Climb Safe

Why one little-used technique can make or break your fall. I’ve always viewed trad- or ice-climbing falls as more serious than sport whippers.

How you hold the rope is just one aspect of the belay—no more or less important than vigilance, rope management, how and where you stand, and communication.

So your buddy tells you that he took a Factor 2 over the weekend, eh? That sounds bad. Or is it? What does that even mean? Everything you need to know about falling, but were afraid to ask.

Every year, without fail, someone is injured or dies in a rappelling accident. This July it was the easily prevented mistake of rapping off the end of the line. At this point, it seems a little useless to keep reminding people to tie some knots in the end of their ropes.