Best thing to say when your partners freaked out on lead?

https://www.outsideonline.com/2401176/what-to-say-climber-youre-belaying

I tell her to relax and that she's blowing it all out of proportion

Adam blocwrote:

“OK bud yer ‘off belay’!” Then watch as the spirit of Jesus possesses them on the next move.

HA! Amazing, I’d say that’s “dude I just sh*t my pants” worthy. 

I can't speak to climbing, cause I've only been at that for a couple of years.

However, in other situations "Come on daddy, you can do it" has worked for me in the past, so maybe try that?

timothy fisherwrote:

"blow off I'll lead this hog"

From an 80s Climbing artcle.

Well you know, Tim, I once heard a wise man quoted as saying “if you don’t let go, you can’t fall!” 

Cherokee Nuneswrote:

True story

That's actually happened to me before, while making a sketchy move above a ledge, "watch me here." My belayer's reply, "ummmm, I can't really see you..."

My partner thought he ran out of gear and was freaking out. I reminded him he had nuts. He found his nuts and finished the pitch.

Hson Pwrote:

My partner thought he ran out of gear and was freaking out. I reminded him he had nuts. He found his nuts and finished the pitch.

Kudos. Eloquently written with just a pinch of sass. 

timothy fisherwrote:

"blow off I'll lead this hog"

From an 80s Climbing artcle.

The OG version of calling a climb a "rig".

Jaxon Stuhrwrote:

a little "your gear's good, i got you!" is always appreciated. 

A former partner's under-appreciated variation on this theme: "It's a clean fall, dude!"

"Do you want live forever?!"

The best way to make a freaked out person to calm down is to actually distract them and make them think of something different than the topic that is making them panic. So I usually say: "Hey, could you double-check your knot? It looks kinda funky."

Personally, It really depends on my relationship with said partner. My choice of words will be very different with my wife than with, say, my go-to male climbing partner. I think some people respond well when I make a comment that will put their pride and honor in question, and pull through with no problems. Others will sink into negativity and be asked to lower, setting themselves up for a day of negative self talk and ruining everyone's climbing day. Get to know your friends/partners and help them out be successful by being supportive, which is your job as a climbing partner.

On my first day climbing my mentor, Jean Guibord, led me up three pitches. Then he said "Okay, it's your turn to lead." It seemed reasonable to me, after all he'd just led more than his share. This was at The Gunks. He pointed me up a 5.5. I found myself at a spot where I got kind of gripped when I heard Jean yell up "Hey Kris, it's best not to fall there."

I like to say "big jugs coming!' or "nice rest coming!" regardless if there actually is or not. It pushes them to keep going and they can be upset for a second when they realize I have been sandbagging them the whole time, but ultimately if they get it clean they're happy. 

What not to say:

Something that was said to me when I was a relatively new leader, on a lead where you chimney through a break in a roof - it was rather exposed and there was a fixed pin protecting the initial moves (with much air beneath), which were odd. As I'm working to calm down, my equally n00b partner calls up to me: "Man! If you fall off now you'll be hanging up there like a slab of dead meat!"

I was really pumped when my partner said, "Is that piece good? You're taking a grounder if it isn't..."

Then I wasn't just pumped, I was scared...

Hold on, I mis-threaded my belay device you're not really on.

Jug up high!

“The rope is strong! They rarely break!”