A belayer during the lead climb needs to pay full attention to what’s happening with the climber to minimize the risk of injury. You need to be aware of what the climber is doing, what the risk of a fall is and if the fall happens, whether your climber is going to hit something on the way down. Read on for 7 tips for giving a great lead belay.
An advanced top rope belay sounds like an oxymoron, but top roping is a low-risk way to work moves on a hard route. If your climber is at their limit, even on top rope, having a careful, attentive belay can help them do a better job working the moves. Here are a few tips that will help you be the best top rope belayer out there.
If hangboards feel a bit too expensive to you, or if, because of a global pandemic, you can’t find one in stock, you can easily build your own hangboard at home. This post shows you how my daughter and I built one for her college apartment.