The ways of using ropes and equipment to climb safely are described here. It also describes how to descend after climbing, hand placement, foot placement, balance, and other technical climbing techniques are also described here.

     Belaying is securing the climber during his climb. There are many techniques and belay devices to achieve this. But note that if you choose the correct belay device and belay method, both you(the belayer) and the climber should experience no difficulties.

     Although there are many techniques to belay a person, we will focus here on two most commonest methods

     In all the methods below you should always use your common sense. In any case the belayer should be confident that when the climber slips, the belayer will be able to hold a fall without causing any injuries to the climber nor to him/herself.

Semi-Direct Belay

This is the most common used Belay Method and contains four key parts:

     This belay method is called semi-direct as the load of a fall is taken by the anchor and by the belayer via the belay device, belay loop and the rope to the anchor. The attachment of the belayer is attached to the anchor ensures that the belayer can easily lock off and pay out the rope when under tension.

Direct Belay

     A direct belay is constructed to take the load of a fall directly to the anchor. The belayer in this case, can either be attached to an anchor or not, depending on the situation.

     One method is to take the rope around a rock flake, spike, boulder or tree, generating friction along the surface of the anchor. Of course, the chosen anchor should always be solid and unmovable. Then it is just a matter of holding the rope with your hands(do use gloves!) and taking in or out, hand over hand, as required.

     Another method is to use an Italian Hitch and a single or multiple-point anchor. Here you clip an HMS screw gate carabiner into the anchor. Ensure that the gate faces up and the wider end is away from the anchor and clip in an Italian HItch. You can now operate the belay, with any load being transmitted to the anchor

     Abseiling or Rappeling is the technique used for descending steep rock. This is either done after a climb or where there is difficult access(e.g. sea cliffs) to start of the climb

Method:
    

     As all the ropes are designed and manufactured for different Rope Systems, it is of crucial importance (!) that climbing ropes are only used for the purpose they are designed for. So for example, never use a twin rope in a single rope system nor using a twin rope in a double rope system.

     To find out which rope system suits your needs, go to an indoor gym to try out the different rope systems. Advice from an experienced rock climber is very useful as well!!!

     This section is written for anybody who wants to know more about Single Double and Twin Rope Systems. The information provided here is also necessary for anybody who wants to but the rope. There are three main Rope Systems that will be outlined here below.

Single Rope System

    One believes that the Single Rope System is the most used rope system in the world. Not because this is the best system, but beacuse it is suited for Straight Climbing Routes. This needs some explaination:

     The single rope system is adequate on single and multi pitch routes wherby the protection is in one straight line. Therefore this rope system is very often used on sport routes, where the bolts are placed in a straight line on any other routes whereby the protection can be placed in a straight line.

    If the protection is not in a straight line but for example has more of a zig-zag pattern then there will be more "rope drag". Rope drag is the amount of friction the rope causes when running through the quickdraws/runners/extenders. This friction can be so large, e.g. in a fall, that the protection is being pulled out causing the system not to be secure anymore!!!

     Rope drag on single rope system can be minimized by using longer extenders as these will make the line "straighter". However if you are climbing routes that are not straight forward like on traditional climbing routes, where one has to place the protection where it occurs then a double rope system can be more practical.

     When using a single rope system, then note that one can only achieve a maximum abseil of half a rope length. So if you are using a 60m rope with a single rope system, then you can only abseil 30m.

     All rope manufacturers are obliged by the UIAA(Union Internatinaledes Associations d'Alpinisme) to indicate if the rope is suitable for a single,double or a twin-rope system. as a rule of thumb, most ropes with a thickness of 10-11mm are single ropes.

     Single rope system is cheaper than the double or twin-rope systems available but less durable as the rope drag is considerable

Double Rope System

    The Double rope system is also often used, probably because it is a more flexible system than th SIngle rope system.

Twin Rope System

This system is not used very often, but for longer multi-pitch routes it could come in handy. With the twin rope system one uses two twin ropes in a single rope system. This means that the two twin ropes will both go through each point of protection.