How Many Belay Plates???
“Someone’s asking for a Wedgie!”
It is understandable, perhaps, this request caused a bit of a stir among our staff team but the happy news is that they got one!
Back in 2003 our owners Paul and Cathy Casey were yet to become retailers and were busy creating their own climbing brand: Zero-G. Nowadays you would likely call them disruptors as they introduced such radical European ideas as coloured nuts into their range, modular harnesses allowing customers to buy differently sized fixed leg loops to waist belt, and epic competitions where three lucky winners went on a trip bouldering in the Himalayas. They sponsored young up and coming athletes of the time like James Machaffie, Emma Twyford and the fledgling UK Youth climbing team including a young Emma Powell. They also had a lot of fun thinking up product names. Not least; the Wedgie belay plate.
So when an e-mail arrived from ColoradoAmerica in early 2025 requesting one for a collection, Paul was more than happy to oblige, including a few additions in the parcel.
Pic: Hooked On Granite Collection
The request came from Tom Leahy, an American ropes course specialist whose passion for collecting and researching belay plates from around the world began in 2022:
“I had 30 different devices when I decided to start collecting on October 14, 2022. On a whim, I bought a Sticht Plate with spring on. I had used one briefly in 1983 before moving through a range of devices up to when I got my first HB Sherrif in 1995.”
Having worked through the evolution of belay plates, literally from body belays necessitated by the stiff ropes of the time, the Outward Bound inspired ropes courses Tom worked on in the late seventies evolved as ropes and hardware improved. This, in turn increased Tom’s passion for all-around individual and group growth, using climbing as a tool for exploring human limits and potential.
“Once we purchased our first modern rope, an 11mm red, white, and blue wonder we named “Captain America”, we could use the new and shiny belay devices that were evolving quickly. Like many of our peers, we progressed through a range of belay devices, including the Figure 8, Munter-Hitch, Sticht Plate, Lowe Tuber, Beta-Brake, and finally, the HB Sheriff. The HB Sheriff was the British version of the more well-known “ATC” belay device by Chouinard / Black Diamond.
While the tech of the challenge course evolved, so did our understanding of the elements, the quirks of their use, and how our participants responded to the experience of challenge in the expectations of an educational and therapeutic setting. ”
Tom now has 211 unique pieces in his growing collection and enjoys being a “belay archeologist”, figuring out which came first and how devices influenced others. Each of his devices are collated by brand and we are very proud to have a Zero-G Climbing represented in his collection, sitting proudly on panel 9.
“Thank you so much. All of these pieces will have a good home, I have a great story of generosity, and I will have preserved just a bit more history on aperture belay devices.”
“I have not used them all, but it would be cool. I do have strong opinions on the efficacy of devices. I teach mastery of belay. Kind of a Jedi thing. Focus and mastery of the art of belay. I’m writing my second book.”
Tom would be really happy to hear from anyone keen to donate to his collection and can be contacted via his website