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chiho
Feb 21, 2005, 5:41 PM
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Hi. First post, although I have been lurking for awhile...
I have been bouldering at the local gym for a few months, and want to start climbing on a rope (sport). My husband (we are newlyweds) is a fairly experienced climber: I started climbing at the gym for something to do in the winter, and now am really enjoying it! We have been working on belaying technique at the gym.
Here is the problem: he is 155lbs, I am 94lbs. I am worried that, as a belayer, I might drop him. Not that I would lose control of the belay, but that I may fly into the air and cause him to ground out. Due to my weight, I am giving a dynamic belay every fall, whether I like it or not.
My concern is that, in certain situations, I may need to keep him off of the deck (he blows a clip at the 3rd or 4th bolt, or just falls at the 3rd bolt on a sport climb that is maybe more run out than it should be). Some of the feet on the popular climbs around here are greasy and slick and blowing off of a foot is all-too common, especially in warm weather. I am sure that most belayers have had to run backward (I think I saw this referred to in a book as the "Edwin Moses Belay"), or at least sit down to take in slack in a hurry in a desperate situation. Yet, due to weight differences, I will always shoot up into the air when catching him, even when I want to stay grounded.
Is it safe for me to belay him? How do I minimize risk? I don't want to be tied in at the base of a climb: that limits my ability to give a dynamic belay that is preferred in most situations. Plus, anchors are not always readily available at the base of sport routes I was thinking that I could belay with a 10-15lb pack on and keep me grouded a bit better. Also, using an auto-lock device would be a good move: that way, even if I fly to the 1st bolt, I won't lose control of the belay. Any safety ideas to minimize risk of a 60lb weight difference in belayers? I have never seen this topic covered in a "how to climb" text.
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montafoner
Feb 21, 2005, 5:46 PM
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Use a ground anchor. Indoor gyms should have them, and if you're outside, plug a cam or sling a boulder. It's just like belaying off a shelf up on the cliff, only your shelf is huge.
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outdoormikeg
Feb 21, 2005, 5:48 PM
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Are there any trees/rocks around?? Tie yourself down to one of them by girthhitching a piece of runner as low on the tree/rock as possible. This minimizes the amount of abuse on the tree. If you tie off higher up you risk breaking the tree.
I've used this approach tons while toproping routes and will work just as well on lead. Just make sure that when you are belaying your husband that there is very little slack in the runner so you don't go very far if/when he falls.
Also, if rockfall is a problem, make sure you tie yourself off somewhere out of the way of the bottom of the climb since you won't be able to run very far tied to a tree if something should happen.
The greatest part about having the ground anchor is that if you choose the right tree/rock you could even suspend your partner from the ground anchor (make sure it's redundant) in the case that you should need to go for help.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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timsesink
Feb 21, 2005, 5:57 PM
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I'm 230 (6 8") and my girlfreind is 130 when she belays me she just tie down to whatever's closest and solid and I would stay away from a grigri or other auto device though as it could put more of pull on he rope. You should have no poblem at all holding him using an ATC or for more security the ATC-XP.
Belay=tie down
Belay device= ATC-XP
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8flood8
Feb 21, 2005, 6:11 PM
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anchoring yourself to the ground will not limit your ability to give a dynamic belay.
it will limit your husband's weight from yanking you up to the first bolt.
it sucks to be tied to the ground, but unless you gain weight, or he loses some, the issue will not go away.
obviously its not safe for you to belay him if he can still hit the ground.
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mack_north
Feb 21, 2005, 6:41 PM
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I outweigh my primary climbing partner by 100 pounds and she gives great belay. We anchor her to the ground in line with the belay and she uses the Trango Jaws - we've never had a problem and I am 100% confident in her.
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wingnut
Feb 22, 2005, 12:29 AM
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Thank you. I way about 90 lbs and my partner weighs about 175 so this was a big help. thanks
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9cop
Feb 22, 2005, 6:30 PM
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Whats the necessity for the dynamic belay?
With a dynamic belay the chance of injury to the belayer and subsequently the climber also increases. If your pulled to the wall you risk injuring yourself in a manner that could compromise your belay.
Most climbing books won't discuss dynamic belays, becasue of the increased risk. When the topic of belay safety comes into play, most will say that anchoring regardless of weight differences is the safest thing to do.
There is a 45lb weight difference between my partner and I, we very rarely find it necessary to use a dynamic belay. Where the effectiveness of a dynamic belay is affected by the weight ratio of the partners, we generally find it a less than ideal situation to get into.
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andrewbanandrew
Feb 22, 2005, 6:32 PM
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This is mildly trivial but remember to ASK YOUR GYM before anchoring yourself to something sticking out of the floor--as it turns out at my gym the 'rope keepers' (I don't know what else to call them, they're just slings that people tie unused ropes to to keep the gym tidy) aren't load-bearing, which means that they could potentially pop out if someone tied into them was launched into the air.
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strongmadsends
Feb 22, 2005, 7:11 PM
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Make sure he doesn't fall. You'll be all set. It works for 9cop. :lol:
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crag_shwagger
Feb 23, 2005, 3:19 AM
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My old partner out weighed my by 85 pounds and there were a few imes i ran up the rock when i was belaying but i switched to a jaws and then we did ok but yes i think its safe.
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crag_shwagger
Feb 23, 2005, 3:24 AM
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In reply to: strongmadsends said Make sure he doesn't fall. You'll be all set. It works for 9cop. Laughing Thats realistic |
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kalcario
Feb 23, 2005, 3:31 AM
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Anchor yourself to the ground...but NOT where he's gonna land if he blows a clip. Stay off to the side.
Actually blowing clips less than 30' off the deck is simply not an option, if you can't pull the rope up and clip without feeling like you're gonna fall, don't do it.
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boltdude
Feb 23, 2005, 8:17 PM
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Watch out for autolock devices like Gri-gri and Cinch - they can get pinched open if you get pulled into the first draw.
A friend of mine with a weight difference even worse than your case caught her husband on a long fall in Yosemite (he fell and ripped out a fixed piton), catching him only a couple feet off the deck, and he came down head first! She was tied into a ground anchor (tree) and pulled tight against the anchor. Without the ground anchor, he probably would have broken his neck (and maybe hers since she would have been pulled over into his fall line - as kalcario warns).
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jt512
Feb 23, 2005, 9:00 PM
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In reply to: With a dynamic belay the chance of injury to the belayer and subsequently the climber also increases. If your pulled to the wall you risk injuring yourself in a manner that could compromise your belay.
Incorrect. Dynamic belaying does not increase the chances of a belayer getting injured, and when indicated, decreases the chances of the climber getting injured.
In reply to: Most climbing books won't discuss dynamic belays, becasue of the increased risk. When the topic of belay safety comes into play, most will say that anchoring regardless of weight differences is the safest thing to do.
But most climbing books are written for rank beginners.
In reply to: There is a 45lb weight difference between my partner and I, we very rarely find it necessary to use a dynamic belay.
But earlier you wrote:
In reply to: Whats the necessity for the dynamic belay?
...indicating that you are unable to recognize when a dynamic belay is called for.
In reply to: Where the effectiveness of a dynamic belay is affected by the weight ratio of the partners, we generally find it a less than ideal situation to get into.
I have no idea what that means. The effectiveness of a dynamic belay has nothing to do with the weight ratio of the partners.
-Jay
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