Belay Certification
Body
Becoming Belay Certified
Want to use the top-rope lanes? Members can become belay certified by attending one of our monthly drop-in belay clinics. During the clinic, participants will review proper harness use, belay device setup, climbing commands, rope management, and safe lowering techniques.
To become certified, climbers must successfully demonstrate the required belay skills without staff assistance. Belay certification is required before using the top-rope lanes and must be renewed annually.
- Put on a climbing harness and buckle it properly.
- Tie a figure-of-eight follow through onto the climbing harness in the proper location.
- Feed the rope correctly through a belay device (slot device only) and attach the rope and belay device to the harness in the proper place.
- Belay properly. The climber must take in rope and let out (i.e. lower) rope safely. The brake hand must never leave the rope. If it does, this person does not know how to belay properly.
- Demonstrate an understanding of basic climbing signals. There are many versions of the basic set of climbing signals, and we do not require a climber to know “our” version. However, the basic starting signals (on belay, climbing, climb, or a version thereof), the on-the-wall signals (up rope, slack) and a lowering signal (take, tension, then a command to lower) must be known.
- Lower a climber safely and in control.