10

In this answer about mountaineering on a glacier, @StrongBad mentioned 4th and 5th class belays. I have never heard of belays being classified into such classes. In what context are these classes used and how are the different classes defined?

imsodin
  • 21,730
  • 4
  • 78
  • 132
  • I thought in between all these long and controversial questions we could have a really short and simple one :) Beside I really have no clue what this classification is about and am genuinely curious, maybe the answer is not as simple as the question (all the better). – imsodin Nov 03 '17 at 15:34
  • 4th class belay you're standing on your feet. 5th class you're sitting in your harness. – ShemSeger Nov 06 '17 at 06:35

2 Answers2

9

The belay class in the linked answer is in reference to the typical methods one would use in grade 4 (or 5) Yosemite Decimal System.

Typically, in a rock climbing context you typically see grades like 5.6, 5.10a. The 5 indicates that the route is what we commonly call "rock climbing", but grades 1-4 also exist. These are for hiking (class 1), scrambling (2 and 3) and easy climbing, but way easier than the UIAA grade IV.

If you decide that you need to do a class 4 climb protected by a rope, you commonly would rope up as a party and simul-climb while the first person places intermediate protection (such as nuts, friends, or, in the context of the linked question, ice screws). In contrast, the typical method to do class 5 climbs is to have a belayer that belays a leader (i.e. typical rock climbing).

Of course, this explanation only takes typical cases into account. You might need to belay children or handicapped people on class 4 terrain, or you might decide to simul-climb a YDS 5.5 (UIAA IV) climb under certain circumstances (if you know what you are doing!).

Note: As the comments point out, the terms might not be commonly used. For a 4th class running belay, the commonly used term is running belay, not 4th class belay.

anderas
  • 4,447
  • 22
  • 56
  • Is there a reputable reference (UIAA would be good) to the use of the term "Class" wrt Belay. –  Nov 03 '17 at 19:13
  • @mattnz nope, apparently I just make terminology up. I have no recollection of how I came to use those terms. As an American used to YDS, I am not sure it was that big of a jump. – StrongBad Nov 03 '17 at 19:24
  • 1
    @StrongBad Then I interpreted your terminology correctly :-) My thoughr was like "4th class running belay? 4th class is probably the grade in YDS, and using a running belay sounds completely reasonable for that.". And the answer is basically that thought with a better explanation ;-) (Note that I'm European, but read climbing.com a lot, so I basically had to get used to the YDS...) – anderas Nov 03 '17 at 20:45
  • Maybe the fact that this is "made up" (i.e. potentially not widely used, or is it?) should be mentioned in the answer? – imsodin Nov 04 '17 at 00:01
  • @imsodin Good idea, does the last paragraph fit what you had in mind? – anderas Nov 04 '17 at 13:08
  • To be fair, I used 4th class running belay and not just 4th class belay. I did just say 5th class belay. I added the classes because I thought saying use a belay instead of a running belay, would be confusing. What is the common way to say the type of belay that is most commonly used on YDS 5th class terrian? – StrongBad Nov 04 '17 at 13:34
  • @StrongBad Didn't mean to imply that you called it a 4th class belay, the last sentence in the note was just meant to show what is the more common term :-) If you can think of a better way to highlight the common term (in contrast to a less clear one), feel free to edit the answer! I also struggled to find a word for the "usual climbing style belay" that is used on 5.X terrain. For me, it's just so normal to simply call it "belaying"... – anderas Nov 04 '17 at 13:50
  • @StrongBad My bad, I don't think this is about pointing fingers, but my proposition clearly sounds like pointing fingers - sorry about that. Your answer was perfectly clear, I was just wondering whether there is more to it. What I meant in my comment was that it might be a good idea to notify the reader that if he uses just "5th class belay", this might not be understood by other people. I would maybe just say that "running belay" is more commonly used and clearer than "4th class belay" or something like that and leave out any names, to make sure it can't be misunderstood. – imsodin Nov 04 '17 at 14:28
  • 1
    Never thought I'd get to see any decimal system getting taught by Americans to Europeans. – Monster Nov 06 '17 at 06:03
4

A better description for 4th class belay would be simul-climbing or running belays. That is when you are roped together with intermediate protection. I described such a scenario here. Its typically done on easier climbs when the risk of falling is much lower.

5th class is actual rock climbing with belaying from anchors or the ground. One would belay from the anchor while the other lead climbs up and set a anchor to belay the belayer up to. This can also be called pitching it out.

Charlie Brumbaugh
  • 69,253
  • 35
  • 217
  • 423
  • Oh no, this means the answer is trivial: The class does not directly refer to the belays but the difficulty of the climb and thus infers a style of belay indirectly? This would fit with UIAA difficulty (4th is often done on running, 5th less so and it might also work for the Yosemite system, not sure about that). Don't get this wrong, your answer is fine, I just hoped to learn something new, not just get an "aha-moment". – imsodin Nov 03 '17 at 15:39
  • 1
    @imsodin Yes, its in reference to the climb – Charlie Brumbaugh Nov 03 '17 at 15:48
  • Yup, running belay (or simul-climbing) would have been clearer. Might be worth mentioning fixed lines as another alternative. – StrongBad Nov 03 '17 at 19:16
  • I just went to edit my answer and I had already said a 4th class running belay so I don't feel as bad :). – StrongBad Nov 03 '17 at 19:38