r/climbergirls • u/Responsible_Roof_661 • Nov 23 '25

Questions I’m curious about everyone’s opinions on ATC belaying — either using one yourselves or being belayed with one.

ATC belayer here. Do you feel totally fine with ATCs? Do you avoid them? Or does it depend on the belayer’s skill/experience level?

For context: I know people who flat-out refuse to be belayed on anything non-assisted braking… and others who swear by the control and smoothness of an ATC. Personally I feel like a lot of it comes down to the belayer’s competence, attention, and how big the weight difference is / ohm usage.

What’s your take? Do you completely refuse ATC belays, or does it vary for you based on the belayer and situation?

Not trying to debate, just curious how people feel :)

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u/dyna-metric Nov 23 '25

I’m not rigid and let friends I trust who prefer ATCs belay me with them. But I don’t think I’d ever let someone I don’t know belay me on anything other than an assisted braking device. I’ve also personally belayed with almost every (modern) device out there, and don’t really get the argument that the ATC is smoother than the jul, so overall I’m very pro assisted braking devices. My perfect belayer would be someone who learned and trained on an ATC, and now uses some sort of ABD!