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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/climb-atc-tube-device

An ATC is which kind of belay device?

A tube-style (manual braking) device.

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  1. An assisted-braking device with a cam
  2. An auto belay
  3. A tube-style manual braking device ✔

Why: Tube devices like the ATC create friction as the rope bends through them, and the belayer's brake hand does all the stopping. A GriGri has a cam that helps grab the rope.

Huh, didn't know that: The AAC warns that switching between an ATC and a GriGri can make new belayers handle the device wrong.

The dad joke
My ATC is a simple device. It just likes to bend the rules, and the rope.
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References

Answer: A tube-style manual braking device. Tube devices like the ATC create friction as the rope bends through them, and the belayer's brake hand does all the stopping. A GriGri has a cam that helps grab the rope.

  1. AAC Know the Ropes: Lowering (Accidents in North American Climbing 2013) americanalpineclub.org/news/2023/6/21/lowering
    tube-style devices, such as an ATC, and assisted-braking devices like the Grigri
    Checked 2026-10-12.
  2. AAC Know the Ropes: Assisted Braking Devices americanalpineclub.org/news/2017/5/23/assisted-braking-devices
    Unlike Manual Braking Devices (like any tube style device)
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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Test yourself in the game

Sports & FitnessDuring a partner check, how should the belayer show the belay carabiner is locked?Sports & FitnessWith an assisted-braking device like a GriGri, does the belayer still need a brake hand on the rope?Sports & FitnessWhat is a big safety advantage of an assisted-braking device used correctly?

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