Big Wall and Aid Climbing, How To Climb The Big Stone VDiff Climbing

Nicolas Hojac
Big Wall and Aid Climbing

How To Climb the Big Stone
E-Book Edition
© VDiff Climbing 2020. All rights reserved. This publication is the property of VDiff
Climbing.
Writer and Illustrator: Neil Chelton
Photographs by the author unless otherwise stated.
Front Cover: The author and Callum Coldwell-Storry on Mescalito, Yosemite.

Photographer: Tom Evans
Warning: Big Walls are Dangerous!

This book is intended for competent trad climbers who are proficient at skills such
as:
- Placing trad gear
- Building trad anchors
- Abseiling
- Multi-pitch climbing
- Self-rescue
This book is designed to be supplemented with practical instruction from qualified

professionals. Do not rely on it as your primary source of big wall climbing
information. If you are unsure about any of the information given in this book, it is
strongly recommended that you seek qualified instruction. Failure to do this may
result in serious injury or death. The writers and employees of VDiff disclaim all
responsibility and liability for any injuries or losses incurred by any person
participating in the activities described in this book.
Terminology
To simplify and standardize the terminology in this book, the following terms will
be referred to as:
In this book Other names

Abseil Rappel
GriGri Assisted-braking belay device
Prusik Friction hitch
ATC Tube-style belay device
Munter Hitch Italian Hitch
Girth Hitch Lark’s Foot
Daisy Chain Lanyard
Contents
6 Introduction
26 Gear
50 Using Clean Aid Gear
66 Leading
80 The Belay
94 Following
108 Hauling
144 Descending
164 Living on the Wall
176 Strategy
194 Piton Craft
218 Bolting
228 Knots
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing 5

Lost in America, El Capitan, Yosemite. Maria Parkes. 6
Introduction

The Summit
After several exhausting days, you losing something forever if you drop
and your partner have finally finished it. A place where there are no more
moving yourselves and a huge pile of stuck haulbags, no more tangled
equipment a vertical kilometre above ropes, no more terrifying aid
the point where you started. The time placements. A place where you have
taken could even be measured in the luxury of using the bathroom
months or years if you include without an embarrassing and
preparation time. uncomfortable logistical challenge.
After all the hard work and problems A place where the cool pine-scented
overcome, all the money spent on breeze marks the end of the quest
gear which now lies battered and and the beginning of a reluctant return
worn in the dirt and all the fear and to the life you led before – a
apprehension which seemed harder seemingly distant life which had
than everything else combined, you completely escaped your thoughts for
have arrived at the precise location the duration of the wall.
on Earth that you were seeking all
along. The blisters around your waist, the
cuts on your knuckles and the strong
The summit – a place where your but oddly familiar odours emitting
harness can be removed, where you from various body parts are proof that
have forgotten how to walk in it wasn’t just a lucid dream. These
balance, where you no longer risk temporary qualities will disappear
……………. ………….
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 8

soon, along with your memory, and scores a goal and is rewarded with a
you’ll be unsure if the adventure really large sum of money. But for the big
happened. Is that person in your wall aid climber, no matter how
photographs really you? Perhaps difficult the route was, there is no
you’ll have to climb another wall, just crowd, no fame and no money.
to be certain...
On the summit, there is nothing.
A runner finishes an ultra-marathon to
an applauding crowd, the winners of And that’s the whole point.
the IFSC Climbing World Cup become
famous, a premiership football player I hope this book helps you get there.
………….

What is Big Wall Climbing?
Big wall climbing is a guaranteed challenges which you are unlikely to
adventure. encounter in other disciplines of
climbing.
A big wall is essentially a vertical
expanse of rock which is too big to Easier big walls, such as the Regular
climb in a single day. Food, water and Northwest Face of Half Dome, are
other gear is taken up in a haul bag routinely climbed in a day by climbers
and nights are spent sleeping on a with chalk bags instead of haul bags.
portaledge or natural rock ledge Whereas obscure aid-intensive routes
thousands of feet off the ground. may take a highly experienced team
over two weeks to complete.
Unless you’re a very good free
climber, most routes require aid Big walls aren't that common – the
climbing to reach the summit. Due to most famous, and accessible, is El
their length, steepness and Capitan in Yosemite, although there
complexity, big walls present a are many more in remote locations
multitude of mental and physical such as Baffin Island and Patagonia.
…………...
The Big Wall Climbing System – Overview
Leading
The leader ascends a pitch by aiding,
free climbing, or both.
They trail a haul line with them which

is clipped to the back of their harness.

Belay Setup
At the end of the pitch, the leader sets
up the belay and hauling system.
The follower releases the haulbag

from the lower belay and the leader
begins pulling it up.
Hauling and Jumaring

Normally, the leader does not belay
their partner up. Instead, they ‘fix’ the
lead rope so the follower can ascend
it.
The leader continues to haul the bag

while their partner jumars up the fixed
lead line, removing all the protection
as they go.
Once both climbers and the haul bag

are at the top belay, the system can
be repeated again.

What is Aid Climbing?
Aid climbing is the process of using Beginner aid routes typically involve
gear to support your weight as you using the same trad protection (nuts,
ascend. You attach fabric ladders cams, etc..) that you’re already
(etriers) to gear and walk up them to familiar with. More specialist aid gear
gain height. (such as pitons and copperheads) is
needed if you advance to harder
Conversely, free climbing is the term routes.
given to using your hands and feet to
climb the rock and placing gear to Aid climbing is a useful skill to have
protect from falling. This gear is not even if you have no intention of
weighted unless you fall (you climbing a big wall. Many alpine
probably just call this ‘climbing’). routes have sections that, in poor
weather, may be impossible without
A knowledge of aid techniques allows using aid. Just a few aid moves may
you to climb routes which are way be all that is needed to reach a
beyond your free climbing abilities. summit or a safer descent.
Aid climbing also has its own unique Knowledge of aid techniques can also
set of skills and problems that can be provide a way to safely move up or
just as fun as free climbing. down a crag in an emergency.
Can I Climb a Big Wall?

Absolutely! The prospect of climbing a and well within the reach of any
multi-day wall can be overwhelming, experienced trad climber.
but when each part of the process is
broken down into bite-size pieces, it The important part is to go outside
becomes more of a realistic goal. and practise (see Training, page 17).
If you put the effort into getting these
Aid climbing, jumaring and hauling are skills dialled, you’ll have a great
all fairly straightforward skills to learn experience on the wall.
………..
Where Can I Climb a Big Wall?

With stable weather, simple Beyond that, big walls are spread
approaches and plenty of easy across the world, often in wild and
routes, Yosemite Valley (California) is remote places which are expensive
an excellent training ground to start and difficult to get to, with extremes of
your big wall career. weather and no rescue service.
Other beginner friendly places include It is recommended to build up your

Squamish (Canada), the Dolomites big wall skills at easy venues first
(Italy), Orco Valley (Italy), Catalonia before you venture off to fulfil your
(Spain) and Zion (USA). wildest ambitions on a remote alpine
big wall.

Choosing a Partner
Choosing the right partner is probably Climbing with someone you just met
the most important part of the climb. on the internet is far less likely to
This decision can make the difference work out well, regardless of their
between having a great adventure or experience. You will be in close
a total nightmare. contact with each other for days;
eating, sleeping and filling up poo
The best wall partner is a person who bags immediately next to each other.
you already know well, who’s It’ll make for a much better
company you enjoy, who shares the experience if you get along well. How
same goals and who you’ve climbed competent your partner is at big wall
many multi-pitch routes with before. climbing should be a secondary
Climbing a wall with a good friend will consideration, since this is something
most likely be a fun adventure, that can easily be improved before
whether you reach the top or not. the climb by training.
Keiko Tanaka on the first ascent of The Scarlet Tower, Utah. Steve ‘Crusher’ Bartlett. 13
Choosing a Climb
Choose a route that you and your be ready when the time comes to
partner are excited about, a route that climb it. Make sure to allow enough
makes your stomach flutter when you time to practise the techniques
think about it. described in this book and be
prepared to do an easier wall to
You don’t necessarily need to be ‘warm up’ first. Preparing for the
ready for it now – you only need to adventure is part of the adventure.
………….
Why Climb a Big Wall?

Your big wall journey starts by or a maxed-out poop tube leaking on
answering this question. You must everything (all of these things have
delve deep inside your brain and happened to me...).
figure out why you want to do it.
When the going gets tough (which it
Big walls are hard work and always always does), those who are excited
seem to be full of unexpected and motivated will laugh at these
problems. Things happen such as; a inconveniences, deal with the
full can of cream exploding into your problem and continue climbing. Those
sleeping bag, getting core-shots in all who are scared and unsure will make
your ropes, dropping your jumars, excuses and bail.
hammer, camera and climbing shoes,
…………..
Maria Parkes on Uncle Ben’s, The Squamish Chief, Canada. 14

Bailing
It’s common to fail on your first big Most of these people are very
wall attempt. A classic example is The proficient climbers, are in excellent
Nose on El Capitan. Around 50% of physical condition and have more
first-timers get to Sickle Ledge or Dolt than enough equipment to reach the
Tower and then bail. top. So why is there such a high
failure rate?
Common Bail Reasons and Fixes
We were scared of what might We didn’t bring enough water/ food/

happen if we continued cams
This is probably the most common Solution: Bring enough stuff. Yes, it’ll
reason – being overwhelmed by the be heavy. But not as heavy as the
sheer scale of the task. Even though weight on your mind after you bail.
nothing is actually wrong, a fear of the
unknown builds and spreads through
the team, causing everyone to look We were going too slow
for an excuse to bail – something Solution: Bring more supplies so you
beyond your control that allows you to can climb slow. Or practise on some
descend with a preserved ego. smaller walls first to build up your
speed and skills. Learn what your
Solution: Admit to yourself that big pace is and pack enough stuff
walls are scary places and it’s accordingly.
perfectly normal to feel scared. It’s
just a little bit of temporary fear –
don’t let it get in your way. Break the Our haulbag was too heavy
climb down into bite-size pieces. Solution: Bringing enough stuff
Focus on what is happening right now means that your haulbag will be
– the lobes of the cam you are heavy. But this doesn’t mean it will be
placing or the neatness of the knot too heavy.
you are tying. You don’t need to worry
about some pitch near the top. You Learn how to set up a 2:1, 3:1 or a
can focus on that when you’re space haul. Remember that your bags
climbing it. The higher you go, and will get lighter as the days go by.
the more problems you overcome, the
smaller this fear will be.
Another team was slowing us down
This fear of the unknown can also be Solution: Factor this into your plan. If
reduced by doing plenty of training you’re doing a classic route, you
and some warm-up walls prior to your should expect other teams to be on it
main objective. The more comfortable too.
you are with big wall systems, the
more the unknown becomes known. If Slow teams may let you past if you
there is less unknown, there is less offer to fix a rope for them or give
fear of the unknown, right? them some water.

It was too hard My partner was too incompetent/
Solution: Big walls are always hard. slow
But they don’t have to be too hard. Go Solution: This is something you
home, practise properly, come back should have figured out during your
and try again. practise sessions – you trained
together, right?
Bad weather Think of yourselves as a team, rather

Solution: Bring storm gear and than two individuals. This is much
enough stuff to sit out a storm for a easier if you already know each other
couple of days. It’s actually quite nice well.
having a rest day on the wall.
Be prepared to lead most pitches if
your partner isn’t comfortable leading.
Big wall climbing is shit Offer to haul every pitch if your
Yes, it is. But not always. partner is struggling with it. Be nice to
your partner if they’re feeling
Solution: Have a look around. overwhelmed by the wall. Do what
Embrace the exposure. Enjoy the you can to help the team get to the
view. Stay up there – life won’t be as top.
exciting on the ground.
If you fail and want to try again, it’s Attributing failure to something you
important to be honest with yourself cannot change will preserve your ego,
about why you failed. Recognise the but it won’t help you succeed in the
difference between the excuse that future. Instead, focus on improving
you tell people (e.g: because it was your weaknesses so you can do
shit) and the real reason (e.g: better next time.
because I was too scared).
Big Wall Etiquette

The rules on a big wall are very - Don’t chip holds or enhance
similar to those at any other crag. placements
Generally, it all comes down to being - Use clean aid where possible (see
polite, respecting other climbers and page 52)
having common sense. Here are - If other climbers arrive at a route
some basic etiquette guidelines: before you, they get to climb first
- If you’re moving slow, it is polite to
- Don’t add extra bolts, rivets or bat- allow faster teams to pass
hook holes to existing routes - Take your litter and human waste
(replacing old bolts and rivets is good home
though – see page 221)

Training
To train for a trad or sport climb, you The following checklist should be
typically need to focus on improving completed before attempting any big
your strength. However to train for a wall. Review what worked and what
big wall, you need to focus on didn’t work during each session and
practising aid techniques and rope focus on improving the things you
systems. Forget about climbing found most difficult.
harder grades in the gym – that will
make little difference. It doesn’t matter This list assumes that you are already
how good you are at other disciplines competent at multi-pitch trad climbing
of climbing, big walling is a whole and self-rescue techniques. As with
different game. It helps to be anything worthwhile, it will take time to
competent at leading 5.9 (HVS for the build up a good level of competence.
Brits), but climbing harder than that is Trying to shortcut this process is
not necessary. extremely dangerous and will
probably result in disaster.
Your first big wall begins by making a
training plan which is focused on After you and your partner have
practising the techniques described in become fully competent at all the
this book. Plenty of practise is skills listed, you can try a short wall
essential. Skills such as hauling and (e.g: South Face of Washington
jumaring are strenuous, slow and Column or West Face of The Leaning
clunky at first, but with practise you’ll Tower). Once you have climbed a few
develop a smooth technique and then shorter walls, you can move on to a
it becomes much easier. bigger objective (e.g: The Nose or
Salathe on El Capitan).
You should aim to reach a level of
competence where you can set up With the competence gained from
any system without needing to refer training and the experience gained on
back to this book. However you shorter walls, you’ll not only reach the
choose to practise, always go with a top safely and efficiently, but also
partner and always back up any have a great time doing so!
system which you are not familiar
with.
Practised Practised a
Skill Competent
Once Few Times
Placing all types of regular trad gear
Using cam hooks and skyhooks
Bounce testing
French-freeing
Leading a straight-up aid pitch

Skill Competent
Once Few Times
Leading an overhang
Leading a traverse
Passing gear between the belayer and

leader during a pitch
Leading a pendulum
Switching between aid and free climbing

during a pitch
Leading a tension traverse
Fixing mid-pitch
Setting up the belay
Releasing haulbags on a straight up pitch
Releasing haulbags on a traverse
Belay transitions
Cleaning a straight up aid pitch
Cleaning an overhang
Cleaning a traverse
Lowering out from a pendulum point
Jumaring a free-hanging rope
Packing a haulbag
Docking a haulbag
1:1 hauling
2:1 hauling
3:1 hauling
Space hauling

Skill Competent
Once Few Times
Hauling past a knot
Hauling low-angled terrain
Descending with a heavy load
Descending with a heavy load past a knot
Lowering haulbags
Lowering haulbags past a knot
Abseiling with a damaged rope
Descending low-angled terrain
Retreating mid-pitch
Setting up the bivi
Setting up a portaledge and fly (if applicable)
Using a hanging stove (if applicable)
Note: If you plan to fix pitches, short-

fix, climb as a team of three or climb a
route requiring pitons, copperheads
or a bolt kit, you’ll obviously need to
practise those skills too.
How To Practise
Top Rope
Many of the skills can be safely safely practise placing gear, jumaring,
practised with a top rope. This could cleaning gear, hauling and descending.
be done inside at the gym or outside With a sensible top rope setup,
at a single pitch crag. pendulums and lower-outs can be
practised safely too.
Stay away from popular routes and
ideally choose a crag with crack Progress to leading without a top rope
climbs that are easy to protect. By back-up once you are confident
setting up a top rope and a fixed rope moving up your aiders and testing
as shown on the next page, you can gear.
………….
Fixed
Top rope
rope
belay
Rock Angle Hooks and Pitons

Try setting up top ropes on different Stay away from established routes
angles of rock. An angle which is when practising placing hooks,
vertical or slightly lower than vertical copperheads or pitons. These types
is a good starting point. Progress to of gear can permanently damage the
steeper rock and overhangs after rock.
that.
Find a worthless lump of non-
Leading and cleaning are more climbable rock instead. If practising at
difficult on steeper ground and require ground level, bring a bouldering pad
a modified technique. You’ll need to so you don’t hurt yourself if a piece
practise them both. blows unexpectedly.
Aid-bouldering may not be the most

Jumaring fashionable form of climbing, but it’s a
Practise jumaring down ropes as well great way to learn the art of hooking
as up them. This helps you develop a and piton craft.
good thumb-catch technique.

Hauling Multi-Pitch
Start by hauling a light load to figure Once you’ve built up an
out the system and then progressively understanding of big wall systems on
add more weight each time. Fill your single pitches, you can progress to a
haulbag with water bottles or rocks. multi-pitch crack climb. Aid climb the
crack (even if you could easily free
Pad the inside of your haulbag well if climb it), set up a belay and practise
using rocks (a few layers of cardboard your belay transition and organisation.
or an old piece of carpet) so you don’t
wear holes in it before even climbing Take a haulbag and a portaledge too.
a wall. It’s much more difficult to set up a
portaledge when hanging on the wall
than it is when standing on the
Time ground. Cook a meal in your hanging
Time how long it takes to lead, clean stove, spend the night up there and
and haul a pitch of similar length and climb a pitch in the dark if you want a
difficulty to your chosen route. full simulation of life on the wall.
Remember to factor in time spent on
belay changeovers too. Keep A two-pitch climb can be done with a
practising to improve your time and night’s sleep halfway and you’ll still be
use this as a basis for calculating how back down in time for work in the
long each pitch will take on the wall. morning. Don’t forget your poop tube!
Pre-Climb Planning
How Long Will It Take?
Estimating the time it will take to climb Additionally, the more stuff you bring,
the route is the foundation of your big the longer each haul will take. A
wall plan. You should have figured out classic mistake is to think you will be
how long it takes to lead, clean and faster than you actually are, not take
haul a standard 40m C1-C2 aid pitch enough water, then suffer greatly and
during your training, and how many bail.
pitches you can feasibly do in one
day. The sample timeline on the following
page is for two experienced trad
The time taken determines how much climbers attempting The Nose as their
food and water to bring, which first or second big wall, based on a
determines how many haulbags to standard four-day ascent. Many first-
bring and how to haul them. The timers choose to climb over five days,
longer you’re on the wall, the less others go for it in three days. Some
reliable the weather forecast, and choose to have a rest day after fixing
therefore the more likely you are to be to Sickle Ledge, some are slowed
slowed down by poor weather. down by other teams or poor weather.

Sample Nose Timeline
Day 1 Day 5
Arrive in Yosemite, organise Climb to Camp Four (pitch 20).
equipment.
Day 6
Day 2 Climb to Camp Six (pitch 26).
Climb to Sickle Ledge (pitch 4),
leaving ropes fixed. Return to camp.
Day 7
Climb to summit.
Day 3
Gather together extra things which
were previously forgotten about. Hike Day 8
everything to the base and haul it to Hike down.
Sickle Ledge. Return to camp.
Day 9
Day 4 Drink beers at El Cap Bridge and tell
Ascend fixed ropes to Sickle Ledge exaggerated stories to tourists.
and climb to Dolt Tower (pitch 11).
Approach
You will hike your stuff to the base of haulbag for bigger lightweight items
the route and then pack your haulbag (e.g: sleeping bags, spare clothes).
at the place where it will be hauled
from. You don’t need to carry it all in If you’re leaving stuff unattended for a
one go – it’s much easier to carry a while in an area where many people
25kg bag twice than it is to carry a pass by, it’s reassuring to take
50kg monster load once. Don’t ruin valuable items last. If leaving scented
your back before the climb. items (e.g: food) unattended at the
base, it’s recommended to store them
Large haulbags are heavy, in a haulbag and hang it a few meters
cumbersome and not ideal for up the wall to deter animals from
shuttling gear. If you’re hiking multiple eating it. Or better yet, just hike your
loads, consider using a lightweight scented items in last. Having your
backpack to transport the dense haulbag ripped apart by a bear isn’t
items (e.g: water bottles, rack) and the ideal.

