Climbing Tools: The Body Belay

When used correctly this belay method can speed up your day and increase safety.
1) This belay is not intended to hold massive amounts of energy.
2) One key to this is keeping your center of gravity as low as possible. Sit down or be sure your style of belay suits the energy your asked to absorb.
3) This belay can be a lot safer for the second when the second moves quickly over easy terrain.
Practice this belay and add it to the tools in your mountaineering quiver. Remember that this was the primary belay of the mountaineer all through the golden era.
The Mike

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Climbing
• body
• belay
• Canadian
• Canada
• Rockies
• climb
• ice
• rock
• joe
• mckay
• mike
• barter

[Dazzar456]

DON'T use this when sport climbing!!!! you will hurt yourself.

[mikebarter387]

@Dazzar456 I think we made that quite clear a couple of times. Guess it doesn't hurt to say it again.

[jamesveale]

This is really not how you body belay! I'm going to be polite and just leave it at that.

[mikebarter387]

@jamesveale actually it is I am going to be polite and leave it at that.

[SuperZizel]

have you ever been to skaha bluffs?

[mikebarter387]

@SuperZizel dozens of times

[say1161]

If you are going to body belay, roll your sleeves down. And a turn of the rope around the arm on the brake side makes it much more controllable should you have to lower someone.

[ronoswald1]

@say1161 I'd agree with that! Also wear gloves if you have them and a rucksack to help protect your back.

[8dukesbats4]

never been climbing before.....my good buddy just moved back trom tucson a few months ago and he was really into it.....hes been trying to get me to go with him to climb and im seriously thinkin about gettin into....your vids are very informative preesh bro

[josh084479]

Hi mike, this video really helped me out. I was looking for a quicker way to bring up a second on easy fifth class and came across this last year. so much easier and you can bring in a lot more rope especially of you have a quick second.....

[pitot1988]

Hi Mike, so it seems you just threw the device away. I wonder if that will damage it? I recently dropped my device 30meter down, but my partner told me to retire it and get a new one to belay him. I wonder if the drop would have micro-fracture damaged the device?

[TheCollindude]

Have you ever climbed the " Gunks"?

[hanserclimbs]

old dudes love the body belay

[smeghead666]

Poor baby Aven!! I would love to climb with mike sometime :)