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"In direct" is not a climbing command, it's a status update!

Nick Goldsmith · · NEK · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 470

In direct is fine for projecting. I do it myself but don't always bother to tell my partner as its simply not necessary. they are not holding my weight but they don't need to check out. and I want to still be on belay in case the piece I am on blows out. If they need to do something like put on a jacket all they have to do is ask if I am in a good spot and I will go in direct for them but in general I don't need or often want to tell them every time I do it. I have had enough gear blow over the years that I want to be on belay. In the context of cleaning an anchor to be lowered there is zero use for the term and it has gotten people killed. 

Connor Dobson · · Louisville, CO · Joined Dec 2017 · Points: 269

Yeah for sure, stay on belay. I've climbed with dozens of partners over the last few years and haven't had any issues with this.

Since you are hanging on the rope, it's impossible for your partner to take you off belay anyway if they misinterpret the command. Or at least they would have to try really hard to do so.

At anchors, I just say take, (clip myself to the anchor), slack, take, lower. That's all that should be said. Or even better, just take and lower on the hooks (plug: donate to the ASCA). I've installed mussy hooks at some crags just because of the absolute shit shows I have seen cleaning anchors. I then saw people rapping off my newly installed mussy hooks, oh well.

Redacted Redactberg · · "a world travella" · Joined Feb 2020 · Points: 27
Old lady H wrote:

I was thrown off a bit recently when a climber said "Safe!" at the anchor. WTF? Was I supposed to be doing "dangerous" up until now? Didn't get that memo, sorry! Lol! 

Best, H.

I think it's a cultural thing. When I visited Squamish you hear a lot of Canadians and europeans say that. I actually once guessed correctly that a complete stranger at a crag in Red Rocks was Canadian just by hearing them say "safe". As long as you and your partner agree beforehand on communication, I think generally it doesn't matter what words you use. 

Nick Goldsmith · · NEK · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 470

Connor. the whole point of going in direct is to not be weighting the rope on your partner.....  so yes if you want to remain on belay don't give them a command that essentially allows them to take you off belay...  

nowhere · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2016 · Points: 0
Nick Goldsmith wrote:

In direct is fine for projecting. I do it myself but don't always bother to tell my partner as its simply not necessary. they are not holding my weight but they don't need to check out. and I want to still be on belay in case the piece I am on blows out. If they need to do something like put on a jacket all they have to do is ask if I am in a good spot and I will go in direct for them but in general I don't need or often want to tell them every time I do it. I have had enough gear blow over the years that I want to be on belay. In the context of cleaning an anchor to be lowered there is zero use for the term and it has gotten people killed. 

This secret hanging on a piece strikes me as pretty inconsiderate to your belayer in a single pitch projecting scenario.

Why are you going in direct at all in this scenario? Why not just say take if you don’t care about your belayers comfort?

I guess it’s all context dependent but to me in a single pitch projecting scenario it’s a very helpful term.

Who my belayer is matters a lot in terms of how I behave. if I have any doubt they are going to misconstrue commands I’m going to explicitly explain what they mean to me and what I expect them to do when I say them. 

 if I thought they didnt  understand there was 0% chance I would ask them to take me off belay midroute without any explanation I wouldn’t be belayed by them or would behave as if I were soloing if I did.

The idea that a solid partner who knows what they are doing is gonna just take you off belay mid route even if they never heard the term before just seems very far fetched.

Ie if my climber halfway up a route says something I don’t understand, the very last thing I am going to do is take them off. Like I would need to understand why they wanted to  do that, and it would need to make sense to me before that even entered as a possibility in my mind. 

