| Many different kinds of equipment are used to help | | | | with some kind of support or cam system to provide a |
| people climb. Rock climbers use their gear to stabilize | | | | point of anchor. A belay device will have an active |
| themselves on the side of a sheer rock face, secure | | | | camming device or a passive camming device. With |
| themselves for safety in the event that they slip and | | | | an active camming device a user must lock off the |
| fall, and protect their body from impact if they come | | | | rope with his / her brake hand and a carabiner (a kind |
| into hard contact with the rock. | | | | of metal loop with a spring loaded gate, usually made |
| As the number one concern when rock climbing is the | | | | from aluminum). Of course, when such a system is |
| possibility of a fall, the most important pieces of gear | | | | being used, two people are climbing together for |
| for rock climbers are their harnesses and rope | | | | increased safety, and the current second (the lower |
| systems. Modern climbing ropes are designed with a | | | | climber who is staying put while the other continues on) |
| core of long twisted fibers surrounded by woven | | | | will be in charge of keeping the belaying system |
| fibers. The ropes have some flexibility and elasticity, | | | | operational in case of a fall. |
| which means they are far less likely to snap under | | | | Finally, the climber is attached to the rope and the |
| sudden tension or to cause whiplash by bringing a | | | | belay device using a harness. The most important thing |
| falling user to an instantaneous stop ' instead there will | | | | in choosing a harness (besides making sure that it is |
| be a little bounce in the line to create a smoother end | | | | entirely secure) is making sure that it has a good fit, as |
| to the fall. Static rope is another kind of rope which | | | | it will likely have to support much of your weight for a |
| does not have the same amount of give and is used | | | | good amount of time. Also keep in mind that while |
| for the critical connections of the belaying / anchoring | | | | there are different kinds of harnesses, such as chest |
| system that a climber uses to stay connected to the | | | | harness and full body harnesses in addition to the |
| rock face. Nylon webbing is used in some cases as | | | | traditional sit harnesses, not all of them are equally |
| well but is a completely different kind of specialized | | | | safe. Chest harnesses have been found in some |
| material with an amazingly high tensile strength. | | | | cases to increase the risk of damage to the neck at |
| The rope system that a rock climber uses is attached | | | | the end of a drop. In addition to these pieces of |
| to a belay device ' a piece of gear that allows the | | | | equipment, rock climbers wear protective helmets and |
| rope to be gradually released but seizes onto the rope | | | | carry bags of chalk on their belt to give them a better |
| and prevents it from continuing to run in case of a fall. | | | | grip. All of these kinds of gear are important for safe |
| The belay device will be attached to the rock face | | | | rock climbing! |