What do you need for lead climbing reddit belay. Can somebody explain to me, why you prefer bouldering to indoor climbing or vice versa? What is the reason? A Vertical World Belay-Check must be passed prior to testing to Lead or Lead Belay. The Ohm is for you. Learn to belay a lead climber, including how it differs from top-rope belaying. Quite slow, but works. and metal work can go through the belay loop. I know in a regular belay test (at my gym, anyway), they cover different safety checks, knots, etc. With the belay glasses, you have to keep your head still, because the slightest movement could cause your climber to leave the field of vision provided by the prisms. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. So this just happened at my gym within the past week (Kendal cliffs). As someone who pretty much uses the grigri2 for everything, I found this interesting and want to know what r/tradclimbing uses. Fine, but both options turn my belay biner 90 degrees same as with an alpine harness, and I find it annoying (plus £19 for the Omni seems a bit steep). Now while someone should have yelled at I was wondering if it is better to learn lead belay on an ATC and later transition to a grigri or just go strait to belaying with a grigri? I will be learning in a gym with no intent to climb multi pitch outdoor or anything yet. How you deal with that is where more knowledge, experience and tactics can make a huge difference, and set you up for success or failure. Mind you we've both been climbing for over 10 years and she's experienced at belaying. I dunno if there is any proven statistic or ratio, but I would not want to belay with that much of a difference. The claim against usage for lead climbing is that since the device auto-locks, the belayer is required to hold the device open while feeding rope to the leader. 10 beforehand. After some beta sussing, I somewhat shakily palmed my way up the corner and onto easier terrain and How much heavier of a person do you feel comfortable belaying on lead? Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. As another said, belay with your knees bent and pull back to offset the momentum. If you take a little way away from the bolt (1 - 3 feet) then you're likely to be fine (but will need to do the aforementioned ohm release jiggle). If you already own an ATC just learn how to use it, it’s a fine device. Just took the belay test at my gym, but I failed again! Do you have any tips on my technique? I just want to pass, so I can impress yp. 10a make the climber climb to 6th quickdraw take an announced fall then continue climbing and take a suprise fall then finish the route. For two bolt belay stations on sport routes, look into quad anchors. There isn't a time limit and the staff encourage you to take nice long rests. It is just not my favourite belay device for single pitch sport climbing. I would love to learn how to lead belay so I can go outside. I got certified to belay but I only got 3/4 of the way up the wall when I climbed. This is really hurting my climbing ability. What do you guys wear footwise when Belaying? So i'm looking for a simple slip on shoe that can be used both indoor and outdoor for belaying and moving from route to route without the faf of putting on my socks and normal shoes every time. My goal is to be climbing outdoors by next spring. Since most climbers are so nice it made it easy to find regular belay partners. The result is a comprehensive comparison-tested review, and some 19 votes, 35 comments. Obviously that's something you want to avoid. Should I be able to just just go buy a rope and start leading? Do you have a regular climbing partner that you could test with? I’ve been climbing for 15 years and wouldn’t do a lead test at a gym with a stranger I had minimal climbing experience with (well, not just test I wouldn’t lead/sport climb with someone I hadn’t already climbed with for a while and was very familiar with). Different body tension and coordination is required. If you ever start lead climbing indoor or outdoor sport get an Edelrid Ohm. PBUS for taking in slack on lead is just too many movements and you never want to short rope your climber because you're fiddling around with PBUS. 6 at the gym a dozen times or for use as a backup self belay device to quickly switch over to rappel. I've got a good friend who's at the same level of climbing with me, but unfortunately he is a distracted mofo who just doesn't really focus on me when I'm climbing. You are required to have a partner and a rope to take the test. Read about the basics of lead climbing, including what lead climbing entails, how to learn to do it and what gear is required. You could ask someone experienced to watch you as you belay and give you feedback. I find I primarily belay with the GriGri now, there is a bit of a learning curve to belay a leader, but once you have it down it's just as easy as any other device. Your belayer needs a lot more practice figuring out how best to stand (or kneel/squat, as I often do), where to stand, and how to catch better and brace themselves. He is very specific when it comes to technique and will only let people who climb at his gym use ATC belay devices. Then you also clip it to the lowest carabiner of the route your partner is actually climbing. There's nothing that the plus can do that you can't do with a grigri 2. And I can`t decide for myself which of them is more interesting for me. Plus the locker for your belay device. If you stand directly below the first clip (which is the standard technique used when belaying a heavier climber without an Ohm) then it will do you no good. 8 with little difficulty. It is mandatory to show the skills you need to have to do the climbing style you want to, but you don't NEED to do the course if you learned it elsewhere. Here's everything you need to know. I'm climbing at a 5. 