Climb On!
This site is for educational purposes with the code basics from HTML5 UP and released for free under the Creative Commons.
This site is for educational purposes with the code basics from HTML5 UP and released for free under the Creative Commons.
Top rope climbing is a form of climbing where a climber is tied into one of the rope attached to their harness while the other end runs all the way to the top of the route threaded through an anchor. The other end of the rope then comes back down the route to the belayer at the ground, this is connected to the belay device which clips into the belayers harness. As the climber proceeds up the route the slack in the rope is taken in by the belayer with the use of their belay device. Once the climber reaches the top of their route, the belayer can safely and slowly lower the climber, the climber will not fall. If the climber does fall, they will only travel the distance of slack that is present. Ideally, there is never any slack and the climber will not travel far.
There are precautions that need to be understood before you start top rope climbing. In order to safely top rope, you need to understand how the belay device works. A belay device works like a break on the climbing rope, which gives the belayer control of the rope. Once you understand how to set up your belay device, you need to understand how a climber ties in. This knot is usually a figure 8 knot which attaches to the climbers harness. The climber and belayer should also both know the phrases and terms used when climbing, this is key for communication.
These phrases can be used in multiple sytles of climbing, anything including a rope! The climber initiates the communication, and the belayer responds to the commands given. Nobody is a mind reader, in order to keep everyone safe everyone involved needs to have a common understanding of what is occuring. Both parties not only should have the knowledge about all of the tools and devices that are in use, but also clear communication skills. Once you and your partner feel confident that you are on the same page, get climbing!
| How to tell if your belayer is ready? | Climber: "On Belay?" Belayer: "Belay on!" |
| How do I tell when my climber is ready to climb? | Climber: "Climbing!" Belayer: "Climb on!" |
| My climber is ready to be lowered? | Climber: "Lower" Belayer: "Lowering" |
| Is my climber securely on the ground? | Climber: "Off Belay" Belayer: "Belay off" |
| Does my climber need a break while climbing? | Climber: "Take!" Belayer: (once all the slack is removed from the rope) "On me!" |
