NEOX, ideal for lead belaying
The NEOX was developed to provide optimal fluidity for lead belaying, thanks to a special mechanism.
Warnings
- Carefully read the Instructions for Use used in this technical advice before consulting the advice itself. You must have already read and understood the information in the Instructions for Use to be able to understand this supplementary information.
- Mastering these techniques requires specific training. Work with a professional to confirm your ability to perform these techniques safely and independently before attempting them unsupervised.
- We provide examples of techniques related to your activity. There may be others that we do not describe here.
When belaying a lead climber, you obviously need to be able to stop a fall at any moment, but also important is the ability to give slack quickly and smoothly, even when you are taken by surprise, for example when the climber is clipping.
A GRIGRI provides good fluidity with new and/or thin ropes, but giving slack can be slower with larger diameter ropes, or when a rope becomes stiff or fuzzy with use. This sometimes requires using a special technique for giving slack quickly.
The NEOX provides optimal fluidity regardless of the rope diameter or condition.
Can the NEOX be used for top rope belaying?
The NEOX can be used for top rope belaying, but performance will not be optimal. In top roping, especially when belaying beginners or climbers that need reassurance, you may want to “pre-block” the rope: take up more slack than necessary so that the climber feels a reassuring tension. In this case, the NEOX’s fluidity becomes a disadvantage, because there is a delay before the rope is blocked. This delay corresponds to a half-turn of the wheel, or 4 cm of rope, a length that can be easily offset by a slight movement of the pelvis or a step backwards. This delay is absent with a more versatile device like the GRIGRI.
When lead belaying with the NEOX, the ease of giving slack may give the impression that the blocking function is not working.
So that the rope will be blocked in all cases, always hold the brake side of the rope.
When stopping a fall, the action of the hand holding the brake side of the rope is essential with NEOX, as it is with all other assisted-blocking belay devices: this hand provides the initial tension in the rope that triggers the blocking function.
As the NEOX is designed specifically for giving slack quickly, the action of the hand on the brake side determines the device’s function:
If your hand holds the brake side of the rope, blocking is triggered, the device blocks the rope.
If your hand feeds rope into the device, you can give slack quickly and smoothly.
If your hand does not hold the brake side of the rope, WARNING: the device may not block the rope.
As an example, when the climber suddenly pulls slack to clip a quickdraw, they pull the rope in the same direction and at the same speed as in a short fall (e.g. a slip just below the protection point, rope drag in the route, a very light climber, a top rope with friction). The tension in the rope is the same, but the two situations require a different function of the device: blocking if it's a fall, giving slack quickly if it’s clipping. The hand holding the brake side of the rope determines the device’s function.
Once blocking is engaged, the NEOX continues to block the rope without needing to over-grip. Continue to always hold the brake side of the rope.
