Top Managed Belay Site Setups
Instructional Rock Course Menu
- Rock Climbing Home Page
- Rock Climbing Anchors 101 & 201
- Rappelling Setups & Techniques
- Intro to Sport Climbing
- Top Managed Belay Site Setups
- Intro to Traditional (“Trad”) Climbing
- Single Pitch Self Rescue
During this course climbers learn more than just how to set up a top managed belay site and belay from the top of a cliff or route. The instructor delves into topics that are geared towards mitigating risks that can arise when belaying from the top. Additionally, the instructor reviews in detail skills and techniques the belayer can utilize to assist a climber, such as lowering considerations and methods, assistance skills including raising systems and related rescue skills.
This course is generally for a wide audience as the scenarios and reasons why a climber might belay from the top of a cliff or route are numerous. This course is great for climbers who are on the path to becoming independent trad climbers, because setting up and managing a top belay site is required of a trad climber in order to belay the second. This course is also great for climbers who climb routes or at crags that present safety concerns with belaying from the cliff bottom. Such safety concerns may include, among others, rope stretch, falling rock, steep ground or sea cliff environment.
This is not an anchor course. The climber should be familiar with building anchors using natural features and artificial gear.
COURSE DETAILS
Course Length: 1 Day | 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Course Size: 1:6 guide to client ratio course with a maximum of 6 clients
Pricing: $115
- 4 climbers required to run the course. However, if there are less than 4 climbers, we can run the course under the below pricing schedule. The advantage is more personal time with the instructor. Since we understand that the increase in cost can be a barrier, refunds and rescheduling options are available for climbers who do not want to take the course with less than 4 climbers.
- 3 climbers - $145/climber
- 2 climbers - $175/climber
- 1 climber - $275
Instructor: Instructed by a certified American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor
Topics Covered:
- Master point placement
- Direct belays
- Lowering considerations and methods (Grigri and Munter hitch)
- Assistance skills including raising systems
- Rescue skills including escaping the belay
- Advantages and disadvantages of the top site belaying
- Risk management for belayer and climber on top of crag: tethers & fixed lines
- Station management
Special Note: The Top managed Belay Site Setups course is not a certification course.
Recommended Experience:
- Familiarity with the following climbing knots and hitches: Figure 8 follow through, figure 8 on a bight, bowline, double bowline, bowline on a bite, double fisherman, munter, clove hitch, girth hitch, prussic, auto block, klemheist. Refer to AnimatedKnots.com for reference.
- Prior outdoor rock climbing and rappelling experience
- Experience building anchors using natural features and artificial gear
- VTS Rock Climbing Anchors 101 & 201 courses or similar experience
- VTS Rappelling Setups and Techniques course or similar experience
- Solid belaying technique