True to the motto "Safe on the mountain", we present belay devices for sport climbing. This time: the ATC Pilot from Black Diamond.
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The Pilot from Black Diamond is strongly reminiscent of the Ergo from Salewa and is actually amazingly similar in terms of handling. The difference lies more in the details. The Pilot is somewhat more docile when releasing the rope and does not block as abruptly as the Ergo, which is why it is particularly suitable for thicker single ropes. However, if very thin ropes are used, the device does not block completely. A slight rope run-through can then be observed under load, but this is not a problem if you are aware of it. The Pilot is supplied without a carabiner and can be used with any HMS carabiner with a locking device.
Facts about the ATC Pilot
The Pilot is a semi-automatic belay device from Black Diamond for belaying with single ropes. The Pilot can be used for ropes with a diameter between 8.7 and 10.5 mm. As the blocking support of the Pilot depends on the shape of the belay carabiner, this belay device must be combined with a symmetrical HMS carabiner with a round cross-section.
The partner check
The partner check before every start is an elementary safety standard. Both partners check 5 points: the rope knot, the locking mechanism of the carabiner, the function of the belay device by jerky pulling, the harness buckles and - lastly - whether the end of the rope is tied off.
Deploying the rope with the ATC Pilot
To release the rope, the guide hand pulls the rope out of the device while the braking hand pushes the rope into the belay device from below. The excess slack rope is then immediately pulled back in and the braking hand slides back into the starting position.
The "braking hand principle"
Equally fundamental - even with semi-automatic belay devices - is the "brake hand principle" during climbing. The braking hand principle means that the belayer grips the brake rope with the braking hand in every phase of the belaying process. In the event of a fall, the braking hand fixes the brake rope and moves downwards. The second hand, the so-called guide hand, merely supports the rope guide.
As semi-automatic systems block immediately, it is necessary for the belayer to actively move towards the wall when holding the fall. This makes the fall more dynamic - "softer" - and prevents a hard impact on the climbing wall.
The strength of semi-automatic belay devices is that they automatically block the rope if the rope is jerked, for example in the event of a fall. In other words, even if the belayer grips the brake rope with little manual force.
The ATC pilot during rope deployment
The disadvantage of this desired feature is that the device blocks even if the rope needs to be released quickly when an intermediate belay is attached. For fast rope payout without blocking, the braking hand forms a ring around the brake rope with the thumb and index finger, while the thumb pulls the trunk of the Pilot forwards. The guide hand releases the rope. The brake hand then goes back down and remains on the brake cable.
The ATC pilot during lowering
When lowering, the brake hand remains at the bottom of the brake cable while the guide hand presses on the top of the device from behind. This slowly releases the blockage. The braking hand now lets the rope slip in a controlled manner and controls the lowering speed.
Top rope mode
When hauling in the rope and belaying in top rope mode, the braking hand pulls the braking rope out of the belay device in a diagonal upward arc and then immediately lowers it again. In the tunnel grip, the braking hand slides back up the braking rope towards the belay device.
SicherAmBerg - the program
Under the overall project "SicherAmBerg", the Austrian Alpine Club provides instructional videos on all relevant core Alpine Club sports such as ski touring, sport climbing, via ferrata and alpine climbing. But SicherAmBerg is not just about video tutorials. Rather, it is an overall concept consisting of high-quality publications, events, training courses and videos with the aim of increasing safety on the mountain or in the climbing gym.
If you would like to find out more about the various topics, you will find what you are lookingfor at www.alpenverein.at/sicheramberg.
