The Complete Climbing Guide to Lowering in Guide Mode featuring the Rock Empire Twin Belay Device.

[@thecma3]

I really like these comprehensive videos you're doing (same as with the rope anchors series). I'm all for book learning, but this format really is added value over text and pictures on a page, so it's no surprise to me that a few of us are inclined to throw some cash your way. I was on an alpine climb last week and my partner dropped their belay device, but I felt confident enough having practiced tools (much of them from your videos) that I was able to give them my device and get us down & out with the gear on my harness.

[@jamesgostling9635]

Really helpful video, thanks Jez!

[@alirice2647]

Thanks for compiling it all into one video! Lowering in guide mode is something I find it hard to feel confident with, partly because I (hopefully) hardy ever need to do it, and partly because over time I've come across so many different techniques to do it! So it's good to see a side by side comparison of them all.

[@jirihaban380]

If I may make a suggestion... You carry the prusik on a wiregate, but always use a screwgate with it, so you have to keep actively thinking about saving a screwgate. Makes more sense to me to carry the prusik on a small screwgate, that's what I do anyways. Great video (videos!) though, thank you so so much for that!

[@JBMountainSkills]

A sensible option for sure. I used to, but in balance I prefer a snap gate for the fractional weight saving and sitting just that little bit nicer on my harness. I guess it's a balance between that and the likelihood, or not, of having to do something "extreme" with it. In reality I'll have a load of spare snappers from 'draws etc to back to oppose in lieu of a screw gate should I need to.

[@mattbaker1683]

The Gigajul is really the device to beat right now, but the pivot with tapered slots feeds slack so much better on lead. Great video for the different methods of lowering, I find a nut tool with a hooked tip gives brilliant control for that quick and dirty lower rather than a carabiner, longer so better control, yet to use it in the real world though. Always makes me laugh when you mention falling rocks, first multipitch at Avon Gorge my mate got hit by a very small rock in possibly the worst place a man can be hit... 😂 It really was a million to one shot the way it bounced off a boulder and hit him square on target 🎯 😭🪖

[@HurstatElnup]

Excellent stuff and reassuring I can use at least one method

[@aaronm9353]

Thanks for converging all these methods of guide-mode lowering into one comprehensive video. Any chance of making a video dedicated to the topic of the Munter/Italian hitch, in particular the tie-off method as you made use of in this video? I’ve seen you obviously use the tied-off Munter in numerous videos while demonstrating various techniques, but if I’m not mistaken you don’t have one solely covering the hitch having searched through your massive back-catalogue, and it’s often difficult to see exactly what you tie because of the camera angle or hands blocking the view, so I can’t tell if what I’m trying to replicate is exactly the same. I notice you always refer to the knot you tie directly after the Munter as a ‘slippery hitch’. Yours are the only videos where I’ve heard that name mentioned. Is it identical to what otherwise seems to be ubiquitously referred to as a ‘mule’, or, more simply, a slip knot as it would be called in other contexts? If so, is your tie-off method no different to the MMO (Munter Mule Overhand), or is there a subtle difference? All the other videos I’ve seen on tying off the Munter seem to opt for an overhand-on-the-bight following the mule, or very occasionally two half-hitches, as opposed to a single half-hitch. Any thoughts on this? It would seem the mule knot is generally sufficient at locking the Munter alone, not that I would fully trust a slip-knot, so is the finishing knot merely a matter of presentation, would you say? I think much of the confusion I’ve encountered about this hitch is due to differences between American and British terminology and the fact that all videos I’ve been able to find on KZbin about it are exclusively American. A video addressing methods of tying the Munter hitch in different scenarios, tie-off methods and even the auto-locking options I’ve heard about for belaying, if this is something you ever use, would be super helpful.

[@malcopops4]

Thanks for this. I regularly end up having to just give slack in guide mode & am using the instruction manual method for that. Adding a catastrophe knot is a nice touch, so I'm doing that now, cheers! Also looking forward to trying it out with a nut key which i spotted on another comment. Hole on the gigajul is crazy small.

