Belaying is a variety of techniques climbers use to create friction within a climbing system, particularly on a climbing rope, so that a falling climber does not fall very far. A climbing partner typically applies tension at the other end of the rope whenever the climber is not moving, and removes the tension from the rope whenever the climber needs more rope to continue climbing. The term "belay" also means the place where the belayer is anchored; this is typically the ground or a ledge, but may be a hanging belay, where the belayer themself is suspended from an anchor in the rock. How it works Belaying is a critical part of the climbing system. A correct belaying method lets the belayer hold the entire weight of the climber with relatively little force, and easily arrest even a long fall. In its simplest form, a belay consists of merely a rope that runs from a climber to another person (the belayer) who can stop the climber's fall. In the modern day, most climbers use a variety of gear to belay, notably harnesses and belay devices. Thus, in a typical modern climbing setup, one end of the rope is fixed to the harness of the climber, most often by a figure-eight knot. The rope then passes through some form of climbing protection. Protection may come in the form of fixed protection, such as permanent pitons or bolts, or in the form of removable protection, such as nuts, hexes, and spring-loaded camming devices. The other end of the rope is attached to the belayer, who remains lower than the climber. The belayer wears a harness to which a belay device is attached. The belay device acts as a friction break, and allows the belayer to easily vary the amount of friction on the rope by altering the rope's position. In one position, the rope runs freely through the belay device. In another position, it can be held without the rope sliding through the device because of the friction on the rope. This is called 'locking off' the rope. While the rope is locked off, the climber's fall should be arrested and they will be left suspended, but safe, somewhere below the last piece of protection. Generally, the climber will not fall any farther than the length between them and their last piece of protection, plus the length of the rope between them