RRC Archives

Yikes!! What makes you feel qualified to teach people how to belay, if you don't mind my asking?

Because if I'm going to climb with them I'm going to make sure they know how to give a dynamic belay, the opposite of the most static belay physically possible. The guy who gave me the amazingly static belay had even taken lead climbing classes at the gym, and so I assumed he knew what he was doing, and that was my big mistake.

There was this large group of people climbing at Practice Wall, and when I started giving dynamic belay lessons to my bleayer, they all started trying to give advice. One girl told my belayer: "your feet should never leave the ground". When I told my belayer not to listen to her and that your feet should leave the ground, the girl who interrupted replied "I don't know anything about dynamic belays, and so all of this is very interesting to me".

I also recently watched someone teach a girl to clean for the first time while she was 85 feet off the ground. I often teach people to clean a few feet off the ground hanging from a tree before we even go to the Red, and if I don't do that I use the training anchors.

Basically, not only am I not a moron, I'm also really good at teaching people. So good in fact that out of all the people I've taught, there has never even been close to a single bad incident. I'm also a super safe climber, almost to the point of being a paranoid climber, ask anyone on here. That is probably why I choose to onsight a full number grade lower than what I'm probably capably of, which according to Eric J Horst is something that can really hold you back as a climber trying to progress. The fact that I always end up climbing with gumbies doesn't exactly inspire me to climb at my limit either.

one things for certain, you ARE a moron! you don't need to be teaching anyone how to do a dynamic belay that'd be climbing at practice wall. period.

You seem like a sincere, motivated guy, and it's no fun shooting fish in a barrell so I hate to bag on you. But it is obvious that you do not have the experience to be "teaching" anyone how to belay. There have been a lot of accidents this year and last in the Red, and the last thing this place needs is hordes of poorly trained belayers out there thinking they know what they're doing. In reality, you and your buddies know just enough to be dangerous. For the sake of your own safety and everyone else's, please climb with someone more experienced in the future, and do the right thing by hiring a qualified guide next time you take a bunch of new climbers to the crag.

Jesus Christ, I can just see a bunch of fucktards giving each other soft catches on the 20ft routes at Practice Wall. Redpoint, you are one of a kind dude.

Redpoint, I think you're off to a good start personally. But realize that the mark of a good belayer is not just giving dynamic belays. Catching with rope in hand, especially down low or just catching on routes down low are some situations to consider. A dynamic catch isn't always necessary on very steep routes (like Twinkie) and especially if the climber falls down low with ground potential. I'd rather sacrifice my ankles than my skull/spine.

what is "partially braking??", "let the rope slip through the device some", uhhh what??

God I just can't take all of your assumptions any longer.

1. Practice wall has some routes that are much taller than 20 feet.

2. These people already knew how to belay from the gym. Did you miss the story about how I climbed with a guy who took a lead climbing class that practically cost $100 and STILL didn't know how to give a dynamic belay.

3. Even if they didn't know how to belay, the belay class must be the most simple class I have ever seen. Heck they do it at Hesters gym for free, and it isn't taught by a sherpa.

4. If I am teaching someone how to dynamic belay, I'm the one taking the lead fall, and so I would have to say that the risky end of the business is on my end.

5. You think I don't know that there is a time when you don't want a dynamic belay. I can't tell you how many times I have pointed out ledges to my belayer and said "this route isn't bolted too cleverly (example: the second bolt above the ledge on Rat Stew), and so if I fall above that ledge right there I don't want a dynamic belay.


I love how not one of you had any input on running forward belays(my question). Is it because you don't know anything about it and so instead you just decided to rag on me, or is it because you are scared you might say something about it and then someone else will get on here and point out that your wrong.

It's great you all still think I'm a total gumby, and I should have realized this and kept my mouth shut. I know the reason why there is so many climbing accidents in the Red; every single time I go climbing I see people climbing who barely know the slightest thing about it, and who are doing extremely dangerous things, which I always point out to them. You all accuse me of this, but you don't have the slightest thing to actually back it up. O other than the fact that I'm teaching people how to climb when I'm not certified, hmm I wonder if that's the point of Practice Wall, because every time I go there there is tons of people teaching other people how to climb.

anticlmber wrote:what is "partially braking??", "let the rope slip through the device some", uhhh what??

I can think of two things that could contribute to partially braking 1. just slightly squeezing the rope, and still letting it run through your hand. 2. the angle in which you are holding the brake side of the rope, hold it up high on an ATC = less friction, and holding it low = more friction.

once the rope starts moving how do you intend to stop it on an atc?

also, brake is down, period.