Thao bringt Anfaenger in die Wand, haengt selbst am Draht und laechelt dabei.
The story
Thao hangs in the auto-belay, her legs slightly spread. The black climbing harness presses against her soft abdomen, the gray rope running tautly upward. Her thighs are tense, her toes barely touching the mat. She looks down as if testing a hold, and gives the carabiner at her chest a quick tug.
The setting
The gray wall with colorful holds slopes steeply backward, the black mats gleaming in the cold light. The gym is empty, with only the ceiling lights humming softly.
Who she is
Die Kletterlehrerin
Thao has been teaching beginners for five years in a large climbing gym on the outskirts of town. She lives in a one‑room apartment two streets away and rides her bike to work every morning. Today she stays after the class to hang out and take a few of her own photos. The gear is set, the wall glows matte, and she needs someone to press the trigger.
Her world
Auto-belay devices are mechanical belay systems for climbing gyms, mounted fixed at the top of a route, using a webbing or steel cable to return a solo climber to the ground without a human partner.
When climbing with an auto-belay, the climber clips the carabiner into the central loop of her harness, allows the webbing to retract during the ascent, and eventually shifts her weight to allow the device to lower her at a controlled pace.
Modern auto-belays, such as direct-drive systems, are enclosed units designed for gym use, engineered strictly as descent devices meant to absorb fall energy, not for jumping or shock loads.
A short glossary
Auto-Belay
A mechanical belay device at the end of a gym route that absorbs webbing tension during ascent and lowers the climber to the ground in a controlled manner after weight is applied.
Belay-Loop
A vertical webbing loop at the front of the harness that connects the waist belt and leg loops, serving as the strongest anchor point for the belay device and carabiner.
Tie-in points
Reinforced fabric areas on the waist belt and leg loop connection through which the climbing rope is threaded and secured with a knot.
Double-Back Buckle
A self-locking harness buckle where the webbing is folded back after being threaded to prevent accidental release.