10s and low 5 I think your best bet would be to practice leading/lead belaying on things that are well below your skill level. Indoors I top rope high 5. What you do is that you clip the rope to the lowest carabiner of the route next to the one your partner wants to climb. It depends on the strength of the anchor. I see no need to switch to a plus. Check out the poll and feel free to Just lead climb on the single rope and tag up the half rope while clipping it to the gear, and you may have to belay your buddies up one at a time (pain in the ass). That bit of your rope gets soft first, so if you start out with a 70m rope, you can just chop a few feet off of each end. Since I don’t have a climbing partner I’m a bit limited. Hey all, so I know how to lead climb and belay and have been doing it for a year now. lindseth can provide if u need. The minimum age required to take the Lead-Check is 14; with the minimum standard of one of the following: 1. You end up fitting into this wonderful community of I worked as an ACMG-certified lead instructor. Once the lowering is complete, the munter is easily removable and belay can continue from the atc in guide mode. Any facility that allows you to lead belay for him should be viewed as highly suspect from a safety perspective. Belaying directly off them tri-loads the biner something fierce. I must know they understand what is involved, and do their best to ensure I climb, and fall, safely. And yes we are scared of falling. I need some advice. Got lead certified this week and did lead belay for my first outdoor climb today!! I've been working towards lead climbing/belaying for over a year, so this was really exciting for me! Females are strong as hell 馃挭馃徎 Inspiration Share Add a Comment Sort by: Best Open comment sort options Best Top New Controversial Old Q&A runs_with_unicorns Get belay gloves or leather work gloves. So if you weigh 60kg, you are able to belay a 90kg person @ a toprope. I think I am safe and a decent belayer, but want to improve to be a great belayer. Fear while lead climbing, especially your first times outside, is kinda expected, and completely normal. I think there's value in waiting until you have developed some technique and become comfortable with the movements of climbing and especially with belaying before learning to lead. In this terrain, climbers no longer benefit from standing over their feet like they would on slabs. For additional security you can clip a locker to the final overhand and clip that to the climbers side of the rope but it's overkill. Once you're familiar with all that junk, then head on out! The difference is that when climbing as four you have an extra person to belay the jugger from above, so he can climb normally instead of jugging. the test itself has a portion where u show ur clipping technique from the ground. LEAD-CHECK A Lead-Check must be completed prior to leading. I dont really recommend daisy chains, whenever i caught an outdoor fall while I was anchored the whiplash was worse than hitting the wall correctly. I go to a Gym down in Farmington, Arkansas called "La Casa Pollo. I have been climbing for about 2 years, but only bouldering and top roping indoors, and I have only ever used a typical ATC belay device, which I am very comfortable with. Having someone belay with a device they’ve never used before and no The basics of lead climbing/belaying aren't rocket science, but there are a lot more things you'll need to know and be able to do. I like the ATC Guide for trad, multipitch, climbing with Does the first climber do it bit by bit until those behind have a decent distance to climb? In my head they’re climbing using a rope that’s anchored 20 feet above them. But which one is the best? Belay devices come in three different categories — tube-style, auto-blocking devices, and assisted braking devices — and our expert climbing testers have put in hundreds of hours belaying and testing all three kinds. 10+), but I figured that I would be strong enough to fire the rig without incident. ) Also in the UK, you need to do a safety test (tie in, catch a top rope fall on an ATC) to belay unsupervised at my gym. Even with the ohm you're going to need to practice pulling and falling on it before You'll need to do some research about what rope to get though, there is a lot of varietydiameter, treatments, dynamic/static, length, etc. I do ok on things that I know I won't fall on, like 5. The maximum weight difference should be no more than 50% of the smaller partner's weight, or 50 pounds in your case. So, at least 8 lockers. Take practice falls on overhang where you fall into space. I almost always belay off my harness. Dec 28, 2022 路 How you hold the rope is just one aspect of the belay—no more or less important than vigilance, rope management, how and where you stand, and communication. Any good idiot proof ideas? You do need to play around with angles and where you stand while belaying to figure out how to engage it properly. I am a beginner, and I have two places nearby which I can attend, one with indoor climbing, and another with indoor bouldering. Length. A poor traditional anchor made out of necessity: belaying off your belay loop allows you to use your body to try to reduce the forces that make it to an anchor. Then again, I have been told that I am often too blunt. Aug 2, 2023 路 While a static belay is appropriate for top-roping, when lead belaying you want to be mobile and give a dynamic belay. 