Wrong way, Mr. Belay

[Cary]

When you're belaying someone, isn't it standard practice to actually look at your climber and not at the scenery in the OTHER direction? Yes? I thought so too! I actually witnessed this dude doing exactly that: looking away while belaying. He must have been an uber Pro....sheesh.

[sarahjane]

What's really scary is when you are climbing and you notice your belayer is looking the other way. Sometimes when I'm scared and about to make a hard move, I'll look down to make sure my belayer has got me. Once I caught an otherwise superb belayer staring at something that wasn't me. But it only takes one time of a belayer spacing off for the climber to get hurt.
Belay neck is a badge of honor. It means you were staring intently!

[Quick Draw McGraw]

the best way to avoid your belayer spacing out is to stop and look around before climbing

[greenerimpact]

I like to just take unexpected falls every so often, just to wake up my belayers.

Behind every good send, is a good belayer!

[joshfalagan]

i never fall.... ever.. lol

[Todd Gordon]

I agree with Josh;....just don't fall, then you don't have to worry about your belayer. Often, my issue with belayers is they are 1) asleep 2) drunk 3) asleep AND drunk This is probably my fault because I climb so slow; we often do new routes and drill bolts with a hand drill on the lead.......so one pitch could take anywhere's from 1 to over 5 hours.......5 hours is enough time for anyone to become drunk and sleepy. That is one reason why I hardly have any friends except the drunks;....who else would/could belay me for 5 hours?.....and this is every weekend;...not just every now and then......It's a sad situation, and boring as a get out. It's about as fun as watching paint dry. After hand drilling up to 8 bolts on the lead, I am usually so pooped out I can barely walk back to the car. No wonder climbing isn't that much fun ; I just can't stop though. Another reason my belayers are usually drunk is not just to pass the time;...it's because I drop stuff on them all day;...loose rocks, gear, etc....and I am always barking orders at them;...send up this, hold me hear, lower me, let me try that again, send up the hooks, more pins, more tcu's, I need water, etc.....and things can get worse;....through the boredom and the booze...then the weather is usually a factor too......the belayer is usually getting fried to a crisp in the desert sun....so sitting there in the wind and freezing cold....all drunk and uncomfortable, and I still am dropping stuff on them and barking orders. .....here's where more abuse come in;......(and I understand)...under these miserable belayer conditions, the belayer can get grouchy, pissed off, and beligerant;....and then the belayer often (or most times) starts in with the insults to me while I am leading........."What the hell is taking you so long......don't drill a bolt there, you pussy; run it out......keep the hammer moving, ....come down, you will never finish........hurry up, dikweed........I'm out of beer, and I'm going to kill you........this sucks......I'm never climbing with you ever again.......this isn't even remotedly fun.......I hate this and I hate you...........if you weren't so old, weak, and fat, you could climb better.............etc.............The least thing I ever have to worry about is a belayer looking out at the scenery, out in space, or at anything for that matter;...I encourage it;....takes their mind off the job at hand;...belaying me for up to 5 hrs on the lead....sometimes up to 8 or 9 hours to be honest with you. NO ONE can look up at a climber for that many hours;....one's neck and back can't take it. I say, get a bunch of beer, get comfortable, ...hell;...even read a book.....have some food nearby (which is almost never the case........only beer;...no food...)......get the jacket on....and relax and ease into in......try to stay awake, but if you fall asleep, I totally understand. Fortunate for me, I have a hearing problem in both ears.....and after about 40 feet up,...I can't hear so good....so I don't have to listen to all the insults and belittling comments my "friends" say about me while I am leading. My belayers (and climbing partners) even have a name;... Gordobots........belay robots who take orders and are not really even human.......yeah;...no wonder I don't have any friends.....

[sarahjane]

this is good to know ... before you ask me for a belay. so if your belayers are drinking, reading, meditating, knitting, cobbling climbing shoes and otherwise not focused at all times ... which i understand would be impossible after hours ... how are they ready to catch a fall? or do you just tell them "watch me here" in a tricky spot? or maybe you never fall?
oh and why are you bolting all these routes, i ask with gratitude in my heart ... for if someone (perhaps) altruistic like you didn't bolt for me, i would have had to learn trad anchors already (i want to! ... need a teacher).

