Belay Plates

[Mer]

no sharp edge formation

the reverso doesn't develop a sharp edge if you alternate the orientation for raps, ie the free-end is sometimes the climber, sometimes the hand. Yes, it changes amount of resistance, no it's not issue is most situations.

[ncascademtns]

You mean WHO is Gigi? She's one heck of a beauty. Climbs hard too. I'll have to introduce her to you some time.

 

I knew you were going to say that. I thought maybe it was some babe you picked off the streets in Seattle.

Have you seen the movie?

 

BD ATC's work well. That's all I use.

[catbirdseat]

The B-52 was on sale at REI for $8, so I bought one just to try it out. So far I've only used it for belaying and lowering. I've not tried it yet for rappelling or belaying the second. What I can say is that it does not lock off as positively as the ATC. You have to bring the tail down more to lock off, so you can't be careless. It does lower very smoothly.

 

So what would happen if you tried to belay the second with only one carabiner on the anchor? If it was one second and the biner was on the same side as the rope, it looks like it would work. If you were belaying two seconds it appears that it would cocks sideways and perhaps jam, hence the two biners. So supposing you used two biners, only one would have to be locking, right?

 

Trango B-52 Instruction Sheet

 

They only show one locking biner on the anchor regardless of whether one or two seconds are being belayed.

Edited February 14, 2005 by catbirdseat

[elementalphotos]

I use the B-52 for multipitch routes, I also contacted Trango about some of these same questions I had myself.

 

So what would happen if you tried to belay the second with only one carabiner on the anchor?

 

If you're only using a single rope, you can hang the B-52 on the anchor using a single LOCKING biner, or two

identical non-locking biners with gates opposed.

 

So supposing you used two biners, only one would have to be locking, right?

 

If you have rope through both slots, then you should use two biners. Trango tech rep told me the important thing is that the B-52 should be hanging straight, free from jamming again rocks and other gear. The two biners should be identical, at least in length. But they do not have to be locking biners, non-lockers are ok if you oppose the gates.

 

They only show one locking biner on the anchor regardless of whether one or two seconds are being belayed.

 

Actually, in Trango's instructional sheet they do not show a diagram for belaying two seconds.

Edited March 18, 2005 by elementalphotos

[catbirdseat]

I've used the B-52 with two ropes and non-identical biners, a locking Jake and a non-locking positron-type. It causes a slight tilt to the device which, while not ideal, is still functional. Two identical non-locking biners, opposite, AND opposed should work fine, and be perfectly safe. My guess is that ovals would be best, or at least cleanest-looking.

[dbconlin]

I have a B-52 and I really like it for most duties (belaying, rapping, etc) I think it works great on skinny ropes as well as mid-fats (10.5) and excellent on icy ropes, too. Here is my beef: I haven't gotten the autoblock to work that well in some situations. Recently I ended up on an ice ledge. The only possible belay was from two ice screws placed vertically into horizontal ice (the next vertical section was too far back). I tried to set up an autoblock (for my two followers), but it didn't work at all. i couldn't take in rope. Is this because the device wasn't hanging vertically? I don't have much experience with the autoblock feature so it is hard for me to troubleshoot on my own.

Edited March 20, 2005 by dbconlin

[catbirdseat]

If you are autolocking with two ropes when you must attach the device to the anchor with two carabiners so it hangs square. That's a total of three carabiners: two between anchor and device and one below the device and around which the rope passes.

[Dr_Crash]

In addition to CBS's advice if it applies (i.e. you didn't even bother to read the B-52 manual or Trango's B-52 FAQ), practice the autoblock rig at home, and also practice unblocking with the rope loaded.

 

drC

[Bill_Simpkins]

Munter Hitch

[catbirdseat]

Munter Hitch

Not a belay plate. Overruled.

[Bill_Simpkins]

Darn.

Actually for an ATC I like the BD even with thin ropes. It's simple. If you need more friction just clip a biner to you leg loop and go through that too.

The Reverso is nice though for belaying from above. Many people I know swear by it, but I'm stubborn.

The BD is light and simple.

I found the B52 annoying.

[catbirdseat]

Well dammit, tell us what it is about the B-52 that you find annoying! I like it better than the ATC because I find it has a smoother action on lowering and rappeling.

 

Let me guess. Because the B-52 is asymmetrical, unlike the ATC, you get annoyed because you keep feeding the rope into the thing backwards. Am I right?

[Bill_Simpkins]

Nope. It locks up and you have to push it up from the biner with your other hand to unlock it. Some people like it for that reason. But I don't need it, so I don't like it.

I don't think the design will last.

[catbirdseat]

Nope. It locks up and you have to push it up from the biner with your other hand to unlock it. Some people like it for that reason. But I don't need it, so I don't like it.

I don't think the design will last.

That is strange, I have never experienced that. I wonder what type of carabiner you are using. I've found that the wide rounded ones work way better.

[Bill_Simpkins]

Maybe that was it.