Rock climbing is one of the most adventurous and exciting sports you can do. Once you get a taste of it, you’ll keep coming back wanting to do more and achieve more. However, you can’t just do it with your hands and legs. You need the proper equipment like ropes, harnesses, carabiners and much more. All of these essentials are there to make your rock-climbing adventure safe and fun.
Climbing Rope
Understanding climbing ropes can make your decision much easier. These aren’t just regular, everyday ropes. They’re specifically designed for this purpose – rock climbing. If you want to buy a high-quality, efficient climbing rope that’s suitable for your needs, there are several things to consider.
First, you should know that there are two main types of ropes: dynamic and static. Dynamic ropes are made to be stretchy. This makes them perfect for lead climbing or top roping. In case of a fall, this rope will absorb and spread the force of the fall. A static rope is not stretchy. It’s mainly used for route setting, rescues, caving, abseiling and more.
Another classification of ropes divides them into single, twin and half ropes. Single ropes are very common. They’re used for indoor and outdoor climbing and used on their own. You can find them in many lengths and diameters. Half ropes are also known as double ropes. They’re used as a pair on alpine routes for example.
You should clip one on the left and one on the right side of the route. This is a process that requires more skill, but you have a backup in case one of the ropes gives up. Twin ropes are also meant to be used as a pair, but you have to clip both ropes through every piece of protection. They’re thinner and give you an extra layer of protection.
Climbing ropes come in different lengths. They can vary from 30 m up to 80 m. Which one you choose depends on the length of the climb. However, you should always buy a slightly longer rope because there might be some curves you should take. The rope’s diameter is also important. They start at 8 mm in thickness and can go up to 11 mm. The thinner ones are lighter and easier to handle, and the thicker ones are more robust and resilient.
Harness
The harness is the main contact point between you and the ropes. It’s the thing that holds you in the air. It’s designed to keep you safe while you’re hanging and climbing high in the air. Harnesses are made of several cohesive parts. The first one is the waistbelt. It’s made of a soft, comfortable material and has padding. It also includes one or two buckles so you can better adjust it.
These buckles are made of metal and are located further from the centre of the waistbelt so they don’t touch the ropes. The leg loops have the same materials and padding at the waistbelt, but the buckles here are optional. There are gear loops on the belt for holding cams and quickdraws and they’re made of plastic or webbing. On the back of the belt, you have the haul loop. There’s also the belay loop that holds the heaviest loads.
The belay loop has two extra loops connected to it that are referred to as tie-in points. They’re very strong and can handle any type of climbing rope, webbing or cord. The rise, or elastic straps, come last. These are the straps that join the leg loops to the waistbelt. In some cases, some of them can detach from the waistbelt. This is called a drop-seat harness.
Belay Device
Belay devices have one purpose. They use friction to hold tension and prevent you from falling. There are four main types of belay devices: tube, plate, assisted-breaking and auto-blocking tube. Tube is the most popular one and has two simple slots and a loop. In some cases, the slots can have “teeth” on one end so there’s more friction.
Belay plates are mainly used to belay a follower from an anchor. They’re lightweight but not as versatile as the other types. The assisted-breaking type adds a lot of safety during rappelling and belaying. They have two subcategories, passive and active. The passive type uses a sharp bend to keep the rope in place.
The active ones have a moving part that activates in case of a fall. They’re also easier to work with. Auto-blocking tube devices are very similar to the tube variety but it has one extra attachment point for belaying. They’re lightweight, more affordable, have two slots and can handle different rock climbing rope diameters.
Quickdraw
Quickdraws are very important in rock climbing and are responsible for your safety. Different climbing tasks require different quickdraws and carabiners. The shape of the carabiner will vary:
- D shape – very popular, versatile, safe and strong, large gate opening;
- Asymmetric D shape – smaller at one end, reduces and distributes the weight evenly, large opening, strong and lightweight;
- Pear shape – big gate, good for belaying and rappelling, larger and heavier;
- Oval shape – versatile, affordable, smooth top and bottom, narrow gate and heavy.
When it comes to size, there are three options to choose from: full, small and mini. The full-size ones are easy to handle, lightweight and great for people with larger hands. Small and mini carabiners are even lighter, very durable and strong. Material-wise, stainless steel and aluminium are the best options. Both are strong, durable materials that can handle a lot of wear and tear.
Cams
You have to provide your own safety when the rock has no bolts. Climbers today mostly rely on cams. In the past, they were nailing pitons or using passive protection such as nuts and hexes that had no moving parts. They come in many sizes, all distinguished by colour.