Big Wall Grades
Every climb receives a grade which two nights on the wall and Grade VI’s
determines the length of time and require two to seven nights.
commitment required to climb it, with
big wall routes covering grades V to It is recommended to start with a few
VII. Grade V’s before trying a Grade VI.
Grade VII is reserved for extremely
With only three grades to describe the difficult aid-intensive routes on huge
length of every big wall route, the walls in remote environments, often
system doesn’t work so well. with hostile weather and no possibility
Generally, Grade V’s require one or of a rescue.
…………………..
The aptly named Skull Fuck, Squamish Chief, Canada. Jon Rigg 23
Aid Climbing Grades
The Theory A grade of A5 cannot even be
The grades range from A1 to A5, and confirmed if someone falls off. This is
from C1 to C5. 'A' grades refer to because every climber protects
anything that requires the use of a pitches slightly differently. Some
hammer (e.g: placing pitons or climbers place more gear, equalize
copperheads), whereas 'C' grades are pieces and add shock-absorbing
used if the pitch can be climbed slings. Other climbers back-clean,
without using a hammer (i.e: ‘clean'). don't bring enough gear or miss out
A1 is super safe. A5 is super key placements in the pursuit of
dangerous. moving faster.
A3 gets upgraded to A4 due to fear.

The Reality A5 gets downgraded to A4 due to lack
In reality, the grading system doesn’t of proof. Therefore, the grade of A4
really work. Aid ratings are based becomes a vast spectrum of difficulty,
entirely on the danger involved. The which is only possible to describe
rating does not tell you how physically when you've climbed enough of it.
challenging a pitch is, or how difficult Here's my view:
it is to figure out the moves.
A grade of A4 could mean there is
To add to the confusion, aid pitches one well-travelled and straightforward
get easier with more ascents. Piton section of fixed gear in solid rock
scars widen and become more which is really A2 if you spend time
reliable cam or nut placements, climbing it well (e.g: crux pitches of
copperheads become fixed, ‘chicken’ Lost in America, Zenyatta Mondatta,
bolts and rivets get added and route- many El Cap trade routes).
finding generally becomes more
obvious. Or it could be a 30+ pitch nightmare
of rotten rock and death blocks. On
Unfortunately, there is no way of an average pitch, the unfortunate
accurately measuring how dangerous leader will suffer in a perpetual state
a pitch is – we can only guess. This of mind-boggling terror as they sketch
works fairly well up to A3. But in the from one horrendous placement to
harder grades, it becomes a measure another.
of fear. And fear is different for each
climber and each situation. It will often take over 30 minutes to
construct a science-project placement
Aid grades of A5 or harder impress which enables the leader to tremble
the masses, but no climb can really one foot higher up the 3000-foot wall.
be given the A5 rating without proof of
certain death if you fall. Those tiny Fear builds exponentially as they
copperheads could hold, but you don't become further and further removed
know until you fall off. And no aid from anything secure and completely
climber is crazy enough to test this uncertain that they will ever reach a
theory. Not even Ammon McNeely. belay.

After 8 hours in a new and unfamiliar Balanced at the top of these
state of panic, dehydration and desperate runout free moves, the
delirium, the exhausted leader will be leader must stretch high to place a
forced to mantle out of their aiders tiny copperhead and transition back
into a long free climbing section of to the final section of improbable aid
unknown difficulty, protected below by moves to a belay which must be
a string of worthless ironmongery. constructed from pitons and duck
This must be climbed while wearing a tape. Or at least that’s how I felt on El
massive clustered aid rack. Capitan’s Continental Drift.
Bomber hooks on Continental Drift, El Capitan, Yosemite. 25

Callum Coldwell-Storry on The South African Route, Torres del Paine, Patagonia. 26
Gear

Gear
Big wall gear is expensive, but you By choosing a fairly fast route, you
don’t need to buy everything to start can get a smaller haulbag too.
with. Many trad climbers already own
most of the rack for a clean aid route, You will of course need to spend more
and sufficient bivi gear for a summer money if you want to advance to
wall. harder, longer or more remote walls. If
so, it is worth getting durable kit that
If you’re not sure that big wall will last many walls.
climbing is right for you, consider
choosing your first route as one which An example kit list for a short clean
does not require a portaledge. aid wall is given below.
Rack Personal Equipment for Each Climber
3x sets of cams up to Camalot #3 Harness

1x cams size #4 and #5 Helmet
1x set of small offset cams Pair of approach shoes
1x set of regular nuts Pair of free climbing shoes
2x sets of offset nuts Pair of fingerless gloves
2x nut tools 2x Aiders
2x cam hooks 2x Daisy chains
2x skyhooks 2x Jumars
10x regular quickdraws GriGri
10x extendable quickdraws ATC
5x 120cm slings Prusik cord
20x spare snapgate carabiners Sleeping pad
12x spare screwgate carabiners Sleeping bag
2x cordelettes Bivi bag
1x hauling device Jacket and spare clothes
Headlamp
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Gear 28

Group Equipment
1x full size haulbag Topo

2x 60m dynamic ropes Phone
2x rope bags Sun protection
Knot protector Small repair kit
Water Pocket knife
Food Poop tube
Spoons Hygiene products
First aid kit A few stuff sacks
Ropes
Almost every wall requires two ropes; Dry Treatment
a lead line and a tag/haul line. A A rope with dry treatment will resist
length of 60 meters (for each rope) absorbing water. This increases its
will be suitable for most walls. durability and maintains a low impact
However, modern routes are often force when wet. The treatment also
established with 70m ropes, so helps to stop dirt and sand getting
reaching the belay with a shorter cord into the rope's fibres, which means
may be impossible. the rope will run across the rock and
through carabiners with less friction
The character of the route, the length than if it was untreated. It's worth the
of pitches and the abrasiveness of extra cost for a dry treated rope if you
the rock dictate what ropes you plan to climb wet/snowy walls.
should take.
Unicore
Lead Rope Some modern ropes have a unicore
The lead rope is your most critical design – the rope’s sheath is
piece of gear. A burly 10-11mm permanently bonded to its core. This
diameter dynamic rope with a low eliminates sheath slippage, making it
impact force rating will stand up well much safer for situations such as
to the abuses of aid intensive walls. jumaring.
Free Climbing Ropes Haul Rope

For walls that you plan to mostly free The haul rope should be the same
climb, a lighter, 9.0-9.4mm rope will be length or longer than your lead rope,
much more practical but less durable. and can be either static or dynamic.
In this case, consider using a dynamic This rope is used for:
haul line so you have a spare rope in - Hauling your bags up the wall
case your lead line gets trashed. - Passing gear to the leader mid-pitch
- Abseiling
- Jumaring (if climbing as a team of
three – see page 185)

Static Haul Ropes Tag Line
Because a static rope has almost no Tag lines range from 5.5mm
stretch, it is great for hauling and (dyneema) to 8mm (perlon) in
fixing pitches. A 8-9mm diameter diameter and are used for hauling
static rope is a good lightweight super light loads. A half rope could
choice for hauling light loads. A 9- also be used. For fast walls, you may
11mm rope is a better choice for choose to use one of these instead of
hauling heavier loads and for climbing a haul rope. If climbing a slower wall
as a team of three. with a thick haul rope, it is worth
trailing a tag line (see page 139) to
Fixing pitches with a static rope is save weight on your harness.
much safer than using a dynamic if
the rope is running over rough rock or Tag lines (and half ropes) are much
sharp edges. lighter than haul ropes, but are not
strong or thick enough for jumaring or
hauling heavy loads.
Dynamic Haul Ropes
A dynamic haul rope theoretically
lowers the efficiency of a hauling Rope Bags
system. However, once loaded, the Ropes can be stacked in slings at the
extra stretch is barely noticeable. belay, but stuffing them into rope bags
is a better way to tame them when
A single-rated dynamic haul rope also windy. You can buy expensive rope
serves as a spare in case you destroy bags which have sewn clip-in loops,
your lead line. but Ikea bags work just as well.
Rack
The rack requirement is different for In general, it is a good idea to have as
each route. Most easier routes are great a variety of gear as possible,
climbed clean (without using gear since one particular brand of cam
which needs a hammer to place and may fit in a certain placement much
remove). better than any other.
Generally, a triple set of cams to #3

Camalot and a double set of offset Slings and Quickdraws
nuts will be a sufficient rack for many Slings and quickdraws extend gear to
clean aid routes. reduce rope drag, help insecure
placements from dislodging
For a hard nail-up, you may need 4-5 themselves and direct the rope away
sets of cams, 50+ pitons, 100+ from sharp edges or flakes.
copperheads, a bolt kit and plenty of
other obscure pieces of ironmongery. 60cm and 120cm dyneema slings are
Even on clean aid routes, it is useful particularly useful for equalizing gear
to have a hammer for removing on lead. Take a mixture of at least 20
stubborn nuts (hit your nut tool with slings/draws on a wall.
your hammer).

Screamers
Screamers (fall arresters) are energy
absorbing quickdraws. A screamer
activates (the stitching rips) when
~2kN force is applied. This reduces
the impact force on your gear during a
fall, meaning that it is more likely to
hold.
Screamers are most useful when

attached to the first few pieces of gear
in a pitch when fall factors are the
highest and also on fairly marginal
gear higher in the pitch. A screamer
can only be activated once, but it can
be used as a full-strength extender
after activation.
Scream Aids work in a similar way

except they activate at ~1.5kN and
break completely at 7kN. They are
only really useful on extremely
marginal gear.
Cordelettes
You’ll need two cordelettes on a wall
– one for each belay. A 7 meter
length of 8mm cord is great for
equalizing 3 bolts. Simply tie it in a
loop with a double fisherman’s bend.
You can then coil it up (like you would
with a long sling) to rack it on your
harness. A shorter length of cord is
more convenient for 2 bolt anchors.
Long slings can be used too, but

cordelettes are more durable and
much easier to untie after loading. You
could also get a pre-made cordelette
such as the Trango Equalizer or the
Metolius Equalizer.
Knots in slings can be difficult to

unfasten after being heavily loaded.
To loosen up stubborn knots, tap them
against the wall with your hammer.

Hauling Pulleys
A pulley with a locking, toothed catch
(such as the Petzl Pro Traxion) is
essential for hauling heavy loads up
the wall.
Petzl Pro Traxion
For hauling lighter loads, a smaller

device (such as the Petzl Micro
Traxion) will be fine.
For super heavy loads, you'll need a

locking pulley plus two other pulleys to
create a 2:1 or 3:1 mechanical
advantage hauling system (see page
122).
Petzl Micro Traxion

Carabiners
You'll need lots! There are no special
aid specific carabiners, but you'll
need more than you would take for
your standard multi-pitch trad outing.
Aim for at least 12 spare screwgates

and 20 spare snapgates in addition to
the carabiners already on your gear.
Regular Pulley
Swivel
Some climbers use a swivel on their
haul bag to avoid the haul line getting
kinked as the bag is lowered out on a
traverse. It's not essential, but can be
useful.
Swivel

Personal Equipment
Helmet
Helmets are essential on big walls.
Leader falls can happen with no
warning, rocks can fall and gear can
be dropped. Wear one.
The most important factor when

buying a helmet is getting one that fits
your head snugly – it shouldn't move
when you tip your head. A sloppy fit
reduces the helmet’s ability to protect
your head.
Your helmet should adjust to

accommodate a hat, and a ponytail if
you have long hair. Also, make sure
the headlamp attachments are
compatible with your headlamp.
Belay Device
Any type of belay device can be used
for big wall climbing, though using an
assisted-braking belay device (such
as the Petzl GriGri) is the most useful.
It requires much less effort to hold a
climber while they hang on the rope
(e.g: during pendulums or tension
traverses), it can be used as a backup
when cleaning pitches and is useful
for hauling.
GriGri's are not auto-locking; you still

have to hold the brake rope at all
times, just like you would with a
normal belay device. This is
especially true with thinner ropes,
very light climbers or if there is rope-
drag on the route. To go hands-free at
the belay, simply tie an overhand knot
as shown.
GriGri's are designed to work with the

following rope diameters. Make sure
you're using the correct rope for your
device.

Harness
Any climbing harness will suffice, but
getting a big wall specific one makes
life a lot more comfortable. A typical
big wall harness has:
Detachable leg loops
At least four heavy- Plenty of padding around (makes bathroom
duty gear loops the waist and leg loops duties easier)
A beefy belay
loop (some
have two
A full-strength
belay loops)
haul loop on
the back
Some also feature a handy hammer Leg Loops

holster. If your harness doesn't have a Some climbing harnesses have
haul loop on the back, you can make adjustable leg loops too. This is useful
one by tying webbing around the if you plan to climb in cold
whole waist belt. environments where you'll need to
wear thicker pants, or if the fixed size
It's worth going to your local shop and options just don't quite fit. The leg
trying some on, rather than ordering loops should fit closely around your
online. Clip some heavy stuff to the thighs without hindering movement.
gear loops and hang in the harness to
simulate what it’ll be like on the wall. The Rise
Good shops will have a facility for you The rise is the distance between the
to do this. waist belt and leg loops. Think of it as
the measurement between your belly
Waist Belt button and crotch. Women's
The waist belt needs to go small harnesses tend to have a bigger rise,
enough to be tight over a t-shirt, with to fit women's body shapes better. If
enough adjustment to safely double- the rise is too short, you won't be able
back the buckle when you’re wearing to get the waist belt all the way up to
multiple layers. the smallest part of your waist.

Chest Harness
Many aid climbers also use a
bandolier or chest harness to rack
gear on.
Aid climbing gear is heavy – having

that weight distributed between your
shoulders and hips is much more
comfortable. It also helps spread the
gear out, making it easier to find.
Aiders
Aiders, or etriers, are multi-stepped
fabric ladders, sewn as either a
ladder or in alternating triangles. They
attach to the gear you place (together
with your daisy chain) so that you can
stand your weight on it. You'll need
two of them.
If getting the ladder type, look for

some that have a solid plastic
reinforcement on the top step, as this
makes top stepping much easier.
Alpine aiders are the same design but

made with thinner webbing. They are
light and pack up small, making them
great for occasional use. Alpine
aiders are uncomfortable on the
arches of your feet if you stand in
them for long periods of time.
Daisy Chains
Your two daisy chains (lanyards)
connect you directly to the gear which
you place. Attach the daisies to your
harness by girth hitching them
through your harness tie-in points or
belay loop.
There are two main types available:

Loop-style and adjustable. Which type
you use mostly depends on the style
of climbing you’ll be doing and
personal preference.

Adjustables save a lot of energy on Combining either of these styles with
complex aid pitches, especially an Allfrifi hook can speed things up
overhangs. too.
The traditional loop-style daisies are Having a third daisy/aider is super

generally better on easier, slabbier useful for equalizing yourself between
terrain when it’s not necessary to sketchy pieces when creeping up a
adjust your daisy so often. hard aid pitch.
Loop-Style Daisies
This traditional daisy is a full-strength
nylon or dyneema sling with lots of
sewn loops in it, designed to be used
with a fifi hook or carabiner to adjust
the length.
The stitching between loops is very

low strength, however. If you connect
to a piece of gear by clipping a
carabiner through two consecutive
loops, the stitching could break,
causing you to become completely
detached.
Loop-style daisies should be

shortened as shown so the daisy is
still connected end-to-end and
therefore remains full strength.

You could also use a personal anchor
system (PAS) as a daisy.
Fifi Hook
A fifi hook is a metal hook that is girth
hitched to your harness. It allows you
to hook into a daisy loop, or directly
into a piece of gear so you can weight
it at the length you choose.
You can also use a snap gate

carabiner instead of a fifi hook – it's
a bit fiddlier but more secure. If using
a carabiner, a keylock style gate
(without a nose) is better, as it will
snag less.
Adjustable Daisies
Adjustable daisies use a buckle
system for easy length adjustment.
They are not full strength and should
never be used as your primary anchor
attachment. They are much quicker to
adjust than the loop style and
significantly less strenuous on
overhanging terrain.
A few types are available with Yates

producing an excellent design. Be
warned that if you have the buckle
facing into the rock, it can self-adjust
when weighted. Other disadvantages
are that the webbing gets twisted
easily and wears out fast. Yates
daisies are only 5kN to start with and
soon become less. Consider
replacing the webbing after each wall.

Metolius Easy Daisies should be
avoided. They are very weak (1.5kN)
and are nearly impossible to tension
or release under load, making them
useless on a big wall.
Allfrifi Hooks
The Allfrifi is basically a fifi hook
welded directly onto the buckle of an
adjustable daisy. They are not
essential for aid climbing, but can
speed up the process a little and
allow you to attach slightly closer to a
piece of gear – useful when aiding
on steep ground.
If you choose to use an allfrifi, you’ll

still need two regular daisies since the
allfrifi does not have a clip in point for
an aider.
Jumars
Jumars, or ascenders, are used to
ascend the rope when it's fixed in
place. They're like a mechanical
version of a prusik (friction hitch). You
use them when cleaning pitches,
jumaring up fixed lines and in some
hauling setups.
For most walls, a pair with large

comfortable handles is best. They are
made in a left and right hand model,
with the cam designed to be operated
by your thumb. You'll need a pair –
having two left jumars is like having
two left shoes.
Gloves
Fingerless leather gloves with a clip-
in point help to prevent your hands
getting destroyed on the wall. You can
buy specially designed wall gloves or
make your own out of hardware-store
gardening gloves.

Clothes Shoes
Often you will be overheating and Your shoes need to be comfortable
sweating on lead, only to be shivering enough to stand in aiders all day and
when belaying the next pitch. durable enough to withstand constant
Temperatures drop significantly during rubbing around the front and sides. A
storms or periods of high wind and it stiff-soled, sticky rubber approach
is often much colder high up on the shoe is good for aid intensive walls
wall than it is on the valley floor. that have sections of easy free
climbing. For pure aid, a stiff-soled
Once you get cold and wet, decisions high-cut boot may be more
tend to be made poorly and disasters comfortable on those long leads.
begin to happen. Prevent problems by
bringing enough clothes to stay warm. You’ll obviously need your free
climbing shoes too for leading free
Cotton has poor insulating properties, pitches. On free climbing walls, be
especially when wet. Merino wool and ready to switch out to more
synthetic base layers and pants are a comfortable shoes when needed –
much better choice for walls. These it’s painful to clean or lead aid pitches
materials insulate well when wet, are in free shoes. It also wears them out
lighter, dry faster and stretch to fast.
accommodate movement when
climbing. If you expect cold To make your boots last as long as
temperatures, bring a pair of gloves possible, apply a thick coat of Shoe
so you can belay with warm hands Goo or a similar strong glue-type
and then switch them out to climb. A product to the seams most likely to
thin hat that fits under your helmet is blow out (mainly around the toe). Tie-
a very lightweight way of keeping you in loops are great for clipping in your
warm too. shoes at night – if you drop your wall
shoes, the rest of your climb will be
Make sure to bring a good fleece, a extremely painful.
waterproof jacket and a puffy
synthetic belay jacket – even in
Yosemite it gets cold high on the wall Knee Pads
when you’ve been belaying for hours. Your knees are often in contact with
the wall when aid climbing and
For colder walls, you’ll obviously need hauling. A pair of slip on knee pads
even more layers including a super can make things a bit more
warm belay jacket. Down jackets are comfortable, but can get in the way
a poor choice in wet climates, but when free climbing and snagged in
make excellent belay jackets in dry your aiders when aiding.
climates below freezing. Most down
jackets will repel a small amount of If you want knee pads, get the lightest
moisture, but the feathers will clump and most low profile ones you can
together in a rain storm and you’ll find.
freeze. They also tend to rip very
easily on rock, so take it off for
leading and cleaning.

Sleeping Bag Bivi Bag
Bring a good synthetic sleeping bag Rain always seems to find a way into a
which is rated to a colder temperature portaledge fly somewhere. Usually it
than you are likely to encounter. sneaks in through the seams,
combines with condensation and soaks
Not even the best portaledge fly will down into the edges of the nylon bed.
keep everything dry in an epic storm.
Condensation builds up on the inside A waterproof and breathable bivi bag
of the fly and your bivi bag. Your will give you greater protection during
clothes and sleeping bag will get those intense storms. You should
damp, reducing their warmth. definitely take a bivi bag if you don’t
have a portaledge fly.
Synthetic bags retain a decent
amount of warmth if they get soaked
in a storm, whereas down-filled bags Foam Pad
are completely useless. The feathers A foam pad isn’t essential on warm
will clump together in a wet pile at walls, but it makes a huge difference in
your feet, offering zero warmth for the colder climates. To make a clip-in
rest of the wall. Take a synthetic bag point, tie a loop of cord through a tape-
instead. reinforced hole. An inflatable pad
packs down smaller but is likely to pop
Sew decent clip-in loops on your when stuffed in a haul bag next to a
sleeping bag rather than just clipping rack of beaks. Take a repair kit if going
the cord on the zip. inflatable.
Group Equipment
Haul Bag
For multi-day aid routes, you'll need
to haul. Haulbags are generally made
of thick vinyl fabric and are durable
enough to be dragged up rough slabs
all day. Different sizes are available,
up to around 160 litres.
For day routes, a small haulbag will

suffice. For two climbers on a shorter
wall (two or three days) a medium or
full-size bag is good. For long walls (a
week or more) you’ll need a full-size
haulbag for each climber.
Many haulbags feature full strength

clip in points underneath, so you can
carry a durable stuff sack, portaledge
or haul bucket without it taking up
space in the haulbag.

