A variety of stringently tested safety equipment can help you reduce the risks inherent in rock climbing. Although some climbing equipment requires highly specialized training to use safely, you're likely to start with three basic pieces of equipment early on, and continue using them even as you advance: a climbing harness, a belay device and quickdraws. Quickdraws comprise two carabiners connected by a "dog bone," a strip of nylon or other sturdy material strong enough to endure the force of a fall.
Harness
Step 1
Step through the waist loop of the harness, placing one leg through each thigh loop. Pull the harness up around your waist as you would a pair of pants.
Step 2
Fasten all loose buckles on the harness. All harnesses have at least one buckle at the waist; some have two. Some harnesses also have a buckle on each thigh loop.
Step 3
Tighten each buckle until you can slide a flat hand between the waist or thigh belt and your body, but can't twist your hand all the way around. Note that the waist belt should sit above your hip bones. Finally, double back on each buckle, threading the loose strap around the end of the buckle and back through the middle and out the opposite side. A properly doubled-back harness buckle will look like a "C," with one side of the buckle obscured by the strap that passes over it.
Belay Device
Step 1
Push a bight -- or bend -- of rope through the slot in your belay device. More than likely, you'll be using a tube-style belay device, also called an ATC, or air traffic controller-style device; if not, ask a climbing guide for instructions for using that type of device. Note that some belay devices have multiple slots, but as a general rule you use only one slot at a time.
Step 2
Clip a large locking carabiner through the bight of the rope and through the retaining loop on your belay device.
Step 3
Attach the locking carabiner to the belay loop on your harness, or to both tie-in points -- the loops attached to the belay loop. Screw the gate on the carabiner so it's locked, to keep it from opening unexpectedly.
Step 4
Double-check that the rope is threaded through the belay device and also through the locking carabiner, and that the belay device's retaining loop also passes through the carabiner. Double-check that the carabiner is locked and attached to your belay loop or tie-in points, not to a gear loop. Your climbing partner should always double-check this set-up as well -- her life may depend on it, and two sets of eyes are always better than one.
Step 5
Grasp the free end of the rope as it trails from the belay device. Your climber will tie into the other end. You then control how the rope feeds through the belay device, taking up or paying out slack so that if the climber should happen to fall, the rope catches her without slamming her into any obstacles. When you pull the free end of the rope down or to the side, the belay device creates a sharp bend in the rope which, in turn, generates enough friction for you to control how quickly the rope passes through the device.
Quick Draws
Step 1
Clip the number of quickdraws you anticipate using to the gear loops on your climbing harness before you leave the ground. Note that you usually only carry quickdraws if you're leading on a sport-climbing route, although you can use them for advanced techniques in other situations.
Step 2
Clip a quickdraw into each protection bolt as you reach it, then clip your climbing rope through the quickdraw. If your quickdraw has one wiregate carabiner and one regular carabiner, leave the wiregate carabiner hanging free for the rope.
Step 3
Clip the climbing rope into the quickdraw. Note that improperly routing the rope can present a serious safety risk. It should pass up and through the quickdraw toward you, not away from you, or the rope could unexpectedly come unclipped as you climb above it.
Step 4
Continue climbing, securing quickdraws to bolts and the rope to quickdraws, until you top out or reach the anchor..
Tips and Warnings
- Proper belaying is an in-depth skill that takes time and practice to master. If you're ever in doubt about your ability to safeguard a climber, err on the side of caution and let someone else take over.
- Rock climbing is a dangerous activity -- you could do everything right and still get injured or killed. If you're at all unsure about your technique or how to use a piece of gear, ask a professional guide or experienced climber for guidance. Some climbing harnesses have special quick-adjust buckles that don't need to be doubled back. But the potential consequences of not doubling back a harness buckle are so severe -- you could fall if you're climbing, and you could accidentally drop your climber if you're belaying -- that you should always assume the buckles need doubling back unless the manufacturer's literature specifically states otherwise.
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