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How do free climbers use ropes?

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To "free climb" is to ascend a wall or rock entirely by your own power, without using equipment to haul your weight. Free climbing is not climbing without rope or equipment, but rather using ropes and equipment only as safety precautions, without putting weight on a bolt, leaning on a rope to rest, etc. The ropes and accompanying gear used in rock climbing, along with good climbing technique, make it possible for hundreds of thousands of climbers around the world to climb safely every year. However, people also die every year in rock climbing accidents. It is essential to receive personal instruction in rock climbing and in the proper use of ropes and other equipment.

The ways experienced rock climbers use ropes may seem mystifying at first. Basically, they depend on a system of periodically anchoring their rope to the rock, so that if they do fall, it will only be for a short distance. Climbers normally climb in pairs: a lead climber and a second, who belays the leader. To belay is to manage the rope that is attached to the leader, using a belay device that hold the rope tight through friction in case of a fall.

The leader and the belayer are tied in to opposite ends of a rope. The belayer anchors (secures himself) to a tree, a block on the ground, or a bolt or other artificial anchor on the cliff face. This can also be called "tying off." The climbers doublecheck their harnesses, knots and anchors. The leader climbs, and the belayer pays out the amount of rope the leader needs. After a while, the leader places or just clips into another anchor. On most sport climbs, the anchors are pre-placed bolts drilled into the rock face. Experienced climbers know how to tell the difference between a safe bolt and an unsafe one. The leader will clip a carabiner through the bolt (or other anchor), then clip her rope through the carabiner.

The leader continues up the rock face, placing protection (anchors) at regular intervals. If the leader does fall, she will fall twice as far as her last protection -- if she falls three feet above the last anchor, she will fall at least six feet: down to the anchor, and then past it to the length of the rope that is out.

At a convenient stopping point, especially one where there is a ledge or a strong tree where the leader can create an absolutely failsafe anchor, the leader clips into that anchor and the other climber begins his ascent. The two have now essentially switched roles, since the leader is now belaying the second as the second climbs. The second climber removes the protection the leader placed as he goes. Since he is being belayed from above, he can’t fall very far. The two climbers repeat this process all the way up the rock face.

At the average climbing gym, however, things work differently. Climbers still work in pairs, but the rope normally runs from the belayer up to an anchor in the ceiling, and back down to the climber. Also in some outdoor sports climbs, a "top-rope" is used, which means that the climber is already tied in to a point somewhere above her. The risk of falling is thus minimized.

Next Page: What kind of rope do rock climbers use?

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