Food
You’ll burn 3,000-6000 calories per What food you bring largely depends
day on a wall – twice as much as a on your style of ascent and what you
day spent sat in the office. normally like to eat. You can save
time and weight with ready-made,
The best wall food: plastic-wrapped food. Or go luxury
- Has a high calorie per weight ratio with a cooked breakfast and fresh
- Is in a durable container coffee every morning, and a warm
- Doesn’t rely on a stove to be edible meal with a selection of aged
- Is convenient to eat cheeses and fine wine in the
- Is nutritious and tastes great evenings.
Typical Wall Food
Breakfast Day Snacks Dinner
Durable fruit (e.g: apples, Bagels with cheese, peanut Canned food (chilli,
oranges) butter, hummus, jam, tuna corned beef hash,
or whatever etc..)
Granola with canned fruit
Dried fruit and nut mix Couscous or pre-
Oatmeal with dried fruit cooked rice
and nuts Crackers
Ready-made meals
Coffee or tea Granola bars or sports bars in plastic containers
(Clif bars, Luna bars, etc..)
Tortilla wraps (great
Chocolate, sweets or candy as an edible plate)
Beef jerky or dried sausage
Gatorade or electrolyte
tablets
Organise your food into day-bags so If you choose to bring a stove, try not
you can keep track of your supplies. to bring food that requires cooking.
You can eat cold canned food if your
Cans weigh more than plastic- stove breaks, but chomping on bits of
wrapped food, but are much more dried pasta or uncooked rice is
durable. A mix of both is generally miserable. Similarly for caffeine
preferred with the less durable food addicts, instant coffee can easily be
being consumed first. hydrated in cold water, but tea bags or
fresh coffee just doesn’t work.

Freeze dried food is lighter but Stoves
requires water, thus negating any It’s nice to chill out in the mornings
weight saving benefits. Once with a coffee and eat warm food in
hydrated, the food itself weighs the the evenings, if you’re not in a rush. A
same as food in a can. It is only the propane stove with a screw-type
packaging which makes it lighter. canister (e.g: Jetboil Flash) is simple
However, if you are collecting water and reliable. For faster walls, you may
(i.e: melting snow) during the wall, choose to forego this luxury.
freeze dried meals will save you a lot
of weight. A good quality stove is essential for
winter walls where you’ll use it to melt
snow. Propane canisters don’t work
Water so well in very cold climates or high
Water is the heaviest item you will altitude, so a multi-fuel type (e.g: MSR
take on a wall. It can be tempting to XGK) running on white gas may be
skimp on hydration to save weight, but better. If you bring a stove, it’s
by doing so you risk putting yourself in recommended to buy/make a reliable
a serious situation. Dehydration hanging kit to reduce the chances of
causes fatigue and poor decision burning a huge hole in your
making, which leads onto other portaledge.
problems. You can survive for days
without food, but not without water.
In cold temperatures, 1.5-2 litres per

person per day can be plenty. In hot
and sunny climates (e.g: El Capitan in
summer), you may need 5-6 litres a
day to stay hydrated. Keep track of
how much is used each day so you
know to ration water if you’re running
low (or have a shower if there’s too
much!).
Store your water in durable plastic

bottles and compress them after use
to save space in the haulbag. 1 and 2-
litre plastic soda bottles work well for
the main storage. A weak plastic
bottle or one with a poor quality lid will
likely explode in your haulbag,
saturating your spare clothes and
sleeping bag.
It’s also useful to have a durable 0.5

litre bottle (Nalgene bottles are good)
for passing up to the leader for a mid-
pitch swig or carrying on the back of
your harness during long leads.

You can create water bottle clip-in
points in a variety of ways using duck
tape and cord. A simple way using
3mm cord is to tie an overhand loop
in one end as a clip-in point, and a
self-tightening barrel knot in the other.
This cinches itself tight around the
bottle’s neck. Make a few of these
and swap them over to new bottles as
you use up your water supply.
First Aid Kit

As a minimum, you should bring:
- Pain relief tablets
- Anti-diarrhoea tablets
- Anti-septic cream Headlamp
- Oral rehydration salts Headlamps are essential on the wall.
- A small selection of bandages Finishing a pitch, or trying to descend
- Adhesive tape in the dark can be incredibly difficult
- Sterile pads for cleaning wounds and dangerous. They’re also pretty
- Tweezers useful to have in the evenings or if
you need to get up in the night.
Stuff Sacks Tape your spare batteries together in

Stuff sacks are excellent for the correct orientation, so you can just
combining many small items together, plug the whole block in at once. This
such as food and clothes. Get some also means you won’t have random
with durable clip-in loops – Metolius batteries floating around your bag and
make good ones. no idea if they are full or empty.
Hygiene Products Topo

To keep your personal hygiene at a A topo is a handy illustration of the
socially acceptable level, you should route which tells you where each
bring: pitch goes, how difficult it is, pitch
- Toilet paper lengths and sizes of gear needed.
- Hand sanitizer Print out a few pocket-sized copies,
- Moist paper towels (for having a laminate them and keep one in your
‘shower’ in the evenings) pocket for the duration of the wall.
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Hand moisturiser (Climb On or Take descriptions from adjoining
similar is great for skin repair) routes too, as this will help you
- Sun protection – sunscreen, navigate. You can take photos of the
sunglasses, lip balm topo on your phone as a back up.
- Any other hygiene or medical Don’t rely purely on your phone
products that you would normally use though – it’s better to save your
in daily life (contact lens fluid, etc..). battery for emergencies.

Communication Poop Tubes
Having a phone is useful but can With big wall destinations seeing a
detract from the wall experience if you rise in popularity, it is no longer
use it every day to post photos on acceptable to drop a ‘mud falcon’ off
Instagram. the side of your portaledge. To be a
civilized wall climber, you must use a
Consider taking an emergency poop tube. You can buy them or make
communication device, such as a your own out of hardware store
Garmin inReach, if you are climbing in supplies.
a remote area.
To make your own, glue a PVC cap
onto one end of a 6-inch diameter
Other Essential Small Items PVC pipe. Make sure the pipe is long
- Small sewing/repair kit enough to account for the length of
- A roll of duck tape (this fixes time you’ll be on the wall. Use a
everything on a wall) second cap as a removable lid. Line
- Athletic tape (finger tape) the tube with a plastic bag.
- Pocket knife (make sure it has a
folding blade which is impossible to Collect your waste in durable plastic
accidentally open when attached to sealable bags (wag bags are good)
your harness) and store your used bags inside the
- Lighter poop tube. Add a handful of kitty litter
- Spoon between each bag to keep it smelling
- Can opener (if applicable) fresh and fasten the lid tight. Take the
whole thing down from the summit
and dispose of it responsibly.
Belay Seat
Aid leads can take hours, and belays
are often on featureless rock. Having
somewhere to sit is a saviour. You can
buy a belay seat or easily make your
own out of a piece of plywood and
some cord.
Knot Protector
When a haulbag is dragged up blocky
ground, over roofs or any other non-
uniform feature, the knot will rub
against the rock and damage your
rope.
Adding a knot protector significantly

helps to increase your haul rope’s
lifespan. Simply cut a small plastic
bottle in half and smooth the edges
with duck tape.

Portaledges Portaledge Fly
A portaledge offers a luxurious island A waterproof fly can be deployed from
of comfort in an otherwise the clip-in point to cover the ledge like
uninhabitable vertical world. a tent. Having a fly is critical if there is
any chance of rain or high winds.
A portaledge is comprised of a rip- Basic designs cover the ledge and
stop nylon bed which is stretched have a drawstring to cinch it tight
around a collapsible metal frame with underneath. These are simple to use
six straps that join together to form a and are comparatively cheap.
single clip-in point. They are available
in a range of sizes, weights and Deluxe models fully enclose the
levels of durability. portaledge and have one or two zip-
operated doors. These fully storm-
Single ledges are easier to set up proof designs are excellent for cold
than doubles, but are half the size, walls in remote environments.
and so are really only useful for one
person. You can fit two people on a Both types have a removable tent
single ledge in an emergency, but it’s pole which pushes the fly out. This
a rubbish night’s sleep. Unless you’re creates more living space and keeps
planning to exclusively solo walls, it’s the condensation-prone material
better to get a double ledge. away from your sleeping bag.
Inflatable ledges are now available. In general, always expect a storm and
They are lightweight, compact and practice setting up your portaledge
excellent for fast alpine walls, but lack and fly while hanging from a tree.
the burliness of a standard
portaledge.
Some routes have convenient natural

ledges which are big enough to sleep
on, but the majority will require a
portaledge.

Portaledge Costs Hammocks
Unfortunately, portaledges are very Wall hammocks are cheaper and
expensive. Before spending your life lighter than portaledges, but are
savings, consider what you will use it much less comfortable and totally
for most. If you plan to climb short useless in a storm. Most designs can
routes in places with stable weather be suspended from a single point.
(e.g: Yosemite or Zion), a second-
hand simple ledge will be a cheaper Hammocks are best employed as an
option. emergency bivi for single day walls so
you have the option of spending the
If you want to go for long adventures night on the wall without taking the
or explore remote walls, you’ll want a extra weight and cluster of a
durable ledge with a fully enclosing portaledge.
storm-proof fly and a door.
Callum Coldwell-Storry on El Capitan, Yosemite. 46

Clip-in Loops
Everything you take on the wall will their first wall, claiming that ‘big wall
need some kind of clip-in point. climbing is shit’. These folks usually
Having a pile of stuff balanced on sell high-quality gear for cheap.
your knees while digging around in
the haulbag is a guaranteed way of
dropping something. However you do Looking After Your Gear
this, make sure the clip-in points are It’s important to inspect your climbing
reliable. gear frequently and replace anything
which shows significant signs of wear.
Frayed or faded slings, or any metal
Weight gear which has been dropped off the
Big wall gear is heavy. If possible, use wall should be replaced.
the lightest gear you can, as long as it
doesn’t compromise on safety. Nylon gear (ropes, slings and
Carabiners and gear slings are good harnesses) degrades over time and
places to trim weight. Lead ropes and should be replaced every five years,
harnesses are not. even if you’ve barely used it. UV
radiation from direct sunlight will
speed this time up. Exposure to
Used Gear battery acid or acid fumes will
Pieces of equipment which your life significantly reduce the strength of
depends on (e.g: ropes, harness, nylon.
carabiners), should be bought new.
You can save money on other gear Keep your rope out of the dirt. Grains
(e.g: portaledge, shoes, stuff sacks), of rock and sand can cut tiny fibres
by getting it used or by making it inside it. Wash your rope occasionally
yourself (e.g: poop tubes, wall gloves). in lukewarm water and allow it to dry
in the shade. Store your climbing gear
The best place to get used wall gear in a cool, dry place out of direct
is from people who have bought sunlight. If any gear gets wet, let it dry
brand-new everything, then bailed off completely before you store it away.
………..
Improvised Gear
The chances are that your intended Daisies
route was first climbed without
modern gadgets, which means it’s still
possible to continue if you drop/break
your fancy new-fangled devices.
Some ideas for improvised gear:
Improvised Daisies and Etriers

Tie offset overhand knots so the
loops stay open when weighted. Etriers

Improvised Belay Device Improvised Abseil Device
The munter hitch can be used for The carabiner brake can be used for
belaying (see page 242). abseiling (see page 252).
Improvised Hauling Device

A regular pulley with an inverted
ascender is almost as good as a Pro
Traxion.
To keep the jumar

in position, attach
something (a rack
of pitons or a
water bottle) to
the bottom of it.
Haul on Rope to
this rope haulbag

The garda hitch (see page 245) works Improvised Jumars
okay as a hauling device for very light Klemheist knots work well (see page
loads. 247), though other prusik types can
be used.

Wearing a white T-shirt was a poor decision. The Pink Squirrel, Fisher Towers, Utah. Keiko Tanaka.
Using Clean Aid Gear

Using Clean Aid Gear
Clean aid climbing means using gear other brand and can even be placed
which doesn’t require a hammer to with only two lobes engaged. Hexes,
place and remove. Clean aid routes tricams, big-bros and ball nuts are
are typically easier and faster to unlikely to be needed on most
climb. It’s highly recommended to beginner routes.
climb some clean aid routes first
before advancing to routes that If you’re planning to climb a big wall,
require pitons, copperheads and you should already be fairly
other obscure hammered gear. competent at finding unusual trad
gear placements and using trad gear
On clean aid routes, you will use the in an unconventional way. Placing all
same protection that you do when types of trad gear is explained in
trad climbing. Cams, nuts and slings detail in Trad Climbing Basics.
are the most commonly used pieces
of gear. Micro and offset nuts and Other clean aid gear includes cam
hybrid cams are particularly useful in hooks and skyhooks. Beaks and
flared piton scars. sawed angles (see Piton Craft –
page 194) are commonly placed
Totem make excellent cams which hammerless too.
seem to fit in more places than any
…………...
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Using Clean Aid Gear 52
Clean Aid Ethics
After a long runout, there is a flared The debate about clean aid ethics is
slot where you could either place an lengthy, boring and unsolvable. There
extremely marginal cam or hammer in are three facts that emerge from it all:
a bomber angle. What do you do?
1) Hammering gives you more
If you clip a piece of fixed gear that options and almost always results in a
was originally placed with a hammer stronger and better piece of gear.
(e.g: a piton, copperhead or a bolt), 2) Hammering causes more damage
have you really climbed it clean? to the rock.
3) The harder you hit, the more
damage you cause.
Clean Aid Guidelines

Whether you hammer or not is - If you choose a seldom-repeated
entirely up to you. There is no right or hard nail-up, feel free to weld in as
wrong answer, though there are some many pitons and heads as you can.
general guidelines: It’ll be 10 years before anyone else
climbs it anyway.
- If you choose a fairly safe route that
is commonly climbed clean or goes - Seek advice from local climbers.
free, you should leave the hammer at
home. - Use your judgement and be honest
about what you did up there.
- If you choose a route which has
been climbed clean but relies on fixed
gear, then bring a hammer and
sufficient pitons to replace this fixed
gear if it is missing.
Cam Hooks
Available in four common sizes, cam
hooks greatly reduce the need to
hammer a piton. They fit into small
cracks from the size of a thin lost
arrow to a #1 Camalot, and work by
simply camming against the sides of
a crack under bodyweight.
Like cams, they do not require a

constriction to work. Cam hooks can
be placed in vertical, diagonal or
horizontal cracks, or inverted in roofs.
Slinging Cam Hooks
Cam hooks normally come with a
sewn sling pre-attached. If yours
doesn’t, you can tie a loop of 6mm
cord through it with a double
fisherman’s bend.
Cam Hooks – The Placement
Step 1 – Clip Step 2 – Place

Clip the cam hook to your aider. Place it deep in the crack. A textbook
placement is in a slot-like widening
(e.g: a pin scar) of a parallel sided
crack. A flared placement is less
secure.
Front View
Top View
Step 3 – Weight Front
Carefully weight it. The leverage of a View
cam hook exerts a high force on the
sides of the crack, which locks it in
place.
Step 4 – Test
Test the cam hook’s stability by
applying a little extra force than
bodyweight in any conceivable
direction of pull. Do not bounce test it
– this will most likely break the rock
or cause your cam hook to fold flat.
Step 5 – Move Up
Once you’re happy, commit to it and
continue up slowly and gently. Be
careful if bounce-testing the next Top View
piece – this will momentarily
unweight the cam hook and may
cause it to fall out.
Cam Hooking Roof Cracks

Cam hooks can be placed in roof
cracks as shown below. They will flex
a lot in this position, so be gentle.
Cam Hook Tips
- Cam hooks are not appropriate for - Do not use the smallest size for
soft rock (such as Zion sandstone), as inverted placements as it is very
they tend to blow out the edges of the weak.
crack. Use ballnuts or offset nuts
instead. - Cam hooks are useful on expanding
flakes (see page 215), since they
- Sometimes, a very gentle hammer absorb the flex of the flake. The
tap can make a cam hook much more largest size puts less force on the
secure. Be careful though – if you hit rock than the others and is designed
it too hard, it’ll cause damage to the for fragile flakes.
rock and be difficult to clean.
- You can leave them behind as gear, Racking Cam Hooks

but they are not very strong Rack them together on a carabiner, or
(especially when inverted) and are with your skyhooks if you seldom use
often unstable. Like skyhooks, they them. If using them regularly, keep a
are designed to only hold bodyweight. medium sized cam hook on each
Even in a short fall, they will most aider to save time.
likely bend, break and fall out.
Skyhooks
Skyhooks come in many different Having two of each is recommended
sizes, with each brand being shaped so that you can make consecutive
slightly differently. However, for most moves with the same sized hook.
aid routes, you'll only need the three
common types shown below.
Bat/talon (small) Cliffhanger (medium) Grappling (large)
Giant Hooks Pointed Hooks
On harder routes, it is worth To make your hook pointed, simply
supplementing your hook rack with file the end to a blunt point at around
some giant hooks (such as the Pika 60 degrees.
Meat Hook) and pointed hooks of
various sizes to fit in drilled holes.
Slinging Skyhooks
Tie your hooks with a loop of cord or
webbing which is stronger than the
hook itself. 9/16" (14mm) webbing tied
with a water knot or 6mm cord tied
with a double fisherman’s bend are
good choices. Make the loop small so
you get the optimum reach out of it.
An alternative method is to tie an

overhand knot in a short length of
thick webbing and feed it through the
hole in the back of the skyhook. Make
sure the knot is big enough so that it
won't slip through the hole.
Skyhooks – The Placement
Hooks work best on flakes or incut Sometimes, a very light tap with your
edges of solid rock. Feel the edge of hammer sets the hook into position
rock with your fingertips to find the nicely.
sweet spot – the slightest depression
makes a difference. On popular If you hit a hook too hard, it will
routes, look for scratch marks on the probably bend, break the rock or
rock to see where others have spring out suddenly.
hooked before.
Over-Reacher
If a flake is just out of reach, you
could use the ‘over-reacher’:
1) Extend your daisy chain with a

quickdraw.
2) Clip the hook to it.
3) Tape the hook to your hammer.
4) Slide the hook up the wall.
5) Once the hook bites, give it a very

gentle bounce test and creep
upwards.
Leaving Hooks as Protection
The average skyhook has a breaking To make your hooks more likely to
strength of around 2-3kN; the same hold a fall, you can equalize them with
as a tiny micro nut. This is enough to other marginal pieces (using a sliding-
hold your bodyweight or an extremely X), or add a fall arrester (such as the
short fall. Yates Scream-Aid), or both.
When you climb above your hook, it is - Weighting the hook down with
fairly likely to get flicked by something heavy, like an enormous
movements in the rope and tumble off hex.
the rock. This can be reduced by: - Using an upwards-pulling piece of
- Using standard office stationary gear to hold the hook in place.
such as duck-tape or blu-tac.
It may seem like a lot of trouble for a
marginal piece of protection, but if it's
the only thing stopping you from
hitting a ledge, it'll be worth the effort,
at least psychologically.
Racking Skyhooks
Rack one of each type on the same
carabiner. On harder routes, it can be
useful to keep a commonly used hook
(usually a pointed grappling) on each
aider to save time.
If you are storing a lot of hooks with

the main rack, keep them in a stuff
sack (Fish Beef Bags are good) to
stop them tangling into everything.
Fixed Gear
Fixed gear is any piece of protection compromise your safety. Place your
that is left behind on a climb. This is own gear when the opportunity
typically: arises.
- Pitons (usually at pendulum points) Many trade routes have pitches of

