True to the motto "Safe on the mountain", we present belay devices for sport climbing. This time: the Smart from Mammut.
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The Smart from Mammut is the classic among auto-tubers and is particularly popular with children, as it has a generous trunk for rope delivery. However, "normal" rope delivery, as some people are used to with tubers, is almost impossible as the device reacts very sensitively and blocks immediately with thicker ropes. The optional Smarter ensures that the device locks even if the brake rope runs in very steeply. Very smart for beginners and course use.
Facts about the Smart
The Smart is a semi-automatic belay device from Mammut for belaying with single ropes. The Smart can be used for ropes with a diameter between 8.7 and 10.5 mm. As the blocking support of the Smart 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 five points: the rope knot, the locking mechanism of the carabiner, the function of the belay device due to jerky pulling, the harness buckles and - lastly - whether the end of the rope is tied off.
The rope payout with the Smart
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 braking rope with little manual force.
The disadvantage of this desired feature is that the device also blocks 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 Smart forward. The guide hand releases the rope. The braking hand then moves back down towards the thigh and remains on the brake cable.
When lowering, the braking hand remains at the bottom of the brake rope and the guiding hand goes to the belay device. The thumb of the guide hand carefully pushes the trunk of the Smart forwards and upwards. 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 the top rope, the braking hand pulls the braking rope out of the belay device in a diagonal upward arc and then immediately goes down again. In the tunnel grip, the braking hand slides back up the braking rope towards the belay device. The Smarter is an attachable additional module and prevents the device's blocking support from being overridden if the brake rope runs in too steeply. It is designed for beginners.
SicherAmBerg - the program
Under the overall "SicherAmBerg" project, 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.
