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Top roping is a style of climbing in which the rope runs from the belayer at the foot of the route through a carabiner connected to an anchor at the top of the route and back down to the climber. Assuming the anchor holds and the belayer pays attention, the climber cannot fall more than a short distance and can safely attempt the most difficult routes.
To top rope a route, the route must be shorter than half the length of the rope, and the climbers must have some other way of getting to the top of the route than climbing it, in order to set up the top rope anchor.
Top roping is most commonly used at climbing walls, or to practice a very hard route in preparation for a redpoint attempt. Some climbers look down upon top roping as inferior to traditional climbing, but many climbers started out in this style.
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