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ryanzec
Jul 9, 2009, 10:10 PM
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My weight is about 180 - 185, what would be the min weight (if there is one) for my partner to be for belay rock climbing?
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kriso9tails
Jul 9, 2009, 10:19 PM
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ryanzec wrote: My weight is about 180 - 185, what would be the min weight (if there is one) for my partner to be for belay rock climbing?
Minimum? If it's top tope then there isn't one. If it's a lead belay, I'd be hard pressed to say that there's a minimum, but as a rough measure, anyone at or over 120lbs is above a reasonable weight. I've certainly had people lighter than that give me good lead belays mind you, and I'm around the same weight as you, but it's not what I would consider ideal.
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johnwesely
Jul 9, 2009, 10:29 PM
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It is really not a huge deal as long as the are not less than 115ish.
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ryanzec
Jul 9, 2009, 10:29 PM
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Yea I believe I would be doing top rope belay under the assume that lead rop belay is where you tie your rope every so often as you go up the wall.
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kriso9tails
Jul 9, 2009, 10:57 PM
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Close enough.
If you are top-roping, then you can pretty much always anchor your belayer. If the belay device itself is anchored (like it is in many gym, for example), then the weight of your belayer is completely irrelevant.
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jeepnphreak
Jul 10, 2009, 1:58 AM
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Well there really is not a set rule as many have already stated. But I like to go with 50 lbs. the belyer should be no less than 50 lbs of the lead climber . That way your belayer will not have to many problems if you fall.
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ryanzec
Jul 10, 2009, 2:44 AM
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well I called the place I plan to do the rock climbing and they said they do have a place for the belayer to anchor themselves to the ground so I guess this point is not really a concern for me at this time, thanks for the info.
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bill413
Jul 10, 2009, 12:48 PM
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My very first fall rock climbing was caught by a 97 pound woman. I weighed about 175. She was using a hip belay.
Size / weight ratio has nothing to do with your ability to catch. The device provides the friction or locking needed to catch.
Where weight becomes a factor is if the belayer is not anchored (or improperly anchored), then the belayer can get pulled up into the air. How much difference depends on the friction in the system. At gyms, which double wrap the ropes around the anchor points a larger imbalance between weights can be safe than when a rope runs through biners at the anchor point, with less friction.
If the weight difference seems like it will be largish - anchor. If it is within 30 lbs, I wouldn't worry about it at all.
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Goo
Jul 10, 2009, 1:38 PM
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your belayer can usually anchor in using a daisy chain or a piece of webbing. however, a suitable spot isn't always available.
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sungam
Jul 10, 2009, 6:08 PM
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I weight 240+ one of my partners weighs cicra 125. No issues - nice dynamic belay.
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Hennessey
Jul 10, 2009, 8:50 PM
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sungam wrote: I weight 240+ one of my partners weighs cicra 125. No issues - nice dynamic belay.
I agree. I'm 200 lbs. and my wife is 105 lbs. She always gives a dynamic belay without even trying
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kriso9tails
Jul 10, 2009, 9:21 PM
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I've been on both ends of the spectrum. Belaying someone 180lbs when I weighed 115lbs was easier than the reverse. The only exception to this (that comes readily to mind) is with boinking.
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