“Ready to lower!” I yelled. As I descended from the anchor, my belayer dropped me faster and faster until I was free-falling. I expected—or hoped—the rope would go taut, but the ground came first. My ...

We were climbing at Chuckwalla in southern Utah when we witnessed a belay accident. My partner had just reached the top of his route. As I started to lower him, I heard a rope zipping freely. I looked ...

Greetings from the Philippines! I was horrified the other day when I chanced upon these climbers belaying with an ascender. I gave them my best advice because I thought there was about to be a ...

Which belay devices are best? When partaking in a sport like climbing that’s equally exhilarating and dangerous, safety precautions take priority. Armed with a good braking hand, harness and rope, the ...

The Mule Knot (a.k.a releasable knot) is ideal to lock off the rope on the belay plate. There are many occasions in climbing when, belaying from the harness using a device which does not self-arrest ...