In reply to mmmhumous: As someone with a Physics background I thought so and what's more, in terms of part 6 ( the first link), I'm unaware of any other proper analysis on the subject..... sad that some people clearly think otherwise (and baffled why the post got dislikes).
In reply to Offwidth: Watched the vids last night, excellent work! Good to see empirical evidence for something that normally you just rely on feeling to describe. Seen so many falls where there isn't enough slack out and the belayer doesn't jump to soften the fall. Normally some light climber getting slammed again and again on the crux.
What can you say to the belayer to help that doesn't make you sound like a dick? Often the leader is unaware the reason they are getting slammed. Genuine question.
Personally I take my slammings in my stride, so would suggest that these are advanced techniques requiring practice in a safe environment before putting into practise. I don't think there is something you can quickly convey to a belayer and expect a positive outcome. Other opinions are available.
I really don't see that this is an advanced technique though, it's just part of lead belaying. Unless you are keeping someone from decking then slamming someone means you can't lead belay properly yet. Seen too many people limp out of craggs with sore ankles and toes after a hard catch blaming themselves or just sucking it up rather than realizing that it was the belaying that was at fault.
In reply to Offwidth: Would be interesting to see some testing with a lighter belayer. I often climb with people who are 20kg or more heavier than me and being dynamic with a catch tends to mean flying a few meters into the air. On the other hand, it would be quite hard for me not to give a soft catch in those cases.
Indeed, I do a lot of science engagement work with the RSC and SCI and it's really good visual demonstration and a great bit of pragmatic work. I particularly like their approach to measuring speed (pixels per second).
When you're getting lo larger weight differences, the only way go give a hard catch, is to either up your weight (heavy rucksack or sandbag) or use a ground anchor. When climbing with my lightest climbing partner (40kg difference), if I'm concerned about a bad fall, or she's concerned about being kicked in the face, we usually go with the rucksack full of rocks approach.
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