How to Take & Catch a Lead Fall | Rock Climbing

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Rockin’ Rock Climbing Commodities

Right now, I'm going to show you how to catch a lead fall. Gaz is going to show you how to take a lead fall. As the lead belayer, you have the important responsibility of how to catch a fall if your climber takes a big fall while lead climbing. There's a lot more force involved in taking a lead fall than one on top rope. There's a little bit more to it.

Basically, what happens is when the climber is coming down, you want to make that fall as soft as possible. It's kind of known as giving the climber a soft catch. The idea is that when the climber reaches the very bottom of that swing, you want to almost hop a little bit as the belayer, potentially even-feed a little bit more slack so that the climber doesn't come slamming back into the wall but kind of eases out the bottom of that arc and comes in as gently as possible to the bottom of their swing.

Depending on the difference in sizes, if it's a large climber and a small belayer, you'll probably get pulled up a ways anyways. So, that catch is going to be soft, because your weight being pulled up as a belayer serves as a bit of a counterbalance. If it's the opposite, and you have a very big belayer and a small climber, then it's more important for you as the belayer to be giving extra slack to the climber or even hopping a little bit right at the bottom of that climber's fall to make sure that it's a soft catch and not a really jarring jolt slamming the climber back into the wall.

When you're lead climbing, it's important to know how to take a fall. Part of the process, it's going to happen, and it's inevitable. Just as much as you need to know all the necessary techniques to avoid falling, you need to spend enough time learning how to fall. It will make you more comfortable while you're climbing if you're not afraid to fall while you're doing it.

When you're falling, you want to remember you're not pushing away from the wall. That's going to create a lot of force sending you out and just as much swinging you back into the wall. When you get jerked back in, your knees are going to hit the wall really hard, your feet are going to hit the wall really hard, maybe even your face, and that's what we want to avoid. None of that outward force. When you're falling, come straight down. You can almost think about sitting back. But not too far, because you don't want to flip over. So basically you're falling down, not out.

Also, you're not going to know when you're falling. Sometimes, you can anticipate it. You might be feeling really pumped. You know you're getting tired, you're not able to make that next clip, you're just going to let go, and you're going to fall. When that's the case, you can yell 'falling'. Let your belayer know you're about to come off the wall. If you don't anticipate it, maybe a foot slips, or you're going for a big move and you just miss it, you can't always control when that fall is going to happen, but you should also be thinking about the position your body is going to be in before you fall. If you know you're setting up for a big move, try to avoid the rope getting tangled within your legs, being very aware of how your body and the rope are positioned in relation to the wall.

Right now, Gaz is going to be climbing. He'll be taking a fall, and he'll give you a great example of how to take a lead fall.

Good fall, man. So, you'll notice, I kept my right hand on the brake the whole time, never releasing my belay device from brake position, watching the climber, and I even hopped a little bit right as Gaz was coming to the bottom of his fall to make that nice and soft. And that's how to catch a fall for lead climbing.

[jrblackify]

Also kids, always remember to belay with 10 feet of extra slack so when the leader has a bolt at his feet he still takes a 20 foot fall and almost decks.

[computername]

To all the people getting butthurt about the climber have a too long fall. Unlike other videos, this shows how massive a lead fall can be, thereby raising the awareness towards good belaying in lead climbing. Do you seriously think they couldn't do better? It is a very good demonstration how far a climber can go down, which most people underestimate. Ihe really dangerous fall is always when problems sum up, like the belayer too far from the wall, pulling the rope out too far for clipping, having a lot of slack, bolts being far apart etc.
I find this a very eye opening lesson

[JJ-iuhl]

So there were about 3 ft of rope between the climber's knot and his last bolt. The belayer ends up about 4 or 5 feet above where he was standing. The rope stretches slightly. But the climber still ended up almost decking?

After the cameras were off, the climber told the belayer he was ever climbing with him again.

[heybhey]

Everyone freaking out about the big fall without noticing their big weight difference. The belayer is a small guy. This is what happens when belaying someone heavier. There are ways to mitigate like stand closer to the wall (he doesn't appear to be doing so?), keep the rope tighter (but don't short rope!), and don't attempt to give a dynamic catch by doing anything other than getting ready to fly because it will be dynamic no matter what if you're lighter than your climber. You can also kneel while belaying, use a thicker rope, and try to sit down when they fall if you can do it in time. I think a big reason for his big fall is the weight difference and more rope out than necessary because the belayer is standing away from the wall. He's also using a tube device to belay and there tends to be more rope that escapes from those than a grigri when catching a fall, period.

[migueldejesus]

it's annoying that way the video is edited so that we don't clearly see the belayer demonstrate the jump technique.

[elkanduong]

Was he supposed to fall that far? He was only about 3 feet from hitting the ground.

[jakesevins]

The leader's knot is about 5 ft above the bolt. The fall should therefore be about 10 feet. But there is rope stretch and the belayer gives a soft catch, so maybe 15 feet. This 20' fall just means the belayer had a bunch of slack out. That's fine if you KNOW the leader won't hit the ground, but if it's gonna be close, you have to keep less slack and don't jump. I've belayed nationals before... it's not as easy as it looks.

[samuelmuratalla]

Anyone know what kind of shoes the Belayer is using? I like those.

[lydiabuhler]

it's not unlocked when they are climbing... just the initial first shot

[PdDels]

Description isn't completely right. Imagine falling on a not even vertical rock wall as it happens most of the time outdoor. Just ''falling down'' as he describes it will probably brake you legs and knees. In certain situations you have to jump back to control your falling.

[elkanduong]

What does he mean by falling down not out

[arpudli]

Imagine if he would really fall like 2m above the quickdraw, whit this much slack he would be in the ground

[supersaiyan]

The first time i tried this.








I hit my head sadly and regret doing this






the end.

[sofiad]

How could someone be teaching us this when his Carabiner isn't locked. His climber fell way to far and was so close to hitting the floor.

[richardsmith]

We're not using static manila ropes anymore secured with around the body bowlines instead of harnesses and setting up body belays.  Let the rope, the harness, and the draws do the energy absorbing and you do the "don't let my buddy hit his head on the ground" absorbing.

I'm sorry but this is probably the most garbage belaying I've seen to date.  Since when have we ever wanted to stand so far away from the wall?  Or run and jump up to it?

God forbid your buddy did take a good fall on real rock and you were standing so far away, now you're getting face slammed into the wall and when your friend decks out because of all the extra slack in the line and hits his head on a rock on the ground and DIES or is seriously injured.  You belay close to the rock.  It does a few things, it mitigates chance of getting hit by something falling, lessens the angle on his protection to prevent zippering, as well as it keeps him from decking out.  If your buddy takes a fall and its that awkward distance of "can't run back, can't suck up slack" then you drop to your ass and hold the brake.

I understand you're at a gym and there isn't protection, and the chance of falling rock... well its nonexistent.  That being said the chance of there being sufficient slack  between yourself and the wall exists and at no point should you allow that slack to occur to increase that fall distance.