Become a Belayer I can Trust | Ep.1

Detailed Course for Sport Climbers. From Basics to Advanced Techniques that help you to become an Independent Climber capable of understanding the Safety of any Climbing Situation.

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Because that makes a big difference and allows me to do this project!
Deep Thanks!
Ben

[Rycamcam]

Dude, those clips of bad belayers are terrifying. Thanks for making this video 👍

[remz]

We have alot of warriors(hard/good climbers) that have a risky relationship with slack where i live, and they sadly advocate for it towards newer climbers. "It's ok, once they have clipped the third bolt just let it rip" . I'm afraid it might come to R.I.P at some point. With proper technique and focus/attention from the belayer, there's no reason to give out miles of slack, no matter how high the climber might be on the wall (there will always be situations where more or less might be needed, depending on the rock/route, "obstacles" for lack of a better word, ledges etc.). Instead of telling them to just give out alot of slack, they should be telling them to pay attention to the climber, and teach them proper belaying, if they even know how to themselves that is.

[benmace]

One of the hardest parts of climbing is, let's face it, finding a belayer who we completely trust. This is even worse when sites such as Facebook have pages for strangers meeting up to climb together. This approach is always like playing Russian Roulette. How nice would it be to actually have a formal belay certification where we know our belayer has undergone specific training and has a certificate to prove their level of competence. The number of shitty belayers I see on a regular basis blows my freakin mind!

[FabienBernard]

I can sadly tell you that the Grigri used as shown at 3:42 will not block! The reflex is to grab the device when your climber falls. I was the climber, 15m fall to the floor, I was lucky I just exploded one vertebrae 😅 now I'm going well, and back to climbing but this was a long journey ^^
Anyway, thanks for this amazing initiative, we need to educate people about belaying! And no, the Grigri will not save you if you don't know how to use it 😬

[FarmCraft]

Have any more episodes planned for this series? You do a great job, and I was hoping you would have a video on advanced techniques for belaying a lead climber. When to shorten the fall as much as possible (near the ground or ledges). When to jump to give a soft fall. How a heavy belayer needs to jump more. How to time the jump. How a soft catch is often a safer catch, reducing swing if you are out to the side of your protection, etc. Even without that, great series, and thank you for making it. I've been climbing for 32 years, mostly sport, and you are spot on with your knowledge.

[pastrie]

I don't climb. I never have. I don't have the money to afford starting and learning. I still love these videos and what they teach me about life and problem solving in general. One day i hope to be able to afford this hobby.

[Olemier]

Okay I’m gonna be honest about rope slack when lead belaying. Even if you DIDN’T take a class on lead belaying, how the hell could you not take a second and realize you’ve got so much slack that the rope is laying on the ground? Like, think that the amount of slack in the rope is proportional to how far they will fall (plus even more distance because rope stretches). You have to be completely oblivious to do stuff like in those videos he showed. Always treat belaying like somebody’s life is in your hands. Cuz it is.

[naturesrevenge]

1:38, this is why you don't get distracted. I was at the gym belaying for my first time today, was super fun and I can't wait to do more. Luckily neither me or the other person I was climbing with had any falls, but I never allowed myself to get distracted and even with my neck feeling cranked I would keep my attention on them. It really should be common sense when you have another person's safety in your hands that you give them your full attention.

[alesmo]

Thank you for this videos Ben, it's so necessary... I couldn't agree more with what you say in this intro!

[felixd]

As climbing instructor, I really appreciate your work for this video.
What I noticed: since last lockdown where gyms were closed, belaying techniques are becoming worse and worse. Lots of new climbers w/o any proper training trying to rocking the walls.
Oh man....☠️☠️

[andrzejpietraszkiewicz]

can't wait to watch the entire series

[GuillaumeGris]

With how much rocks I saw falling from cliffs over the years, it's still beyond me why no belayer in any of these clips wears a helmet. After being hit on the head, you will not be in the best condition to belay your partner who sent you a rocky present. When we go at the cliff with my friends, everyone wears a helmet before anyone starts climbing. Idealy, we put it on even before we arrive. I remember one windy day when, just as we were approaching a potential climbing area, some rocks fell on us without anyone above.

[fluffyadolin]

Damn those videos jumped my heart rate through the roof!

[marliessoef]

Thank you for making this series. Let's make the climbing community even better than it already is.

[Sierraccion]

I was climbing not too far from BCN last week, and I can tell that many belayers were taught the same bad technique. We were afraid of telling them because they seem so confident, and climbing harder than us... I really got surprise that you brough it because it is so true, I just shared the video with my colleagues, they are going to freak out, it is so accurate!

[SuperBolo]

Sprained my ankle 3 days ago due to a hard fall… my belayer and I need to refresh some proper belaying technique!

[justinhulsman]

Thank you so much for this series! I have started climbing with my two kids and have found it to be a great bonding experience. However, safety is my greatest concern going into this venture. Although we are beginners and started training at our local gym, I found the series to be a great way to augment said training and re-enforce good climbing habits. Found the content to be worthy of my support and joined the channel.

[emerconghaile]

I just started top rope climbing after bouldering for a few months. Your climbing safety content is making me feel much more confident in my abilities to not only protect myself but also protect others. I have gone outdoor climbing with two different groups so far, and both times I was told different advice. It’s nice to come here to see a true professionals opinion and the footage of it actually happening. Thanks!

[iain_nakada]

Looks like a really interesting series. Looking forward to it!

[exPrimer]

I watched all of the series but for a belay masterclass I still feel like I'm missing the actual instructions on belaying. For instance, how much slack is good? Too much? Too little? Is giving extra slack just beneficial to not short rope the climber or is it safer? Etc