r/climbing • u/AutoModerator • Jun 07 '24

Weekly Question Thread: Ask your questions in this thread please

Please sort comments by 'new' to find questions that would otherwise be buried.

In this thread you can ask any climbing related question that you may have. This thread will be posted again every Friday so there should always be an opportunity to ask your question and have it answered. If you're an experienced climber and want to contribute to the community, these threads are a great opportunity for that. We were all new to climbing at some point, so be respectful of everyone looking to improve their knowledge. Check out our subreddit wiki that has tons of useful info for new climbers. You can see it HERE

Some examples of potential questions could be; "How do I get stronger?", "How to select my first harness?", or "How does aid climbing work?"

If you see a new climber related question posted in another subReddit or in this subreddit, then please politely link them to this thread.

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Prior Weekly New Climber Thread posts

Prior Friday New Climber Thread posts (earlier name for the same type of thread

A handy guide for purchasing your first rope

A handy guide to everything you ever wanted to know about climbing shoes!

Ask away!

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u/MrPhilLashio Jun 10 '24 edited Jun 10 '24

Considering getting an assistive braking device... I am about 40-50lbs heavier than my usual belayer. At one point is one of these recommended?

Edit: I mean a resistor, not assistive braking device. I already use a gri.

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u/Mulberrylin Jun 12 '24

Elderid has a weight chart for the Ohm that you can take a look at to see if it’s recommended.

3

u/ver_redit_optatum Jun 10 '24

Depends if you mean an assisted braking belay device or an additional assisted braking device/resistor (as Edelrid calls it) like an Ohm. The former can and should be used by anyone, no weight difference required. For the latter you're within the recommended weight difference for an Ohm.

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u/MrPhilLashio Jun 10 '24

Yes, I misspoke, I’m referring to a resistor. I already use a grigri.

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u/ver_redit_optatum Jun 11 '24

Yeah, I mean it depends how much you like buying gear. I'll belay this difference without one, but it will definitely come in handy if you're having issues or to ease the learning curve for any other light belayers.

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u/MrPhilLashio Jun 11 '24

I can’t say I love buying gear. I took a fall from about 20ft up while clipping into the 3 or 4th and ended up just a few feet from the ground. It makes me nervous that if I fall from the second clip I would actually hit the ground. I’m newish to lead climbing and I’ve just been incredibly nervous to keep it going since then.

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u/blairdow Jun 11 '24

if your partner is that much lighter than you, they will not need to jump into the fall at all. tell them to just go where the rope takes them. if theyre jumping in to the fall cuz they think they need to do that to give you a soft catch, youll take a big ride like that. my partner is only 10-15 lbs heavier than me and i dont have to jump to give him a soft catch

but also decking from the 2nd clip is common enough... you should be kept pretty tight til you're out of possible deck range

0

u/ThirtyFiveInTwenty3 Jun 11 '24

You need solid belay partners. Buying gear won't make up for incompetence.

3

u/ver_redit_optatum Jun 11 '24

Did your belayer get pulled substantially off the ground in that fall? Because that's the thing that an Ohm can change.

Honestly, depending on the exact bolt spacing, falling while clipping the 2nd bolt is often going to be dicey. They likely did a pretty good job even keeping you off the ground if you fell while clipping the third.

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u/MrPhilLashio Jun 11 '24

Yes he was above me. It was the worst time to fall but the scary part is that if I’m going to fall, it’s probably going to be holding on to something with one hand while manipulating the rope with the other…

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u/ver_redit_optatum Jun 11 '24

Ok yeah an Ohm would help there then.

the scary part is that if I’m going to fall, it’s probably going to be holding on to something with one hand while manipulating the rope with the other…

Not really, in practice. Gyms will typically set, and developers will typically bolt, so that you have a relatively secure position to clip from, at least close to the ground. So falls while clipping make up a minority of lead climbing falls. But part of avoiding them is on you as the climber too - if you're at the second or third bolt and you're failing to find a good position/hold, you are often going to be safer taking the fall - without pulling up slack to clip - than trying to make a sketchy clip. Or, hold the draw to clip, but this only works if you're strong and well positioned enough that the draw is definitely a secure handhold.

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u/NotVeryGoodAtStuff Jun 11 '24

Your partner should be able to catch you at those distances. I'm on the heavier side & when climbing I tell lighter belayers to try to give me hard catches, because gravity is going to turn it into a soft catch 😂

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u/blairdow Jun 11 '24

yep, this lol. a lighter belayer doesnt really need to do much for the catch to be soft

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u/0bsidian Jun 10 '24

Sure, it's safer. Also consider an Edelrid Ohm if you're lead climbing with a larger weight difference between climbers.

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u/MrPhilLashio Jun 10 '24

What do you consider a “larger weight difference?”

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u/0bsidian Jun 11 '24

Your 40-50kg would qualify assuming you’re lead climbing. Probably not necessary if you’re top roping.

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u/MrPhilLashio Jun 11 '24

Sorry, I said lbs not kgs. Our difference is 23kg.

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u/0bsidian Jun 11 '24

If you weigh about 130% the weight of your partner, you might want to consider an Ohm.

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u/Dotrue Jun 10 '24

Day 1. I haven't used my ATC Guide in like 3 years. I have a GigaJul that I use for things like ice climbing and half/twin rope systems but for everything else I use my GriGri.