Rock Climbing Basics - VDiff Climbing

Rock Climbing Basics The Beginner's GuideFourth Edition. January 2018 £ Donation Only

Contents Introduction 4 Preparation 10 Top Rope Climbing 25 Lead Climbing 39 General 53Learn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com 3

The Climbing HarnessGear Loops Buckle Waist BeltThese are for clipping gear These can be used to This fastens around theto, such as quickdraws. adjust the size of your smallest part of your waist.This way, you can take harness for a comfortablegear with you as you climb. and tight fit. It's importantThey're not strong enough that they are fastenedto hold your weight, so correctly (see page 12).never clip the rope intothem.Elastic Leg Loops Belay LoopThese stretchy pieces of These fasten around the This super strong loopfabric help to stop your leg top of your thighs. connects the waist belt toloops from sliding down at the leg loops. You use it tothe back. They can be belay from (more on thisadjusted too. later).Learn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com 7

How To Tie In To a Climbing RopeYou'll need to tie the end of the rope to It's really important that you do it correctly,your harness before you climb. The best as this knot is what connects you to theway to do this is using a rethreaded figure whole climbing system and keeps youof 8 knot. safe.Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Make a loop about a meter You should end up with an Pass the end of the ropefrom the end of the rope. '8'. Make sure the knot is through both of the twoWrap the end of the rope around 90cm from the end points on the front centrearound the base of the of the rope. The exact of your harness – theloop, then push the end length varies with ropes of same ones your belay loopthrough the loop. different diameters, but runs through. It is you'll soon get used to it. important that the rope goes through your harness in exactly the same way as your belay loop does. 90cmLearn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com 15

Step 4 Step 5 Step 6Use the end of the rope to Continue following the Make sure the end of the're-trace' the figure of 8 twists until you end up rope is around 25cm long.knot. Follow the twists of back at the start of the If it is shorter, you'll have tothe rope starting from knot. untie and start again. Afterwhere the rope joins your this, you will need to tie aharness. Pull the whole thing tight. 'stopper knot'. Loop the short section of rope around the main length. 25cmVDiff – Rock Climbing Basics > Preparation and Technique 16

Step 7 Step 8 Step 9Do this twice, with the Push the end of the rope Pull this tight too (makesecond loop closer to you through these two loops, sure it's pushed right upthan the first. away from you. against your figure of 8 knot).If you didn't have enough rope left to tie a It takes a bit of practise to judge just thestopper knot, you'll need to retie the figure right amount of rope from the start, butof 8 so that you do. you'll get used to it soon.Learn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com 17

Climbing Calls'Climbing calls' are certain words that when you're standing next to each other atclimbers use so that everyone knows the wall, but they help to avoid anyexactly what is happening, a bit like 'copy' confusion when you're starting out. Onceor 'over' on a two-way radio. you're 50m away from each other outside and the wind is howling, you'll see whyThese calls may seem a bit excessive they're essential!standingWhen the climber is ready to climb, theytell the belayer to 'take in' the slack rope.The belayer pulls the rope through thebelay device until it is tight on the climber.When the rope is tight, the climber tells thebelayer 'that's me'. This lets the belayerknow that the rope is tight on to the climberand not twisted or stuck anywhere else.When the belayer is ready to belay, theytell the climber they are 'on belay' and theycan 'climb when ready'.Learn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com 29

As a final check the climber tells the 30belayer they are 'climbing'. But the climberdoesn't leave the ground until they hear'OK' from the belayer. Everything's good togo!If the climber wants a rest, they can tell thebelayer to 'take'. The belayer holds therope tight with both hands and replies 'OK'.If the climber wants to be lowered down atany point (or if they reach the top), they tellthe belayer to 'lower'. The belayer replies'lowering'. They then lower the climberdown.VDiff – Rock Climbing Basics > Top Rope Climbing

Good Belay Technique Ready to take in, give slack or lock offWarning: Keep Hold Of The Rope Rope fairly tightWhen you belay you need to keep at leastone hand on the brake rope all the time. It Hands correct distanceis this that stops the climber from falling to away from belay devicethe ground.Letting go of the brake rope is like letting Tight grip on ropego of the steering wheel while driving on afast country road. Holding the brake rope inIt's incredibly important that you pay the correct downwardsconstant attention when belaying and directionnever let go of the brake rope!VDiff – Rock Climbing Basics > Top Rope Climbing 38

Rock Climbing Basics: Lead ClimbingPhotographer: Sam Simpson

Warning: Back-Clipping 43The rope needs to be clipped through thequickdraw so that the end of the ropeattached to you comes out of the front sideof the quickdraw. If you fall, the rope willstay clipped through the carabiner.If you clip it the wrong way round, the ropecould snap through the carabiner's gate ifyou fall. This would unclip the rope fromthe carabiner. This is known as 'backclipping'.If you're belaying a leader, keep an eye outfor them accidentally back clipping, and letthem know if they have!Warning: Cross-LoadingMake sure your carabiners do not become'cross loaded' when you climb (loadedsideways). Also make sure the carabiner'sgate has snapped shut after you've clippedthe rope through it. Either of these willmake your carabiner much weaker.Learn more about carabiner strengthratings:www.vdiffclimbing.com/basic-binersLearn more: www.vdiffclimbing.com

Clipping The Top Anchor Simply lower down, unclipping them from both the bolt and rope and then clippingOnce you get to the top of the wall, you'll them back to your gear loops. The belayerneed to clip the rope through the top will need to stop lowering you at each boltanchor. so you have time to do this.Different walls have different systems forthis – some have two snapgatecarabiners, some have one or twoscrewgate carabiners that you'll need tounscrew first. Ask one of the staff beforeleading if in doubt!It's important to make sure that the anchoryou clip does not have another ropealready running through it. Having 2 ropesthrough the same anchor can damagethem.Once you've clipped your rope through thetop anchor, you can be lowered down inthe same way as if you were top roping.However, if you've attached your ownquickdraws on the way up, you'll need tocollect them on the way down.Pulling The Rope DownWhen you're pulling a lead rope down,shout 'rope' before it falls, so that everyonearound you is expecting it – a falling ropein the head hurts!Make sure to pull the rope through so thatthe falling end drops down through theclipped quickdraws – this will slow it downand make it safer.VDiff – Rock Climbing Basics > Lead Climbing 44

Get the Full VersionThe full version of this e-book is available You can download it for free, or show youron a pay-what-you-want pricing system, support with a small donation.starting at £0. Get your copy here: https://gumroad.com/l/VDiffLearn How To: Further Information:- Use basic climbing gear * Perfect for those who want to start rock- Tie into the rope climbing.- Belay (lead and top rope) * 100+ accurately drawn, full-colour- Climb efficiently illustrations.- Understand fall potential * Strong emphasis on climbing safety.Plus much more. * 63 information-packed pages. * Updated December 2017