How tight should the line be kept for toproping?
I was climbing with someone recently and they complained that there was too much slack any time the line wasn't completely taut. By the same token when they were belaying me it was almost hard to climb because it felt like the rope was pulling me off the wall the whole time.
How much tension/slack should there be? Is there a good safe "zone" or is it just purely personal preference?
Edit: Generally I am not climbing more than 30' and I'm climbing indoors. I apologize for the vagueness. I'm just very new to climbing.
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It's a bit of both.
Security
When toproping, an experienced belayer should have the necessary training to adjust slack/tension depending on the route itself. For example, to avoid any swings that would crash the climber into the rock.
There are many examples on safety-related criteria for determining tension (safety for both the climber and the belayer), but the list is long and I don't think I'd be able to sum it all here, so I won't be listing examples.
Learning to belay requires you to learn many things, and actually teaches you to think differently about safety and security. It's also a lot of fun and very exciting.
Do consider taking proper training for this though; it's a good investment. If available, face-to-face training is irreplaceable, IMO. There are many books and videos but you'll gain more experience by discussing with other people.
And regardless of whether you get face-to-face training or not, my advice is always the same: keep asking, always assume someone knows something you don't, never take an answer blindly as true, read, research, ask again, ask more.
Personal preference
Safety issues being said, the rest may be just a matter of personal preference.
If the rope is travelling perfectly in line with your climb, excessive tension might just be reassurance to novice climbers (make them feel that the rope is really there to catch them). However, if the rope is travelling sideways, for example, it's usually counterproductive for the climber. Like you say, it effectively pulls you off the wall.
Most of the experienced climbers I know (if not all) agree that you shouldn't need tension in the rope (unless the belayer identifies an actual security risk). The rationale is that the rope is there to catch you only in the event that you fall, but not to help pull you upwards (nor to help you keep balance).
When I was taught to rock-climb, the program included "trust games". These were meant to build confidence on the climber regarding the belayer, rope, harness, and the whole security chain.
Personally, I still like some tension when I feel I'm still too close to the ground but will ask for "slack" when at a reasonable height. Sometimes I'll also ask for tension when trying out the crux in a route.
TL;DR version
There might be a "safe zone" on a given route. A belayer should have proper training to identify actual security reasons for determining tension. Other than that, tension is mostly a means of providing reassurance to novice climbers (or experienced climbers who just prefer it one way or another).
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Like with most climbing related questions, I personally find it hard to give a definitive rule that applies to all circumstances. There are a couple of safety factors to consider, as well as the perception of the climber. Don't venture out on your own if any of the following doesn't seem intuitive to you.
Keep in mind the following:
Rope stretch: Rope stretch is a combination of the climber's weight, the amount of slack given, the steepness of the climb, the dynamic properties of the rope, and how much rope is out. For example: A heavy climber at the bottom of a long, steep route with a dynamic rope and plenty of slack means there is going to be a lot of rope stretch. If you are not very experienced at belaying a climber on top-rope, a good exercise for both you the belayer and the climber is to approximate the maximum amount of rope stretch for that climber on that specific route before he/she begins to climb: Have him/her sit in his/her harness and observe how far the rope stretches. Factor in some additional distance if you are giving a lot of slack.
Obstacles on the route: If the climber falls and weights the rope, are there any obstacles he or she might hit. Obstacles on a route might be a ledge below, a wall to the side, or the top of a roof if the climber has climbed above one. This is not a definitive list of all possible obstacles you might encounter while climbing.
How experienced is the climber: An experienced lead climber most likely knows how to take a long fall and will react appropriately to obstacles on the way down. A novice climber on the other hand might even have trouble sitting in his/her harness without awkwardly swinging into the wall. Don't assume, ask!
If all of the above is taken into consideration and the anchor is bomber, it is perfectly fine to give a climber several feet of slack, if and only if he/she is asking for it.
My rule of thumb boils down to: Give the climber what she needs. Most of the time this means, if he wants to be kept tight, keep him tight, if she wants slack, giver her some slack. Sometimes giving the climber what he/she needs means ignoring what he/she sais, and doing what is safest: A cocky climber might want more slack just off of a ledge. An inexperienced climber might want to be kept tight after just having cleared a roof with a lot of rope out, which could result in injury when the feet don't have anything to push against but when the first body-part that does is the face when it hits the top of the roof (it might be best to altogether avoid situations like the latter with inexperienced climbers.)
As a closing remark: Make sure there is at least one experienced climber at the craig setting up the top-rope and overseeing the belaying. That way, if the climber is asking for slack because he/she is getting pulled off the rock and the belayer is unsure if that is a safe thing to do there is someone to address the situation. Some situations might even warrant a spotter, if there is a lot of rope stretch and an uneven landing.
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It depends.
If you're in a climbing gym, or some scenario where you're belaying someone on toprope on a route that's less than 50' tall, runs straight up-and-down ( so there's no chance for the climber to swing dangerously), or crash into a ledge then the exact amount of tension is somewhat of a personal preference for the climber. The belayer should usually keep all visible slack out of the line, while at the same time not putting active tension on the climber. If there's a chance of the climber hitting the ground on ropestretch, more tension is recommended. Also, you should use more tension of the climber asks for it.
Otherwise, if the route is longer (and there's more rope and rope-stretch), or it traverses (and the climber may swing some), or there are multiple ledges during the length of the route, or if there's a lot of rope-drag (friction on the belay), then judging the amount of tension is a matter of choosing a tradeoff between different risks. The belayer may need to be a little more experienced, and be able to make judgement calls on his / her own.
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