Top rope climbing (or top roping) is a form of

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

where the climber is securely attached to a climbing rope that runs through a fixed

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

at the top of the

climbing route A climbing route () is a path by which a Climbing, climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock face or an ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing-route database. De ...

, and back down to the

belayer In climbing and mountaineering, belaying comprises techniques used to create friction within a climbing protection system, particularly on a climbing rope, so that a falling climber does not fall very far. A climbing partner typically applies ...

(or "second") at the base of the climb. A climber who falls will be held by the rope at the point of the fall, and can then either resume their climb or have the belayer lower them down in a controlled manner to the base of the climb. Climbers on

indoor climbing A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with manufactured grips (or "holds") for the hands and feet. Most walls are located indoors, and climbing on such walls is often termed indoor climbing. Some walls are brick or wooden constr ...

walls can use mechanical

auto belay An auto belay (or autobelay) is a mechanical device for belaying in indoor climbing climbing wall, walls, in both training and competition climbing formats. The device enables a climber to ascend indoor routes on a top roping, top rope but without ...

devices to top rope alone. By definition, top roping can only be done on routes that are less than half the length of a typical climbing rope, which means single-pitch routes that are below in height. Top roping is also used in

ice climbing Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that involves ascending routes consisting entirely of frozen water. To ascend, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes (or the more modern ice tools) and rigid crampons. ...

, and the related sports of

mixed climbing Mixed climbing is an ice climbing discipline used on climbing routes that do not have enough ice to be regular ice climbs, but are also not dry enough to be regular rock climbing, rock climbs. To ascend the route, the mixed-climber uses ice-cli ...

and

dry-tooling Dry-tooling (or drytooling) is a form of mixed climbing that is performed on bare, ice-free, and snow-free, climbing routes, routes. As with mixed climbing, the climber uses ice tools and crampons to ascend the route, but uses only rock climbing ...

, and it is used in combination with auto belay devices in both

competition speed climbing Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock-climbing competition held indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition climbing disciplines are lead ...

and

competition ice climbing Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that involves ascending routes consisting entirely of frozen water. To ascend, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes (or the more modern ice tools) and rigid crampons. To ...

. Top roping is one of the safest forms of rock climbing and is used by most beginners and novices of the sport. Before the era of

sport climbing Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in the sport of rock climbing where the Lead climbing, lead climber clips their climbing rope, rope — via a quickdraw — into pre-drilled in-situ bolt (climbing), bolts for their ...

, top roping a route for practice (known as

headpoint Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing (including aid climbing, lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing), mountaineering, and to ice climbing. ebook: The terms used can vary between different English-speaking countries; ...

ing or

hangdog Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing (including aid climbing, lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing), mountaineering, and to ice climbing. ebook: The terms used can vary between different English-speaking countries; ...

ging) was considered poor practice; however, it is now a legitimate technique in preparing for a redpoint ascent. Top roping a new route is not considered a

first free ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...

of a climb, and because of the ability of the belayer to give

aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Th ...

to the climber, it is not strictly

free climbing Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber can only use climbing equipment for climbing protection but not as an artificial aid to help them in ascending the route. Free climbing, therefore, cannot use any of the tools that ...

(although some advocate that with slack, it is similar to free climbing), and is thus differentiated from "normal"

lead climbing Lead climbing (or leading) is a technique in rock climbing where the 'lead climber' Glossary of climbing terms#clip in, clips their rope to the climbing protection as they ascend a pitch (climbing), pitch of the climbing route, while their 'seco ...

Description

In top-roping, the climber and their

(or "second"), arrange a fixed

at the top of the climb and then hang the rope down from this anchor at the rope's approximate mid-point, so that two parts of the rope are now hanging down the route. By definition, top-roping is only possible where the climbers can get to the top of the route by other means so that they can set up the anchor and pass the rope through it. Once the top rope is set up, the climber is then tied to one end of the rope (using a

figure-eight loop Figure-eight loop (also figure-eight on a bight, figure-eight follow-through, figure-eight retrace, Flemish loop, or Flemish eight) is a type of knot created by a loop on the bight. It is used in climbing and caving. The double figure eight ...

follow-through knot), and the belayer clips their

belay device A belay device is a mechanical piece of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. It is designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the righ ...

into the other side of the hanging rope. As the climber ascends the route, the belayer " takes in" the " slack" in the rope, so that a climber who falls can simply hang from the rope, unlike a lead climber who falls at least twice the distance to their last point of

climbing protection Rock-climbing equipment varies with the specific type of climbing that is undertaken. Bouldering needs the least equipment outside of climbing shoes, climbing chalk and optional crash pads. Sport climbing adds ropes, harnesses, belay dev ...