6 in your gym and tell your partner to take their time so you can practice belaying. I've been climbing in the gym for about 6 months now. Not all ropes work with every belay device. Trusting Gym Lead Climbing I usually (always) go to the climbing gym (First Ascent in Chicago) alone and I am just now getting in to lead climbing. u need to use some sort of assisted belaying device, so grigri, or something like a pilot. 28 votes, 31 comments. If you plan on rope climbing, learn what to expect to pass a belay test. IMO you wouldn't take in slack that way when toprope belaying, because it's lazy and risky, and you shouldn't for lead belaying. Reply reply New_Hentaiman • When you watch your climber directly, you can pivot and tilt your head and your eyes will still track your climber. Feb 12, 2018 路 You want to go climb at an indoor climbing gym but aren't sure what you need to know. This is fine in the gym on top rope because I'll fall a little bit to get his attention but I can't really do that while I'm on lead because that's my life in his hands. 1. I've belayed my friends hubby on the regular at 286-320lbs with confidence on an ATC lead climbing, though I have various belay devices I use. I find myself reaching for the Grigri when i know my friends are going to top-dog 5. I was the first person in my party to climb and I cruised the lower section to the V2+ crux dihedral move. The people there just ask you a few questions and supervise the ongoing climbing in the gym. They must know what a back clip is and a z clip as well as show confidence while doing so. Belayer must switch between belaying and lowering without compromising the brake hand. The home of Climbing on reddit. How do you guys go about trusting the other climbers there for belay, do you just assume that if they are certified they are good, or do use any other checks? I lead outside most weekends. after that u have to lead climb something rated at least 5. I have proper belay techniques and I know how to use ATC style belay device and not just a grigri. My local gym requires PBUS (pull brake under slide) technique for top rope belaying, but they're totally fine with tunnel method for lead belaying. Bomber bolted anchor: belay off the anchor. P. Ask the staff what is in the lead test. Fairly new climber here, I learned to lead belay with an ATC, but recently got a Grigri and feel a lot more confident with it. com Because lead climbing falls are much bigger than top roping falls, you’ll have to stay on your toes to keep your climber safe. I'm one of the only two in our group who knows how so I need to set ropes for the other guys. Both are possible but if you're new to climbing tbh neither are really advisable. ultimately getting pulled up isnt horrible if it happens, if you ever plan to lead you'll need to get used to it. Try to remember we’re just making sure you’re safe and are not judging your climbing, just your ability to spot your mistakes (if you make them), correct them, and keep your partner safe! I like to lead belay with the Mammut Smart, top rope belay with the GriGri and I keep an ATC with an auto-locking biner on my harness when I'm climbing outside for rappelling. I am open to purchasing equipment down the road, but want to purchase what is most appropriate at this time. Almost a 100lb difference. Climb the 5. My local gym in San Francisco (Mission Cliffs) has been known to have a super stout lead belay test (5. I can only do autobelays and bouldering. VW Lead Asking someone to belay you with a grigri is totally fine. Otherwise just get an Grigri and quit sucking the dicks of the safety brigade. The belayer should use proper belay technique, control the slack properly, not short Hey climbit, What do you have to do at gyms to pass a lead belay test? I'm belay certified, and I've lead and was taught to belay for a leader recently with a friend. How can I find a climbing partner? None of my friends climb. I am currently top roping at an indoor gym, but I do plan to climb outdoors (low frequency) and lead climb indoors in the future. I'd probably do that if I had to leave to get help after escaping the belay. Climbing lead is also different, you might want to work on endurance and footwork, you are holding your entire weight for the climb unlike top rope and you have to stop to place protection, precise moves will help prevent you from burning out. How it goes at my gym is that you have to take an announced fall as well as a unannounced. " Its a big warehouse where all the routes were set by this old guy who owns the place. I just started lead climbing and have learned on an ATC. Participation in a VW Lead Class 3. Did you guys take lessons when you started climbing and did it improve your skill? tldr: Do I need a certificate to lead-climb and will technique lessons improve my climbing? Edit: Since my question raised a discussion about climbing certificates and being allowed to climb in gyms I'll add my own experience. When you're sport climbing, this does occasionally mean the first 3-4 bolts are ground-fall territory (there's tons of options here: bring pads, accept risk, have the lighter climber climb to bolt 4 and lower and trade off, etc), but when you're trad climbing, you can place extra gear to create friction (reducing the need for an ohm) or to stop New harness advice: Image is the user guide for my new harness, and I've been told the opposite in the past i. I know everyone always says work on your feet, but it is probably the universal truth of climbing. At my home gym, I recently took the lead belay certification test. If you want to climb or belay on lead it's just assumed you're confident doing