How to Belay

Overview
Belaying is a technique used when rock climbing to keep a climber safe. It involves a belayer using a
belay device and rope to catch the climber if they fall and lower them down. The safest way to belay
is by using the acronym PBUS which stands for: pull, break, under, slide. These are the steps one
should follow to properly belay a climber. The goal of belaying is to tighten and secure the rope as
climber goes higher on the rock face so if they fall there is not slack in the rope. The left hand should
be placed on the rope above the belay device, and the right hand should be placed on the rope
spilling out underneath the belay device.

Extra Commands
There are a few commands that a belayer should know to ensure the safety of their climber and the
easiest communication.

Before Climbing
The following commands should always be used prior to climbing. They allow both the climber and
belayer to confirm that the belayer is fully set up to belay and it is safe for the climber to start
climbing.

1. Climber: “on belay”

2. Belayer: “Belay is on”
3. Climber: “Climbing”
4. Belayer: “Climb on”

While Climbing
1. Slack- If a climber calls for slack, the belayer should use the same technique as they would to
lower their climber, to allow a small amount of rope to feed up through the belay device. This
loosens the rope the climber is tied into and gives them slack.
 2. Take- If a climber says “take” this means they want the rope they are on to be tighter. To do
this, follow the PBUS technique until you cannot pull anymore rope down into the device.

Gear Needed:
 Climbing Harness
 Rope
 A locking Carabiner
 Belay device
- An ATC (air traffic control device) is the best device to learn on as a beginner

Setting Up to Belay:
1. Put on climbing harness
2. Clip carabiner through belay loop of harness (the vertical loop in the middle of the harness) and
thin loop of the belay device making sure that he spout side of the belay device is facing towards
the ground

The spout side of the belay device should be facing towards the ground

Feed rope through the right side of the belay device, around the carabiner, and back out
the bottom of the right side of the belay device, making sure that the rope attached to
the climber is coming out of the top of the device and the excess rope isshould be
spilling out towards the ground
3.
The rope attached to the climber should be coming out of the top of the device and the
excess rope should be spilling out towards the ground
4. Lock the carabiner by screwing the metal piece on the gate until the gate cannot cannot be
opened

Instructions for Belaying a Climber:

The safest way to belay is by using the acronym PBUS which stands for: pull, break, under, slide.
These are the steps one should follow to properly belay a climber. The goal of belaying is to tighten
and secure the rope as climber goes higher on the rock face so if they fall there is not slack in the
rope. The left hand should be placed on the rope above the belay device, and the right hand should
be placed on the rope spilling out underneath the belay device.

1. Pull- As the climber goes up there will be slack in the rope. Pull down with your left hand to pull
the rope into the belay device while pulling with your right hand on the rope spilling out of the
device, tighteninge. This will tighten the rope that is attached to the climber.
2. Break- With your right hand, Ppull the bottom rope down to your right hip with your right hand,
putting the rope in “break” and preventing any rope from moving through the belay device. This
prevents any rope from moving through the belay device. This is essentially putting the rope in
“break”. Since you pulled the rope through the device, your right hand will now be lower and
will need to safely be moved back up. The next steps safely allow this by always keeping at least
one hand on the bottom rope.

3. Under- MoveTake your left hand and place it underneath your right hand on the bottom rope.

4. Slide- Slide the right hand back up closer to the belay device so that. Your left hand is now free
to move back to the top rope.
 5. Repeat these four steps until your climber reaches the top of their climb or wants to be let
down.

Instructions for Lowering a Climber:

1. Verbally confirm with your climber that they are ready to be lowered down.
2. Place both hands on the bottom rope.
3. Slowly shuffle hands along the rope, allowing the rope to feed back into the belay device,
lowering the climber.

Extra Commands:
There are a few commands that a belayer should know to ensure the safety of their climber and the
easiest communication.

Before Climbing:
The following commands should always be used prior to climbing. They allow both the climber and
belayer to confirm that the belayer is fully set up to belay and it is safe for the climber to start climbing.

5. Climber: “on belay”

6. Belayer: “Belay is on”
7. Climber: “Climbing”
8. Belayer: “Climb on”

While Climbing:
3. Slack- If a climber calls for slack, the belayer should use the same technique as they would to
lower their climber, to allow a small amount of rope to feed up through the belay device. This
loosens the rope the climber is tied into and gives them slack.
4. Take- If a climber says “take” this means they want the rope they are on to be tighter. To do
this, follow the PBUS technique until you cannot pull anymore rope down into the device.