Nick Goldsmith · · NEK · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 470

nowhere. there is no secrete.I just don't need to tell the world every little thing I do.  The command in direct absolutely tells your belayer that they no longer are responsible for your safety. is what it is.  feel free to fck off now because I am in direct and don't need you for a bit. If I am  working a sport route and clipped into a 12mm epoxy bolt I might say in direct but I might not. If my belayer is doing their job properly it will be pretty fucking obvious that I am clipped into the bolt and not weighting the rope while I sit there and whine. If they need to do something like deal with their dog or pack a bong they can ask me if I am in direct just to confirm.  If I am working a trad line or a ground up FA the only time I would say in direct would be if I had just drilled a bolt and clipped it. If I am hanging  on  a micro cam or an upside down knife blade in a bottomed out seam the last thing I want is my belayer to take a break. 

 My only real beef with the term In direct is when its used in the process of cleaning a top anchor. That's just plaine fckn st000000pid.  Take, Slack and Lower is all you need or should say. Anything else and YGD. 

Connor Dobson · · Louisville, CO · Joined Dec 2017 · Points: 269
Nick Goldsmith wrote:

nowhere. there is no secrete.I just don't need to tell the world every little thing I do.  The command in direct absolutely tells your belayer that they no longer are responsible for your safety. is what it is.  feel free to fck off now because I am in direct and don't need you for a bit. If I am  working a sport route and clipped into a 12mm epoxy bolt I might say in direct but I might not. If my belayer is doing their job properly it will be pretty fucking obvious that I am clipped into the bolt and not weighting the rope while I sit there and whine. If they need to do something like deal with their dog or pack a bong they can ask me if I am in direct just to confirm.  If I am working a trad line or a ground up FA the only time I would say in direct would be if I had just drilled a bolt and clipped it. If I am hanging  on  a micro cam or an upside down knife blade in a bottomed out seam the last thing I want is my belayer to take a break. 

 My only real beef with the term In direct is when its used in the process of cleaning a top anchor. That's just plaine fckn st000000pid.  Take, Slack and Lower is all you need or should say. Anything else and YGD. 

How do you get your weight into the bolt or piece if you were previously hanging on a rope? Your belayer would have to pay out slack/lower you onto the piece. How would they know to do that without communication? 

Do you have the new version of Rocky talkies that are a brain implant that allows you to communicate telepathically? 

Nick Goldsmith · · NEK · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 470

I climb with the same partner for 26 years. Don't have to say much.  If previously hanging on the rope I just clip the piece with my pretzel connect which is a pretty good adjustable daisy and makes it super easy to unweight the rope. Also you can simply ask for a little slack.

S. Neoh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 35
nowhere wrote:

Who my belayer is matters a lot in terms of how I behave. if I have any doubt they are going to misconstrue commands I’m going to explicitly explain what they mean to me and what I expect them to do when I say them. 

+1.

Mork M · · Toronto, ON · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 65

I've started sayin I am "in straight". In my head I was always slightly confused if people were saying "in direct" or "in-direct", each meaning the opposite of the other.

In direct (or in straight) just means I am clipped to the anchor. Whether the belayer wants to give a bit of slack to take the weight off their harness or I am getting ready to untie from the rope to clean an anchor. Either way, I'll be asking for the belayer to "Put me back on" before unclipping myself from the bolt/anchor.

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330

This command makes sense in the context of projecting and hanging on a mid route bolt for experienced sport climbers that understand this is how it’s used. It is a completely unnecessary and potentially dangerous command when used at an anchor. 

Connor Dobson · · Louisville, CO · Joined Dec 2017 · Points: 269
Mork M wrote:

I've started sayin I am "in straight". In my head I was always slightly confused if people were saying "in direct" or "in-direct", each meaning the opposite of the other.

In direct (or in straight) just means I am clipped to the anchor. Whether the belayer wants to give a bit of slack to take the weight off their harness or I am getting ready to untie from the rope to clean an anchor. Either way, I'll be asking for the belayer to "Put me back on" before unclipping myself from the bolt/anchor

What if you become tether curious?

Kevin Mokracek · · Burbank · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 363

Always assume the leader or climber is on belay.   I probably mentioned it down thread but I’ve seen too many times people yell “in direct” when they reach the belay and the belayer take the person off belay only to have the climber yell take or lower and see panic in the belayers face while they run to put him back in belay.   There is absolutely no need to say “ in direct “ at the anchor, off belay or take should be the only commands from the anchor.  I can see the benefit of In Direct mid pitch while working a route but otherwise it is a pointless and dangerous command.  

