The most recent Rock and Ice magazine addressed an accident that occurred last year in the Gunks in their “Accidents” column. The column’s title was “Chopping Block” and it presumably refers to the all or nothing action that occurs when you try to release a plaquette style belay device that has been loaded. The column doesn’t really address lowering with a plaquette correctly. My aim is to correctly address lowering safely with a plaquette in this post.

Belay devices like the Black Diamond ATC Guide, Petzl Reverso and a few others are multi-functional. They allow climbers to belay in two different configurations: off of your waist like a typical plate/tube style belay device and like a plaquette (Kong’s Gigi is the classic example of a plaquette). These devices are really a compromise; they don’t do either task that well. However, climbers on a quest to have one belay device that does it all, seem to settle for these devices all the time. The general climbing public has really been led to believe that these devices are something everyone should have.

Considerations When Using a Plaquette Style Belay Device

So when is it really appropriate to use a plaquette to belay off the anchor? Probably less of the time than you think.  I have listed some compelling reasons to use a plaquette style belay device:

• Belaying two climbers at once
• The likelihood of repeated, hard falls is low
• Smaller diameter ropes are being used
• Other things need to be accomplished while belaying

And now a list of things that might make you consider using another belay method:

• Hard to release or lower with a plaquette
• Hard to pull thick ropes, especially two – can lead to elbow tendinosis
• Only need to belay one climber
• Repeated falls are likely
• Occasionally the ropes will get stuck next to each other or actually flip around, negating the autolock mode, which means this device really can’t be treated as a truly ‘hands free’ device.
• Frequent lowering is likely, even short lowers

Both a Munter hitch and a Petzl Grigri (or Trango Cinch) work better than the ATC Guide or Reverso when hung from the masterpoint for top belays. They are both strong, smooth, and easy to belay and lower with.

How to use an ATC Guide or Reverso correctly

Most people understand how to belay and rappel using a plate style device so I won’t go into too much detail or instruction about how to use this device when it’s attached to your waist. Suffice to say that if you want to slow/stop yourself in this configuration you bend the brake (tail) end over the edge of the device and apply downward tension. You would never think about trying to stop yourself or your climber by holding the tail end along side the load end. You would have no braking power and nothing more than a simple redirect around a locking carabiner attached to your waist.

When using one of these devices while belaying from above you have two options:

• belay off of your waist (with or without a redirect off the anchor)and maintain the tail end all the time or
• use it as a plaquette off of the masterpoint on the anchor. I won’t explain how to set up the device correctly in this configuration either.

If you don’t know how to do this you shouldn’t be using one of these devices. The latter configuration allows the belayer to bring up two climbers at the same time and the device theoretically should lock whenever the climber’s rope places a load on the device. The device locks because the climber’s load pinches the tail end underneath the load.

The plaquette configuration is incredibly useful for climbers and guides on multipitch routes where time is a factor and other things need to be done at the belay (take pictures, re-rack gear, stack/lap coil ropes, etc.). It also allows a belayer to safely belay two climbers at once. The problem comes when one or both of the climbers falls or decides they no longer want to continue going up. Lowering in plaquette configuration is not practical and, as many have learned the hard way, can be downright dangerous if performed incorrectly.

So how does one go about lowering with a plaquette? The belayer must change the orientation of the device from “plaquette” configuration to “plate/tube” configuration in order to lower. This is where most people make their mistakes (and where magazines and even gear companies incorrectly inform unassuming readers/consumers). One useful trick if all you need to do is lower a person one or two feet back to a ledge or stance is “ratchet” rope down through the device using the carabiner that the ropes are wrapped around. Toggle this carabiner up and down and rope will slowly move down through the device. For longer more substantial lower the belayer needs to “flip” the device (go from plaquette to plate). Anyone who’s done this knows it can be really challenging.

How to “flip” from Plaquette to Plate

The ATC Guide, Reverso and Gigi all flip in very similar manners. When in plaquette mode you need to pull the carabiner (that the rope is wrapped around) away from the device or use the loop on the bottom to change the orientation of the device. Either method works well. However, when you flip the device you are turning it into a plate, and plate devices require braking behind the device. Therefore you must redirect the tail/brake strand before even beginning to consider lowering.

Flipping the device is the next step. Sometimes this can be accomplished using a carabiner or nut tool through bottom loop made specifically for this. Demonstrations and videos, like the one on the Black Diamond website (mentioned in “Chopping Block”) make this process look really easy. My own (and many others) experiences have shown that flipping the device is rarely this easy. Lowering is usually necessary after repeated falls, when the ropes are heavily pinched together. Flipping a device that has been heavily loaded usually requires using a 48 inch sling attached to the bottom loop (or carabiner) redirected through the anchor and attached to the foot or waist for extra force. This extra force fully opens the device, necessitating the redirected brake strand.

Black Diamond, in their user manual, suggests stacking a munter hitch off of the belayer’s waist when flipping the ATC Guide. This is one way you can add friction to the system. However, if the device flips rapidly (this is common with a heavily loaded device) and the brake strand is not redirected the belayer (who is attached to the brake strand) could get pulled straight into the device. For this reason I can’t really suggest using this method.

How to Lower Using an ATC Guide or Reverso off of the Anchor

Guides routinely use lowering as a descent technique, especially with beginners or anytime it’s not convenient or safe to leave a client at the anchor. Lowering is an underused technique and one that’s useful even for recreational climbers. Plate/tube style devices work brilliantly for lowering directly off of the anchor. Lowering this way is smooth and efficient, and has the advantage of being easy to escape should something go wrong.

Lowering should be done with the device directly on the masterpoint of the anchor, in plate configuration. The brake/tail strand needs to be redirected! A friction hitch backup on the belayer’s waist is a worthwhile thing to consider when lowering as well.