Vertical caving terminology and methods > Ladders, climbs and older techniques
Where a lifeline passes through a pulley or carabiner which is clipped to an anchor above a ladder or climb, with the person climbing attached to one end of the lifeline, and the belayer controlling the other end. It should never use the same anchor as the ladder itself, since there is then nothing to catch the climber if the anchor fails, and the belayer will almost certainly be pulled off the pitch head by the weight of the falling climber, if they are positioned at the head of the pitch. The fall factor of a fall with top roping should normally be extremely low, since the length of the rope can be large (up to twice the height of the pitch if the belayer is stationed at the pitch base), while the length of any fall is kept extremely small (depending on how tight the belayer keeps the lifeline). The most extreme case, where the belay device or Italian hitch is at the pitch head, the climber is also at the pitch head, the lifeline has a lot of slack, and the climber falls off the pitch, produces a fall factor 1. However, this is a sitation that should have been avoided by not having a significant amount of slack in the lifeline. In addition, it is always best when top roping for the belayer to use a belay device or Italian hitch connected to their own sit harness, rather than one at the carabiner/pulley at the pitch head. That way, the extra amount of rope between the belayer and the carabiner/pulley adds to the rope length, reducing any fall factor. If the belayer catches the fall, they will be pulled upwards or sideways towards the carabiner/pulley, and the movement of the belayer reduces the shock loading significantly (especially if they intentionally jump into the air while catching the fall). However, there are some cases where a belayer might need to use a belay device or Italian hitch at the carabiner/pulley, such as if they have no other carabiners or belay devices to use for belaying. A belayer at the pitch head should always be connected to an anchor to avoid being pulled off the pitch head, and that should be a different anchor from the one being used for the top roping carabiner/pulley. The belay device or Italian hitch can slip or take some time to react, or the carabiner/pulley could fail, so a belayer should be safely connected to something else. If nothing else, a belayer can tie themselves to something using the end of the lifeline.
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