Since rock climbing's recent explosion in popularity, particularly indoor climbing, I've begun to notice strange practices/habits that folks are practicing indoors. For some, the practices/habits become engrained and transfer to the cliff outside. While they aren't really major safety concerns, I find them impractical and sort of annoying.
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- Unclipping and leaving your belay device on the ground: for whatever reason, when some folks are finished belaying their partner, they unclip their belay device and chuck it on the ground before trying the route themselves. Maybe it's for weight savings? IDK. But that seems impractical. I've seen this happen outside, too. The belay device gets put on the ground, sometimes kicked around in the dirt, or tripped over, and sometimes even forgotten.
This just doesn't seem like a good way to take care of your equipment. Especially if it results in you leaving it behind. There are at least four gear loops (on most harnesses) for a reason. Sometimes, even five loops. Gear loops are the ideal place to clip a belay device out of the way until you need it later.
- Backing up to take slack when giving a lead belay: sometimes, when I see folks lead belaying, they opt for backpedaling away from the wall to quickly take in slack instead of properly taking the slack through their belay device using their belay technique. This is an oddly indoor thing because it's common to have no hazard behind you (i.e., rocks, ledges, full-blown cliffs, trees, bushes, etc.). So when this practice transfers outside, I see folks tripping over terrain and standing way too far from the wall.
Instead, the best place to lead belay is directly below (or at least nearby) the first bolt. This is the ideal location because you can efficiently give slack in a vertical plane up to the climber. And if the climber falls, you're in the best place to counterbalance their weight. When it's time to rapidly take slack, like if the climber tops out and wants to lower or just needs a rest, it's best to remain near/below the first bolt and quickly move slack through your belay device using a safe belay technique.
- Unclipping and leaving your belay device on the ground: for whatever reason, when some folks are finished belaying their partner, they unclip their belay device and chuck it on the ground before trying the route themselves. Maybe it's for weight savings? IDK. But that seems impractical. I've seen this happen outside, too. The belay device gets put on the ground, sometimes kicked around in the dirt, or tripped over, and sometimes even forgotten.
What else? Am I missing anything?