Roped Climbing: Belaying On Snow
By Don Graydon.
The Boot-Ax Belay (also called the New Zealand foot brake) is a fast and easy way to provide protection as a rope team moves up together. Its principal limitation is that it can't be expected to hold a high fall force.
Carabiner/Ice-Ax Belay (also called the stomper belay): provides the same level of security as a boot-ax belay, with easier rope handling. One nice thing about the carabiner/ice-ax belay is that the force of a fall pulls the belayer more firmly into the stance.
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