Information On Top Rope Climbing
And Top Rope Climbing Gear
Top rope climbing is a kind of rock climbing
without a leader. Someway (e.g. by ascending a hill from the side)
you place a double rope in a ring or a locking carabiner which is on
the anchor point. After you test that the rope slides smoothly by
pulling both of its ends one at a time, the person that is going to
climb the pitch is tied on the one end of the rope.
At the other end your partner is belaying you by
collecting the rope. The descend is done like a "bucket" when the
belayer is lowering the climber by letting the rope slide through
his figure 8. When the friction is high and there is a risk of
damaging the rope you rappel in order to descend.
You should not descend fast because high temperatures
are created on the locking carabiner which can damage the rope.
After research it has been found that the rope is damaged 10 times
faster when used for tope rope climbing than other types of rock
climbing. This happens because the descending is done on a single
rope and usually there is also contact between the rope and the
rock.
Top rope climbing is very popular in low rocks. The
climbing is safer because there are no falls but only hangings from
the rope. The nice and relaxing mood in which people are when
climbing low rocks can distract them when they are belaying their
partner. If you want to avoid accidents you must follow some safety
rules.
What to consider when climbing top rope
The points which receive the greatest strain are the
carabiner in which the rope is placed and the belay point which
usually is on the person who is belaying. The final carabiner must
always be on the edge of the rock, so the contact between the rope
and the rock can be avoided. This is one of the most significant
damage factors of your ropes.
Ropes which are damaged from continuous use in top
rope climbing must not be used in normal rock climbing routes
because you don't know if they can withstand falls with friction on
the rock. However, they can be used in top rope climbing till they
are completely damaged.
Top rope climbing and belaying
 Usually for belaying in top rope climbing we use a
figure 8 or mounter hitch on a locking carabiner. Both ways have the
disadvantage that someone must be careful and continuously give
rope. Companies like Salewa and Petzl have manufactured special
automatic devices (e.g. Grigri) which blocks the rope automatically
if you fall. Except that they also don't make the rope form little
circles like the mounter hitch does.
A very good decision if you want to start this type or
rock climbing is to buy a top rope climbing package. You will save
money than if you buy each item seperately.
Click here to see which is our recommended store
for
buying a top rope climbing package online.
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