Belay Devices …. What’s the Difference?

First let me answer the question: What is a belay device?
A belay device, in rock climbing, is a piece of equipment that creates friction on a rope which controls the ascent or decent of a climber. It acts as a “brake” on the rope when lowering a climber.

There are main 3 types of belay devices; assisted braking, tubular (ATC) and the figure 8. Each of these use friction, created by a bend in the rope, to slow the decent and catch a fall. Each type lends itself to a different style of climbing, trad, sport, mutli-pitch, etc..

Here’s a breakdown of the 3 types:

Assisted Braking

There are two types of assisted braking: passive and active, referring to if the belay device has moving parts. With passive assisted breaking there are no moving parts and the belay device pinches the rope between the device and the carabiner, thus stopping the rope from sliding. With active assisted breaking there’s an internal camming mechanism (moving parts), which pinches the rope and catches the climbers fall. These are arguably the safest belay device and the camming mechanism makes it easy to lower climbers in a controlled manner.

Tubular Breaking

Tubular belay devices are the most common and generally what “newbies” will learn on. There are no moving parts with this belay device and the belayer is solely responsible for controlling the rope. The simplicity of the device makes it lightweight and easy to check for errors.

Figure 8

The figure 8 is a belay device that’s not recommend for beginners. The setup allows for the rope to slide quickly through while belaying and requires more force to control. This is a lightweight inexpensive devices that is typically used for rappelling.

A Bit of History

Sport Climbing started back in the late 1880s in Europe. At the beginning belayers would tie a rope around their body and feed rope. Almost 100 years later, in 1960s the first belay device was created by Fritz Sticht and Herman Hube. They created a Sticht Plate, then in the 1990s the ATC was introduced by Black Diamond and took off. Belay devices have continued to be improved and now utilize mechanisms that lock up on a fall to better protect the climber.

Try Something New

If you struggle with high feet on holds or keeping your hips close to the wall you might want to consider yoga 🧘‍♀️ . Yoga offers several benefits for rock climbing, including improved flexibility, enhanced core strength, better balance, increased body awareness, and a greater focus on breathing techniques. This can lead to improved climbing performance and reduced risk of injuries

🔥🔥🔥🔥 Hot Take 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Gyms need to have adult climbing sessions similar to adult swim time at a pool.

PS: These are not my personal opinions - this is meant to spark discussion

What I’ve tried

I started off on an ATC. I believe everyone should learn on an ATC because it forces the notion “never release the brake hand” to be engrained into your brain. It becomes second nature, which is critical from a safety standpoint.

After the ATC I got a “click-up”, which is a passive belay device. It was a little awkward for me to feed rope and I found the rope constantly getting caught in the “locked” position. I never became fully comfortable using this device because of this, but it was a step up from the ATC.

Now I use a GriGri and I couldn’t be more happy with it. It makes it really easy to hold someone in the air while they work a problem. Also, everyone is familiar with the device and knows it’s extremely safe. This makes new people I meet feel more comfortable on the wall. If you’re planning on really sticking with climbing I’d recommend investing in one.