- Copperheads (because it ruins the almost entirely fixed gear. These
placement if they are repeatedly range from bomber new pitons to
cleaned and re-placed) unidentifiable rust-coated artefacts
- Cams with broken trigger wires which probably belong in a museum.
- Cams, nuts or pitons which have Pitches like this can be fast to climb (if
been clamped in an expanding flake everything holds) or very slow (if you
- Any piece of gear the previous team fall and rip everything). If you choose
forgot or couldn’t clean a route with sections like this, be
prepared to replace the fixed gear if it
is useless or missing.
Leading on Fixed Gear
Firstly, never trust fixed gear. Freeze- You may find fixed gear which cannot
thaw weathering loosens pitons and be clipped. Beaks and rurps with
corrodes copperheads over time. A broken swages or other pieces of
piton which looks good on the surface rusted ironmongery may not have a
may be held in purely by 30 years of clip-in point. It’s useful to have short
rust. Test fixed gear (see page 71) pieces of 3-4mm cord, thin webbing
just as you would if you placed it or wire for threading through holes
yourself. Use it to speed up your where the swage used to be, or for
ascent, but be careful not to tying around a useable section. Be
……………… creative.
Cleaning Fixed Gear
You must decide whether or not the Other fixed gear should be cleaned, if
fixed piece should be there. doing so won’t damage the rock or
ruin the placement. A hammer, nut
In general, pendulum points and good tool and some patience will be
copperheads should be left behind for sufficient to remove most
the next team to use. unnecessary fixed gear. If you’re not
sure, just leave it there.
Rivets
A rivet is basically a smaller, weaker
version of a bolt. It’s common for first
ascentionists to place rivets to bypass
blank sections when establishing a
new route.
You’ll find them in different shapes,

diameters, lengths and strengths,
some with hangers and some without.
Some are almost flush to the rock and
others protrude an alarming way out.
Due to their indeterminate depth and

strength, they should not be relied
upon as good gear.
To climb rivets, you’ll need rivet

hangers. Three main types are shown
below.
Plate Wire Cinch
Each of these come in different If choosing a route which has a lot of
thicknesses. Plate hangers are the rivets, you should bring a selection
strongest, most secure and give you and choose the strongest and most
the most reach. Thin wire and cinch secure hanger that will fit for each
hangers are much weaker, but will fit rivet.
on almost any rivet.
3/8” 1/4”
Plate Hangers
Ideally, you would use a plate hanger
on every rivet. However, rivets do not
always protrude enough from the wall
for a plate hanger to fit, or have a
large enough head to keep a plate
hanger on. There are two common
sizes which accommodate rivets with
thicknesses from 1/4” to 3/8”.
Simply slide the hanger over the rivet

and clip a carabiner to it. The hanger
will now be locked onto the rivet.
A 3/8” hanger will not always lock on

a 1/4” rivet. Make sure to choose the
right size.
Wire Hangers
These are the most useful hangers,
since they will fit on almost every
rivet. They are weaker than plate
hangers but twice as strong as the
cinch style. Choose the thickest size
that will fit for a stronger piece of gear.
Clip your aiders to the swaged side of

the hanger and loop the other side
over the rivet. Sliding the loose swage
up and duck-taping it in place makes
the hanger a more secure piece of
gear.
Cinch Hangers
These hangers cinch around
the rivet when weighted,
making them much more
secure on rivets that are:
- Missing a stud
- Pointing downwards
- In overhanging rock
- Protruding a lot from the wall
(cinch them close to the wall
to reduce leverage)
Clip your aider to one end-

loop and slip the middle over
the rivet. This cinches tight
when weighted.
To release, clip your aider into

the other end-loop.
Improvised Rivet Hangers

Some nuts can be used as
improvised rivet hangers.
However, they are less secure
and will give you less reach.
Slide the nut down the wire as

shown.
Racking Rivet Hangers
Rack one or two of each type
together on a carabiner, so you will
always have something that will fit
any rivet.
Maria Parkes having a ‘riveting’ time on New Dawn, El Capitan, Yosemite. 64

Other Uses of Rivet Hangers
An imaginative use rivet hangers can
enable you to use unclippable fixed
gear.
Tommy Thompson on New Dawn, El Capitan, Yosemite. 66
Leading

Leading – Leaving the Belay
Step 1 – On Belay
Before you leave the belay (or The figure-8 is widely recognised as
ground), you’ll need to get set up for being the safest knot to tie in with. An
the lead. Both climbers tie into the assisted-braking belay device (e.g: a
rope and the leader is put on belay, GriGri) is highly recommended for
just the same as for any other climb. belaying.
spare
rope
Step 2 – Attach Daisies and Aiders

to Harness
Girth hitch one end of each daisy your waist belt and leg loops together.
through your harness tie-in points, or Going through the belay loop puts
your belay loop. Going through your you further away but can be more
tie-in points means you can get closer comfortable. Try it both ways to see
to each aid placement, but it cinches which suits you.
…………..
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Leading 68

Clip the other end of your daisies to
your aiders with a carabiner. Put your
aiders on the 'gate' side of the
carabiner, so the daisy is free to move
up the back bar when top-stepping. If
your daisy is on the gate side, it could
get stuck in the gate or unclip (not
good!) when you top-step.
It's better to use a 'keyhole' style

snapgate carabiner for your
aiders/daisies, as it will be less likely
to get stuck on slings and nut wires
than a 'nose' style carabiner.
Keyhole Nose
Step 3 – Rack Up
Fill your gear loops with enough rack
to get going. You don’t need the
whole rack – some things can be
passed up later.
Step 4 – Attach Haul Rope

Clip the haul rope to the haul loop on Another method is to trail the haul
the back of your harness. If you don't rope with the hauling device pre-
have a haul loop, you can make one attached as shown. After leading a
by tying a short piece of webbing pitch, the device can be attached to
around the back of your waist belt. the anchor before removing the rope
from your harness. This means that
Don't clip the haul rope to a gear loop you can’t drop either the device or the
– they're not strong enough. rope while setting up the haul.

Step 5 – Prepare For Blast Off
Clip the lead rope to a high point of
the anchor (just like you would on a
trad multi-pitch) so you won't take a
factor two fall onto your belayer if you
fall on the first move.
After a final safety check, remove

your attachment point to the anchor
itself and you are ready to go.
The Basic Lead System

The basic system of leading an aid 4) Clip the rope into your previous
pitch is: piece of gear
1) Place a piece of gear 5) Get as high as you can
2) Test the gear 6) Repeat
3) Transfer your weight on to it These steps are described in more

detail on the following pages.
Step 1 – Place Gear

Place a piece of gear and attach
yourself to it with your free aider (the
one you're not standing in).
Clip as high on the piece as possible

(e.g; in the plastic thumb-loop of a
cam, rather than the sling). This gives
you more height, meaning less moves
to the top.

When clipping gear which only has a
big enough hole for one carabiner
(such as a rivet hanger or a piton),
you can clip a quickdraw to it first and
then clip your aider onto that.
This way you will be able to clip it as

protection before removing your aider,
therefore never being detached from
the piece. It will, however, mean that
you're a carabiner-length lower, so it
may be harder to reach the next
piece.
Step 2 – Test Gear

How you test gear depends on what it
is and what the consequences of it
failing are. A visual test may be all
that is needed – if it looks bomber,
just get straight on it. If you’re not
sure, give it a ‘bounce test'. The point
of bounce testing is to generate a
little more force than your bodyweight
alone. This determines whether or not
the piece will continue to hold your
weight while you are gently moving
up your aiders and making the
following move. It does not determine
if the piece can withstand the higher
force of a leader fall. Small amount
of slack in
How you test depends on what the lower daisy
gear is. Burly gear (such as nuts,
slings and pitons) can be bounced
aggressively whereas more easily
damaged or low-strength gear, (such
as cams or micro nuts) should only be
very gently bounced.
If you choose to test the piece, you Foot in aider,

should adjust your daisies so that you ready to absorb
won't shock load your previous piece the force if the
if it fails. Your position here is piece above fails
important. If the pieces fails, your goal
is to transfer your weight as gently as
possible onto your lower piece.

Adjust your daisies correctly, hold Cam hooks or skyhooks shouldn't be
onto your lower daisy and leave one bounce tested, as they would be
foot in your lower aider so you are damaged over time. To test these,
ready to absorb the force if your top weight the piece, press your body
piece fails. away from the wall and move side-to-
side. This generates a little more
First, ease your weight onto the piece force than bodyweight without the
until it holds the majority of your body harsh impact of a bounce and
weight. Then bounce your weight on it simulates the direction you might pull
by stamping in your top etrier with a the piece when you're higher up on it.
slightly increased force each time
(you could also bounce by sitting your Bounce testing is the secret to hard
weight onto your top daisy, but this is aid climbing. With proper technique
generally not as good). Essentially, (which takes many climbs to develop),
you are shock-loading the gear. If it you will be able to move up whole
fails, you'll swing gently onto the pitches of marginal gear relatively
lower piece, which should be strong securely. This still doesn’t mean that
enough to hold because you bounce anything would hold a fall, but it does
tested it – right? Try not to look mean you are much less likely to fall.
directly at the piece you are testing –
if it fails, it'll hit you in the face!

Step 3 – Commit High-Stepping on
Once you're happy that your upper Steep Ground
piece will at least hold your weight, it's
time to commit. Shift all your weight
on to the top piece.
Step 4 – Reset
Reach down and clip your lead rope
into your lower piece before removing
your aider from it. If you're using
adjustable daisies, fully extend it out
at this point, then clip it to a gear loop,
ready for the next placement.
Step 5 – Get High

Getting as high on your top piece as
you can means less moves to the top.
On slabby terrain, use the steps of

your aider to walk upwards. With
practise you should be able to stand
in the top step easily. Hold onto rock
features for balance if possible. As
you move up, your daisy will slide up
the back bar of its carabiner. Adjust
your daisy tight to give you some
downwards tension for balance. This
also means that if you lose balance
you won't fall the full length of the Leading Overhangs and Traverses
daisy. The system for leading a roof or a
traverse is very similar to the
Vertical or overhanging terrain is standard method. Just place a piece,
more strenuous. Move up your aiders reach as far sideways as you can,
and cinch your daisy tight to create and place your next piece.
downwards tension. By pushing down
with your legs and pulling upwards It may be difficult to bounce test from
with your daisy, you will create a this position – try stamping in your
strange feeling of opposition which aider instead of weighting your daisy.
provides balance.
Remember that the follower will have
Once you are as high up as you can to clip from piece to piece to clean the
get, it's time to find another pitch (see page 102), so try not to
placement and repeat step one. back-clean (remove) them.

Leading Pendulums and Tension Traverses
A pendulum is a great technique for An alternative to swinging is to semi
moving sideways across a blank free climb across with some of your
section. Essentially, you rope-swing weight on the rope. This is known as
across the blank section to features a tension traverse.
where you can begin climbing again.
Step 1 – Clip Gear Step 3 – Swing

Place a piece of gear which can hold Keep your momentum and swing a
a downwards and a sideways pull little higher each time. Often, you'll
(you may want to equalize a couple need to grab a hold, hook an edge or
together). This gear should be clip a fixed piece at the pinnacle of
bomber, and you probably won’t be your swing, so be ready for this.
able to retrieve it later. This is
normally a bolt or rivet on popular Step 4 – Continue Up
routes. Clip your rope into the gear Once you've stuck the pendulum,
and ask your belayer to take you tight continue climbing as normal, making
on the rope. sure to extend the next few pieces of
gear after this to reduce rope drag.
Step 2 – Lower Depending on the size of pendulum,
Get your belayer to lower you. If you difficulty of climbing and
plan to pendulum, you can start consequences of a fall, it may be
swinging as you are being lowered. better to back-clean gear until level
Do this by running sideways across with the pendulum point to further
the wall. Communicate with your reduce rope drag.
belayer so you don't get lowered too
far – make sure you know where
you're trying to swing to!

Pendulums with Two Lead Ropes
For big pendulums in the middle of a
pitch, it is wise to use two lead ropes.
Use one rope for clipping gear up to
the pendulum point, and the other
rope for gear after the pendulum.
It is recommended that the belayer

uses two GriGri’s for belaying.
Switching Between Aid and Free Climbing

Sometimes it is necessary to switch - Attach a sling to your top piece. This
from aid to free climbing in the middle will be your final foot step before you
of a pitch. To make this transition free climb.
easier:
- Ask your belayer to pass up your
- Clip your aiders, daisies and other free climbing shoes if needed. You
long tanglies away on the back of could also pass down your wall shoes
your harness so you won't trip over and any other unnecessary heavy
them in the middle of a free move. gear to your belayer.
French-Free
On some pitches it may be easier to pieces to use as foot loops. Get your
french-free. This means mostly free belayer to take you tight whenever
climbing while holding onto the you need a rest. There are no rules
occasional piece of gear to avoid really – just do whatever you can to
difficult moves and therefore speed cheat your way up quickly.
the climb up.
French-free avoids the clunkiness of a
You can clip gear directly into your full aid setup and is great on pitches
belay loop, or attach slings to some that you can mostly free.
…………...
Routing the Rope
As with trad climbing, you should pitch, which means it will cut faster on
route your rope away from sharp sharp edges.
edges, flakes and loose rock. Make
skillful use of quickdraws and long Sometimes you may need to add a
slings to allow the rope to avoid these re-belay for pitches that end above a
hazards and run in a straight line. roof or on a ledge. Attach a sling
down from the anchor so the rock
Remember that the rope will be taut abrades the sling, not the rope. Add a
when your partner is cleaning the rope protector or duck-tape the edge
…………... too, if needed.
Back-Cleaning
Sometimes, you'll need to use a piece either aid back up the pieces to your
of gear which you've already placed. high point (on top rope) or ascend the
Obviously, it's better to leave it there rope.
as protection, but this won't always be
possible. If you remove your previous If ascending the rope, it is easier to
piece be aware that this can mean a attach your jumars to the rope which
big fall if your current piece fails. is running through the gear (rather
than the rope coming straight from
A safer way is to place two or three your harness). Retrieving gear from a
good pieces in a row, then lower traverse or overhang is more difficult.
down to retrieve earlier pieces of gear. You will need to clip across your gear
Make sure your top ones are bomber in reverse (known as back-aiding) to
before committing to this. Once get to it, and then re-aid back up to
you've retrieved some gear, you can your high point.
…………..
Passing Gear to the Leader
You don't need to take your entire aid
rack on every pitch. If you need
something from the belay, your
belayer can clip it to a loop in the
haul/tag rope and then you simply pull
it up.
A common method is to only take

enough gear to lead the first half of a
pitch, then get resupplied when your
rack is running low. This keeps some
weight off your harness and is also
useful for passing water, jackets or
food on those long leads. Remember
to pass the rope back once you’ve
finished (if you just drop the rope, it’ll
probably get stuck on faraway flakes). A quick solution which provides a
short amount of extra rope is to clip
However, once you are over half of the end of the haul rope to the loop of
the rope length up a pitch (e.g; you spare lead rope.
are over 30 meters up the pitch with a
60 meter haul rope), the belayer will If you regularly need to pass gear late
need to attach an extra rope to the in the pitch, a much better setup is to
end of the haul rope so they can get it use a tag and haul rope as described
back again. on page 139.
Passing Gear to the Belayer

A quick way to pass gear from leader
to belayer is to simply clip it to the
haul rope and let it slide down.
The belayer will need to wiggle the

rope to slow the item’s descent so it
doesn’t slam into their face at full
speed.

Regaining Your High-Point After Falling
If you fall and are left dangling in jumars cutting into the rope – not
space, you could jumar back up to good.
your high point to continue the lead.
A better alternative is to ascend with a
But how secure is the piece that held klemheist prusik and a GriGri as
you? If it blows while you are jumaring shown below. This way, if the piece
up, you’ll fall farther, but with the spiky above blows, you will fall on the GriGri
toothed cams of your 5kN-rated and prusik instead.
……………………
Push Hang your

klemheist weight from
up rope klemheist
Pull slack
through
GriGri and
hang your
weight
from it
Racking Gear
It’s better to rack gear the same as out on a chest harness too. It’s good
you would for trad climbing so you are to keep hooks, beaks and heads
already familiar with where things are, separate from nylon so they don’t
though it can be nice to spread things stick to your slings.

Cheater Sticks
Cheater sticks allow you to bypass a
difficult/impossible section by clipping
a distant piece of fixed gear. Simply
clip a carabiner to a long sling and
tape it to some kind of stick/
avalanche probe/ portaledge fly pole
as shown. Tie offset overhand knots
in the sling so you can easily aid up it.
Cheater sticks are useful when

abseiling down a steep wall (see page
147) but present problems when used
on lead. First, having a cheater stick
relatively handy makes it very
tempting to clip past moves that you
could do but are too scared to try.
This prevents you from progressing at
harder aid. It’s a bit like pulling on
quickdraws when sport climbing, or
standing on the bolt hangers. If you
get into the habit of reaching for the
cheat stick when things get scary,
what will you do next time when
there’s nothing to clip?
It’s also very difficult to test a far away

piece of gear, which means you might
end up falling anyway, even farther
than you would have and with a giant
stick in the equation.

Lost in America, El Capitan, Yosemite. Tom Evans. 80
The Belay

Setting Up a Big Wall Belay
Setting up a big wall belay is more To set up a big wall belay station, you
complicated than a standard trad will need to:
belay but follows some of the same 1) Create a central point
principles. Belays are bolted on most 2) Tie yourself in
popular routes which makes this 3) Fix the lead rope
process much quicker. 4) Set up a hauling system
If you're building a big wall belay from Each of these are described on the
trad gear, you’ll need two or three following pages.
points which are EACH as strong as a
bolt. Three medium sized cams or Top Tip
nuts (well placed in good rock) It is good to get into the habit of fixing
equalized together are about as the lead rope before setting up the
strong as one bolt (approximately haul. If communication is difficult, the
25kN). belayer will know that the lead rope is
fixed when the leader starts to haul.
Depending on your setup, the whole
thing may contain many pieces of Note
gear. Remember that much more Unless you're standing on a ledge,
force is applied to a big wall belay you'll use your aiders to move around
(with hauling and jumaring happening the belay while you set it up. These
at the same time) than a trad belay. are omitted from the following
diagrams for clarity.
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > The Belay 82
Creating a Central Point
Step 1 Step 3
Clip a screwgate carabiner into each Pull the loops of the cordelette down
bolt. and equalize it with an overhand knot.
Step 2 Clip a large screwgate into this

Clip a cordelette (a seven meter central point and fasten all four
length of 8mm cord tied with a double screwgates.
fisherman’s bend works well) into
each carabiner.
These carabiners will stay locked for This way, you won't end up with
the whole time you have the belay set something stuck behind something
up. You will clip other carabiners into else (e.g: the leader unable to leave
these rather than tying knots directly the belay because the haulbag is
onto them. weighted on their tie-in point).
You'll also never weaken the belay by
opening one of the main screwgates
(when heavily weighted, some
screwgates will open but not close).
You could set up a simpler belay

which involves less screwgate
carabiners if you are confident that
you won’t encounter any problems
doing so.
Central Point Tips

* Make sure your V-angle is less than
60 degrees. With widely spaced bolts,
you may have to extend one of them
with a sling.
60°
* If there are only two bolts, you can

'double up' your cordelette on one of
them to keep your central point within
reach of the bolts.
* It's better to position your

screwgates with the wider side down,
so you can fit more carabiners onto it
later.
Tying In
You need to tie into your central point You can use other knots, such as an
as you would on a normal belay, but alpine butterfly, but clovehitches are
leaving enough slack to haul with super easy to adjust. At this point you
(approximately 2 meters). Your weight can tell your belayer that you are ‘off
will be taken by your daisies or the belay’.
haul rope while you're hauling, not on
your tie in – this is there as your full-
strength back-up.
Clovehitch the lead rope to

the central point on a
separate screwgate and
back it up by clove-hitching
the lead rope, with a little
slack, to one of the bolts
(with another screwgate).
To keep the belay de-

clustered, do this on the
opposite side to where you
will fix the lead rope for your
partner.
~2 meters
Rope to
belayer
Fixing the Lead Rope
Your partner will jumar up the
lead rope – you don't belay
them as you normally would on
a multi-pitch. This rope needs to
be 'fixed' so it doesn’t move
while they jumar up.
Spare
rope
~2 meters
Rope to
belayer
Step 1
Pull up the extra lead rope until it's In some cases, you may choose to
tight-ish on your partner and stack it skip this step. For example, if your
away on a sling or a rope loop. This partner needs to lower-out at the start
makes it easier for your partner by of the pitch, they will need the extra
removing clutter from the lower belay, rope to do so.
but puts it at the upper belay.
Step 2
Fix the lead rope by tying a large- However, having a weighted rope at
looped alpine butterfly to one bolt and the central point can interfere with the
a clove hitch to another bolt so that hauling system.
the rope is equalized. Make sure this
is in the correct direction for the pull Step 3
they will put on the rope while Now you can tell your partner that the
jumaring. An alternative is to fix the 'lead rope is fixed'. At this point they
lead rope to the central point and can attach to the rope with their GriGri
back it up to one of the bolts. and jumars.
Setting up the Hauling System

