Rock Climbing Techniques And Safety.

During rock climbing you ascend/descend steep rock formations. Climbers usually use gear and safety equipment especially designed for this purpose. Endurance, strength, and mental control are needed to cope with tough, dangerous physical challenges. The knowledge of climbing techniques and the use of essential safety gear are crucial. Abseiling
Abseiling (rappel) is a technique where you descend very fast along a rope using an eight, a grigri, or another lowering device. It is a technique which is also used by firefighters and the army. You let yourself be lowered down backwards from the top part of the rock. When you achieve a good angle from the rock you push yourself off by folding the knees and stretching them again, after that you let the rope pay out. You block the rope again when you touch the rock with your feet again. Then you bend your knees (to absorb the shock) and you push yourself off again to get further down.
 
The use of the eight
The most used (and probably one of the oldest) descend- and security device is the eight. It is used both to descend (on a single or double rope) and to protect. It is a multifunctional device on which many variations have been made, and it is an old survivor in the ever developing climbing world. Its use for descending is rather simple. Even so, you have to pay attention, because a small mistake can have severe consequences. Here is the technique for right handed people. You take the rope; on the left-hand side on which the (other) climber is hanging, or the rope that is hanging on to the wall. On the right-hand side is the free end of the rope. You make a loop and insert it, from the bottom to the top, through the biggest opening of the eight. Then you lay the loop around the bottom opening of the eight. After this you put a karabiner through the bottom opening of the eight, so that the rope can no longer slip away.

Top-roping
Top-roping is securing method. It is the most used method for indoor climbing. In this method the climber hangs on a rope with their harness. This rope runs entirely to the top and there it runs through a fraction point (generally a pulley). Below you will find the safety person who blocks the rope with an eight, a grigri, or another safety device. As the climber progresses up on the rock wall, the safety person releases more rope, if the climber falls the safety person pulls the rope through the blocking mechanism so that the climber continues to hang in the air, loosing little height.

Rock climbing using sets
This is another way to secure rock climbers: climbing using sets. A climber starts on the ground with a number of sets. The number of sets depends on the distance. Roughly speaking you can use a set per three to four meters, always take some spare sets. The climber hangs on a rope together with the safety person. When the climber gets higher, the safety person gradually lets the rope pay out. After approximately three to four meters the climber comes to its first fraction point. A fraction point generally exists in the form of a pin that is attached in the wall. When these are not available, the climber can attach one himself by placing a "nut" or a "friend" in the rock wall. A set will come through this fraction point and the climber will put the rope through the other side of the set. Now he climbs further to a next fraction point where he applies the same technique. When the climber falls, the rope is blocked by the safety person below with the climber suspended from the sets. The last set where the rope passes through is a sort of pulley, where the rope can slide through.