[joshfalagan]

Todd you supply the beer and i will belay for you all day, any day. throw in some tequila and i'll even catch your gear for you. lol

[sarahjane]

todd, watch out before you acquiese to what seems an innocent request ...
i had beers with josh last night and he explained his preference for QUALITY tequila ... probably has higher standards than your typical dirt bags ... then again, he said the best tequila he ever bought was brewed in a bath tub ... so maybe a little tub water will suffice ... i'm sure it will get him hammered if it's full of enough nasty bacteria ... just tell him it's top-shelf.

[joshfalagan]

give me enough beers and i wont care what the tequila tastes like

[Todd Gordon]

Sarah;..you are correct......in the multi-hour belays....when things are dicey or I think I should fall...I do say, "Watch me here....."....and I am mint, and know that if I will fall, I will be caught by an expert, althought maybe intoxicated, belayer........If and when I am drilling.....if it is a good stance, or a bunch of hooks, or something solid, ...then I let the bums sleep or whatever;.....drilling a bolt by hand takes between 20 and 60 min. per bolt.........depending on the stance, the quality (hardness) of the rock, and how tired I am.........no need to watch through the bolting process. Why do I do so many new routes?...........It's the excitement of the unknown;.......the wonderment that goes along with untrodden ground......lots of questions, and no answers until you start to climb a new route, and the mysteries start to unravel as you climb higher and higher. How hard is the climb...which way will it go....will it EVEN go.....what and where is the pro, ....it's all very exciting;......I haven't done a new route in a month or two....but sometimes we do only new stuff week after week after week.........It's not all multi-hour sleep fests;...sometimes we will do 2 , 3 , or 4, or more trad climbs....bang them out;....and they only take as long as it takes to climb em' and put in the pro.....and we always have a full rack of trad gear too.......expecially when exploring new areas........the cool thing is ;...you never know what is going to go down;....if you travel to a remote place where you know there is lots of rock and little or no established routes;.....you usually hit paydirt and find something really awesome and fantastic..........sometimes the new routes suck, but that is the way it goes;....most times they are cool and super.....but reguardless;...the experiece is always way fun. .....Some people say new routes are about ego, fame, recognition, and chest-beating.....and maybe yes;...but after a few hundred new routes;....you sort of get over that, and just explore with a fresh head and a true spirit of adventure;...it's only those first few new routes where you think you are really doing something completely out there;....but once you realize just how much unclimbed rock there still is.........you just start chompin' away at the new climbs like a baby takes to a bottle.....It's really addicting, exciting, and full of surprises...

[Ammon]

I've fallen a sleep belaying while pushing on the Captain many times... it's fine, haa haa

[sarahjane]

ammon, that is very frightening ... somehow i still trust you ... that is very frightening too.

[skully]

I trust Ammon with my life. I have, too. We climbed Mescalito.
Of course, he never got things backwards, either. Thanks, Ammon.
We'll climb a Wall again, I hope. That's the thing, though. He knew I was checking out his belay, his system, and that's "The Way".
Doublechecks are good.

[Ammon]

Nice one Skully, we shal climb a wall again. You should make it to Twin Falls at the end of the month to see all the monkey's jump the bridge. It will be Timmy O'Niell's first BASE jump(s) and all the crew is going. It would be cool if you could make it. Cheers bro!

Oh.... and, NEVER trust a PIRATE!!! ARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!

[traverpen]

Who cares what the belayer is looking at when you cant see or hear them, makes the task at hand more interesting

[Paul]

What's the difference between looking somewhere else and not being able to see your partner over a crux?

I always put a little tension on the rope to feel the climber. When the person isn't moving, my brake hand is locked off, regardless if I can see the person or not. Every time my partner has fallen, the belay has been locked off.

[traverpen]

Watching a rope, and shouting back and fourth is what Sierra Climbing is all about.

[skully]

The MOST common word in climbing is "What????".