so. Aug 23, 2022 路 Learning to lead climb means memorizing a system AND accumulating fluency and trust in that system. It’s been great, I don’t get pulled into the first draw/wall anymore, we both feel a lot more confident, and as an added bonus lowering my partner is soooo much nicer now too! May 5, 2025 路 A belay device is essential for catching falls anytime you're climbing on a rope. when you fall on lead, you're falling on the same 10ish foot section of rope every time, it's just past your knot, where you last clipped into a quickdraw. Basically you need to know two things one is that the staff do not know what they are doing (one might) and two is that you need to know without a doubt that you can belay properly every time. The worst thing you can do is avoid it because it scares you. Go to the gym once a week. After exceeding this 150%, you should consider an extra anchor point. New to climbing with a harness : r/climbing Go to climbing r/climbing r/climbing This is all about practice and experience - for both of you. I took the lead climbing class at my gym. After reading the other comments, I thought the option was to climb with an ohm or not climb at all, so I really appreciate the words of encouragement in learning to belay without! It seems to consensus is to get an ohm so I will likely bite the bullet and use the time until it comes to do some fall training on easy routes. He is also a very cautious outdoor climber and I know he's 16 votes, 39 comments. A description of the proper technique for lead belaying for sport or traditional rock climbing. 274 votes, 101 comments. However, I am looking to get into lead climbing and potentially start going outside once I'm comfortable with the basics of lead (and when New England winter allows it lol). Any advice? I'm bringing chalk, shoes, helmet, belay device, carabiners, and I'm gunna stop at REI on the way to buy some quickdraws. It is great that you take lead belaying seriously and care about your climbing partners’ safety! I would say you should definitely be very comfortable with all aspects of belaying top rope before doing lead, as lead belaying is much more complex, but you definitely do not need to know everything about climbing technique before taking the plunge. I'm seeing a lot of very bad, unsafe advice here. We cover gear, setup, safety, communication and technique. I’ve had to basically reteach people how to belay properly that learned on a grigri without developing best practices (for any belay device) like always keeping your hand on the break strand. Prior lead climbing experience 2. If you belay him, your partner will hit the deck on falls from lower Note: when belaying trad you will normally want to leave slightly more slack, so you dont put too much outward pull on the gear the leader has placed. 10 indoors pretty consitently. Other than that, some tubular webbing to make anchors, maybe some cordlette/slings, locking biners, and a belay device. Since I wasn't a big fan of bouldering at the time, I was kind of forced to socialize with absolute strangers to get a belay from someone, whether it be first-timers or regular members. On toprope you normally just keep the line fairly tight, so that you arent interfering with the climber as they ascend. It is engaged by the angle created in the rope when you catch a fall. 9-5. I've seen a lot of people do it your partner's way, though. If you do decide to go adventure and give it a try make sure you understand how to create an appropriate anchor (you'll need gear for this) and understand how your rope solo device of choice works. I'm 10-15lbs heavier than your belayer and regularly lead belay partners 180-200lbs. e. A bigger problem is once you take you need to release the ohm before you can keep on going. I carry a Petzl Reverso 4 and a GriGri 2 mostly when I go out. Is there anything else I might need? Thanks for the help! However, habits like these lead to pretty terrible belay technique that increases the chances of fucking up when you’re not using a grigri. 7s but as soon as I feel like I might slip even if I'm right at the bolt and there is minimal slack in the system I start panicking. Hey everyone. don't use the belay loop with a rope. I feel like only a quarter of the gym is set up for people like me. As for lead belaying you can practice it horizontally with a friend acting as the climber the method is largely the same you need to pay out and take in rope, just set some quickdraws along a fence line or similar. Speaking of dual strand autotubers, the Gigajul being able to function like a normal alpine tuber is great for multipitch climbing. Frankly, just tell him you do not feel safe belaying, both for his sake and yours and that he should find another belayer. Remember, stand away from the wall when belaying with the Ohm. When lowering, brake hand must not go above the 3 o’clock position (or 9 o’clock if you are left-handed) Minimum Requirements for Safe Lead Climbing All lead climbers and lead belayers must be lead checked by gym staff by climbing a route that we select. Any Pros or Cons for either Device? What do you Prefer and Why? Any In fact, kids aren't allowed to lead climb at all (unless they also have a top rope belay), or boulder above shoulder height! Belayers have to have a secondary belayer holding brake end of the rope. See full list on rei. . The only exception to this would be Multipitch routes where it's a necessity but climbers don't fall much. You could also ask this person to have their hand on your end of the rope as a back-up brake. Below are a few of the aspects I am not too sure on. Aug 6, 2021 路 Not sure which belay device to get? We