I've missed too many good shots pre-occupied with belay logistics - multipitch. But I've figured out what I need: some type of go pro kit mounted on my helmet with voice command - SHOOT!
Does this exist ??
What is wrong with a dslr in one hand and the other in the belay rope?
Worked for me and nobody died or fell off.
You could be a GoPro hero shouting commands.
You can get remote controls that would fasten somewhere accessible. I use mine in winter as the buttons are easier to press with gloves on than those on the camera itself.
Google glass would have been useful for climbing in so many ways. Unfortunately discontinued and never made for the mass market!
Or belay in guide mode and use both hands?
I think all the recent Go Pros since GP Hero 5 have voice command, but I think it eats battery (as it has to be on to hear you)
> What is wrong with a dslr in one hand and the other in the belay rope?
I always keep one hand on the rope - so i can give it a good tug and get good falling off shots
I was skiing with a chap a couple of days ago who kept shouting "GoPro start!" and "GoPro take a photo!" then fiddling with the thing on his helmet. So either voice control exists or he was completely misunderstanding the technology. Then again, from the frustrated tone of his voice, I'm not sure if it actually worked.
At first I thought, 'shotgun or rifle'
Belay (seconds) in guidemode or with autolocking devide.
Belay leaders with autolocking device.
Use what ever camere you have with both hands and profit. Or obey the user guide of the products and don't... in which case you'll need to buy a helmet mounted new'ish GoPro (as mentioned above), which obeys voice commands.
Given the usual view of the leadet when I'm belaying, i think I'd have to pop a cap in his arse
I thought, 'Well, I've had some dodgy partners but they've never been that bad!"
GoPro has this and it works well (if you remember it's a dumb device and "GoPro Switch On, Power Up, Wake Up, F****G TAKE A PICTURE, etc won't work).
Alternatively, you could get a peak capture clip, mount a decent camera (Olympus Tough?)
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7sS3FzCfNlA/maxresdefault.jpg
You could leave the tough on interval shooting mode and so if you point in a direction for 10 seconds (for example) you know you'll have captured a photo. Alternatively, if you know there's something good, second the pitch, shout take and get your big camera out...
A compact camera on a hip belt can easily be operated one handed (on a lanyard in case of a fumble) to catch mid-pitch photos.
The reality is though, most shots taken while belaying are a bit rubbish - much better from abseil or away to one side,
Chris
Thread title reminded me of when I was well up the first pitch of Black and Tans, sometime in the late seventies, and my belayer started shouting me to come down. Puzzled, I carefully reversed down to find Doug of Rockhall pointing a double barrelled shotgun at my mate, telling us climbing wasn’t allowed and we had to get off his land. We knew he was wrong, but thought better of questioning his point of view.
And that in turn reminds me of climbing at Shelf Road in Colorado, very soon after it was first developed in the 80s. I reached the top-out of a route only to hear a loud hollerin' from somewhere in the scrub away from the base of the crag. The message was for me to get the hell out of the way because there was a deer just along from me on top of the crag and I was in the way of their shot!
Being tied on it's not like I could really move anywhere far, but I certainly didn't feel like trying to hide and give them an excuse to start shooting!
Seeing a pickup truck later with the head of a murdered deer hanging over the edge was a memorably sickening sight.
> Seeing a pickup truck later with the head of a murdered deer hanging over the edge was a memorably sickening sight.
Were they taking away the carcass for food then - if so why would it be sickening?
> Were they taking away the carcass for food then
Presumably they were, yes.
> if so why would it be sickening?
I don't feel I need to rationalise my very strongly felt revulsion at the time for it to have been a genuine and powerful emotion. Suffice to say I gave up eating meat very soon afterwards and haven't eaten it since.
> I don't feel I need to rationalise my very strongly felt revulsion at the time for it to have been a genuine and powerful emotion. Suffice to say I gave up eating meat very soon afterwards and haven't eaten it since.
Fair enough - I am against hunting for sport, but if hunting for the pot then fair enough by me - and a hunter with a rifle may be a humane way to kill something for the pot
Thanks for your response.
Shooting on belay duty......
Reminds me of doing a route at Sennen. A squaddie was already on the belay ledge. He fixed me with a stare and the first thing he said was, "I'm a sniper, you know!"
> Shooting on belay duty......
I'm delighted to have contributed to the humour here
Its made me imagine a new sport category - a climbing version of the nordic ski + shoot :/
> Use what ever camere you have with both hands and profit. Or obey the user guide of the products and don't... in which case you'll need to buy a helmet mounted new'ish GoPro (as mentioned above), which obeys voice commands.
Thanks for all ideas. I don't really want added technical complexity so the short answer is to get better organised with the basics. But it isn't always easy huh - on a suspeneded belay with rope draped everywhere, facing the wrong way and your second shouting anxiety ...
In the background there were also shouts of, " Permission to fall off, Sir. Permission denied, Private!" Very surreal.
But much too wide for climbing.
Just do what everyone else does -
1. place the brake end of the rope under your armpit (or under your foot)
2. dig around distractedly in your pockets looking for your phone
3. enter your password and read the whatsapp message that's just come in
4. Finally bring your attention back to the leader (who by now needs slack) and take their photo
5. Take a selfie while you're at it
I'm pretty sure this is how it is taught on the BMC tutorial video
> brake line under your armpit isn't going to work especially well with a plate/tube device is it?
Whoooooosh
> brake line under your armpit isn't going to work especially well with a plate/tube device is it?
Gri-Gri sorts this out
Nothing wrong with the age old 'don't fall off I'm taking a photo', right up there with 'don't fall off I'm skinning up'.
And if any of my climbing partners had survived I'm sure they would agree with me.
I was climbing at City of Rocks in Idaho and there were a couple of American guys climbing a route on the same buttress. They were close enough that we could hold a shouted conversation.
When we were almost at the top of the route (I think it was three pitches), a pick-up truck pulled up on the road below and a guy got out, produced a rifle from the back and started shooting at the other climbers. Apparently they'd had a fight in a bar the night before and it seemed like the shooter was out looking for them. It was pretty scary being up there with bullets whizzing around, but the Americans were just shouting a load of abuse down at him.
We got out of there as quickly as we could.
I also climbed at Shelf Road on that trip, but didn't get shot at. There was plenty of shooting at Fremont Canyon, but it was mostly drunk people firing into the air. It wasn't the quietest camp site I've ever been to.
Wow, scary!
Should have been armed yourselves, obviously - you'd have been safe then!
Had some friends climbing at Shooters Nab when some guys showed up with automatic weapons. They hadn't noticed any red flag like the shooters didn't appear to notice them. Time for a sharp exit!
Actually a good way to work is as a rope of three so you have the best of both worlds, especially on big multi pitch routes. You get shots of both leader and second being the 'pig in the middle!