. In top-roping, the climbing rope needs to be at least twice the length of the

(because the rope goes to the top of the climbing route and back to the climber who is starting at the ground level). As typical climbing ropes are in length, it means that top-roping is only done on routes that are in height (if not shorter, for safety), which are single-pitch routes. A belayer who takes in all the slack and maintains a high level of tautness in the rope is giving the climber a source of artificial aid in ascending the route. A physically strong belayer, or a belayer with a light climber, can physically haul the climber up the route by pulling on the rope. Because of this, top roping is not considered

(and nor is it considered

), and a top rope ascent cannot be used to claim a

(FFA) of a new climb.

Use by leading climbers

Before the arrival of

in the mid-1980s, practicing a

traditional climbing Traditional climbing (or trad climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places removable protection while simultaneously ascending the route; when the lead climber has completed the route, the second climber ...

route using a top rope before attempting to free climb the route was considered poor practice. A first free ascent where the climber had practiced the route on a top rope (called

ing or

ging), was noted in guidebooks to record its lesser status. When the sport climbing definition of an FFA — the redpoint — became the standard definition in sport climbing and traditional climbing, such distinctions were dropped, and leading climbers now make extensive legitimate use of hangdogging and headpointing top-roping techniques when preparing (or projecting) for redpoint FFAs. In the 1998 climbing film '' Hard Grit'', British traditional climber Johnny Dawes advocated for the use of a top rope — with enough slack in the rope to avoid any implication of aid (so that in a fall, the climber would fall a few metres before the rope became taut)— to qualify as a free ascent on extreme traditional climbing routes, however, his view was not adopted by the wider climbing community.

Equipment

In common with lead climbing, top roping requires the standard equipment of a harness attached to one end of a dynamic

kernmantle rope Kernmantle rope () is rope constructed with its interior core protected by a woven exterior sheath designed to optimize strength, durability, and flexibility. The core fibers provide the tensile strength of the rope, while the sheath protects the ...

(usually via a

figure-eight knot The figure-eight knot or figure-of-eight knot is a type of stopper knot. It is very important in sailing, rock climbing and caving as a method of stopping ropes from running out of retaining devices. Like the overhand knot, which will jam under ...

). The ''second'', who is

belaying In climbing and mountaineering, belaying comprises techniques used to create friction within a climbing protection system, particularly on a climbing rope, so that a falling climber does not fall very far. A climbing partner typically applies ...

, will use a standard mechanical

that is clipped into the rope, and which pays out the rope as needed but can grip it tightly to catch the climber in the event of a fall.

Anchors

Top roping requires a fixed anchor at the top of the climb, from which two sides of the rope can be hung back down to the base. Because top roping is either done by novice climbers, or by experienced climbers practicing to attempt a route at the limit of their capabilities, there is a high probability that the anchor will experience a load, and it, therefore, needs to be strong. Some climbing areas place fixed artificial anchors (such as iron rings or cement blocks) at the top of routes to assist top rope climbers in creating a strong fixed anchor.

Auto belays

Some

walls offer

devices that enable a solo climber to top rope without a belay partner. The auto belay is fixed to the top of the route and the climber clips into a wire that pays out from the device, which enables the device to belay the climber as if they were on a top rope. Top roping with auto belay devices is the format used in

and in the speed elements of

Top rope solo climbing

Top rope

solo climbing Solo climbing (or soloing) is a style of climbing in which the climber ascends a climbing route alone and deliberately without the assistance of a belayer (or "second"), or being part of any rope team. By its very nature, solo climbing present ...

is where a single-length static fixed rope, anchored to the top of the route, is laid along the length of the climb (unlike normal top roping, the two sides of the rope are not needed). The climber then clips-into the fixed rope using at least one progress capture device (PCD) such as a Petzl Micro Traxion or a Camp Lift, that will allow the rope to pay-through as the climber ascends but will grip the rope tightly in the event of a fall.

Big wall climbing Big wall climbing is a form of rock climbing that takes place on long and sheer multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch climbing routes, routes (of ''at least'' 6–10 pitches or 300–500 metres) that require a full day, if not several days, to ascen ...

can also use top rope solo climbing for the "

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

" (and other non-lead climbers), to speed up their follow-on ascent, and give the lead climber time to rest.

Use in ice climbing

Ice climbing Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that involves ascending routes consisting entirely of frozen water. To ascend, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes (or the more modern ice tools) and rigid crampons. ...

, and the related sports of

and dry tooling, also use top-roping techniques to provide greater safety to climbers as an alternative to lead climbing the routes. Lead climbing on ice is considered even more challenging than on rock, as the placement of secure

ice screw An ice screw is a threaded tubular Screw fastener, screw used as a running belay or anchor by climbing, climbers on steep ice surface such as steep waterfall ice or alpine ice during ice climbing or crevasse rescue, to hold the climber in the even ...

s is a complex task that requires judgment on ice quality and stability. The technique of top roping in ice climbing is identical to that of rock climbing but sometimes the creation of a secure anchor point at the top of the route can be more complex if it involves securing into the ice (e.g. it may require the creation of an Abalakov thread anchor point).

References

External links

Top Rope Belay Setup Overview

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

(2023) {{DEFAULTSORT:Top Roping Types of climbing Climbing techniques Articles containing video clips