Lead climbing
Good practices for belaying a lead climberA good belayer should be dedicated to the climber's safety. Here is a reminder of essential practices, valid with any equipment.
WARNINGS- Carefully read the Instructions for Use used in this technical advice before consulting the advice itself. You must have already read and understood the information in the Instructions for Use to be able to understand this supplementary information.
- Mastering these techniques requires specific training. Work with a professional to confirm your ability to perform these techniques safely and independently before attempting them unsupervised.
- We provide examples of techniques related to your activity. There may be others that we do not describe here.
1. Do a partner check before each climb.
After choosing a route, the climber verifies that the rope length is suitable. He/she also verifies that the climber/belayer weight difference is not excessive. Before climbing, belayer and climber check each other's equipment setup: the partner check.
2. Spotting a climber before the first protection point.
Spotting can help reduce the consequences of a fall in the first few meters of a climb, before the climber has clipped the first protection point. Spotting is not about catching the climber, but helping avoid the consequences of a bad fall: it's about guiding the fall so that the climber lands correctly in a good location and does not flip over backwards.
3. Rope path
The carabiner gate must always face away from the climber’s direction of travel. The rope in the carabiner must pass through it from the cliff side to the outside. Incorrect positioning of the quickdraw or the rope could cause the rope to unclip, either due to rope movement or to the carabiner flipping on the bolt during a fall.
4. Universal technique for correct use of a belay device
This hand position is valid regardless of the device used: tube, GRIGRI, REVERSO...
Your hand must never let go of the brake-side rope.
5. Vigilance, anticipation and mobility
The belayer's role is not limited to giving slack quickly and at the right time. By staying focused on the climber, the belayer can recognize the stressful moments that require the greatest precision and responsiveness.
When lead climbing above a quickdraw, make sure the rope is running to the side of your legs.
If you fall with the rope around your leg, it can flip you upside down, causing you to hit your head on the wall and get 'rope burn' behind your knee.
If you will be traversing far to the left after clipping a draw, it’s better to orientate it so the rope-end gate faces right, and vice versa.
If the gate faces in the same direction as you, there is a greater (but still very small) chance of the gate opening in a fall.
6. Stopping a fall
In case of a fall, hold the brake-side rope firmly, while pulling it downward. Whatever the device used, the act of gripping the brake-side rope with your hand increases the rope friction in the device, allowing the fall to be stopped.
7. Communicating after a fall and before lowering
Communication should allow the two partners to avoid being surprised by the movements of the other, to avoid any error. It's not effective to have long discussions, it's better to use terms agreed upon in advance, such as "ok", "go", "take", "climb"...
8. Lowering
When the climber is ready to be lowered, after the agreed-upon signal, s/he is lowered on the rope and has no way of controlling the descent. All responsibility for this operation is on the belayer, who holds the climber's life in his hands.