UKC

Is this really a body belay?

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Mutl3y 21 Apr 2014
 john arran 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Mutl3y:

A body belay was more commonly called a waist belay and only referred to how the climbing rope was controlled. Was entirely normal of course to be clipped into a belay at the same time.
 deepsoup 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Mutl3y:

Yes it is. Body belay doesn't mean no anchors.
 Lone Rider 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Mutl3y:

The belayer should be anchored to the rock. It is a body belay when the rope is wrapped round his back and left arm and gripped with left hand but in picture he doesn't have the rope wrapped once round his left arm so would struggle to hold a fall properly.
OP Mutl3y 21 Apr 2014
In reply to john arran:

Thanks chaps.
OP Mutl3y 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Lone Rider:

So it's a case of "don't fall" with that left arm situation then?
 Lone Rider 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Mutl3y:

I would suggest so. I have used body belays many a time for rock and ice without any problems since the 70's and very good for winter belays where anchors are not so good as the body absorbs a lot of the shock.

Generally very reliable just that we have now got used to betabrakes, gri gris and other belay devices.
 Tom Valentine 21 Apr 2014
In reply to deepsoup:

It did when I led Caravanserai ;(

Luckily there was a bit of a ditch to sit in.
In reply to Mutl3y:

There were two types of body belay, the waist belay and the shoulder belay. The waist belay, used properly, was quite safe and in the first four years of my climbing (up to mid-1970) I used it the whole time, holding many quite big leader falls successfully. The shoulder belay was a whole different fishkettle, and potentially very dangerous. I have written at length about the last time I used one, when it all 'went wrong' ... .
bill briggs1 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Mutl3y:

Yes it would be better if he had the twist round his left arm , Steve may well have added the twist a moment after the pic was taken or not . However having climbed with Steve over the years I would have no hesitation to trust his judgement . Its not so much the technique but the person on the othere end thats important.
 deepsoup 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Tom Valentine:

Sorry, perhaps I should have said body belay doesn't necessarily mean no anchors.
 woppo 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Mutl3y:

Was big Ron leading right wall/ lord of the flies in rock athlete belayed by a waist belay? Not got a video to hand but sticks in my mind. Happy to be put right, this is ukc after all!
 woppo 21 Apr 2014
In reply to Mutl3y:

Just found clip on you tube, yep, waist body belay. Good job his arms did their stuff, although I'm sure the technique held some whippers back in the day!

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...