UKC

Is your belayer trying to kill you?

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 Sketchy 20 Jul 2015
Evening all. I knocked up a little piece on how climbers new and old are subconsciously trying to wipe out their peers through dodgy belaying techniques. Enjoy!

www.callumtaylortravels.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/is-your-belayer-trying-to-kill-you/

Let me know what you think, especially if you've narrowly escaped bad belaying or secretly have a vendetta against all other climbers.
 john arran 20 Jul 2015
In reply to Sketchy:

Either you are a troll or you are missing your true vocation as a traffic warden. I can't decide which is more likely.
2
 lowersharpnose 20 Jul 2015
In reply to Sketchy:

Style...

Write it is rather than it's unless it is speech. Similarly for "you've" etc.

...have been intercepted by myself or a colleague... Why use 'myself'?

on a daily basis why not simply daily?

Factual....

In all good judgement you can not put your life in their hands; regardless of how good a climber you are, if you fall they probably won’t catch you.

I don't agree with 'probably won't catch you'. I feel able to use my judgement about a new belayer's capacity to understand and do the job and to choose appropriate routes to develop the skill.

1
 Misha 21 Jul 2015
In reply to Sketchy:
It is fair to say that there is some bad belaying around, especially at walls where there are lots of inexperienced people.
Post edited at 00:55
 David Alcock 21 Jul 2015
In reply to john arran:

Dunno John, his article seemed fairly sound. I find myself wincing at belaying at the crag, let alone the wall, but maybe that's a career in RA for you.
 Neil Williams 21 Jul 2015
In reply to David Alcock:

> Dunno John, his article seemed fairly sound. I find myself wincing at belaying at the crag, let alone the wall, but maybe that's a career in RA for you.

I find myself wincing at belaying at the crag *far* more than the wall. The view on trad is still to some extent "the leader doesn't fall", and I suspect many trad climbers have never caught a lead fall. Nor would they, if the amount of slack trailing on the floor is anything to go by.

Neil
 ByEek 21 Jul 2015
In reply to Sketchy:

Very good. If you want something that seriously points out bad belaying in an amusing way, check this out

youtube.com/watch?v=V9hsWjA3SmU&
 Steve nevers 21 Jul 2015
In reply to ByEek:

Thats pretty much 80% of belayers at one local wall.

The staff have even given up correcting people, you just get a 'we'll we've tried but noone listens' attitude..

..well ban the f*ckers for gods sake!
Andy Gamisou 21 Jul 2015
In reply to Sketchy:
"Is your belayer trying to kill you?"

Yes - I think she's after the life insurance. Little does she know the joke's on her - it doesn't cover climbing related incidents.
 flopsicle 21 Jul 2015
In reply to Sketchy:

I have the loveliest 70 something belayer. From spotting as I leave the ground to 'reading' what I'm doing when I'm to wussy to speak. I'm so utterly spoilt that I've gotten insanely fussy over who holds the rope! He has 30+ yrs practice and an obsession with his belay device collection and keeping up with modern techniques.

He said that people don't speak to him much, I think that's their loss as he loves belaying and is a total bloody star! Me thinks I'm damn lucky!!

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