Post History
It has been suggested to me in a comment, about an answer of mine that suggests using a hip belay, that: There's a reason ATCs, plates, GriGris, etc got popular: they're safer. I know I stopp...
#2: Attribution notice added
Source: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/22992 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#1: Initial revision
<p>It has been suggested to me in a <a href="https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/22639/how-to-belay-top-rope-climbers-who-are-ascending-quickly/22990?noredirect=1#comment60861_22990">comment</a>, about an answer of mine that suggests using a hip belay, that:</p> <blockquote> <p>There's a reason ATCs, plates, GriGris, etc got popular: they're safer.</p> </blockquote> <p>I know I stopped using hip belays when I got a proper harness and realized how much more comfortable belaying with a Munter hitch was. I didn't even consider that it might be safer. While I agree that GriGris and other devices with <em>assisted braking</em> capabilities are nominally safer than a hip belay, has there been a climbing accident attributed to the use of a hip belay that would have likely been prevented by using for a belay device <strong>without</strong> assisted braking capabilities?</p>