Belaying in Guide Mode on rope belays with a Black Diamond ATC Guide, DMM Pivot etc. Climbing How To

[@JBMountainSkills]

Want to buy me a coffee or the boy a dog treat?! www.buymeacoffee.com/jbmountain

[@chrismorris9396]

The angle looks like it’s more than 90 degrees, would that be something to worry about since it increases the force on your gear?

[@AZDesertExplorer]

I appreciate your advocacy of doing what you can with what you have rather than being one of the “this is the only way” guys. Or one of the product pushing people. New contraptions are great but there are many things you can do just as well with the basics. This video beautifully illustrated that. Great content!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you like them!

[@masterfiddler11]

This massively improved my anchor building and belaying, thank you so much!!!

[@matchick4094]

Great video, always wandered how to do this and never though it would be that simple. Big fan of guide mode so this has made my days out so much better :) Thanks!!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you liked it 😀

[@monsterlynx2473]

Thanks for making this video it deserves more recognition

[@mrsdjsdj]

Nice video. Totally newb here, but you explain things well. Your pace is "just right".

[@cheesecake6696]

Got a guide plate recently. Got to the top of a route and realised that I didnt know any of the nuances of setting up a guide plate. 😅 so i belayed as normal. Wish I had watched this video slightly sooner. Thanks jezza.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Hope you've got the hang of it now :)

[@cheesecake6696]

@@JBMountainSkills haven't had much chance to use it recently, other than when I practiced setting up a 3:1 pulley on my own sling mountain. :) going to glendalough in wicklow next weekend, so hopefully should get some practice then.

[@dsnewby]

Fantastic content, thank you very much!

[@hakonandrehalvorsen7473]

Wonderful!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Cheers!

[@jeremyballard7461]

Plenty more to go and practise.👍 Cheers Jez

[@JBMountainSkills]

Enjoy!

[@OPDR07]

How does it work when the other climber climbs the next pitch and pulls the rope up? Do they put you on belay and then you undo the anchor system, which would create a lot of slack or is there a better way? I can see how just quickly pulling the slack through would be alright on a ledge or something, but not on steeper terrain.

[@aarbee_]

yeah im not sure how you get out of it either LOL

[@geebee3d]

With a rope anchor like this one, usually the 2nd gets to the anchor, clips in, takes a quick rest, sorts gear, then leads the next pitch. They set up a similar system at the top of the pitch, then you untie the anchor and climb. So you and your partner are switching leads every pitch.

[@thekontrollers]

Quote: "Keep it Belts and Braces today" What's the origin of the phrase 'Belt and braces'? Belts and braces (a.k.a. bracers) are meant to hold one's trousers up. Going 'belt and braces' is a double insurance against having them fall down. The figurative use, as a general term for cautiousness, was coined around the mid-20th century in the UK.

[@Joe-rd1nb]

Thanks for this video, I just got my first plate with guide mode and was wondering about exactly this. I see both these setups leave the plate hanging in space, is everything still good if the plate is flush to the ground? e.g. when your anchor is just a ground level boulder back from the edge. Is there anything specific you have to watch out for or do different in that case?

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad it was useful! It'll work if it's flush as long as it's not getting snagged. Can just be a bit more faff to release etc... but thats the way it goes sometimes!

[@XVIIsionsProductions]

Can a self minding prusik be used with a regular ATC to belay from the top if you don’t have a “guide” style device?

[@nathanstrange3915]

I can't find an answer to this anywhere on the internet, but is there anything bad about belaying in guide with the top of the plate clipped to your belay loop instead of a masterpoint when making a rope anchor? Ive been doing it for a while now, as it just gave me a bit more security, and when I've had to lower, putting a biner through the hole at the bottom to release the plate isnt horrendous either, in fact i think its an easier position to do it like that than when its on a master point. I cant find much mention of it on the internet so wondered if you had any views!

[@johnharper5247]

I love using the rope to build anchors, but is there anyway to do this if you and your partner aren't swapping leads? Other than untying and switching sides lol. I wanted to do this on my last outing so I could use some really good placements that were out of reach but wouldn't work with what I had as far as cordellete or slings. Problem was I was leading all of the pitches.

[@JBMountainSkills]

It really isn't ideal for block leading sadly. I think there's better options for that. I do know of people who swap ends though...

[@fredc1932]

How would you switch this over to a lead belay if you continued to lead the next pitch? Your second would be clipped in to the master point and anchor that's built from your side of the rope. Is this just setup you would only do if you knew the second was going to lead the next pitch?

[@JBMountainSkills]

It's not ideal for that really, sadly.