[@JBMountainSkills]

You're welcome! The nut key trick can work really well!

[@ianmcnulty4251]

Great video as always! I really like the second method (rigged at about 10:00), as it seems less "on/off" and more controlled than the classic 3rd method (rigged at about 15:30). Is there any particular disadvantage to #2?

[@marcusdangeryt]

Hi Jez - great video as usual. Would be helpful to get your thoughts about when you have two people on second (one on each rope, both climbing at the same time) and you need to give slack to one of them. I guess you put a catastrophe knot in on the climber who's OK (assuming that they are able to wait comfortably / safely) plus potentially a prussic on the load side of their rope. Then you can just deal with the stuck climber with the methods that you've described. Is that right or would you have a different view? Thanks.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Yeah you just want to deal with one at a time really. In an ideal world I'd get the other climber up to the belay then deal with the climber who needs slack / lowering. If appropriate you could get them on a ledge or whatever and put that catastrophe knot in.

[@marcusdangeryt]

Thank @@JBMountainSkills 🙂

[@nicoroulet7308]

Thanks for the video Jez! Question about the second to last method: when you hitch the sling through the device's eyelet and redirect the break hand upwards, it looks like the break hand rope runs pretty close to the sling's hitch, is there a concern that they could rub and damage the sling? I was thinking if the sling was hitched to the belay biner rather than the belay device itself, you'd get a similar result pulling that one up without the potential to damage the sling. Would that work too?

[@ollieb9875]

Thanks for this! I'm learning some trad climbing end of October for some days in the peak district so I'll need a nice jacket like yours but they're so expensive 😱 Keep up the good work 🤗

[@Charliened1]

get the fjern bellay jacket its warm as anything and only £80. just a bit heavy

[@JBMountainSkills]

Hope you enjoy your trip! I love my Patagucci jacket but yeah, pricey! I've hear that Fjern jacket mentioned before, if not second hand Ould be a good bet :) Try Outdoor Gear Exchange on Facebook if you're in the UK.

[@ollieb9875]

@@JBMountainSkills thanks both. I did find a Montane sabertooth on the eBay I hope won't be too tatty and I'll keep an eye out for those mentioned! 👍 Next year maybe climbing with JB yeah 🤣 🤗

[@aaronm9353]

Chapters in the video for each of the methods to refer back to would be great.

[@trombahonker]

excellent video!

[@lisa-koschat]

I always have trouble with those belay devices when multipitch lead belaying. I guess you do not get around some trouble handeling the rope, untangling it. Is there an autoblocking device that you would recommend for half ropes (thinner ropes)? I tried the gigs Jul, atc alpine guide, micro Jul.

[@JBMountainSkills]

I haven't had too much drama lead belaying on any that I've used to be honest. My go to is the Giga Jul :)

[@Sierranite]

Seems to me that the guided mode thing is unnecessarily complicated. Could accomplish the same with any tubular device, Műnter hitch etc as you describe, with much less fuss and bother.

[@CommieHunter7]

Love it

[@JBMountainSkills]

👊

[@NorthEastAlpineStart]

Wondering what your thoughts are on just using the friction hitch you already had on the load strand after you built the Munter Hitch as your backup instead of building one on the brake strand and having to remove it. Granted it needs to be a well tied hitch that is capable of holding the full load instead of brake side load but would be faster. Adequate as a backup?

[@TheJon567]

Wouldn't be a backup, then. The prussik would hold all the load and giving slack would be hard with the munter in there. If the prussik fails (not entirely unlikely with the full load on it), then the munter does nothing and you mate falls to the ground

[@Captaraknospider]

Can you use a rope man one instead of a pru sic?

[@JBMountainSkills]

You want the clutch prusik to be releasable under load so a rope man wouldn't be advisable in that application.