Belaying 101

Marc_C

Marc_C

Active member
Not everyone understands physics...or correct belaying:
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWuu7K6WayU[/video]
 
jasoncapecod":c3vvy52j said:
I guess he never rock climbed....if your above the climber you better have your butt anchored..
Click to expand...
...and put the belay device on your harness instead of a loose sling that can slide under your knees....
...and be under the person you are belaying...
 
Now that's some good stuff right there.

Wouldn't physics also dictate that despite some nice friction on the lift's haul rope up top helping out a smidgen, you just might want to belay with something sturdier and/or heavier than the object/person being belayed?
 
When I patrolled in the late eighties and early nineties we didn't use a belay device, we simply belayed the rope under our butt. However it involved three people on the belay. One primary belayer, one secondary belayer, & a third person grabbing the waistband of the primary belayer's ski pants to hold them in place. And as Marc said, stand directly beneath the rescuee, or as close as possible to that.
 
Admin":2iw9znbw said:
And as Marc said, stand directly beneath the rescuee, or as close as possible to that.
Click to expand...
It's not entirely intuitive to a lot of folks but standing off to the side like that, with the angle it introduces, actually increases the force on the belayer (if you want to get technical about it: the belayer has to counter an increased amount of force that the mass of the rescuee produces)
 
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