Learn How to Belay 

The issue here is that this is not a video for competent belayers. This is a video for people who don't know how to belay. PBUS is the most failsafe of any of these techniques, and when people's lives are on the line you shouldn't be teaching anything but the technique that is hardest to mess up. A technique where you never take the break hand off is the best way to ensure that people new to the sport don't make mistakes or build bad habits. I have also seen lots of mistakes with SSS where people significantly loosen, or even take off, their break hand--which is encouraged by the loosening when you slide. If you're inexperienced and your grip is very loose, it's very possible you won't catch your partner's fall, especially in a big lead fall.

mimarhan here in the U.K. Pbus isn't a thing the 'hand over hand' is used by almost all and is how the British Mountaineering Council recommend. Just as safe as pbus simply a different way.

@@mimarhan I disagree with you. I use PBUS for top roping 90% of the time. However, if I think the climber is likely to fall I find myself automatically switching to crossing over as I find it a more robust method. Just a personal preference. I think this method is a great one to learn first because you concentrate on one firm grip at a time. V, to the knee, grip, grip grip. Nice and easy. With PBUS you have two hands on the live end for a short time with one loose and one tight whilst you slide. V to the knee, grip, loosen hand (whilst keeping the other tight), slide (whilst keeping the other tight), grip. This is much more confusing for beginners. A bit like rubbing your stomache whilst tapping your head. I've taught enough people to know that crossing over is a little bit quicker to get a safe belayer.

@@mimarhan I completely agree with you the PBUS is much safer as one hand is always on the brake end of the rope. Now when I started climbing in 2001 I learned to belay the same way and also used to lower by swapping hands and no one corrected me until one day when I was lowering my friend while swapping my hands I accidentally lost control of the brake end of the rope completely. Luckily I reacted very fast and caught the rope and my hand got pulled in the belay device and got pinched, my friend who I was belaying stopped several feet off the ground without a scratch. Now there will be people who would say or think that I am stupid to let something like this happen or something like this will never happen with you guys well if it never happen with u guys it's great I'll be extremely happy for u guys but remember it only has to happen once I learned it the hard way, I don't want u guys to go through the same experience or worst. I have been teaching 9 to 15 year old kids to climb and belay for more than a decade now and I teach them PBUS technique and they learn it within one day, you might need to put just a little bit more effort to get used to PBUS technique. The question here is not which belay system is right or wrong but which one is more safer according to me PBUS is much safer between all the techniques. Also as shmaveyea's mentioned in his/her comment the lady in the back is not holding the brake end of the rope check that out. This is similar to which knot is to be used while climbing Eight or Bowline I think both knots are extremely safe for climbing but if I have to pick one of them it's going to be Eight and there are several reasons for that but don't want to go in details over here about it.

Barbara D they have fixed ropes all the Sherpas go before the climbers and fix ropes and ladders then you climb with an ascender