Bottom, rod, solo – types and techniques of belaying in climbing

Adventure hobbies/Climbing
Chandler Lee
Bottom, rod, solo – types and techniques of belaying in climbing
It takes approx. 3 minutes to read this article

Climbing provides adrenaline, but to begin the adventure with it, you need theoretical preparation and knowledge of basic principles, which you will learn from this article

Climbing guarantees great excitement and a huge shot of adrenaline. Probably because it is a very risky undertaking. Therefore, a good climber must have not only the right equipment but also the knowledge to climb mountains regularly

Lower belay

In spite of appearances, this method is quite simple and its character is quite well reflected in the second term, i.e. “leading”. It differs from another, similar technique, the so-called “rod”, basically by its order. In this case, the leader, i.e. the person who climbs first, has to attach the rope to the belay points. In this case, the leader, i.e. the person who climbs first, has to clip the rope into the belay points. If there is an accident and the leader falls, his/her belayer (connected to him/her by a rope) will stop him/her more or less at the height of the last anchor point.

The method “on the rod”

In this case the climber has a slightly more convenient situation. This method is most often used during a descent. After reaching the “summit”, the leader should tie it in such a way that a kind of lever can be formed. One end of the rope is wrapped around the climber, the other end is let down to the belayer. The rope is slowly and gradually “released” so that the climber can descend

Top belay

The top belay is basically a slight reversal of the rod method. Reversed, because in this case the climber, who has already reached the top, starts to belay the person who was helping him/her before

Free solo

Also called “live”. It consists in climbing without any protection in the form of a rope. Usually only shoes and possibly gloves are used to prevent slipping. However, it is not a technique preferred by professionals, because one slip, a careless step and the consequences can be disastrous. However, there is another option – when climbing mountains above 100 meters, climbers equip themselves with parachutes. We can say that this is some form of protection

Necessary equipment

The basic things you need are proper shoes and gloves. Climbing shoes should always be slightly smaller than your normal size. Under no circumstances should they slip from your hands. Ideally, they should have lugs. Moreover, it’s worth to equip yourself (unless you’re going to rent the equipment) with: climbing harness, HMS carabiner and belaying and descending devices. The total cost should not exceed PLN 500. If you climb by yourself, invest in an additional climbing rope (about 60 meters)

Main photo: Allan Mas/pexels.com

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