leader clips, the belayer takes in the slack, and then lets out rope as the leader needs it.
Communication between the climber and belayer is essential. Many accident have happened because the climber and belayer had a mis-communication. If you aren't sure what your partner said, ask for a repeat before you do anything! Even if this means yelling back and forth for minutes. There are three parts to climber - belayer communication: before, during, and after the climb.
Before the climb, the climber needs to be sure that the belayer is ready to proceed, and vice-versa:
Climber |
Belayer |
| On
belay? The climber is asking the belayer if they are ready to belay. Climbing. A statement of fact. The climber confirms that they heard the belayer's response, and is proceeding to climb. |
Belay on. The belayer confirms that they are indeed ready to belay the climber. Climb on. The belayer verbally recognizes that the climber is now climbing. |
During a climb the belayer and climber also communicate:
Commands |
| Slack The climber is asking the belayer to let out some rope. Take Brake Lower me Watch me Falling! Rope Rock! |
After a climb, especially a lead route when the belayer might not see the climber well, the climber and belayer both need to know what is going on.
Climber |
Belayer |
| Belay
off. The climber is telling the belayer that they are finished with the climb, and do not need a belay anymore. |
Off belay. The belayer confirms that they are finished belaying. |
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