J L · · Craggin' · Joined Jul 2023 · Points: 4

If a climber yells "in direct" and gets taken off belay, whose fault is it?

Mr Rogers · · Pollock Pines and Bay area CA · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 72

This again. In direct has its place. It makes perfect sense. You're directly attached to pro. I have not seen anyone come off belay when using this command....yet.
I just dont see what the big deal is. It's a really clear situation. As y'all have beat to death, there is no reason at an anchor to say such things. It really is a command used when the climber is dogging/working a route to hook your belayer up with some time to drink some water, not look up, take a bite of a snack, etc etc.

I also very much use safe  when I am safe and need no one else but myself to be so. that's not for this rabbit hole though.

In the end, language is malleable and its always best to be clear with your partner about what your commands mean when climbing for the first time(s). If there is any disagreement, you can now find agreeable language on the ground before getting into a pickle on wall and everyone is having a better time. 

Alistair Veitch · · Mammoth Lakes, CA / Whangar… · Joined Jun 2017 · Points: 514

So this happened a few weeks ago. 3 pitches up a very popular and easy climb, the party behind us comes up, and the leader sets a belay on the ledge beside me (my partner is just finishing the next pitch). A beautiful, carefully equalized, 4 piece anchor. Every piece of climbing equipment he has appears to be brand new - harness, cams, rope, everything. He says "in direct" into his rockie-talkie when he ties into it, and gets "off belay" in response. So there are at least some people out there doing this! I might have said something, probably starting with just asking a question on where he learned this, but I was already 20 feet up the next pitch, and never saw them again. 

Mork M · · Toronto, ON · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 65
J L wrote:

If a climber yells "in direct" and gets taken off belay, whose fault is it?

No ones fault, cause they would be in direct and safe, no?

Kevin Mokracek · · Burbank · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 363
Mr Rogers wrote:

This again. In direct has its place. It makes perfect sense. You're directly attached to pro. I have not seen anyone come off belay when using this command....yet.
I just dont see what the big deal is. It's a really clear situation. As y'all have beat to death, there is no reason at an anchor to say such things. It really is a command used when the climber is dogging/working a route to hook your belayer up with some time to drink some water, not look up, take a bite of a snack, etc etc.

I also very much use safe  when I am safe and need no one else but myself to be so. that's not for this rabbit hole though.

In the end, language is malleable and its always best to be clear with your partner about what your commands mean when climbing for the first time(s). If there is any disagreement, you can now find agreeable language on the ground before getting into a pickle on wall and everyone is having a better time. 

I just don't see the need to say anything at all if you aren't going to be taking the climber off belay in the first place.  The only commands from the climber should be either "off belay" if he is going to rap instead of lower or if its a multi pitch and he is switching from climber to belayer, or "take" when he is ready to lower.  I just see no need to add another command that means nothing to the belayer if he isn't going to take you off belay anyway.  

Connor Dobson · · Louisville, CO · Joined Dec 2017 · Points: 269
Kevin Mokracek wrote:

I just don't see the need to say anything at all if you aren't going to be taking the climber off belay in the first place.  The only commands from the climber should be either "off belay" if he is going to rap instead of lower or if its a multi pitch and he is switching from climber to belayer, or "take" when he is ready to lower.  I just see no need to add another command that means nothing to the belayer if he isn't going to take you off belay anyway.  

I see reading comprehension isn't your strong suit. If all the examples in this thread can't help you understand, I'm not sure what can. Maybe best to just stop worrying about it, eh?

Kevin Mokracek · · Burbank · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 363
Connor Dobson wrote:

I see reading comprehension isn't your strong suit. If all the examples in this thread can't help you understand, I'm not sure what can. Maybe best to just stop worrying about it, eh?

You are right

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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