tested the Petzl GriGri 2 and Black Diamond ATC side-by-side to help you know which is right for you. You'll need two 8 foot slings, each with lockers on the end, a locker to belay off of and a locker to clove hitch into (plus I usually back that up with my PAS). I generally stay within 50 lbs of my climbing partners. Here are some critical rules to keep in mind. If you were the one at the gym I talked to several people that saw your poor belay technique. The best thing you can do is directly address your fears while intentionally using language I can climb up to 5. New climber. trueI started climbing without a partner as well. How do you guys set up a tuber belay using the anchor that works for switching leads (I lead up to anchor, belay my partner up who then leads the next pitch)? I want a set up that I don't have to change / manage when we switch lead that works with minimal gear and faff. If you take within 1 foot of the bolt it can be very difficult to release it. He just stood there looking confused and his partner piped up to explain that ‘he’s only climbed outside and we only lead so he doesn’t know how to top rope belay’. You do however have unlimited time BEFORE you ask someone for a belay, to watch them belay other climbers and determine their skill and attentiveness as a belayer. I would assume that anyone who has a grigri hanging off their harness would know how to use it, but if they didn’t, it’s definitely on them to tell you that before they start belaying you with it. A common mistake while belaying a lead climber is to hold open the device the entire time, thus defeating the auto-locking mechanism. Hey guys :) I have been climbing indoors for about a year now. I took my announced about half way up the wall and then a took my announced You raise some great points there. Hi all, with the release of the Petzl Neox I've seen a lot of discussion about the best application for different devices and was surprised to learn some people even use a different device for belaying a leader vs follower. The limit at lead climbing is suggested to be the half of toproping: So it would be 125% (60kg belaying a 75kg person). Is there anything else like this for a lead belay test? From what I've researched, looks like they check fundamentals like: no A climbing rope (60m or 70m, depending on what you want to do; make sure the rope is long enough to go all the way AND all the way down before you get on a route) Two belay devices, each with a locking carabiner (one for each climber) A personal anchoring system (PAS) with a locking carabiner the lead climbing part is easy (don't have your leg behind the rope, don't zclip, know how to clip, don't back clip, know how to fall is basically all you need to know for a gym test. Well done video. 9 and then belay someone. Get an Ohm, wear some sort of shoes while belaying (especially outdoors), and use a helmet outside (good practice to do anyway). Most of the people I lead climb with were already using a Grigri when they began leading and learned that way. Reply reply More repliesMore repliesMore replies zani713 • Outdoor (real rock) auto belay? Curious if there are any devices that allow you to go sport /lead climb alone outside? I know they have automatic top rope systems but I'm asking about lead climbing outside. You can increase friction on lowering by redirecting the brake strand through a carabiner clipped to your leg loop, but you should get instruction how to do it properly so you don't drop your partner. If so, how does it get there? Put a munter to your belay loop on the brake strand, then continue as you have been to release the atc. Do that twice, and you've still got a 60m rope left. Personally I prefer the 2. Do you lead belay much? The plus is intended more for programming and working with green belayers, the anti-panic feature on the lowered lever is great for belayers who have less experience. Knowing how to belay with multiple devices is an asset. My friend and I have been lead climbing for a few months now, and lead belaying seems to be too much of an art and not enough of a science for my comfort. 2) Toprope belaying is doable up to 150% of your own weight. I work at a climbing gym where we use the language “lead check” over lead test. The problem is that my local gym that I have a membership to says you need to be climbing at least a 5. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. Aug 9, 2017 路 Trusting my belayer while lead climbing is essential. Given that' if you didn't instinctively use proper belay technique with in this video, how well does it translate for brand new belayers? Does it translate well when there is essentially never slack in the system whereas you want to have some for actual lead belaying? Curious how new lead belayers do with this. I learned how to lead climb recently, and I'm going out with a couple friends to do it outdoors for the first time. Everything about the lead-climbing system is dynamic; from the ropes to falls, and your belaying should align. S. I work at a gym and we do our test on a 5. This provides good safety without having to fully transition to just the munter. I am going to go for my lead rope certification within the next month hopefully and I was wondering about everyone's opinions on using an ATC or GriGri or any other belay device for lead climbing. I also really dislike the idea of having the belayer anchored to the ground or a tree as you can't really give a dynamic belay when hitched off. Petzl's guide recommends using an Omni carabiner, the gym I climb at recommends belaying off your tie-in loop. kct yejcz ghqdzlp jvle onbaf hfuvb zufuq eoycvex qxttigg iqv
26th Apr 2024