In climbing in the mountains first, and in sport climbing later, the role of the second, to whom is entrusted...
All the information you will find on this page is for information only and not for instruction. For those who are not experienced we suggest contacting an Alpine Club, a Sport Climbing Club, a Professional Mountain Guide or any school qualified to teach mountaineering and climbing. Clearly, use of this information is entirely at your own risk.
In climbing in the mountains first, and in sport climbing later, the role of the second is of fundamental importance: to the second is entrusted the responsibility of belaying the first person who climbs the face.
In sport climbing in particular, when you often find yourself climbing with just two companions, you cannot do without learning the technique needed to “belay”.
What does belaying mean in climbing?
“Belaying” is that set of movements, actions and techniques that make it possible to hold an accidental fall by the leader.
Let us see in a few words how and why this should happen.
When the leader falls accidentally, the second locks the rope, preventing the leader from hitting the ground.
The question arises naturally: how can the second possibly hold the leader of the rope team? How can they bear the whole weight of the leader with the rope alone?
The second of the rope team, that is the one who “belays”, wears a harness, through whose front belay loop passes a screwgate HMS karabiner (See Photo). Attached in turn to this karabiner is a belay device. Through the belay device runs the rope, which in sport climbing is usually about 10-11 mm in diameter.
Without going into the different types of belay device, it is enough to know that these braking systems make it possible, on the one hand, to let the rope run (the rope is in fact continuously pulled up by the leader, who, climbing up the face, increases the distance from the second), while on the other hand, with a correct sequence of movements, they allow the second to stop the rope running, preventing the leader from falling down.
We will not go here into the specific technique for using the different types of belay device. It is good to know, however, that even the slightest distraction on the part of the second who is belaying could cost the leader a nasty fall. In this sense no mistakes are allowed, neither from the leader nor, even less, from the second. And this is precisely what the second's responsibility consists of: keeping their attention alert to the leader's movements.
It must be said, in fact, that the person belaying has to understand precisely what movements the leader is making, carefully paying out the rope or taking it tight when necessary.
In the case shown in the photo, the locking position is the one in which the hand holds the rope down in relation to the device (the tube), creating the greatest possible friction and preventing the rope, in the event of a fall, from being wrongly pulled through by the leader.
Climbing as leader
Let us change point of view: let us see what happens to the leader.
The leader is tied to one end of the rope and has to climb the first stretch of the crag without any protection at all. Often this means the first 2-3 metres, in which there is no way of absorbing a possible fall. After this first stretch of rock the leader finds (as long as it is a bolted route) a bolt with a small metal ring through which to clip a quickdraw. The quickdraw is made up of two karabiners joined together by a sling. The karabiner that goes into the ring is the one with the straight gate.
Into the other karabiner, the one with the bent gate, the leader clips the rope.
It is with this passing of the rope through the first karabiner that the climber finds the first point of protection.
What would happen if the leader were to let go and fall? Well, the rope tied to the leader's harness would come tight, running through the first karabiner, and so would pull on the second. Assuming the two climbers are of similar if not equal weight, the leader would be held by the second, the rope would come tight, stretching elastically and absorbing the fall.
Depending on whether the climber is below or above the last karabiner, and therefore the last clipped point, the fall will be shorter or longer. Naturally, if the leader falls while trying to clip the rope into the last available karabiner (without managing to), the fall will be quite long and they will certainly end up well below the last point of protection.
If the leader does not fall, they carry on climbing towards the next bolt, where they will clip another karabiner and pass the rope attached to their harness through it. In this way the leader carries on climbing upwards as far as the last karabiner already in place at the chain.
To conclude, it must be said that “communication” between the two climbers plays a fundamental role; in fact you cannot always rely on intuition when the size of the crag does not allow you to stay in good sight of each other.
The so-called "basic" communication is made up of two fundamental words: “take” and “slack”.
When the leader asks the second to take, it means they need the rope to be taken tight. This request comes from the fact that the leader may be about to fall and asks the second to lock the rope, or in some cases needs a rest and asks the second to lock the rope so they can hang on it. This, however, can only happen when the leader is below or at the same level as the last anchor point, that is at the height of the last karabiner and its clipped rope.
When instead the leader asks for slack, it means they are climbing and need more rope to carry on upwards. It should be specified that you must not pay out too much rope at a time; rather, the rope should be paid out with care and without overdoing it.
There is a third word that you often hear called out at the crag, and it is: “take in”.
It means that the leader wants the rope to be taken in, but not so much as to lock it. You take in the excess rope running between the two climbers without, however, locking it and preventing the leader from climbing.
This "game" of slack-take in-take is the key moment in the relationship between the two climbers. By keeping a balance between the three moments of rope handling and paying the utmost attention to the leader's movements, you can hold them in complete safety.
Frequently asked questions
What does belaying mean in climbing?
Belaying is the set of movements, actions and techniques with which the second holds an accidental fall by the leader. It uses a belay device attached with a screwgate HMS karabiner to the front loop of the harness, through which the rope runs.
What does the length of a fall in climbing depend on?
It depends on the position of the leader in relation to the last karabiner the rope has been clipped into. If they fall while trying to clip the rope into the last available karabiner, without managing to, they will end up well below the last point of protection.