Belayer rope burns?

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Pay Attention 29 Aug 2019

Under what circumstances is it possible for a belayer to get a rope burn on the forearm?

This concerns a crag situation where the total rope paid out to the leader is less than 5 metres.

I'm asking for a friend, obvs.

Nempnett Thrubwell 29 Aug 2019
In reply to Pay Attention:

Any rapid movement would do it, regardless of length.

Poor positioning of the arms when the leader takes a fall or dynos without warning.

Is the burn on the inside / underside / topside / outside of the forearm ? - that should indicate where the rogue arm was positioned at the time.

OP Pay Attention 29 Aug 2019
In reply to Nempnett Thrubwell:

Thank you, that's helpful.

The rope burn is on the top side of the forearm just below the elbow.

Removed User 29 Aug 2019
In reply to Nempnett Thrubwell:

As someone who climbed for years with hemp waist lines and no fancy belaying gear re 60's using just waist belays with rope locked around waist and forearms, may I hope the person who has burn's have a look at their belaying.

2
 krikoman 29 Aug 2019
In reply to Pay Attention:

Slack rope, getting pulled about and rope running over the arm, while letting rope slip through the belay device.

 johncook 29 Aug 2019
In reply to Pay Attention:

On the brake hand? 

Possibly belaying palm up, with rope held above the belay plate, then on fall hand dropped and twisted into lock off position, causing the rope to be over the forearm. 

On live hand?

Possibly as fall occurs, live hand above the live rope and dropped over the top of it to grab the dead side to help the brake hand. 

I can think of several other scenarios where a rope burn could be obtained on the forearm near the elbow, but these are the two most common positions that I see/ where it could have/has happened!

It suggests to me that some attention be paid to belaying technique.

P.s I also learned to climb on hemp with body belay and friends managed some nasty burn from my enthusiastic leading. I always wore thick sleeves!

Post edited at 09:55
 henwardian 29 Aug 2019
In reply to Pay Attention:

Sounds like the belayer reached over, rather than under, the live rope when transferring hands on the break rope because the live rope was a little slack and reaching under it would have been awkward. They would have grabbed the brake rope with their hand the correct way up (thumb towards the belay device). The leader then fell and as the live rope pulled tight it hit against the "top" of the forearm - basically the part facing away from the body of the belayer - and caused the rope burn.

BUT....

There are probably a dozen or more random things that could have happened to produce the burn. Most of them suggest the belayer did something sub-optimal to downright dangerous but there are probably situations where the belayer did nothing wrong and it was just an unfortunate combination of other factors.

OP Pay Attention 29 Aug 2019
In reply to Pay Attention:

Thanks everyone.  I appreciate your helpfulness and the time and thought you've applied to this.


New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...