BELAY DEVICE HANDBOOK Climbing can be a fun and safe experience – but only if you use the right belay device. Nowadays there is a wide variety of different devices on the market. They all have their particular advantages and disadvantages. We’ve written this EDELRID handbook to share our expertise and provide important information about how to use the different types of devices available. We look at all the main belay techniques and give valuable tips for using and looking after belay devices. At EDELRID, we’re constantly working to further optimise climbing safety and develop new and innovative belay devices. As such, this handbook also provides an insight into our development process and our quality assurance. Made by climbers for climbers. The EDELRID team is made up of passionate climbers and alpinists. In addition, we work closely with professional climbers and mountain guides. We understand the demands that climbers place on their equipment. CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY is our credo – we apply it to our belay devices to make versatile products that meet and exceed the highest quality standards. We have over 150 years of experience in mountain sports. This combination of experience and passion constantly drives us to explore new paths and only accept maximum performance. Furthermore, as a mountain sports company, we naturally make environmental protection, sustainability and quality management our highest priorities. EDELRID 88316 Isny im Allgäu Germany Tel. +49 (0) 7562 981 - 0 Fax +49 (0) 7562 981 - 100 [email protected] www.edelrid.de CONTENT 4 I A history of belay devices 6 I Modern belay devices 8 I Manual belay devices 14 I Semi-automatic belay devices 16 I HMS - No belay device required 18 I OHM - Assisted-braking resistor 22 I Which belay device do I need? 24 I Better belaying 30 I The birth of a new belay device 32 I Norms and standards 36 I Index ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION Typesetting: Text: Miriam Heberle, Jan Hoffmann Jan Hoffmann, Sebastian Straub, James Heath Photography: Proofreading: Christian Pfanzelt photography, James Heath, Tim Carruthers, Sally Maßmann Jan Hoffmann A HISTORY OF BELAY DEVICES Climbing has a long tradition. Since time immemorial, adventurous men and women been fascinated by mountains and sum- mits all over the world. However, their equipment often left a lot to be desired. Thankfully, today there is a wide variety of technical belay and abseil devices. But how did they come into existence? We’d like to briefly outline the development of belay devices and their function. Early ascents involved scaling steep cliffs with just a rope for protection. No other equipment was used. Around 100 years ago, Hans Dülfer, a German mountaineer, invented the Dülfersitz (literally ‘Dülfer seat’), which allowed the climber to abseil (aka rappel) from exposed sections and belay a partner. Eng- lish-speaking climbers refer to this as a classic abseil. To abseil using the Dül- fersitz, the doubled rope is passed through the legs and wrapped around the body. This produces friction between the rope and your body, braking the rope. Please note: heat is generated, which may result in a friction burn. It’s recom- mended that you wear robust, sturdy clothing, for example a good old pair of Lederhosen, should you happen to own a pair. On longer or faster abseils, enough friction is produced to burn through normal clothing. Nevertheless, the classic Dülfersitz was the standard means of abseiling, until climbers started using carabiners. So, we’ve learnt that wrapping the rope around something increases friction and braking when abseiling and belaying and also allows the climber to vary the amount of friction used. Therefore both belaying and abseiling could be carried out in a more controlled manner. Friction can also be generated by wrapping a rope around a carabiner. This is significantly easier to handle than wrapping the rope around your body, as required in the Dülfersitz technique. To create more friction, it’s possible to join a number of carabiners together in a chain and wind the rope through them. Earlier climbers attempted to refine this technique by running the rope through two carabiners. The resultant lever action produced by using two carabiners significantly increases friction. Alternatively, one or more carabiners could be placed crosswise across a main carabiner and the rope was then fed through, as shown in the diagram. This is known as the carabiner brake method. This technique provided the inspiration for the first dedicated abseil and braking devices. The first braking devices were carabiners with an integrated braking crosspiece in the middle. The doubled rope was run through the carabiner over the braking element. These braking devices offered poor handling. As a result, this techni- que was generally only used to lower heavy loads or climbers as part of a moun- tain rescue operation. 