If you’re on lower angle terrain, you might just be able to step up on the rock and pull slack through your device. Practice, practice, practice in a controlled environment before you ever tried this in the real world. If you have a newer style belay device made for smaller diameter ropes, and and try this with a stiff sheath 10mm rope, you will have a L O T of friction and hassle pulling the rope through the device. Generally, if you have a newer smaller diameter rope with a smoother sheath, this is going to be easier. The effectiveness of this system, and the ease that you can ascend, greatly depends on the type of belay device you are using, and the rope diameter, how old/stiff the rope sheath is, and some other variables. But, for improvised rope climbing, such as in a rescue scenario, or if you find you need to ascend a rappel rope for some reason, this is a pretty cool trick.ĭoing this is WAY better than the old school method of ascending a rope with two prusik loops! Now, you don’t want to use this when you head up a big wall climb, because it does add extra friction and it’s not quite as secure as a dedicated ascending system. The auto locking feature when belaying your second directly off the anchor has another nifty capability: rope ascender. You have been warned, be careful!Īuto locking plaquette-style belay devices (such as the DMM Pivot, Black Diamond ATC Guide and Petzl Reverso) have become pretty much standard gear. Consider using a device such as the Black Diamond ATC Alpine Guide, specifically made for smaller diameter ropes. If using a skinny rope, be extra careful! Matching your ropes to the proper size belay device is always important, especially in this case. Be sure and test this under a controlled environment with your preferred rope and belay device before you ever try it for real! (This is why you should never use a device like this to rope solo.) This causes them to either jam together and you can't move the rope at all, or even worse, the strands become reversed, and you will fall / slide under load. Under even a small load, the rope strands can become inverted. I was easily able to put this into failure mode with a single strand rappel using an old style Black Diamond ATC Guide, and an 8 mm rope.

This technique can fail if you use a skinny rope and a large belay device! Instruction from a qualified professional is highly recommended when learning any new belay technique.

Alpinesavvy offers ideas and information, not advice. Using a belay device in this manner is not explicitly approved by any manufacturer, as far as I know. First off, a few disclaimer and cautionary notes.

Black diamond atc guide video