Step 1
Clip your hauling pulley to the central
point with a screwgate.
Step 2
Slot the haul rope through the hauling
pulley and close it, making sure it is
locked. Then push down the catch, so
the teeth bite into the rope.
Check that you have attached it the

correct way around. Keep the end of
the haul rope connected to your
harness while you do this, so there's
no chance of dropping it.
Step 3
Remove the end of the
haul rope from your
harness and clip it away
to the side of the belay.
Step 4
Pull the slack rope
through the hauling
pulley until the rope is
tight on the haul bags,
stacking it away in a
sling or loop of rope.
Spare
rope
Step 5 Spare
Put the slack end of the rope
haul rope through your
GriGri and attach it to
your belay loop. Sit back
to pull extra slack out of
the rope.
After a final check of

your hauling setup, you
can tell your partner that
the 'haul rope is ready'.
At this point, they can
release the haul bags
(see page 135) and
leave the lower belay.
Spare
rope
Rope to Rope to
haulbag follower
This setup
Spare
uses 4 less
rope
screwgates
Spare
rope
Alternative Setup
The setup described on the
previous pages keeps the
belay neatly organized but
uses a lot of screwgates.
You could set up a simpler

belay with less carabiners if
you are confident that you
won’t encounter any
problems doing so.
Spare
rope
Rope to Rope to
haulbag follower
Note
Some hauling pulleys (such as the
older style Petzl Pro Traxion) must
have a carabiner clipped through their
base to stop them from potentially
opening mid-haul.
Read the instructions with your pulley

to see if this is needed. If you’re not
sure, then clip one through anyway.
Rope Management
Having random loops of rope hanging If belaying from a portaledge or
down from the belay will create all natural ledge, you could simply stack
manner of problems when they get them on the ledge in a neat pile, if you
tangled around flakes and poop are confident they won’t slide off.
tubes. Keep them tamed in a rope
bag (best option) or by stacking them
neatly.
However you do it, make sure that all

rope ends are clipped to the belay
when not in use (e.g: clip the end of
the haul rope to the belay overnight).
This is so the whole rope can’t blow
out of reach or zip off the wall
completely.
Stacking Ropes
Stack them in a sling or rope loop.
Making smaller loops each time
reduces the tangle factor when they
feed out. Don’t allow loops of rope to
get long enough to tangle underneath
the haulbags – always keep the
loops within reach.
Stuffing Ropes Step 2
Stuffing ropes into a rope bag Run the rope through a high-point
is the ultimate way of taming carabiner. Then stuff the rope into its
ropes on a windy wall. bag, going hand-over-hand. This is
much faster than picking up bundles
of rope and dropping them in.
Step 1
Clip one end to the belay.
Step 3
Clip the top end of the rope on top of
the other, so you know which end is
which.
Keeping the Belay Organized

A well organized belay will help to view while belaying, consider doing
speed things up. Tie-off your belay the following:
device (see page 33) while
completing any of the suggested
tasks below, or doing anything that Get Food and Water Accessible
requires you to let go of the brake It’s useful to have a small water bottle
rope (GriGri’s are not hands-free!). (around 500ml) to pass up to the
leader during those long pitches. A
Watch the leader carefully and be small bag with a good clip-in point is
ready to give slack quickly when also useful for passing snacks,
needed. Remember that belaying is jackets, headlamps, cameras or other
your priority – the other things are items which are difficult to clip in. Get
secondary. As well as enjoying the these things accessible.
…………….
Organise the Rack Prepare to Pack the Haulbag
Having the whole rack organised and As the leader is approaching the end
accessible makes it quick and easy to of the pitch, you can begin re-packing
pass gear to the leader when they the haulbag.
need it. For large racks, it’s useful to
organise by type on racking slings. The rack can be packed away once
Attach a loop-style daisy chain the leader has enough to finish the
between the belay bolts to provide pitch. It’s nice to have a water bottle
plenty of clip-in points for the rack and a few snacks on the very top
and any other things you might need because finding these is usually the
during a long belay. priority after hauling.
Aim to have the haulbag packed so

Eat Your Lunch you can lower it out as soon as the
During belay duty is a good time to leader has the haul rope ready at the
eat, hydrate, re-apply sunscreen (be upper belay.
careful not to get it on your rope or
gear) and deal with other personal
hygiene issues, without slowing down
the ascent.
Belay Transitions
Ideally, the leader will have completed their harness and immediately be put
the haul, stacked the haul rope and on belay, ready to lead the next pitch.
organised the remaining rack by the The new leader will have a quick snack
time the follower has cleaned the while the belayer stacks the lead rope.
pitch. Upon arriving at the belay, the The leader will leave the belay within a
follower will remove excess rack from few minutes of arriving at it.
…………………
A streamlined transition like this can If the haul isn’t complete, both
happen, but it’s often slowed down by climbers can haul together (see space
something such as a stuck haulbag hauling, page 128) to speed it up.
(see page 140), poor rope Make it a priority to finish the haul and
management or if the leader hasn’t then get the leader started on the
finished hauling. Work together to next pitch. Things like organising the
solve any problems. There is always rack and adjusting your belay seat
something you can be doing. can wait until the leader is moving up
the next pitch.
Communication
Communication on the wall is best Each of these commands can be
kept to a minimum to avoid confusion. followed with ‘OK’ by the other
Keep commands simple and practise climber to confirm that the message
them with your partner before the was understood.
climb.
Trying to shout 60 meters into the Communication Breakdown

wind about some complicated rope It’s important to have a plan for what
setup to your partner who you can’t to do when you can’t see or hear
see could result in disaster. Standard each other. For example, if the leader
commands are: is out of sight above and the haulbag
starts moving up the wall, it means
Off Belay the leader is off belay, the lead rope is
The leader is safely attached to the fixed and the haulbag can be
upper anchor and no longer needs a released. You know this because it
belay. wouldn’t be possible for the leader to
be hauling if they’re still climbing the
Lead Rope Fixed pitch!
The leader has fixed the lead rope. It
is now safe for the follower to attach
to the lead rope to clean the pitch. Radios
Two-way radios can be useful in
Haul Rope Ready some situations. For example, on an
The leader has set up the hauling obscure route or first-ascent when the
system, pulled through the slack rope leader frequently needs to ask for
and is ready to haul. many different types of gear to finish
a long pitch or make an intricate gear
Releasing Haulbag belay.
The belayer is about to release the
haulbag from the lower belay. This is To save batteries, keep your radios
used as a final check before lowering turned off until you need them. Have a
out the haulbag and informs the signal for switching them on, such as
leader to begin hauling. a loud ‘monkey call’ or a series of
tugs on the rope.
Maria Parkes on Virginia, El Capitan, Yosemite. 94
Following

Following
Cleaning an aid pitch is different than 2) The leader is freed from the
cleaning a trad pitch. Instead of responsibilities of belaying. This
climbing the rock, you will use jumars enables them to do other things like
to ascend the rope. There are two haul the bags and organise the belay.
reasons for this:
1) It is much quicker and less To follow an aid pitch, you will need:
strenuous to remove gear when - Two jumars
ascending the rope than it is to clip - A GriGri
your way up each piece of gear. - Your double set of daisies and aiders
Following – Leaving the Belay
Step 1
When the leader confirms that
the lead rope is fixed, you can
attach yourself to it.
Attach your jumars to the

carabiner with your aiders as
shown.
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Following 96

Step 2
Pull the catch back on
each of your jumars, slot
them onto the rope and
close the catch.
Step 3
Adjust your upper daisy to
about half of its full length.
Step 4
Place your feet on appropriate steps Then sit back, weighting your upper
of your aiders, so that when your daisy, while pushing your lower jumar
jumars are close together your feet up the rope. Your hands do not need
are level with each other. Generally to leave their position on the jumars
this will be one foot in your third step, (using two hands to push one jumar is
the other in your fourth. inefficient). Do this a few times until
you've pulled all the stretch out of the
Step into your lower aider to pull some rope, so you are no longer weighting
of the stretch out of the rope. As you the belay. This sequence is the basic
do this, push your upper jumar up the technique, known as jumaring, that
rope. you will use to ascend the rope.

Step 5 Step 6
Jumars are not full-strength While you are attaching yourself to
attachment points, so you also need the lead rope, the leader will be
to use a GriGri (or similar) to attach setting up the hauling system. When
yourself to the rope. they tell you that the 'haul rope is
ready', you can reply with ‘releasing
Take the slack rope from underneath haulbag'. Release the haul bag from
your jumars and put it through your the belay as described on page 135.
GriGri as shown. Attach this to your
belay loop.
Step 7
Detach yourself from the belay (but
stay tied into the end of the lead rope)
and begin cleaning the pitch.
Slack
rope
Belay loop

Top Tip
Push up
Your top jumar will slide up the rope
easily because the rope is tensioned
below it (by your lower jumar), but
your lower jumar won’t act the same.
Pull
catch
To move your lower jumar, you’ll need
to pull the catch back slightly with
your thumb. This moves the teeth
away from the rope without
disengaging the catch completely,
meaning that it will glide up the rope.
When you let go, the catch springs
back and locks on the rope. This is a
subtle movement which takes a bit of
practise to develop.
Jumaring on Slightly Overhanging Terrain

Jumaring on steep ground is hard You should alternate between resting
work, but gets easier with practise. your weight in your harness (when
The technique is basically the same sitting back on your daisy) and having
as for vertical terrain, but you must your weight on your legs (when
synchronise your movements to be standing up). You don’t need to pull
efficient. yourself up with your arms.
Weight your lower aider while Make sure the rope feeds through
simultaneously pushing your upper your GriGri as you are jumaring up.
jumar up the rope (you'll need to Sometimes the weight of the rope will
unweight your foot on the upper one do this for you, but often you'll need to
to do this). Then sit back on your stop every few meters to pull it
upper daisy while pushing the lower through. It's a good idea to clip the
jumar up, pulling the catch back rope to your belay loop every 10
slightly to help it slide up the rope. meters or so. This helps to keep the
rope from getting stuck around distant
You may need to adjust your upper flakes when it's windy, and also acts
daisy to a shorter length if you are as an extra back-up.
hanging too low.
Jumaring on Slabs
Jumaring on lower-angle terrain is You'll need to adjust your daisies
easier. All your weight is on your legs longer and put your feet one step
– you don't need to weight your lower in each aider than you would on
daisies. But if you need a rest, just sit steep ground.
back and hang on your top daisy.

Removing Gear when Jumaring
Cleaning Straight-Up Sections
On a perfectly straight-up pitch, you
can simply unclip and remove gear.
Don’t slam your jumar right up into a

knot or piece of gear as it needs to
move up a few millimetres before it
can be released.
Cleaning Almost Straight-Up Sections

In many cases the gear will be pulled - Re-attach this jumar to the rope
tight by the rope, making it hard to above the gear and weight it
unclip. In this situation: - Now you can more easily remove or
- Weight your lower jumar unclip the gear
- Remove your upper jumar from the
rope
Diagonal Sections
If you use the previous method to
remove gear on a diagonal pitch, your
lower jumar will get ‘sucked in’ to the
gear. To avoid this:
Step 1
Jumar close to the piece.
Step 2
Pull slack through your
GriGri and weight it.
Step 3
Remove both jumars (one
at a time) and reattach
them above the piece.
Step 4
Release rope through
your GriGri so that you
are weighting the jumars
again.
Step 5
Now you can remove the gear.
Traverses and Overhangs

To clean a traverse or a steep slack rope through your GriGri and tie
overhang, you'll need to take both of back up knots as you go. If the piece
your jumars off the rope and clip your held the leader, then it'll (probably)
aiders into the gear that the leader hold you too. If it doesn't hold, then
placed. Effectively, you are 'leading you'll fall safely onto your GriGri
on top rope', belaying yourself with and/or back up knots.
your GriGri.
If the leader did some hook moves on
Simply clip across the pieces, the traverse, you’ll need to bring
removing the ones behind you as you some hooks with you to repeat those
go. Make sure to keep pulling the moves when cleaning.
…………...
Belay loop
Cleaning Pendulums and Lowering Out

When you reach the piece which the Step 1
leader pendulumed or tension Remove your jumars from the rope
traversed from, you can't remove it or and clip one of your daisies directly
else you'll swing uncontrollably across into the lower-out piece.
the wall. To avoid this, you'll need to
do a lower-out. On well-travelled routes this will
usually be a bolt or a collection of
You'll need plenty of slack rope for a fixed gear. Your weight will be on this
lower-out (around three times the daisy while you're setting up the
diagonal distance of the lower-out). lower-out.
This usually isn't a problem halfway
up a pitch, but if there's a lower-out
near the start of a pitch (or straight off
the belay), make sure the leader fixes
the rope with enough slack for you to
do this.
The following method describes

lowering out by passing a bight of
rope through a fixed piece, therefore
not needing to untie from the end of
the rope. For very long lower outs,
you may need to untie (see page
106).
Step 2 Step 3
Pull all the slack rope through your Take the slack rope from below your
GriGri so the rope is tight to the upper GriGri and push a bight of it through
belay. the ring or carabiner at the lower-out
point.
Rope to
upper belay
Spare rope
Step 4
Attach the rope to another belay
device (such as an ATC) on your
belay loop as shown (if you don't
have one, use a munter hitch).
Step 5
Lean into the lower out point
and take in all the slack rope
through the ATC so that your
weight is taken by it.
Step 6
Keeping hold of the brake
rope, remove your daisy and
any other gear from the
lower-out point. Then lower
yourself out by letting slack
through your ATC.
Step 7
When you have finished
lowering, put your jumars
back on the rope above you,
remove your ATC and pull
the bight of rope back
through the lower out point.
You can continue jumaring
the now vertical rope.
Top Tip
If you don't quite have
enough rope, you can jumar
up a little after lowering as
far as you can. This will give
you extra rope to complete
the lower-out.
Longer Lower-Outs
The following technique uses
half the amount of rope but
involves untying from the end.
This is useful for very long
lower-outs or for lower-outs
near the start of a pitch.
Step 1
Follow steps 1 and 2 as
described in the previous
section and add a back-up knot
as shown.
Step 2
Untie from the end of the rope
and feed it through the lower-
out point.
Step 3
Attach the rope to an ATC (or munter
hitch) on your belay loop and pull the
slack through so your weight is taken
by it.
Step 4
Remove your daisy and lower yourself
out.
Step 5
When you’ve finished lowering out,
remove your ATC, pull the rope
through the lower-out point and tie
back into the end.
The Nose, El Capitan, Yosemite. Tom Evans. 108
Hauling

Hauling
This chapter explains how to pack systems to make the whole experience
and prepare your haulbag and how to much easier, maybe even enjoyable.
use mechanical advantage hauling You’ll have that 150kg load up in no
………….. time.
Packing the Haulbag

A poorly packed haulbag is a Step 3
nightmare on the wall. Small essential Remove the haulbag straps and drop
items will sneak their way to the very them into the bottom of the haulbag.
bottom, or you’ll be unable to get at You won’t need these until you’re on
your food unless you pull out all your the summit.
water bottles and bivi gear, probably
dropping most of it in the process. Hauling with the straps on will
probably break the straps, cause the
Avoid this by packing properly at the haulbag to get stuck and dislodge
base and re-packing in a logical order rocks.
after a night's sleep on the wall. If you
have more than one haulbag you can
pack each one in the same way.
Step 1
Once you've carried all your stuff to
the base of the route, position your
haulbag where it will be hauled from. It
will be difficult to drag it around the
base once packed, so get it in the
right position to start with.
Step 2
Pack your loose equipment into 'stuff
sacks'. Use stuff sacks (with a secure
clip-in point) to group together food,
clothes, toiletries and other small
items.
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Hauling 110
Step 4
Line the inside of your haulbag.
Cardboard or old pieces of foam
sleeping pads work well. This will help Haulbag
to prevent holes from wearing in the lining
sides when you drag the bag up
slabby ground. Don’t use your actual
sleeping pad for this – it’ll be almost
impossible to reposition back into a
fully loaded haulbag.
Step 5
Haulbags like to be packed in layers,
with the bottom layer providing
structure. Without a tightly packed
bottom layer, the haulbag will elongate
and become narrower when hanging
by its straps, which reduces overall
useable space.
Pack the bottom layer tightly with stuff

that you won’t need for the first half of
the wall. Things like spare water, food
and celebratory summit beers would
be suitable items. Once you remove
something from this layer when the
haulbag is hanging by its straps, you
probably won’t fit it back in. So factor
this in when packing. Stack water
bottles upright and cram your stuff
sacks of food in between them.
Step 6
Fill the rest of your haulbag in a logical
order. The second layer up should
consist of things you don’t need until
the following day (e.g: tomorrow’s food
and water). The next layer will be
things you won’t need until the
evening (e.g: sleeping bag, stove).
Anything above this will be easily
accessible. Fill it with stuff you might
need during the day, making sure to
keep a bottle of water and some food
on the very top along with your first aid
kit and some spare clothing.
Step 7
Streamline the haulbag. Fasten the
straps and tuck away any loose
pieces of cord to reduce the chances
of it getting stuck.
Rack Bag
Spare rack could be packed in the top
layer too. However, if you have a huge
spare rack of obscure aid gear, it's
worth taking an extra smaller haulbag
(a rack bag) to de-cluster your main
load. Attach the rack bag to the main
hauling point so that it hangs
alongside the main haulbag.
If using a rack bag, group the same

type of rack together on 'racking'
slings. Use an internal clip-in system
to clip your racking slings to. This way,
you won't accidentally drop all your
cams when pulling out your piton
rack.
Portaledge
You can attach your portaledge to the
straps underneath the haulbag, or to
your main hauling point. The rainfly
can hang on these straps underneath
too (packed inside a durable bag) if
there's no room inside the haulbag.
Be warned that if your rainfly is in a

standard stuff sack, it’ll probably wear
a hole in it if hauled like this.
Poop Tube
You could also attach your poop tube
to these straps, but a better way is to
attach it to a piece of cord (4 or 5
meters long) which is clipped to the
main hauling point.
This way, it hangs out of smell-range

below everything else and can be
pulled up quickly in an emergency!
Example Haulbag Setups

Which haulbag setup you choose
depends on your personal preference,
how many people are in your team
and how much stuff you’re bringing.
Here are some examples.
Medium size
Lightweight haulbag (approx
Suitable for 2 climbers spending 2 100 litres)
nights on the wall.
Poop tube
Mid-weight Heavyweight
Suitable for 2 climbers spending 5-7 Suitable for 2 climbers spending 2
nights on the wall. weeks on the wall.
Full size Medium Full size Two

haulbag size haulbag medium
(approx 160 haulbag (approx 160 size
litres) litres) haulbags
Portaledge
fly
Portaledge
fly
Portaledge
Portaledge
Poop tube
Poop tube
Preparing the Haulbag
Before you leave the ground, you'll The docking tether provides a
need to attach the haul rope and a releasable attachment point for the
docking tether to the haulbag. haulbag (see page 130).
Step 1 Step 2
Attach the docking tether Along with a docking
to the main hauling tether, you will need a
carabiner (large auto- back-up sling/cord.
lockers are a good Incorporating a shock-
choice) by tying an absorber (screamer) with
overhand loop in the the sling is preferable.
middle of it as shown. Attach this to the main
This provides you with hauling screwgate.
two strands for docking. ~2
meters
Note
For lighter loads, it can
be easier to use a single
strand and dock the
haulbag with a munter-
mule-overhand (both ~2
methods are described meters
later in this chapter).
Step 3
On most haulbags, one strap is When you fasten the main hauling
shorter than the other. Clip the long carabiner, it'll remain closed for the
one into the main hauling carabiner duration of the climb. This carabiner
along with the docking tether and will be constantly loaded until you
back-up sling. reach the summit.
Step 4
Attach the shorter strap to the main
hauling screwgate with another
carabiner.
On heavy loads, it can be difficult to Then attach it via a piece of 7mm

unclip this carabiner to access the cord tied with a releasable knot (such
haulbag’s contents. An alternative is as a munter-mule-overhand) as
to shorten the strap further by tying shown. However you do it, make sure
an overhand knot in it. the haulbag’s weight hangs evenly on
both straps.
Step 5
If using a knot protector (highly
recommended), slide it onto the end
of the haul rope at this point.
Step 6
Tie a figure-8 in the end of the haul
rope and attach it to the main hauling
carabiner with a separate screwgate.
Swivel
If your route is slabby with many
traversing pitches, it is worth using a
swivel. This will help to prevent kinks
in the haul rope. Tuck the docking
tether and back-up cord away to
further reduce snags.
Rigging Plate
A rigging plate (such as the Petzl
Paw) helps to spread things out at the
main hauling point. This is most useful
if taking several haulbags.
Rigging
Swivel
plate
How To Haul
There are different hauling systems Pulley Orientation
you can use to get your equipment up Hauling devices and pulleys should be
the wall. used with compatible carabiners
(ovals work best). This spreads the
1:1 hauling is the simplest and most load evenly across the bearings.
suitable for light loads. A 2:1 or 3:1
setup may be needed for heavy loads Using an ill-fitting carabiner causes a
or hauling up slabby terrain. Space sideways strain on the pulley and
hauling can be used with any system makes hauling even harder.
to speed up the haul too.
It is easy to switch between systems

once they are set up (e.g: You might
start with a 3:1, and then switch to 1:1
space hauling once your partner has
finished cleaning the pitch). All of
these systems are described in detail
in this chapter.
Backing Up the Haul

