A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada

Beef up that Belay!
by Murray Toft
The
sport climbing mantra, “If
you’re not fl ying, you’re not
trying,” has accepted and expected falling
as normal behavior in rock climbing.
The widespread growth of bolted climbs
has defi nitely contributed to the rise in
physical achievement and creativity since
the consequences of falling have been
minimized.
If and when the next step is taken
and climbers move from the cleaned and
prepared playground of bolted climbs to
jump onto more committing multi-pitch
alpine rock, a corresponding skill set must
widen and deepen to
keep things safe. And
the bottom line of safety
here is the belay. Thirty
years ago, refl ecting
on his Yosemite wall
climbs, Tom Frost told
me he wasn’t afraid
of doing anything up
there, as long as he knew
that the belay WOULD
NOT FAIL.
Since then, I’ve been
party to, or witness to,
or chatted with, victims of long falls on
multi-pitch alpine rock. The natural fi rst
reaction is to focus on the state of repair of
the leader. However, in cases where lead pro
had failed, the impact force that came on
the belayer was really quite shocking. The
belayers suffered serious injuries as well as
the leader. To hold a leader fall of any length
directly on the harness either before the
leader can get gear in, or in the case of failed
protection, is a scenario with ugly potential
for the belayer. There is great potential for
injury to the lower back or at least buckling
of the belayer’s legs, which could contribute
to a failed belay. Additional injuries range
from the belayer suffering from major body
hammering and bruising, to having seriously
burned hands, to being concussed into a
state of dysfunction and unable to respond
adequately to the evolving situation.
Since standard practice in North America
is to belay off the harness rather than
directly from a bomb-proof fi xed anchor
ring (some areas in Europe), it is vital that
we enhance the belay to alleviate impact
forces on the body. We can do this easily
by redirecting the active rope to the climber
through an independent, bombproof
placement. The most perfect arrangement
would have this high and slightly off to the
active rope side within comfortable reach
of the belay anchors. By doing so we create
similar rope mechanics to that which we use
in top-roping situations. Conventionally,
however, we see most climbers resorting to
using one of the higher pieces of the belay
for this action.
In either case, when we re-direct the
rope this way, we incorporate in the belay
system a critical turnaround that the live
rope runs over. The more acute the angle of
this bend, the more friction, and the softer
the ‘catch’ for the belayer when a fall occurs.
At the same time, the belayer’s braking
hand pulls down, a biomechanically and
physically more effective position to create
braking forces.
In this arrangement it is vital that extra
‘low’ gear is placed in the belay anchor
confi guration and cinched tightly to the
higher piece(s) to prevent them from
lifting. This ‘pieces in opposition’ concept
is especially the case if spring-loaded
camming devices are used. They should not
be allowed to shift or walk when load comes
on the focal point (attachment point) of the
belay.
When swinging leads, the redirect
becomes the fi rst runner as the second moves
into the lead and eliminates the possibility
of a ‘fall factor 2’
on the belayer (the
worst case scenario).
Now it becomes
the responsibility of
the leader to take
advantage of obvious
gear placements
within the fi rst few
meters of leaving
the belay. This can
be as important on
easy rock as it is on
higher angle terrain,
especially in loose soft-rock climbing areas
(Rockies). Falling hazards from above, wet
rock and the potential for holds breaking,
increase the risk for leader falls. If a hold
breaks early in the pitch, on easy terrain
without intermediate protection, the full
force of the fall would come on the belayer.
In the aftermath, both parties want the
belayer’s hands to be functional and able to
deal with the subsequent response; to either
continue belaying, or lowering, or creating
a hoisting system. We must strive to protect
those hands with creative anchor rigs.
Murray Toft sits on the Alpine Club of
Canada’s Safety Committee.
Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● Summer 2003 9