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| Lead Climbing: Alastair (shown above where red and grey wall adjoins) Belaying: Jan (below Alastair in the grey shirt) |
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| Alastair |
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| Jan |
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| Me |
Today, I joined Alastair and Jan at
Vertical World for some practice belaying and
top rope climbing. First, I had to prove my belaying skills to the staff before being allowed to belay in the gym. I also learned how to use a
gri-gri as that is the
belay device used at Vertical World. My belaying test was a success! I belayed Alastair several times, making sure to always anchor in.
Anchoring is important because at some point, the force of a fall will exceed the holding threshold of even the most well braced stance and position. Two climbing situations in which this is likely to occur: belaying a climber who outweighs you, and belaying a lead climber. If you anticipate that controlling the forces of a fall will be difficult regardless of your stance and position in relation to the top anchor, attach to a floor anchor.
I climbed mostly 5.8's on the
Yosemite Decimal System rating scale, while Alastair and Jan climbed 5.10's. We climbed for just over three hours it was a difficult and great challenge, but definitely worth the effort. Looking forward to more climbing soon!
WARNING and DISCLAIMER: I do not profess to be an expert. Complete knowledge of standard climbing equipment, techniques and practices is assumed. The following is NOT to be used or construed as instruction in how to belay or climb. For your safety and the safety of others seek professional, expert instruction before attempting these techniques.
Links:
Vertical World
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