Here are some of the factors we considered:
- Lead belay devices largely fall into 3 categories: 'Tube' style (Unassisted), Assisted Braking (Passive) and Assisted Braking (Active). See below for examples of each of these:
- The German Alpine Club conducted research into belayer errors1 and found some fascinating insights, namely;
- The type of device utilised correlated to both how many errors were made, and the severity of those errors.
- By a significant margin, users of Passive Assisted Braking devices had both the lowest frequency and lowest severity of errors. - Given this, we looked further into Passive Assisted Braking devices and found that in our setting, the Black Diamond ATC Pilot device performed optimally in all areas when tested.
Specifically it:
- Utilises conventional technique
Meaning that the adjustment for the many belayers familiar with Tube Style devices is minimal.
- Engenders correct usage
The device operates well if you use it as intended. I.e. it is easy to use correctly. In contrast, some other devices are more difficult to operate in practice, which encourages incorrect usage.