[@famfolkesson]

Another excellent video, thanks! Would you use the same set up for a guide brake sitting on top of the cliff, with the anchorpoint/s (eg one tree or several nuts) on ground level out of reach, or could it be a problem with the brake flat on the rock/ground rather than free hanging?

[@aovideos3268]

What carabiners are you using holding your belay plate?

[@owensigal3468]

can you do the out of reach anchors with only 1 hand free, such as when creating a hanging belay, because when you were tying that huge masterpoint you used both hands

[@JBMountainSkills]

With practice, yes.

[@owensigal3468]

@@JBMountainSkills do you think you could demo some of these other knots 1 handed? I already know, and you've demonstrated well the 1 handed clove hitch

[@grahammckinna1070]

@@owensigal3468 There's no secret/special way to do anything one handed, friend. Throw a little extra material into what's meant to become your master point so you get some more heft coming around when you flick your wrist to send the loop around.

[@vSTExx]

I really like the idea of using the loose strand as a master point on the IN REACH anchor, but just wondered how you would do this with halves? I'm trying to get back into mind for winter coming up - always using halves, and often swinging leads (where using slings can cause a faff). As you don't get this loose strand between two bits of gear what could you do instead?? Brilliant video as always and can't wait to be back on some rock soon! Ste

[@JBMountainSkills]

The idea would be the same to be honest, just bring 'em back to a big master point :)

[@vSTExx]

@@JBMountainSkills Fair enough, but I guess if you were to try the loose strand master point method, with halves, you would need to be on 4 bits of gear, where 2 are taken by each rope? I guess by how complicated I'm making this, it's probably best left for a single on two bomber pieces ahah. Thanks!! Can't wait for more of this! Always more to learn isn't there

[@malcopops4]

I'm going to be trying it with 2 halves. Slightly different knot but its still an overhand masterpoint just the same.

[@georgemitson9565]

Hello, Would you ever use a clove hitch instead of an overhand to equalise the two anchors for your guide plate? I definitely would like to go through an escaping the system scenario for this kind of belay.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Hi George No I wouldn't normally, doesn't give any particular advantage in this application for me. Maybe in winter with cold hands and freezing ropes. Escaping the system is very easy with these methods. Tie off the device, use a sling or lanyard to make yourself safe in to the master point, untie. What you do next depends on the problem Hope that helps!

[@asheepeatinggrass]

how do these work with 3 bits of gear?

[@alexclothier2425]

Hi, Thought occurred to me today, on a multi pitch climb, when only one person is leading the entire climb how would you build an anchor system with the rope. I know you could build one with a sling and have a master point for both people but with the rope this seems like it would get quite complicated/messy. Would each person clip separately into each piece of gear having two screwgates on each bit of gear? How would it work? Just asking because there are some instances where a rope is a much better option than a sling. Great videos, keeping me entertained in lock down, Alex

[@lmnts-climbing3723]

Use a sling! This system is ideal for swapping leads but for a single leader a sling would be more appropriate.

[@JBMountainSkills]

If at all possible I'll use a sling, perhaps a 240cm because it becomes a right faff. If you need to use the rope the the second will have to rig their own system on the same gear, underneath the leader's system, and be super careful not to twist ropes etc. I'll probably do a video on this at some point...

[@ventureelements928]

@@JBMountainSkills Do you advise against switching ends of the rope once safe?

[@steventhaw3765]

Safest to clip the belay device into multi loops of the shelf!!!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Do you think one rope loop isn’t safe?!

[@ukslackline]

@@JBMountainSkills Of course one rope loop is enough.. even if you are climbing half ropes I'd say it is enough..

[@rninness]

@@JBMountainSkills haha love this reply. Sometimes people forget they only have one loop connecting their harness to the rope.

[@steventhaw3765]

CLOVE HITCH for the anchors and master point! The Most Efficient, Safest, Fastest, and Strongest !!!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Great when appropriate, but not always appropriate.

[@steventhaw3765]

Ole Chap, The angle between the two anchor points and the master point should always be less than 60 degrees!!!

[@steventhaw3765]

Otherwise, your are creating the European Death Triangle configuration!!!

[@JBMountainSkills]

That’s not quite accurate re. The angle. A death triangle is something different, it’s not to do with the angle, it the setup itself.

[@steinstolper]

Still the angle should be under 60°. Check how nottohighline for a test of the forces being over creates. Its massive

[@JBMountainSkills]

steinstolper the angle doesn’t always need to be under 60. It’s worth looking at the maths and applying it to individual circumstances. There’s loads of good stuff about belay angles online

[@ukslackline]

@@steventhaw3765 haha you've got your terms confused (American Death Triangle vs European Death Knot) also listen to JB here - he knows his stuff!