Auto-locking hauling devices are very
unlikely to break. The most likely
cause of failure is the toothed catch
becoming wedged open, causing the
haulbag to plummet. This usually
happens because something got
stuck in it or there was a weighted
rope pinching it into the rock.
Prevent this disaster by keeping the

hauling device clear of anything else Friction
at the belay and add a back-up during On slabby terrain, the haulbag will
the haul. With a 1:1 or a 3:1, this drag up the wall, creating friction
back-up will be your GriGri. With a 2:1, which makes the hauling more
the back-up will be the cord. Neither difficult. The same is true for blocky
of these are textbook ways to back terrain where the tensioned haul rope
something up – for added security, rubs over rock features.
tie the haul line to the belay
occasionally. The more the haulbag and rope
contact the rock, the more friction is
If you need to remove a back-up, created and therefore the harder the
make sure to add another first (e.g: If hauling will be. The same weight
switching from a 1:1 to a 2:1, attach hauled 1:1 on overhanging terrain
yourself to the 2:1 before removing may need a 2:1 on slabby terrain.
your GriGri).
Some belays are conveniently With a 3:1 setup, three meters of rope
situated above a nice ledge. This must be hauled to move the load up
provides a great stance, but often one meter. This means you must haul
creates unwanted friction when the three times the distance of the pitch.
haul rope rubs over the lip of the
ledge. It is worth setting up the haul at In theory, a 3:1 is three times easier
the side of the ledge so this doesn’t than a 1:1. In reality, it’s more like 2.5
happen, if the opportunity exists to do times easier. This difference between
so. theoretical and actual mechanical
advantage is primarily due to friction
around pulleys and stretch in the
Mechanical Advantage rope.
The hauling systems in this section
are described using their mechanical Taking this lack of efficiency into
advantage. Adding mechanical consideration, it is still definitely worth
advantage makes the hauling slower, adding mechanical advantage to a
but easier. 1:1 if you’re finding it extremely
difficult to haul.
Imagine you had to carry 75kg of
equipment in a backpack along a trail Which setup you use depends on the
(like when you are walking to the weight of the haulbag and the friction
base of the route). Would you carry all involved. Try a 1:1 first and go from
75kg in a single monster load (1:1)? there. It’s easy to switch between
Or would you split the load into 3 and systems mid-haul if needed.
carry a more manageable 25kg each
time (3:1)?
Hauling Systems – 1:1

A 1:1 is the foundation upon which all Note: The leader’s tie-in knot has
other hauling systems are built. been removed from the following
Regardless of your chosen system, diagrams for clarity.
you will need to set this up first
anyway.
Most suitable for:
Advantages - Light loads (less than your
- Simple bodyweight) when the hauling is
- Requires little equipment steep
- Often the quickest way of hauling
You will need:
Disadvantages - a hauling device (e.g: Petzl Pro
- Very difficult to haul more than your Traxion)
own bodyweight - an auto-locking belay device (e.g:
Petzl GriGri)
Step 1
After leading a pitch,
attach yourself to the
anchor, fix the lead rope
and set up the hauling
system as described on
page 82.
Step 2
At this point, your belayer
will release the haulbag
(see page 135).
Spare
rope
Spare
rope
Spare
rope
Rope to Rope to
haulbag follower
Step 3 Step 4
Now the hard work begins. Lean your Once you have pulled some rope
weight back onto your GriGri so it through the hauling device, step into
locks, and push out and down from your aiders and 'reset' by pulling the
the wall. The lighter your bags, the slack rope through your GriGri, as if
easier this will be. you are taking in a top rope.
Pulling on the ‘up’ rope with one hand With practise, you will develop a
will give you a little extra help. If your smooth hauling action, keeping your
bags are super heavy, you could try feet in the same position throughout
bracing your feet against the wall at the haul.
head-height and pushing out using
your legs.
Step 5 Step 6
Stack the rope away neatly as you To complete the haul, you will need to
haul so that it won’t tangle into the dock the bag (see page 132).
hauling device.
Stop hauling when you still have Top Tip

around 30cm of rope left – be careful Pace yourself. Have a rest every 20 or
not to jam the knot into the device. so pulls and stack the rope or have a
sip of water. Treat it like a marathon,
not a sprint.
Advantages You will need:
- It’s much easier to haul the same - a hauling device (e.g: Petzl Pro
weight on a 2:1 than a 1:1 Traxion)
- Enables you to haul more than your - an auto-locking belay device (e.g:
own bodyweight Petzl GriGri)
- You can add or remove the 2:1 - two non-locking pulleys
setup from a slack or tensioned haul - a jumar (or similar)
rope, meaning it’s easy to switch - a 2 meter length of 8mm nylon cord
between systems mid-haul (don’t use dyneema cord – this
material weakens with repeated
Disadvantages flexing and will suddenly snap mid-
- Requires more pulleys than a 1:1 haul)
- Must haul twice as much rope as a
1:1
Most suitable for:

- Heavy loads (a little more than your
bodyweight)
- Hauling light loads up high-friction
terrain
8mm cord permanently

tied through pulley. This
allows the pulley to
twist itself into position
when hauling.
Clovehitch tied on
two carabiners.
This knot is easy
to unfasten after
Step 1 being loaded –
Set up the cord, pulleys and jumar as just wiggle the
shown. If you don’t need the pulleys carabiners to
for anything else, it is worth leaving loosen it.
this set up for the duration of the
climb.
Step 2
Attach the 2:1 to the 1:1 as shown,
either to the bottom hole of your
hauling device (if there is one) or to
the main anchor point.
Whichever you choose, it’s important

to orientate it so the haul rope and
cord can move freely without rubbing
against each other or anything else.
Step 3
Clip the double carabiners to your
belay loop and adjust the clovehitch
to a comfortable length.
Step 4
Lean back in your harness to haul
with the cord while simultaneously
pulling slack haul rope through the
hauling device.
Step 5
To reset the system, stand up and
slide the jumar down the rope.
Fine-Tune
The 2:1 can be fairly clumsy at first.
Adjust the clovehitch and try standing
in different steps of your aiders until
you fine-tune the position which
allows you to haul with a smooth
rhythmic action. This system is very Rope to
efficient once you get used to it. haulbag
2:1 Hauling

Advantages Most suitable for:
- Even easier to haul than a 2:1 - Monster loads (twice your
- You can add or remove the 3:1 bodyweight)
setup from a slack or tensioned haul
rope, meaning it’s easy to switch
between systems mid-haul You will need:
- a hauling device (e.g: Petzl Pro
Traxion)
Disadvantages - an auto-locking belay device (e.g:
- Requires more pulleys than a 1:1 Petzl GriGri)
- Must haul three times as much rope - a small locking pulley
as a 1:1 - a non-locking pulley
- Resetting the system can be - a jumar (or similar)
awkward depending on the terrain
Step 1
Set up the pulleys and jumar as
shown. You can set the lower jumar
and pulley as far down as you have
rope available.
Wiggle the rope to move the jumar

and pulley further down beyond your
reach, making sure they remain
orientated correctly.
Spare
rope
Top Tip
A carabiner clipped to
the jumar as shown
helps it glide down the
rope more smoothly –
useful when setting it
out of reach.
Rope to
haulbag
Step 2
Haul in the same way as a 1:1.
Depending on how far down you set
the jumar, it may take a couple of pulls
to get the stretch out of the rope
before the haulbag actually moves up.
Catch
down
Catch
Catch down
up Pull
slack
Push
down
Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

When the lower pulley Pull slack through Once you have pushed
gets close to the small your GriGri and push it as far as you can
locking pulley, flip the the jumar down the reach, flip the catch
catch on it to release tensioned rope. back down on the small
the locking mechanism. locking pulley and
continuing hauling.
The main hauling pulley
will now take the weight
– check that the catch
on the main hauling
pulley is correctly
engaged before moving
onto the next step.
Space Hauling
Space hauling means using your 2:1 Space Haul
partner as a counterweight to assist
with the haul. It can be used with any
mechanical advantage system, and
doubles the efficiency (e.g: Two
people hauling with a 3:1 setup gives
a 6:1 advantage).
Advantages
- Because the hard work is shared,
the hauling is easier and faster than
the other methods
- For most of the haul, the lower
climber will be within reach of the
haulbag. This means they can guide it
around features and prevent it from
getting stuck
Disadvantages
- Must wait until your partner has
cleaned some, or all, of the pitch
- Can be difficult on overhanging
terrain – the lower climber will have
to jumar a free-hanging rope
Most suitable for:

- Loads which are too difficult to move
on your own
- Hauling up fixed ropes on less than
vertical terrain
How To Space Haul

The lower climber weights the haul
rope while the top climber hauls. It is
VERY IMPORTANT that the lower
climber stays backed-up on the lead
rope while they do this. This back-up
will need to be adjusted as the haul
progresses. The lower climber will
move down while the upper climber
hauls. The lower climber will, at some
point, need to jumar back up the rope.
To streamline this process, they can
ascend the rope at the same time as
the upper climber hauls.
3:1 Space Haul 1:1 Space Haul
Attach a jumar to the rope

instead of a GriGri. Either
attach the jumar directly to
your harness, or attach it to
an aider and stand in it.
The lower
climber will need
to transfer their
weight to the
lead rope while
the system is
being reset.
Space Hauling Tips
- There will often be a part of the pitch - Space hauling while wearing all the
which is easier for the lower climber to rack you just cleaned from the pitch is
jumar up (e.g: a lower-angle section). difficult. It is often better to finish
Once at this point, they can ‘jumar on cleaning the pitch and deposit the
the spot’ while the other climber hauls. rack at the belay before you help with
This also means there is no need for the haul.
the lower climber to keep adjusting
their lead rope back-up.
Docking the Haulbag

Once the haulbag is at the belay, Step 2
you'll need to 'dock' it. This means Wrap the loose strands neatly around
attaching the haulbag to the belay in the docking tether beneath the
such a way that it is secure and can munter hitch and finish off with a reef
also be released easily. knot.
Step 1 The friction of these wraps stops the

Attach a screwgate to the main rope sliding through the munter hitch.
anchor point and fasten your docking
tether to it with a munter hitch. Tie the
knot so that it won’t flip when
weighted.
Main anchor
point
Main
haulbag
point
Single Strand Docking Tether
If you are using a single strand
docking tether, you can dock the bag
with a releasable knot such as the
munter-mule-overhand (see page
244).
Step 3
Attach your back-up cord to a bolt,
making sure there's the right amount
of slack in the cord. It will need to be
slack enough that the haulbag's Flip
weight is fully on the docking tether, catch
but not so slack as to cause shock-
loading if the docking tether were to
unfasten itself.
It can be a little tricky to judge exactly

how much the docking tether will
stretch when loaded. If you prefer, you
can attach the back-up cord after step
5. Just don’t forget to do it.
Step 4
Haul a few centimetres of rope
through the hauling device whilst
flipping up the catch. This releases
the auto-lock on the pulley.
Step 5
Lower the haulbag using your GriGri If your haulbag is super heavy, brace
until it is weighted on its docking yourself so you don't get sucked in to
tether. the pulley. Check that:
The docking
tether is fastened
tight (push the
wraps of cord
together neatly)
The haulbag’s
weight is
completely on the
docking tether
The back-up cord

has the correct
amount of slack –
adjust it now if not.
Step 6
The hauling pulley and GriGri can now
be removed. The haul rope can be
removed too if you:
- need to sort out a rope tangle.
- prefer to swap ends of the haul rope.
- need to tie the haulbag into a different
part of the rope to haul the next pitch.
Otherwise, you can simply leave it

attached where it is. If you remove the
haul rope, make sure to attach the end
of it securely to the belay so it cannot
fall irretrievably out of reach.
Classic Mistake
Docking the haulbag over
a tie-in knot. Manipulating
this knot out of the
carabiner will be a
herculean task. Haul the
bag up again and dock it
somewhere better.
100kg
haulbag
Classic Mistake
Docking the haulbag on the back-up To solve the problem:
cord. You dock the haulbag, but the 1) Flip the catch back down on the
back-up cord takes some or all of hauling device
the weight. 2) Mini-haul a short distance to unweight
the back-up cord
This isn’t an immediate problem, but 3) Adjust the back-up cord appropriately
when it comes to hauling the next 4) Lower the haulbag onto the docking
pitch you will have a great deal of tether
difficulty releasing the haulbag.
Releasing the Haulbag
When the leader has set up the The haulbag will need to be lowered
hauling system at the upper belay, the out slowly to avoid damaging its
belayer will need to release the contents. Having a gallon of gatorade
haulbag from the lower belay. explode into your sleeping bag is not
fun.
If communication is difficult, wait for
the bags to be hauled up a bit to On straight-up pitches, you can
confirm that the leader has actually simply unfasten the docking tether. To
got the hauling device setup and lower the haulbag on a traversing
ready. pitch (most pitches traverse a little),
you’ll need to use the remaining haul
Visualize where the haulbag will go rope as a lower-out. Both methods
when you release it. are described on the following pages.
Releasing Haulbags on a Straight-Up Pitch
Step 1 Step 2
Once the leader confirms that the Tell your partner you are ‘releasing
hauling system is set up, you can the haulbag’, so they know to begin
make your final checks and then hauling. Begin unfastening the
remove the back-up sling. docking tether so you are just left with
the munter hitch. Keep a firm grip on
Main the docking tether as you do this.
anchor
point
Main
haulbag
point
Main Single Strand Docking Tether
anchor If using a single strand docking tether
point with a munter-mule-overhand, release
the knot as shown so you are left with
a munter hitch.
Main
haulbag
point
Step 3
Release the munter hitch slowly until
the haulbag’s weight is transferred to
the haul rope (the haulbag may
already be weighting the rope if your
partner has begun hauling).
The haulbag is now free from the

lower belay and ready to haul.
Top Tip
If you can reach, tuck the docking
tether and back-up sling away into the
top part of the haulbag to help
prevent them being abraded during
the haul.
Releasing Haulbags on a Traversing Pitch
If your docking tether isn’t long

enough to lower out the haulbag,
you can utilize the haul rope too.
Rope to
upper belay
Step 1
Allow the leader to pull up a few
meters of haul rope (so they have
enough to begin hauling) and
then tie the haulbag in with an
alpine butterfly. Remember to
slide the knot protector above
this.
Step 2
Use the loose end of the haul
Main
rope to tie a munter hitch to the haulbag
belay. Tie this to the side of the point
belay so the taught haul line
does not rub across you and the
belay as you lower it out.
Step 3
Stack the haul rope so it will feed
out smoothly and remove any
knots (including the figure-8 from
the end). Knots will get stuck in
the munter hitch and probably
also get stuck in cracks when
you haul.
Step 4
Keep a firm grip on the haul rope
and release the docking tether
as described on the previous
pages. The haulbag will then be
weighted on the haul rope's
munter hitch.
Step 5
Lower the haulbag out
slowly on this munter hitch.
When you reach the end of
the rope, just let it drop.
Release rope
through
munter hitch
Haulbag
lowers out
Hauling Low-Angled Terrain

Hauling up slabby ground (e.g: the Shuttle Gear
final pitch) is much more difficult due On low-angled loose ground, you can
to the added friction. To make it reduce the chances of dislodging
easier: rocks by fixing the pitch and jumaring
up with a bag on your back, or with
Space Haul stuff clipped to your harness. You’ll
Follow the steps on page 128 and probably have to make several trips
make sure to be backed up with the but it may be the easiest way,
lead rope. The lower climber should depending on the terrain.
stay with the bags to guide them
around obstacles and loose rock.
Split the Load

Divide your stuff into two or three
more manageable loads and haul
them separately. For example, haul
the portaledge, rack bag and poop
tube as the first load. Then abseil
down and attach the main haulbag as
the second load.
Tag Lines
A tag line can be used to help reduce Step 2
weight on the back of your harness Once you have finished leading the
while leading (essential for free pitch, the belayer attaches the haul
climbing). Tag lines are full length rope and anchor kit to the tag line. For
static ropes which are typically 5.5- long heavy hauls it’s nice to pass up
8mm in diameter. water and snacks at this point too.
Trailing a 5.5mm tag line (~ 1kg) is

much easier than trailing a fat single Step 3
rope (~ 5.5kg) – you’ll notice the The leader pulls up the tag line to
difference towards the top of the retrieve the haul rope and gear. This
pitch. While being very light, tag lines can be pulled up hand-over-hand if
are fairly redundant – they cannot be you’re confident that you won’t drop it,
used for jumaring, leading or heavy or by using a locking pulley such as
hauling. the Petzl Micro Traxion (only works
with thicker tag lines).
Step 1 If using a rack bag, you could pass

Trail the tag line instead of a haul this up now too to reduce cluster and
rope while leading. weight when hauling the main load.
Stuck Haulbags
If your haulbags get stuck (which they If you can’t see what the problem is,
probably will), stop hauling and see first try wiggling and pushing out on
what the problem is (if you can see the tensioned haul rope. The slight
them). Don’t force it – this might change in rope angle might be all
make the situation worse as your that’s needed to release it. If that
haulbag wedges itself farther up into doesn’t work, lower them a short
a chimney or loose flake. amount and try again.
Lower the haulbags using the same

technique as if you were docking
1) Open them – release the catch on your
catch hauling device and lower using your
GriGri.
If that doesn’t work, someone will

need to go down and manhandle
them. In most cases, your partner will
be close by and able to swing over. If
not (e.g: because it’s a traverse),
you’re better off waiting until they’ve
finished cleaning the pitch. They can
then descend on the lead rope to sort
it out.
3) Close
catch
2) Lower
haulbag
Hauling Past a Knot
Times when you may need to haul
past a knot include:
- If you fix a few pitches with two or
more ropes tied together.
- If you fasten a knot (alpine butterfly
works best) to isolate a damaged
section of the haul rope.
The following method works for 1:1,

2:1 or 3:1 haul setups.
Step 1
Haul the load until the knot is just
below the hauling device.
Step 2 Step 3
Attach an inverted jumar Release the hauling
approximately 60cm device so the weight is
below the knot and add transferred to the jumar.
a back-up as shown.
Step 4 Step 5
Extend the hauling setup with a sling Check the system. Then remove the
and reassemble it so the knot is past back-up and jumar, and continue
the device. hauling.
Flagging the Portaledge

