Click-Up is a locking device to help belay. Is it any good, and if it is properly designed for you? It is read in useful.
Of Fabric
Click-Up is a locking assist belay device. The click-up is simpler than most of these devices because it lacks major moving parts. It is intended for use with cables between 9.0 and 10.5 mm in diameter. Click-Up weights 5 pounds and retails for $50 to $60.
My Experience
I have used Clica both for my personal climbing and for directing, and I love it. It releases just as easily as the ATC or the Grigri, but unlike the ATC it has a cam, and unlike the Grigri the cam is not accidentally squeezed open. The reduction is slight, and it is easy to put it down too quickly.
I am a climbing guide, and my job sometimes involves me climbing with a client. While I’m a good instructor, it’s impossible to teach someone to be a really good fighter just a few minutes before I go up. While I have never had an accident while staying at a client, the rock can break and weird things happen, so increasing the chances that the client will actually catch me is a positive. The Click-Up increases the chance that the client will catch me, and the simple design and technique of the belay makes it much less likely that the client will either short the rope or accidentally hold the device open than if Grigri or Cinch were used. While it is generally good to avoid being held by an inexperienced belayer, the Click-Up is the best belay device for an inexperienced belayer to use.
The Click-Up device is also fantastic for an experienced belayer to use. I like both the Petzl Grigri and the Trango Cinch, but there have been many accidents where experienced belayers have either held the device open until their body touched the ground. The simplicity of the Click-Up makes this scenario less likely, because there is no cam or pivot point that can be squeezed out of the alarm to prevent the device from working. Another positive thing about the Click-Up is that it is symmetrical. Either hand can break, so he used a belayer who was trained with ATC, so he didn’t have to undergo an awkward transition. Any belayer, in fact, does not have to learn a new technique when an ATC transition is formed, unlike with Grigri or Cinch.
Click-Up has a few negatives. One of these is that it is a pain to use thick cables. Playing with a loose, thick cable through this machine actually tires my shoulder, and it can be hard to avoid the possibility of accidentally hooking it. While the Click-Up is rated for cables up to 10.5 mm, I do not recommend using it for anything over 10 mm. Other downsides to the machine are that you can’t do double rope rappels or drop anchors directly, but a newer version called the Alpine-Up is available in spring 2012 and will have these capabilities. Finally, removing the top cord can be a pain. If you keep the rest tight, the fabric will block, it is made to scale by itself, and the increased friction makes it more difficult to loosen. However, the positives about Click-Up far outweigh its negatives.
Belaying / A note of caution
Communication, whether with Click-Up or any other skill, is an important skill that must be carefully developed. Staying well involves several factors, such as being vigilant, choosing good posture, developing good manners, understanding falling dynamics, giving the proper amount of slack, an appropriately dynamic draft, and having the situational awareness to respond correctly when your exhibit falls. . Belaying is outside the scope of this article, and you should ask what the belaying is before you hold someone’s life in your hands. You should never think that they have brought back a belay device with self-locking or locking aids, so it is good for you to pay less attention to your display.
Bottom Line
The Clic-Up is an excellent belay device for one anxious pitch. Present is my favorite technique for seducing a lead, and will treat it.
More Equipment to Climb
For reviews of other self-locking belay devices, check out the Trango Cinch here and the Petzl Grigri here. For more reviews of climbing machines and other fun articles, please click here and browse through my content. Be safe and have fun climbing!
