If climbing up the rock is the ice cream, being lowered off the rock is the cherry on top for alot of new climbers.

The Pain Free Way to Come Down

For many new climbers, they tend to feel that the safest way to come off of a rock is to do the same thing that they did to get up the rock: climbing. Though there are definite times when down climbing can be a helpful technique, in general, I encourage people to use the technique described in this video.

Being able to sit back and trust the rope and belayer is a technique that will be helpful for climbers throughout their experience. Plus, as you are lowered, its easier to avoid any bumps or scratches that might happen as you down climb.

Freaked Out and Looking Kinda Awkward

One time, I took my friend to Pirates cove, to so they could experience getting lowered over the ocean. My friend, who I have climbed with regularly, was the first to get lowered. This person, whose climbing form had been great in the past,wasn’t able to trust the rope fully to get down.

He bent his knees and slowly, awkwardly went down the rock. As I watched him go down, he looked at me as is I was his torturer who was lowering him down into a pit of death.

Keep your legs straight as you come down the rock, and you won’t have to look as awkward as my friend did.

Lowering Kids

So in this video, I told you that when you get lowered from a climb you want to pretend that you are being pulled by a rope that is tied to the back of your harness. The idea of this concept came from when we actually did this to a kid at a climbing gym where the tension on the anchor was too tight for the young lady be lowered.

A gym assistant tied a rope to the back of the girl’s harness and we were able to pull her down as she was lowered.

I actually use this technique with kids that are getting started with climbing to help them if they get afraid of coming down. That little extra tension can help them feel safe as they trust the rope and come off the rock.

Connect

Now you can get back down a climb. This video is part of the intro to climbing series. Each week, I come out with new videos to help you with climbing. If you haven’t done so yet, I’d love to have you join the Smart Rock Climbing Community to stay connected. Sign up below:

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