For harder routes with time- the haulbag) the portaledge is free to
consuming pitches, it is much more spin around independently of the
pleasant to belay from the comfort of haulbag, and is therefore less likely to
a portaledge than to be crunched up cause problems during the haul,
on a belay seat. When it is time to especially if it’s windy. Tie pieces of
haul, you can leave the portaledge 6mm cord to the corners of your
fully set up and ‘flag’ it as shown on portaledge to create clip-in points, if it
the next page. doesn’t already have them.
Simply clip the corners and middle of Flagging works best on vertical or
your portaledge around the haul rope, overhanging terrain. On slabby
making sure to clip the portaledge’s ground, your portaledge will likely get
main point around the rope too. By stuck, damaged and could dislodge
clipping around the haul rope (not to loose rock.
………...
Un-flagging the Portaledge at the Top Anchor
In high winds, a flagged ledge will of where you will put it while you
behave perfectly… until the moment complete the final part of the haul. If
you remove it from the haul line. it’s super windy, slide it behind the
Attach a back-up sling so you can’t tensioned haul rope to tame it until
drop your portaledge and have a plan the haulbags are docked.
…………..
Hauling – Summary
Hauling is hard work, but it gets much weight to simulate what you will take
easier with practise. Practise at your on your chosen climb. Figure out
local crag, climbing wall or large tree. exactly where to position yourself for
Line your haulbag with cardboard or each system and focus on developing
foam mats and fill it with rocks and a smooth rhythm that you can sustain
water bottles. Start with a light weight for quite a while. Haul with your
first (20-30kg) to get used to the bodyweight, not by pulling with your
different systems and then add more arms. Practise makes perfect.
……………...
The Pan Wall, Squamish, Canada. Maria Parkes. 144
Descending

Descending
The same principles are used to and will be familiar with what is
descend from a big wall as from a coming next. If you have topos of
multi-pitch trad route. The only real nearby climbs (which you should),
difference is the added weight you you may find an easier descent.
need to take down. However, be aware of descending an
old route which rarely gets climbed –
Some walls have a walk-off descent, the anchors may be poor or non-
some have sections of fixed ropes existent.
and some require you to abseil the
route you climbed, which may involve Organise your haulbag so you have
overhanging or traversing terrain. the necessary items handy – spare
Descending from a big wall can take rack, warm clothes, food, water,
a whole day (or longer) depending on headlamps and a first aid kit should
where you are and how involved the be kept near the top.
descent is. Before you go up, it’s
important to know how to get down. Pour out surplus water, but obviously
save enough for the way down. Pack
If retreating, it is usually better to everything inside your haulbags (poop
descend the route you climbed, rather tube, rack bag, portaledge) so you
than follow mystery anchors. This have less stuff to tangle with your
way, you’ll know the anchors are good ropes.
Descending with a Heavy Load

Step 1 – Divide the Weight Both climbers should keep the following
The first person down should take a gear with them during the descent:
light load – swinging across the wall - Two full strength daisy chains or slings
to reach the next anchor, or re- - Two aiders
ascending is much easier with a - Two jumars
lighter load. Having the means to - Two prusik cords
ascend the ropes will be essential if - A couple of spare slings
you abseil the wrong way, or go past - Knife
the next anchor. - Spare screwgates and snapgates
(about 4 of each is useful)
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Descending 146
The first person down should also take: Use gear that is easy to clean, and
- Hauling device place the minimum amount needed to
- Enough rack to down-aid sections reach the next anchor. The aim is for
and set up the next anchor the second climber to abseil with the
- Cheater stick (if you have one) haulbags as easily as possible.
However, for pitches like this it may
be easier for the second person to
Step 2 – First Climber Descends lower the haulbags (see page 154),
The first climber abseils down using an rather than abseil with them.
ATC and prusik on both ropes, just like
a normal abseil. You may have to If directionals have been placed, the
swing around or cheater-stick to reach ropes should be fixed tight to the next
the next anchor. You should clip the anchor (use a releasable knot such
ends of the ropes to yourself so you as the munter mule). Allow the
can’t abseil off the ends and also to second climber to attach their belay
keep the rope under control in the device before you pull the ropes tight.
wind.
A releasable knot is preferred so you
On overhangs, kick out from the wall can adjust it as the second climber
so that you bounce outwards as you descends – there will be extra slack
descend. If you don’t kick out hard when they remove directionals and
enough each time, you’ll end up pull stretch out of the rope lower in
dangling in space, and will have to re- the abseil.
ascend.
Swing
On traverses, keep a sideways swing

as you descend, making sure your
rope stays away from sharp edges. On
very steep/traversing pitches, you’ll
have to down-aid (place directionals).
Place gear and clip it to your abseil
ropes.
Step 3 – Second Climber Setup
The second climber needs to attach
the haulbag to themselves and to
their belay device. Two ways of doing
this are shown.
Light Loads
Hanging the
haulbag from your
belay loop is simple,
but is uncomfortable
with a heavy load.
Heavy Loads
This setup keeps the
weight of the haulbag off
your harness and allows
you to escape from the
haulbag easily.
Having two carabiners

through your ATC adds
friction and more control.
Alternatively, set up your

ropes for a single-strand
pull-down (see page
158) and abseil with a
GriGri.
Step 4 – Second Climber Descends
If no directionals have been placed, If directionals have been placed, they
the second climber abseils down, will need to be removed on the way
being very careful not to go below the down. Because the ropes are fixed
level of the next anchor. tight to the lower anchor, it is possible
to pull across to retrieve them. Make
When almost level with the anchor, sure not to descend below the level of
use your jumars to pull yourself in, or the gear.
get your partner to haul you in. Make
sure not to descend too far or the You may have to un-weight the rope
difficulty of this task will be greatly for a moment in order to remove gear.
increased. This is done by swinging, holding onto
nearby features or temporarily
weighting a hook while you clean the
piece. Be ready to swing out a little
when doing this.
If it is too difficult to remove the gear,

you’ll have to unclip the rope, swing
out and leave the gear behind.
Step 5 – Attach Yourself
When you reach the anchor, attach
yourself to it.
Step 6 – Attach Haulbag
For heavy loads, you’ll need some When approaching the belay, dock
kind of releasable system so you can the haulbag as normal (with a
easily transfer the haulbag to the next releasable knot and a back-up sling),
abseil by yourself. then continue down a little further until
the weight is on the docking tether.
Step 7 – Pull Ropes
Remove your ATC and prusik. Thread
your ropes through the anchor and
pull them down.
When Leaving the Belay
Get everything else ready
and then release the docking
tether.
Alternatively, some types of

adjustable daisy can be used
instead of a docking tether.
Lowering Haulbags
Sometimes it is better to lower the
haulbags instead of abseiling with
them. This may be because:
- They are too heavy
- The next anchor is through a roof or
across a big traverse
- You are close enough to lower them
all the way to the ground
Step 1
The first climber abseils on one rope
which is fixed to the anchor.
Step 2
This rope is then fixed tight to the
lower anchor (with a releasable knot)
to create a taut zip line between
belays.
Step 3
The haulbag is clipped to the
tensioned rope with two screwgates
and lowered down using the second
rope. Lower the haulbag with a
munter hitch (or a monster munter for
extra friction) directly off the belay to
keep the weight off your harness.
Step 4
The first climber docks the haulbag
and fixes the ropes to the lower
anchor with enough slack for the
second climber to descend.
Step 5
The second climber re-ties the ropes
at the upper anchor so they can be
pulled, and then abseils on both ropes
as normal.
If Placing Directionals
The previous technique won’t work if
you had to place directionals on the
rope to get to the lower anchor – the
haulbag will get stuck at the
directional piece and cause a helluva
problem.
If you need to place directionals, you

can use a third rope. The system is
the same, except the first climber
abseils with two ropes fixed to the
upper anchor. One rope is used for
directionals, the other is used as the
zip line.
Lowering Haulbags Past a Knot
Times when you might need to lower Step 2
haulbags past a knot include: Tie a munter hitch directly on the
anchor, and make it into a monster
If your lowering rope is damaged munter as shown.
Tie a knot over the damaged section
and use the following technique to This adds a lot more friction, which
lower the haulbag down the zip line. will be needed for a heavy load.
If you are close to the ground

It may be easier to tie 2 or 3 ropes Step 3
together and lower your haulbags all Attach the haulbags to the end of the
the way to the ground. This should rope and begin lowering. When the
only be done on overhanging terrain overhand knot reaches the monster
where the haulbags cannot possibly munter, it will manipulate itself
get stuck on their way down. through. If it gets stuck, encourage it
around with a carabiner.
Step 1
Tie your ropes together with overhand Be careful to keep your fingers away
knots with 30cm tails. Make sure the from the knot – you could sever your
knots are neat and tight. Stack them finger if it gets dragged in.
into rope bags so they feed out
without tangles when lowering.
Retreating Mid-Pitch
The following technique allows you to Step 2
bail when mid-way through leading a Abseil on the haul rope while getting
pitch without leaving all your gear belayed down on the lead rope. If the
behind. top piece fails, you will be protected
by the gear you placed on the lead
Note rope. Remove this protection as you
If you (or your partner) plan to return to descend.
this high-point to continue leading,
then use the fixing mid-pitch technique
shown on page 182. Step 3
This technique allows you to descend
Step 1 up to half the length of the haul rope.
Clip the middle of the haul rope (white At this point, you will need to create
in this diagram) into a good piece of an anchor and repeat the process.
gear. Equalize a bunch of gear if
necessary.
Abseiling with a Damaged Rope
Step 1
Attach the rope through the anchor.
Two methods are shown here, but
many other knots could be used. The
point is to have a knot which
physically cannot pull through or get
stuck in the main anchor point.
The important part of this setup is to

clip the rope back to itself with a
screwgate carabiner to make a closed
loop around the main anchor point.
This way, the system wouldn’t fail
completely if the knot slipped through.
You would, however, have to jumar
back up to solve the problem.
Step 2
Attach your abseil device to the good
strand of rope.
Follow the same safety precautions

as you would when abseiling at any
other time: tie a knot in the bottom
end of the rope, use a prusik and
weight the rope to check the system
before you commit to it.
Step 3 Top Tips
Abseil down the good strand while - Add slings and cordelettes to the
keeping hold of the pull-down cord. end of the pull-down cord if you need
It’s a good idea to keep the end of the a little extra distance on your abseils.
pull-down cord clipped to you.
- If both of your ropes are damaged,
Watch the setup as the first climber the best option may be to salvage the
descends. If the knot gets jammed or longest section of undamaged rope
slips through, you’ll need to tie a as the ‘good’ rope and join the rest
bigger knot or change the main together as the pull-down cord. You
anchor point to something smaller won’t be able to abseil as far but this
(small maillons/ quick-links are good may be better than not being able to
for this). abseil at all.
- Another option is to fix one end of

Step 4 the rope to the anchor and abseil on a
Pull your ropes down. single strand, passing knots (see
below) on the way. You will not be
On a multi-pitch descent, remember able to retrieve your ropes, so this
that you will have to thread the same only works if your ropes reach to the
rope through each anchor. ground.
Abseiling Past a Knot with a Heavy Load

If you climb enough walls, you will at
some point end up abseiling down a
fixed rope with a heavy haulbag only
to discover a knot in the rope, or a
core-shot that requires isolating with a
knot.
Or maybe you have tied all your ropes

together and are retreating to the
ground in an emergency. Either way,
you’ll need to pass a knot in the rope.
Step 1 – Stop
Stop about 30cm above the knot.
Don’t abseil into it!
Step 2 – Back-up Step 3 – Transfer Haulbag
Tie a back-up knot in the rope and Attach a jumar to the rope just above
attach it to your belay loop. This your GriGri. Clip the haulbag to the
ensures that you can’t become jumar with an adjustable daisy or a
detached from the rope even if your docking tether (or both for extra
jumars and daisies disintegrate in the safety) and cinch it tight so the weight
following steps. of the haulbag is taken by the jumar.
Step 4 – Transfer Yourself Step 5 – Move GriGri
Repeat this for yourself. For added Remove your GriGri and position it
redundancy, use a separate jumar. immediately below the knot. Check
The weight of you and your haulbag that you and your haulbag are still
should now be taken by the jumar(s). attached to the GriGri correctly.
Step 6 – Transfer to GriGri
Slowly release the haulbag’s
adjustable daisy so the weight is
transferred back to the GriGri.
If the adjustable daisy is too short,

remove it first and use the docking
tether to lower the haulbag onto the
GriGri. Repeat this step for yourself
(easier if you have an aider to stand
in).
Step 7 – Check the System

Do a mini test-abseil to check the
system, then remove the jumars.
Once you are certain you have

passed the knot correctly, remove the
back-up knot and continue your
descent.
Descending Low-Angled Terrain

You can carry a light haulbag on your
back if doing a short abseil on loose
ground, where you are trying to
minimize dislodging rocks. To reduce
the possibility of being flipped upside-
down, clip an upper haulbag strap
around the ropes above you.
On anything steeper than a low-

angled slab, or with a monster load,
the weight of the bag will cause you to
invert and create further problems. In
this case, hang it from your harness
as described on page 148.
Walking Off
You won’t actually have walked If you have a heavy load, consider
anywhere for a few days or weeks taking half of it down, have a day off,
and so your leg muscles won’t be then come back for the rest. Take
happy when faced with a long valuables (wallet, car keys) and
downhill hike loaded down with a scented items first so you don’t attract
huge bag. wildlife into your unattended stuff.
Jon Rigg chilling out after an A5 lead on Skull Fuck, The Squamish Chief, Canada. 164
Living on the Wall

Living on the Wall – Bivi Setups
You should position your portaledge in whereas others only have 2 bolts
such a way that it is easy to access close together. Some can be spread
things from inside your haulbags. The wide apart by adding gear at the
main challenge is usually making the sides and others cannot. Visualize
belay wide enough so the portaledge where your portaledge and haulbags
can hang next to the haulbags. Some will be while you are making the
belays have 3 or 4 widely spaced anchor, so you don’t have to re-make
bolts, which makes the task easy, the anchor later.
………….
Example Portaledge Setups
Haulbag docked Portaledge hanging

on left bolt, backed from right bolt, backed
up to main point up to centre bolt
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Living on the Wall 166
Haulbags
docked on
left bolt,
backed up to Portaledge
main point hanging from trad
gear, backed up to
right bolt
Both
Haulbags portaledges
docked and hanging
backed up from trad
on main gear, backed
point up to a bolt
Haulbags docked Portaledge hanging
on left bolt, backed from right bolt, backed
up to main point up to main point
Top View
If you have a narrow 2-bolt anchor This keeps everything within reach
with no gear to spread things out, you and works well if you don’t need to
can set up the bivi as shown here. access the haulbag’s bottom layer.
Tying In
You should keep your harness on and
remain tied in with the rope throughout
the night. Tie into the main point,
making your rope long enough so you
can move around the bivi and get in
your sleeping bag. An excessively
long tie-in is obviously dangerous.
Never untie any knot from the anchor
unless you are certain what it is – the
random knot you unfasten might be
your partner’s tie-in!
Tying in when the portaledge fly is on

Have your tie-in rope entering through
the top of a door. The rope is weighted
down with a few bunches of carabiners
or pitons as shown. Rain water will soak
down your rope, but not up it.
If you have a taught tie-in rope, rain will

soak all the way down it into your
sleeping bag.
Main Some portaledge manufacturers
anchor recommend that you tie in as shown
point to offer the best protection during a
storm. However, this means that you,
your partner, the portaledge and
everything inside it is hanging on a
single carabiner and sling which are
out of sight on the outside of the fly.
Also, unless you bring a full rope

inside the ledge with you (which may
not be available if you’ve fixed pitches
above), you won’t have a dynamic tie-
in.
Top of
portaledge
Pre-Attaching the Fly

Unless you are certain of good
weather, it’s highly advisable to set
your portaledge up with the fly pre-
attached above. Keep the fly stuffed
away inside its bag, and attached as
shown.
If it gets cold, windy or stormy in the

night, you can quickly deploy the fly.
Remember that your portaledge will
hang approx 60cm lower when the fly
is attached.
Stabilizing the Portaledge
Aim to get the wall-side
corners of your portaledge
to touch the wall.
A corner which doesn’t

contact the rock is less
stable.
Portaledges can be fairly

unstable when weighted
only on one side. This
tends to be a problem at
the most inconvenient
times – when you are
leaning over to get things
out of the haulbag, or
standing on the side of
the ledge to have a pee.
To stabilize your setup, Sling
attach a sling from the
wall-side corner of the
portaledge to the anchor
as shown. This allows you
to stand on the very
corner of your portaledge
without fear of it suddenly
inverting.
Portaledges will hang Side View

differently on slabs
than on steep ground.
Adjust the straps as

necessary to create a
flat living space.
Where To Clip Stuff
When it’s time to delve into the Stuff that you’ll need during the
haulbags, get 10-15 spare carabiners evening (e.g: stove, food, music) can
(bivi biners) ready for clipping things. be clipped on to portaledge straps so
Avoid clipping random stuff to the you don’t need to move from your
main point of the anchor or seated position until its time to sleep.
portaledge. Keep these areas clear At which point, all this stuff can either
for important things like your tie-in be put in the top of a haulbag or
knots. clipped high on the portaledge so it
doesn’t dangle around your face all
A good solution is to clip an aider to a night.
belay bolt and use its steps to clip
various things (e.g: shoes, helmets, Keep breakfast stuff within reach, so
stuff from your harness) that you in the morning you can wake up and
probably won’t need overnight. eat without getting out of your
sleeping bag.
Natural Bivi Ledges

Natural bivi ledges are an island of much easier to reorganise haulbags
luxury on a big wall. Many climbers (e.g: move empty water bottles to the
plan their ascent so they can spend bottom and retrieve spare food) when
the night on natural ledges. It’s also they’re sitting on a rock ledge.
………….
Cooking
Having a warm meal or coffee is an Be Ready
excellent luxury on the wall. If you Get everything ready and within reach
choose to take a stove, make sure before firing up the stove so there is
you understand the drawbacks of no movement when it’s running.
using them because they can be quite
serious. Hang
Hang the stove somewhere so that it
Without care you could burn a hole can’t possibly burn through anything.
through a portaledge, rope or sling, Give it a lot of space. Remember that
scald yourself on boiling water or get heat travels through carabiners.
carbon monoxide poisoning. To avoid
this: Stove Operator
Have one person as the stove
Vent operator and one as doing everything
Open the door of your portaledge fly else (opening packets etc..).
to ventilate the cooking area. Carbon
monoxide builds up quickly in a Protect
closed portaledge and can kill. Pull a sleeping bag over yourself
when cooking – a wet sleeping bag
is better than a first degree burn.
When Nature Calls
It’s good to have a routine where all Some climbers prefer to take Imodium
climbers have one poo at the same tablets every day to eliminate this
time each day. The simul-poo will whole ordeal, and instead just deposit
ideally take place in the morning or one monster load on the summit.
evening when the portaledge is set up There are obvious drawbacks with
and the poop tube is handy. this strategy and it’s perhaps
healthier to just have your daily dump
Keep your harness on during the as normal.
whole event. Unclipping the rear
risers enables you to pull your pants Dealing with urine is easier for men
down more easily. Tuck them away so than women. Simply aim out from the
they don’t swing around in the poo wall, keeping urine away from cracks,
bag. ledges and climbers below. Shewee’s
make this task easier for women, but
Keep the portaledge stable so you they apparently take some practise to
don’t end up with poo stuck to your use successfully.
sleeping bag, pants, ropes, rack,
hands, unhappy partner, in the gates On popular routes, it’s worth having a
of carabiners or missing the bag pee bottle (wide-mouthed Nalgene
entirely (all of these things have bottles work for women). Pour it out
happened to me...). when appropriate. Make sure to label
any water bottle that has been used
A sleeping bag hanging down the for this purpose. Pee bottles are
middle of your portaledge acts as an useful at night and also to separate
excellent barrier so you don’t have to liquids from solids during your
watch your partner wiping her arse morning routine.
while you’re eating a chocolate
spread bagel.
Weather
It’s recommended to check the Sun
weather forecast before your ascent Often the main weather-related
and bring a device with you so that challenge in warm climates is the
you can check the weather again on intense sun. On a sun-facing wall (e.g:
the wall. El Capitan), the sun is hot, bright and
inescapable for most of the day.
Some big wall destinations have long
periods of stable weather (e.g: Cover up your skin, use plenty of
Yosemite), while others have sunscreen and make sure to drink
unpredictable and notoriously bad enough water. On long belays you
weather (e.g: Patagonia). Keep your could make some kind of shady
storm gear accessible if poor weather shelter behind a jacket or portaledge
is predicted. fly.
Wind Carabiners will be harder to operate
Strong winds are common on warm and you will be more likely to drop
afternoons, especially higher up on gear. Being too cold leads onto
south-facing Yosemite walls. This is making poor decisions and is a
due to convection currents created in slippery slope into a much worse
the valley. As the sun heats up the situation. Avoid a disaster from the
ground, warm air rises and can start by bringing the right gear and
generate quite strong updraughts. setting up shelter before the storm
These are excellent at removing hits.
ropes from rope bags, causing chaos
with portaledges and making pee go If a storm is rolling in, first focus on
in an unexpected direction. getting to the closest place which will
be sheltered from a waterfall, if you
In serious wind-storms (common in have time. Black mossy streaks on
Patagonia), you’ll need to anchor your the wall are a good indicator of where
equipment down from underneath to waterfalls form during storms. Belays
avoid upturned haulbags and ‘surfing’ beneath roofs are great shelters.
your portaledge around the wall. Bivying in a storm is undesirable, but
bivying underneath a waterfall is a
whole new level of misery. Small
Storms rocks and general wall-debris also
Thunderstorms can instantly turn tend to get washed down within the
friendly granite into a freezing cold waterfall.
torrential waterfall, even in Yosemite.
The difference in temperature is If you have proper bivi gear (which
dramatic and can be very serious if you should), it is much better to wait
you’re not prepared. out a storm, than to continue up (or
down) during it. Proper bivi gear
If you choose to climb during a storm, includes a synthetic sleeping bag,
water will find its way up your sleeves, synthetic layers, water-proof jacket,
under your hood, inside your shoes gloves, water-proof bivi bag and a
and everywhere in between. If you portaledge rain-fly.
choose to abseil, rain will collect at
your belay device and pour into your With the right gear, waiting out a
crotch and down your legs. Not even storm can actually be pretty fun,
the best waterproofs will stop you especially if you have a radio and
from getting soaked. some beers. For extra warmth, fill a
Nalgene bottle with hot water and
The danger increases exponentially keep it between your thighs in your
with every minute that you are sleeping bag. If you are running low
exposed to the elements. As you get on water, take advantage of the
colder you lose mobility in your situation and fill up your bottles with
hands. rain.
The Central Tower, Torres del Paine, Patagonia. Callum Coldwell-Storry. 176
Strategy

