Basic Risk Awareness – Crag Based (With Peak Grit Stone in mind)
The idea behind this leaflet is to make new members of the Manchester University Mountaineering Club (MUMC for short) aware of some of the basic risks of climbing outdoors.
1) Gear, rope and small rock fall
When climbing on real rock it is possible for pebbles or small rocks to be knocked off the top, or some point mid-way up a route. Even small stones hit with force if they have fallen a long way. Some crags (especially old quarries) have more loose rocks and pebbles then others.
Sometimes a lead or second climber may drop gear from their rack. All gear contains metal components, of which some are rather heavy, and sharp or pointed. Again they will hit with a lot of force if dropped from a height.
Ropes are extremely heavy and can hit with a huge force if dropped or thrown even from a small height.
It is recommended that you wear an approved climbing helmet at all times, except when travelling to and from the crag, to offer protection of your head should one of these items hit you. Also if you were to fall it will offer some protection for your head.
Should you drop or knock anything, it is customary to yell “below” or “rope below” to ensure that the people around become aware of the hazard. Also it is common sense that you should not look upward upon hearing someone shout as such, to protect your face.
2) Grass and slippery rock when walking around or climbing the crag
Unfortunately it is getting into winter and the weather is changing. The rock face and surrounding area are increasingly becoming wet and green (all the weird stuff that grows on rock). This green stuff is generally slippery when wet, and sometimes when dry.
Grass, bushes and mud are all slippery when you are wearing rock boots, dry or not.
Care should be taken when climbing on green rock, walking around the crag and surrounding area, so as to avoid standing on grass or in mud, to minimise the risk of slipping over and possibly injuring yourself or someone else.
3) Other climbers (leader and partner)
Many problems can occur between leader and partner in climbing due people’s lack of knowledge and/or experience, and unfortunately mistakes are made. One such example is that a leader may have incorrectly placed the runners (gear) along a route causing rope drag. This can be a complication when a belaying leader cannot see their partner on the route, as it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the rope drag and the climber when taking in the slack.
It is important to remember that as humans people are fallible and mistakes are made. If such problems occur then the best course of action is keep calm and focus on not making the situation any worse.
Also that the people within this club are not trained experts and thus have little but there own experience to guide them, and impart to others.
*****Remember: Safety at the crag is mostly just common sense*****
If you have any questions then feel free to ask your group leader, or any member of the club committee who I’m sure will be more then happy to help. They can be found dotted around the crag. Most importantly JUST HAVE FUN!
Glossary of Climbing Terms (Just so you don’t think we’re being hideously euphemistic at times)
Belaying – The act of regulating the amount of slack in a rope between you and your climbing partner. When they are leading you generally want to be feeding out the rope, and when climbing indoors you want to be taking it in. You are also responsible for controlling the rope, and counter balancing the force if your partner was to take a fall.
Cam – A mechanical device that is used as fall protection when lead climbing, and for anchor point set up. It has moving parts and is very effective in horizontal or vertical cracks.
Crag – The geographical rock feature on which you climb!
Friend – See cam (and never was there a truer nickname, they tend to fit in cracks where nothing else will)
Gear – The devices used as fall protection, anchor establishment and belaying by climbers.
Harness – The device that attaches you to your climbing rope, often attaching at the waist and legs.
Helmet – A safety device that will offer protection of your head in the event of a fall and if something was to land on it.
Hex – Hollow vaguely hexagonal bits of gear used similarly to nuts, they will tend to fit in wide more awkward shaped cracks, and if well placed will be stronger.
Leader – The climber who makes the initial assent of a route, placing gear as fall protection as they go. Who then establishes secure anchor points from which they can they belay their partner (second).
Leading – The act, as above, performed.
Karabiner – There are several different types available, all with slightly different purposes. There are generally oval in shape, made from metal and are very strong. They all have a gate which is spring loaded so that it shuts automatically. The type of most interest when belaying is called a screw-gate, because the gate has a screw system that once locked, prevents the gate opening by accident. The type of interest when leading and seconding is the snap gates; they snap shut automatically but have no screw system.
Nuts – Effectively a wedge that can be placed in some cracks, which is used as fall protection and anchor point creation.
Nut-key – Tool used by second to help extract bits of gear from the rock. Far more effective used chisel like with a size 9 hex as the hammer.
Quickdraw – Is constructed of a small sling and two snap gate karabiner, of which one attaches to the gear placed in the rock face, and one through which the rope is threaded.
Runners – The placements in the rock face, through which the rope is threaded, used by leaders to protect them in the event of a fall.
Rack – A collection of gear.
Rope Drag – Created by the friction of rope running through the runners at too steep an angle. It is also caused by incorrect length of runner placement (the rope is not in a direct line from leader to second), and any problems of rubbing against the rock that this may cause.
Second – The climber that climbs up after the leader and retrieves the gear (fall protection) that was placed by them. They are secured from the top by the rope.
Wires – See nuts