4 www.edelrid.de Better handling performance was required to allow normal climbers to belay and lower. Two solutions were introduced at the end of the 1960s: the Italian hitch (also known as the Munter hitch, after the Swiss climber Werner Munter) and the Sticht plate. For an Italian hitch all you need is a certified, pear-shaped HMS (German: HMS – Halbmastwurfsicherung) locking carabiner. The hitch works by crea- ting friction from several bends in the rope. It’s a very useful technique and is still used to this day – more on the Italian hitch later. In 1967, Fritz Sticht invented the first mechanical rope brake that is widely regarded as the direct predecessor of today’s tubular belay devices. It con- sists of a flat steel or aluminium disc with two parallel slots. Depending on whether you were using single rope, half ropes or twin ropes, one or two bights of rope were passed through the slots and then clipped to the harness with a carabiner. You still occasionally see the Sticht plate in use today. Its main drawback compared to modern tubular belay devices is its jerky action when lowering. Photo: www.storrick.cnc.net 5 MODERN BELAY DEVICES Nowadays, anyone wanting to buy a new device will be overwhelmed by the different options available in their local climbing shop. What’s the difference between them? Allow us to shed some light on the matter. Modern belay devices are divided into two categories: manual braking devices (EN 15151-2) and braking devices with manually assisted locking (EN 15151-1) – according to the rather complicated wording of European standards. So what does it all mean? Manual belay devices This first group covers tubular devices (“tubers”) and figure-of-eight devices in all their many shapes and sizes. These dynamic devices will hold a fall, but only if the belayer acts appropriately. All these devices do is increase the braking force/hand bra- king force. If the belayer lets go of the dead rope (the braking side) then the lead climber’s fall will not be arrested. The European standard (EN) 15151-2 has existed since 2012. It defines the test values, safety requirements and test methods for these manual braking devices. However, manufacturers are entitled to decide whether to test their products according to this standard or another one. All our manual belay devices are tested according to this standard and meet the corresponding requirements. Auto-locking tubular devices (manual devices with assisted braking), the latest development of tubular belay devices also mostly fall into this category. They have a significantly greater safety reserves than standard tube devices, but are not classed as “braking devices with manually assisted locking” (EN 15151-1). 6 www.edelrid.de Belay devices with manually assisted locking The second group covers ‘semi-automatic’ or ‘auto- locking’ belay devices, such as the EDELRID Eddy. These devices contain an assisted braking mecha- nism that ‘automatically’ stops the rope moving, eit- her when the rope receives a sudden, sharp tug or when manually activated, when it blocks completely and arrests the fall. The braking action is indepen- dent from the belayer’s hand braking force. However, similar to a seat belt in a car, these devices will not block a rope if it is pulled through slowly. For this reason, one hand should always be kept firmly on the braking side of the rope. HMS-Belay As we mentioned earlier in the history section, you can also belay without a belay device by using an Italian hitch. All belay devices have one thing in common. The increased braking force of the device makes it possible to hold a fall. However there are major differences in how to use them, their mechanical action and how dynamically they brake a fall. Let‘s take a closer look at all the different types of belay devices. 7 MANUAL BELAY DEVICES Tubular belay devices Tubular belay devices are by far the most widely the braking rope is held above the belay device, in used type of belay device. All EDELRID tube belay the event of a fall the belayer will have virtually no devices comply with the safety requirements of the chance of holding the rope and will no longer be able European standard 15151-2. They are in essence a to prevent a ground fall... modern version of the original Sticht plate. This is The main advantage of tubular belay devices is their why many climbers still refer to them as a ‘belay dynamic braking action. They allow a small amount plate’. They create braking force through a double of rope to pass through the device before a fall is bend in the rope. The rope is bent around the HMS completely arrested. So with a little practise, tubular carabiner and around the device itself.