Fixing Pitches
When to Fix Ropes Protecting the Rope

It is common to fix ropes on a big wall. It is crucial that ropes are protected
Often this is because you’ve climbed from sharp edges when left fixed.
the first few pitches and want to have a This can be achieved in a variety of
final night of luxury on the ground ways:
before committing to the wall. This also
means less food and water is needed - Stick duck-tape over sharp edges.
on the route. Remove it when you’re finished.
- Place directionals to re-route the
Fixing isn’t always the best strategy. If rope away from cracks and edges.
you fix a few pitches of overhanging - Wrap a rope-protector around the
rock, you’ll have to jumar a seemingly rope at high friction zones.
endless free-hanging rope which will - Use re-belays.
probably be more effort than just taking - Use good technique. Abseil and
the extra water and staying on the wall. jumar smoothly to prevent the rope
Figure this out before you begin. from sawing across the rock. Never
bounce on the rope.
You will fix ropes during the climb too if
going capsule-style (see page 192), or
maybe you have time in the evening to Re-Belays
lead a pitch, but not clean or haul it. Jumaring a long line of fixed rope
You can leave it fixed and return to which stretches out of sight above
your portaledge for the night. Simply fix can be unnerving and dangerous. If
both ropes and abseil down the haul you can’t see the full length of rope to
line. In the morning, jumar up the haul the next anchor, you can’t be certain
line and continue as normal. that the rope isn’t caught behind a
flake or loose block somewhere.
Ropes can also be fixed to avoid
hauling over difficult/traversing terrain. 70 meters of dynamic rope stretches
For example, it may be better to fix a a lot when jumarred on, which
few wandering pitches and then do increases the amount that it rubs
one long haul in a straight line, rather against potential sharp edges. This
than two or three shorter more danger can be reduced by adding re-
problematic ones. belays where needed.
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Strategy 178
Tie the rope to a few appropriate over potential danger areas and also
pieces on your way down, creating means you don’t have to wait as long
mini-belays. When done correctly, this for your partner to finish jumaring
prevents the rope from coming tight before you can start up.
……………….
Belay Points Rope Tension

When attaching ropes to belays, try to The ropes will need to be slack
use the ends of the ropes so you enough allow a climber to tie a knot
don’t have to pass knots mid pitch (e.g: a back-up knot when passing re-
(this probably won’t be possible if belays or if isolating a damaged
you’re stretching your ropes up the section) and to jumar and abseil on.
wall). But don’t make them so slack that
they blow around in the wind and get
At belays, make sure to tie excess stuck behind flakes. If your rope is
rope away so there is no confusion wet, allow extra slack because ropes
about which rope to attach to next. shrink as they dry.
Accidents have happened when
climbers have abseiled off the end of On the ground, attach your rope to a
a short tail of rope, mistaking it for the solid anchor out from the base of the
fixed line. Tie the ends of all ropes wall to keep it away from the rock and
into the anchor so this cannot stop it blowing up onto the wall.
happen.
Joining Ropes
Ropes can be connected
together with a variety of
knots. The one shown
here offers a handy clip-
in point so you don’t need
to tie an additional back-
up knot when passing
through. Start by tying two
overhand knots, then
isolate them inside an
alpine butterfly.
If you tie your ropes

together with standard
overhand knots, make
sure to add a back-up
knot of some kind when
jumaring or abseiling past
the knot.
Abseiling Past a Knot on Fixed Ropes

Step 1
Stop abseiling just before the knot
and clip into the back-up point.
Step 2
Attach a jumar to the rope above you
and weight it.
Step 3
Remove your belay
device and re-attach it
below the knot.
If you can’t reach, attach

your other jumar and
‘reverse ascend’ one
move so you are
weighting your belay
device.
Step 4
Check the system, then
remove your jumars and
back-up point.
Ascending Fixed Ropes

Technique
Ascend fixed ropes as normal using
two jumars and a GriGri. For added
security, clip carabiners through the
top holes in your jumars so they can’t
pop off the rope.
The tension of the rope from below

should auto-feed your GriGri. Move
smoothly to reduce the amount that
the rope rubs across the rock. Always
check each rope before you commit
your life to it.
Don’t jumar up a rope which is stuck Alternatively, jumar the rope while
behind a flake or appears to be being belayed on another rope,
damaged. If you don’t trust the fixed placing gear as you ascend in case
rope, you can re-lead the pitch. the rope snaps.
Passing Belays
Always add a back-up when passing
knots, anchors or re-belays. A simple
method is to clovehitch the rope to
your belay loop.
At the anchor, take the stretch out of

the next rope by using your jumars to
pull the rope tight. Then unclip from
the anchor and continue up.
Fixing Mid-Pitch
If you can’t complete a pitch (e.g:
because of darkness, fear or bad
weather), you may choose to lower
down and finish it off later.
If you’re less than half a rope length

up a pitch, you can simply lower down
from your top pieces to the belay.
However, this method puts twice as
much weight on your lower-off point
(the weight of you and your partner)
and pulls all your gear at a weird
angle when the rope is tensioned. For
these reasons it’s better to use the
following method. Also, if you’re more
than half a rope length up, you’ll have
to use this method.
Step 1
Equalize the top few pieces to make a
good lower-off point.
Step 2
Clip the end of the haul rope to this
point with two screwgates.
Step 3
Attach the lead rope to the
screwgates with an alpine
butterfly knot.
Step 4
Attach your GriGri to the haul
rope and get ready to abseil.
Step 5
Check the system. Then untie
from the lead rope and abseil
down. Your partner keeps you
on belay until you’re back at
the anchor and safely tied in.
If the lower-off point fails,

you’ll fall and be backed up by
the protection you placed
during the pitch. Falling mid-
abseil like this isn’t ideal, so
make sure your lower-off point
is good.
Step 6
If leaving the ropes overnight,
tie them to the belay under a
bit of tension to keep them in
position.
Ascending To Your High Point
Step 1 not the sharp teeth of your jumars.

Get put on belay in the same spot on Use your jumars to ascend only if
the rope that you were previously you’re certain the lower-off point is
taken off belay. bomber.
Step 2 Step 3
Ascend to your high point using a Tie back into the lead rope, clip the
klemheist prusik and a GriGri. This haul rope away on the back of your
way, if your lower-off point fails, you harness and continue climbing,
will shock-load your GriGri and prusik, leaving the equalized gear as a
…………. bomber piece.
Teams of Three
Climbing as a three can be more share the harder leads). There are
social (with someone to chat to at the many different rope systems for a
belays), faster (with someone always three person team. A few of these are
leading) and easier (with an extra described on the following pages.
person to help with the hauling and
……………..
Two Rope Technique

Step 1
- The haul rope is fixed so the 2nd

climber can jumar up quickly.
- Leader pulls up the remaining

lead rope before fixing it for the 3 rd
climber. This will provide enough
rope to start leading the next pitch.
- 2nd climber lowers out from

the belay and jumars to the
upper belay on the haul rope.
Step 2 Step 3
Leader
2nd Climber
3rd
Climber
- 2nd climber reaches the upper belay - The leader climbs while the 2nd
and sets up the haul. climber hauls and the 3rd climber
cleans (hauling could wait until the 3rd
- Leader short-fixes (see page 188) or climber has finished cleaning to make
is belayed by the 2nd climber using the belaying safer).
remaining section of lead rope (the
same climber can lead again or - Keeping a tag line between the
swap). leader and cleaner means gear can
be passed up to the leader sooner.
- 3rd climber releases the haulbag.
Three Rope Technique
Step 1
- Leader pulls up two ropes using the Having 2 dynamic ropes and 1 static
tag line. means you can haul with the static
rope and still have a spare lead rope
- One of these ropes is fixed for the (static ropes are more durable than
2nd climber to jumar up. The other dynamic ropes when used for
rope is set up for hauling. hauling).
Step 2
- Leader hauls and/or gets

ready for the next lead
- 3rd climber - 2nd climber ascends to

releases help with the haul
the haulbag and/or belay the leader
and cleans
the pitch
Short-Fixing
To speed up the ascent, some Advantages
climbers prefer to lead in blocks (the - Faster
same person leads several - A faster ascent means a lighter
consecutive pitches), with the leader haulbag
short-fixing (self-belaying the first
section of each pitch). Disadvantages
- Self-belaying is more difficult and
Short-fixing can be very dangerous if dangerous
not performed correctly and is not - More difficult to deal with a stuck
recommended for beginners. haulbag
How it Works
The leader will be able to climb as far
as they have rope (and rack)
available. For example, if the previous
pitch was 40m, and the lead rope is
60m, the leader will be able to climb
20m (minus rope used up in various
knots). Ideally, the leader will have
climbed this extra distance by the
time the follower has cleaned the
pitch.
There are a few different ways to set

up the anchor for short-fixing. One is
described below.
Step 1
When the leader finishes a pitch, they
fix the lead rope and set up the haul,
just the same as normal. The follower
then releases the haulbag.
Step 2 Rope to
The leader adds a backup to leader
the haul rope. This backup
will remain while the haul is
unattended.
The leader continues to trail

the haul rope on the next
pitch.
Rope to
haulbag
Step 3
The leader self-belays by attaching This backup knot will need to be re-
their GriGri to the rope, and attaching tied as the leader climbs – always tie
the rope to the anchor as shown. The a new backup before removing the
backup knot is important because old one. If the leader falls, the GriGri
GriGri’s do not always auto-lock. (or the backup knot) will hold the fall.
Spare
rope
Rope to follower
Step 4
When the follower arrives at the
anchor, they put the leader on
belay and pass up gear using the
haul rope (if there is enough rope
– the follower may need to haul
a bit first).
Be aware that there might be a

lot of spare lead rope in the
system at this point. To keep this
danger to a minimum, the leader
can belay the rope through at the
same time as the belayer takes it
in.
Step 5
The leader removes their GriGri
and backup knot and continues
climbing as normal.
The belayer can then re-sort the

lead rope so the full length is
available. The belayer hauls and
belays while the leader climbs.
Note
On terrain where the haulbag is likely
to get stuck, it is recommended that
the leader hauls the bag before short-
fixing the next pitch.
Capsule Style
Climbing capsule style means being
based at a portaledge camp on the
wall and fixing pitches from there.
Climbers return to the same camp
each night after fixing.
During ‘fixing days’, a small haulbag is

taken which includes; rack, first aid
kit, spare clothes, food, water and
other supplies needed during the day.
With a lot of rope (static rope is far

better), you may only need two or
three camps on a 1000m wall.
Advantages
- Having a pre-setup camp means a
quick escape to shelter if a storm
comes.
- No need to set up camp every night,
or take it down every morning.
Disadvantages
- Requires more ropes.
- Lots of time is spent ascending and
descending ropes.
Most Useful For

- Climbing a hard route in an
environment with unpredictable and
fast-changing weather.
When several pitches have been
fixed, the camp is packed away
and moved up to the high point.
Joe Shultz on the first ascent of The Mysteron, Fisher Towers, Utah. Keiko Tanaka. 194
Piton Craft

Piton Craft
The dart art of smashing pitons into However, if your chosen route relies
rock with a hammer has been on fixed pitons or copperheads to go
frowned upon by climbers since the ‘clean’, you should be prepared to
1970’s when less destructive replace them if they are missing or
protection (cams and nuts) was useless. If you plan to climb harder
developed. Advancements in modern aid or modern routes with few
aid climbing gear have completely ascents, you’ll need to know all the
removed the need for hammering on tricks of the trade.
most easier routes.
Remember – there is a big
Many old aid lines can now be aided difference between gently tapping a
(or free climbed) with clean gear by piton into a crack, and smashing it in
using the piton scars created from so hard that the whole feature turns to
hundreds of early ascents. Even dust or the piton is stuck there
moderate aid routes (A2-A3) are often forever. Practise placing and
climbed clean or with only a few removing them on a worthless non-
hammered placements. climbable boulder before you weld
them into an established aid route.
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Piton Craft 196
Types of Piton
Pitons are available in many shapes You may find many other obscure
and sizes. Common types are: shapes and sizes of piton. They all
work in the same basic way.
Rurp
Beak
Knifeblade
Lost Arrow
Angle
Material Spectres
Pitons are typically made of hardened
steel, meaning they can stand up to
the abuse of repeated placements.
Pitons are also available in softer

steel and other malleable metals. Spectres are basically
These are designed to deform into a cross between a fat
cracks for a more secure placement, beak and an ice axe.
however they are harder to clean and
don’t last for as many placements as Originally designed for
the harder steel versions. hammering into icy
cracks or frozen turf on
File down any burrs on your pitons as winter routes, these
these can damage your rope or pitons can be useful on
slings. hard aid too.
Hammers
You will need a hammer to place and
remove pitons. A good wall hammer Hole big enough
has a: to clip a carabiner
Square head
for hammering
in corners
Rounded point for
precise placements
and copperheading
Head weight of at
least 500 grams
Wooden handle, or a
fibreglass handle wrapped
in rubber, to reduce
vibrations on the hand
Good weight
distribution between
the handle and head
Good grip at the bottom of
the handle (finger tape works
well on wooden handles)
Sling to wear it over

Clip-in point the shoulder
Wearing a Hammer
Put the hammer’s sling over your When not using it, clip it away to your
shoulder and then wear your chest harness (head-side up). If your
harness over the top. If using it harness doesn’t have a holster, use a
frequently (for almost every Petzl Caritool carabiner to store it
placement), just let it hang down, away. This allows easy clipping and
making sure it stays clear of the lead unclipping with one hand.
rope.
Funkness Device
As a nut tool is used to remove clean
gear, a funkness device is used to
remove pitons. This is a length of
thick wire with a swaged loop at either
end. It’s better to use a screwgate for
the end which attaches to your
hammer because this carabiner has a
tendency to unclip itself.
Use old carabiners for your funkness

– they will get battered so don’t use
them for anything else.
Beaks
Beaks are an ingenious type of piton
which offer protection in super thin
cracks, where even micro nuts are too
big to fit. They are available in three
common sizes.
Beaks – The Placement

Beaks are most often placed with a
hammer, but they can also be hand-
placed.
If possible, always clip a quickdraw

directly to the hole on the beak, rather
than the cable. Eliminating the cable
gives you a few extra inches of aiding
height, and also results in a stronger
piece of gear (the 3kN cable on Black
Diamond Peckers is the weakest
part).
To place beaks well, you must first

understand the physics that cause
them to lock into a placement - taper,
hooking power and outward force.
Each of these are described on the
following pages.
Beak Physics – Taper

3mm
Most beaks have a tapered tip, being
smaller underneath than on top. This
allows them to be placed similarly to a
nut. 2mm
Look for tiny constrictions in the crack

and slot the beak in just above. Then 1mm
gently tap it a couple of times with
your hammer to seat it in position.
If you hit it too hard, you’ll damage

your beak tip or the rock which is
holding it in place, or it will be really
difficult to remove.
Beak Physics – Hooking Power
Similar to an ice tool, the tip of a beak They can also be used to hook over
is angled downwards. This allows the flakes or dead-heads (copperheads
beak to ‘hook’ over constrictions far with broken cables) where a standard
back in a crack. skyhook is too wide to fit.
Beak Physics – Outward Force

If the crack has no constrictions or
undulations, a beak will rely on the
outward pressure from the sides of the
crack to remain in place. Think of the
beak as a wedge. You’ll need to
hammer it in fairly hard for it to be good.
The beak’s tip should slide half of the

way in the crack initially, and then go
close to the eye when hammered. If it
can be hammered all the way in, you’ll
need a bigger size. Over time you’ll be
able to judge this before you hammer it.
Unlike most other pitons, beaks do not

torque into uniform vertical cracks. So
unless there is a slight narrowing or
constriction, you’ll probably be better off
placing a knifeblade or arrow instead.
Beaks – Diagonal, Horizontal and Roof Cracks
When a beak is weighted in a To combat this, you can clip your
diagonal crack, the tip twists into the aiders to the upper hole (via a loop of
crack. This offers a little more security 5mm cord). This reduces the leverage
on slightly diagonal cracks. However, on the beak’s tip, making it less likely
on steep diagonals or horizontals, the to break. Rurps or knifeblades are
beak tip is likely to bend or break, often a better choice in these
especially in the smaller sizes. situations, since they are stronger
when weighted this way.
If you place a beak (or any other

piton) at the base of a roof or small
overlap, it may become ‘geometrically
fixed’. To be removed, it must be
tapped upwards, but this will be
impossible if there is a roof in the way.
Think about how you would remove
the beak before you hammer it in.
Beaks – Testing
After placing a beak, tap it
downwards to seat it into position.
Ease your weight onto it and give it a
bounce test.
Be careful when bounce-testing

beaks which are hooked into the top
of dead-heads. If you bounce too
hard, the beak tip will probably cut
through the head, or pry it out.
Beaks – Removal They can also be removed with a
To be removed, beaks will need to funkness device. Clip one end of your
reverse the way they went in. This is funkness device to the beak’s upper
usually done by tapping them hole and the other end to your
upwards. Hit them from the bottom hammer. Give it a gentle tug upwards.
(be careful not to hit the cable) or You may need to tap it back into
underneath the head. You may need position and then tug it again a few
to tap them back down and up a few times to loosen it.
times to unseat them.
You can also clip your funkness to the
lower hole on the beak for a more
outwards (rather than upwards) pull.
You can clip the cable too but it tends
to weaken it.
For stubborn beaks, you may have to

hit the beak upwards until you can
slide something between the stem
and the rock. This creates a pivot
point.
Hit the stem back into the rock to

pivot the beak out.
Beaks – Racking
Rack beaks in groups of 3-6 per
carabiner.
It’s better to clip the upper holes (if

they have them) so the beak tips all
point in the same direction –
downwards and facing out from your
harness. This reduces how much they
get stuck on your pants and leg loops.
When storing beaks with the main

rack, keep them in a stuff sack (Fish
Beef Bags are good) to stop them
tangling into everything.
Rurps
The rurp (Realised Ultimate Reality
Piton) was originally designed to be
hammered into hairline cracks. Since
beaks were invented, the rurp has
become fairly redundant. However,
rurps do have an advantage over
beaks in horizontals or roof cracks.
Rurps – The Placement

The ideal placement is an incut
horizontal crack which is too shallow
for a knifeblade.
Place the thin end of the rurp into the

slot. It should go in about half way by
hand. Then tap it so the thick end
wedges into the slot.
If it bottoms out (hits the back of the

placement without being fully driven)
you’ll probably be better trying a
circlehead instead. If it can easily be
hammered up to the cable, you may
need to stack another rurp with it or
try a stubby arrow instead.
Rurps – Removal
Lift the cable out of the way and give
it a gentle tap back and forth to
unseat it. You can now gently funk it
out with your funkness device.
If the rurp is buried up to the cable,

you’ll have to funk it fairly hard. