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belaying a leader


carolyn

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I'm pretty much convinced by the need to have the system be dynamic anywhere it can be. But leaving slack just for that purpose means the leader falls farther, increasing the eventual arresting force. A longer pendulem radius may be better, but you're more likely to be snapped upward into the wall.

And more force on the belayer means a bigger likelyhood that they'll be dragged around on the features of the belay spot so much that they have a hard time holding on--and avoiding rockfall.

If I'm belaying a leader--especially one heavier than I am--there's no way I'm going to stand way out of the line of force just to give them a pleasant fall experience. wink.gif" border="0 There have been times when I've been a bit out of the line for other reasons, and they worked out fine.

Arlen

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Well this thread is too long but here it goes.

I weigh 210 lbs and have climbed with a 95 lb friend. When I lead I most definitely anchor her in so I don't just hit her on my way down. But depending on the location I will sometimes put a little dynamic"ness" in the belay by having her a little off the line of force so that she gets moved into the line of force when I fall. She understands this beforehand and is ready to move to that line if I yell take or gibber incoherently that I don't want to die. We make sure she will not get slammed against a wall and is ready for it. On a multipitch she simply belays from her harness through an anchor so that she does not get lifted up and only gets pulled into the anchor. But again that is highly dependent on all the things we have seen discussed here already.

miker

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hopefully your using a dynamic rope for leading, and if so trying to make a belay more dynamic by jumping/ giving slack sounds pointless as that is the ropes job. Also that a falls happens so quickly, you should just focus on arresting the fall. Definately belay off your harness. On multi pitch if the leader falls with no pro between the anchor and the fall, make sure a runner is off the anchor to save the belayer from arresting the fall straight off their harness. With pro/runner off the anchor i have heard this being called "belaying off the anchor". Specialed is right about penalty slack for bad form. tongue.gif" border="0

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