Belay
Sep 1, 2009
When it comes to rope rescue, one issue that seems to arise frequently involves the use of conditional versus unconditional belays. Just to review, a belay is a safety line that will catch the rescuer or patient if the mainline fails. An unconditional belay will catch the load without any action being taken by the person operating the belay (the belayer). A conditional belay requires the belayer to take some action (e.g., pull, wrap, or tighten the belay rope) to catch the load.