What types of belays are there? - Black Diamond Super 8 Belay Device

We use belay device as a mechanical equipment used to control a rope during Climbing. And an ATC or Air Traffic Controller is a type of belay and rappel device introduced by Black Diamond, which is a tubular device gives more area and steeper angles to creat friction and stopping power .
The ATC has found the most commonly used type of belay device, and so the model name of ATC has become synonymous with tubular belay devices.

The original Black Diamond Air Traffic Controller device debuted in 1993, designed by Chuck Brainerd,
The improvement over plate devices is that plates could move down and lock against the carabiner when the rope was pulled hard. By using a tube instead of a plate, the slots were a half-inch above the carabiner and now the rope could be fed under tension. This made belay mechanics much easier. The sharper edge also generates more friction, giving the belayer better control.
Hope you find it helpful and appropriate ,and if you need any further information or tips about Rock climbing ,Gears,Shoes,accessories or anything else, you can have a look on this Climbing review Blog


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If you are looking for a partner to go for Rock climbing but you cannot find a single one, you should know about Solo climbing.
There are two types of solo climbing:
1:Free-solo: this means climbing without any ropes or other protection.
2:Roped-solo, as the named suggests, ropes are used in case of a fall.
Free solo climbing is extremely dangerous than roped soloing but proper rig can make a safe way for you.
Without tying a leader into the rope, the rope is tied of at the ground, or at a belay station on a multi pitch route. Controlling the rope can be done I many ways. My favoured way is with a Petzl Grigri, but there are other similar or related devices on the market. Lets have a look on them.

• Petzl Grigri+: This Game Changer is pretty Similar to the previous series Grigri 2, cam inside the device pivots when the rope is pulled through quickly, cinching the rope tight and slowing or stopping it with anti-panic function as well.

• Wild Country Revo : Pretty similar to the way a seatbelt works. To lock down on the rope when the rope spins the wheel at a high number of revolutions per second. it has been known as Beginner's Best Friend.

• Trango Vergo : It narrows the space for rope and stops from moving, where two plates are designed to pivot under the force. Natural Motion controlling device

• Mad Rock Lifeguard : In this light and reliable device is set oncamming mechanism, which has been installed to changing the angle of the rope when a strong tug on the climber's end of the rope pulls it up.

There are many more belay device you can find out in market ,what makes me more satisfied and user's recommended. i have mentioned some of them at here.
For more Climbing tips and tricks ,you can visit this Climbing review blog, where plenty of topics and article related Rock climbing ,gears,tips and news and many more.

Straight from the Instruction Manual: This product is a belay device for
the leader or second on a rope.
It has been developed for indoor
wall climbing or for climbing
on well-protected sport routes
where anchors meet the UIAA
standard. It should not be used
for mountaineering or adventure
climbing.

Any modification is a unknown change in the devices individual load bearing rating, and a compromise in the safey of anyone who would be connected to said device at any time after the modification.

The manufacture has clearly defined that this device is designed for 8 mm to 10.5 mm ropes. This type of belay device works on friction, so by adding the extra thickness of a 11 mm rope, increases the friction on the device, thus heating it faster, and possibly taking it to premature failure. I have contacted the manufacture directly for their imput on this subject, and will update you once they respond.

Easiest is to hook the swivel carabiner to the belay loop.  This is a sewn loop of webbing that connects the leg loops to your waist belt.

Depending on your style of climbing, you will want different kinds of Carabiners. There are basic types: your oval and D-shapes are your most basic Carabiners. Sometimes you'll want a locking Carabiner, especially for belay, or for anchors. Most Carabiners that you have will probably not be locking Carabiners. There are different types that are easier to clip. There's bent gates, straight gates, wire gates. It depends on your style and if you're weight conscious, or how durable you'd like them to be.

These devices are friction brakes which are designed for descending ropes. Many belay devices can be used as descenders, but there are descenders that are not practical for belaying, since it is too difficult to feed rope through them. Figure eight Sometimes just called "eight", this device is most commonly used as a descender, but may also be used as a belay device in the absence of more appropriate equipment. It is an aluminium (or occasionally steel) "8" shaped device, but comes in several varieties. Its main advantage is efficient heat dissipation. A square eight, used in rescue applications, is better for rappelling than the traditional 8. Because of the "ears" or "wings" on the rescue 8, there is less chance of forming a girth hitch whilst rappelling very quickly. A figure eight descender Figure eights allow fast but controlled descent on a rope. They are easy to set up and are effective in dissipating the heat caused by friction but have a tendency to put a twist in the rope. Holding the brake hand off to the side twists the rope, whereas holding the brake hand straight down, parallel to the body, allows a controlled descent without twisting the rope. Because of the many bends it puts into the rope, an 8 descender can wear a rope quicker than a tube style belay/rappel device. Many sport climbers also avoid them because of the extra bulk an 8 puts on the rack. However, many ice climbers prefer to use the 8, because it is much easier to thread with stiff or frozen rope. Rescue eight A rescue eight is a variation of a figure eight, with "ears" or "wings" which prevent the rope from "locking up" or creating a girth hitch, thus stranding the rappeller on the rope. Rescue eights are frequently made of steel, rather than aluminium. Rack This consists of a 'U' shaped frame, attached to the belayer's harness, into which snap multiple bars that pivot from the other side of the frame. The rope is woven through as many of the bars as are required to provide sufficient friction. This arrangement allows for variations in rope diameter and condition, as well as controlled rate of descent.

These are mechanical friction brake devices used when belaying. They allow careful control of the belay rope. Their main purpose is to allow locking off of the rope with minimal effort. Many types of belay devices exist, and some of these may additionally be used as descenders, for controlled descent on a rope, that is, abseiling or rappeling. There are passive camming devices and active camming devices. Passive camming devices rely on the brake hand and a carabiner to lock off the rope. Sticht plates and the Air Traffic Controller ATC are examples of passive camming devices. Active camming devices have a built-in mechanism that locks off the rope without the help of any other pieces of equipment. A GriGri is an example. The offset cam in the GriGri locks off the rope automatically to catch a falling climber, much like a seatbelt in a car locks off to hold a passenger securely. The GriGri fails at around 9 kN of force. However, a GriGri, with its technology, often makes belayers become less vigilant. The GriGri is not a hands-free belay device. One mistake with the GriGri is reverse threading it. Reverse threading means to thread the GriGri the wrong way around, rendering the camming action useless. However, in a fall, with a reverse threaded GriGri, bending the rope sharply under the GriGri provides more than enough friction to hold a falling climber. An example of traditional belay is the Body Belay or the Hip Belay, where the rope is wrapped around the body to provide enough friction to catch a climber. This is often used in Alpine climbing, where the routes are easy, and the belay must be fast. Ice climbers often use a boot belay, where the rope is wrapped around one boot, thus providing friction.