Quite often EBO climbing students ask us which is the correct way to belay.  Belaying is an extremely important aspect of climbing and is most often one of the first aspects of the techechical elements of rock climbing and wall climbing that beginners will learn.

Following is some information all budding climbers will find useful.

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Harness Belay Loop

Rope Loop

Belaying from the Harness Belay Loop

Belaying from the harness ‘Belay Loop’

Harnesses come with a ‘belay loop’. In most current models this belay loop connects the waist belt to the leg loops and is an extremely strong part of the harness. Some people call these loops ‘abseil loops’. Both terms are correct. (There are other designs of harnesses that have a slightly different ‘belay loop’ – but for the purpose of this article all belay loops do the same job). To keep things simple – we’ll refer to the rope loop as ‘Rope Loop’ and the belay loop as ‘Harness belay loop’.

This ‘Harness Belay Loop’ is designed to be more than strong enough to belay from and to abseil on. In the harness pictured; a DMM Maverick , the strength of the Belay Loop is 25kn (that is strong – a no. 9 wire is rated to 12kn).

In certain circumstances it is usual to belay from this ‘harness belay loop’. These circumstances are usually when there is no need for the belayer to be attached to anchors. A common instance of this is at the climbing wall or when sport climbing. It would be extremely inconvenient for a belayer to have to tie in to the bottom end of the rope before every route at an indoor climbing wall.

It can be called a ‘Belay Loop’ or an ‘Abseil Loop’!

Belaying from the Rope Loop

Tied in – through the waist loop and the leg loops.

Belaying from the ‘Rope Loop’

When a climber ties in to a rope, this is usually done by threading the rope through both the waist belt and the leg loops of the harness (as shown in this photo). The rope follows the same path through the harness as the ‘harness belay loop’ – in effect, creating a new ‘belay loop’ from the rope.

This ‘rope loop’ is extremely strong and is perfectly adequate for belaying from. In fact, it is a very good idea to use this ‘rope loop’ in certain circumstances.

Load going on to Rope Loop – then nicely on to anchor

Load going on to Harness Belay Loop – causing a side load

If you are attached to an anchor point with your rope, be it on a ledge or at the top of a crag, then it can be a good idea to belay from your rope loop. In doing so you are more able to transfer the weight of a fallen climber more directly on to your belay and avoid the squashing sensation caused through having your harness pulled.

The obvious exception to this rule is if you have attached yourself to your anchor point using your harness belay loop – usually with a sling and karabiner.

In some instances having the entire weight of a fallen climber pressing on your ‘particulars’ can be extremely uncomfortable:

The side load shown in the photo on the right causes the harness to twist and can cause discomfort for the belayer. But is it more likely to make the harness fail? I didn’t know the answer to this so I asked the experts:

Simon Marsh from DMM explains:

“Side loading the belay loop will not cause a significant increase in loading or affect the ability of the loop to hold that load. The main issue with side loading is that a sudden, twisting of the harness may cause the belayer to lose control of the rope. Otherwise discomfort is the most common side effect of twisting caused by the side load; the load may not be in line with the belay and the harness will try to twist into line and thus press into the belayers waist.”

To Summarise:

Rope loop or belay loop? – Both are correct in different circumstances, but it won’t really matter if you prefer one over the other.

• If you are tied to the anchors – rope loop is usually best.
• If you are not tied to the anchors – belay loop is usually fine.
• If in doubt – why not just clip through both?

Important Tips:

Tie your rope loop the same size as your harness belay loop. Don’t have it too long or really short. This makes belaying from it easier, and keeps everything neat when you are climbing.

Make sure your knot is well tied, tight and has a stopper knot. Adding a stopper knot adds another link to the safety chain.

Don’t rely on basic rules such as ‘when I’m on the floor I do X’ or ‘when I’m on a ledge I do Y’. Keep asking questions and experimenting in a safe place until you understand not just what to do, but WHY you should do it.

If you’re worried about poor belay anchors, the usual best thing to do is find some better ones, not worry about braced stances and body belays! It can be difficult to find bomb-proof belays on some winter routes, but the majority of rock climbs in the UK have good belays, if you work hard to find them.

Courtesy of Jack Geldard UKClimbing.com.