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THIS MONTH WE RELAX WITH LOCKING BELAY DEVICES (BUT WE'RE STILL HOLDNG THE DEAD ROPE...)

Sport climbing is undoubtedly the most selfish form of climbing. At least when you climbed a trad route it was about team work. Traditional first ascents used to get at least two names on the first ascent list, unless
unseconded was added which meant the belayer didn't follow. But then sport climbing came in and it was all about the leader - the poor old belayer just had to stand there, craning his or her neck skywards, wasting valuable strength gripping the rope tightly whilst matey sat on the bolt, then having to concentrate as fall followed move like night follows day. God belaying was tedious - and hard work. Then some genius invented
the GriGri and all was right with the world again. You could hold numerous falls effortlessly. He could hang on the bolt forever and you could put your hands in your pockets (as long as the dead rope went in there too..) Fierce concentration was replaced with casual awareness and the belayer's life was a happy one again. Lord praise the Grigri.
Others saw the locking belay device, knew that it was good and were moved to do likewise - and here they are.
We gave these locking belay devices to our tame tester. Some say he's an anti-social climber who's only interested in getting belayed; others that he once held a fall from grace. All we know is that he's
called the Sprag.

CAMP
YoYo £27.99
www.allcord.co.uk

Obviously designed along similar lines to the SRC and named like the Grigri, this device was pretty tricky to use, the main fault being the aggressive notch through which the live rope runs - you have to concentrate like mad to stop it snagging the rope when
paying out - and once it snags it's fiddly to un-snag, making belaying anything but
relaxing. Only 10-11mm ropes too.

WILD COUNTRY
Single Rope Controller £34.95
(inc. Belaymaster and HMS krab)

The first device to rise to the challenge set by the Grigri. With no internal moving parts
the rope pushes the karabiner against a bar on the SRC which traps another part of the rope, thus locking it. The top is pulled back to release the rope. When you take into account that the Belaymaster worth £14.50 is included in the price, the SRC looks very attractive: simple, light and cheap - what's not to like?

PETZL
Grigri £50
www.petzl.com

The original - and still the best - sport climbing belay device. It's been around for about 20 years now and has been saving the strength and patience of millions of bored belayers ever since. Works on the same principle as a car seat belt - pull the rope through gently and it feeds out but a sharp tug locks it off. One hand uses the plastic handle to release the device and your other hand controls the dead rope to lower
the leader. Only takes 10-11mm ropes, which is showing its age in these days of super-skinny sport climbing ropes.

EDELRID
EDDY £74

www.edelrid.de

A Grigri lookalike and usealike but heavier. Does take smaller ropes though,
from 9-11mm. Pulling the handle all the way back locks rather than releases the rope, removing the risk of panic-pulling disasters but making lowering and abseiling trickier. The price is not a misprint!

DMM
BELAYMASTER ON HMS SCREWGATE £14.50
www.dmmwales.com

So good I can't believe no one else has copied it. The plastic catch only locks onto the screw gate when it's done up securely. And when it's there the karabiner can't turn around on the belay loop of your harness and cause a
kerfuffle. It's a safety feature and makes belaying easier - hurrah! Everyone should have one.

LEADERBOARD

RATING                 MODEL                  PACE NOTES

10                          Belaymaster         Don t go belaying without one. Top gear!

9.5                         Grigri                      Hard to imagine sport climbing belay life without it these days. Not                                                                perfect, still tricky to pay out quickly on redpoint, but it's the dogging                                                process that it  was made for - and excels at. Classic but expensive.
8.7                         SRC                       Ingeniously simple or simply ingenious? No moving parts, lets the rope                                                               do the work. More of a fiddle and less reassuring than the Grigri - but                                                               you get the Belaymaster thrown in! Cheap and cheerful.
8.5                         EDDY                     Works on the same principle as the Grigri. Heavier but for thinner sport                                                                ropes too. How much? Coughs and splutters...
4.7                         YoYo                       Simple and light like the SRC but just too grabby for comfort. There may                                                                be a knack but if so it takes too long to get. Flop gear.

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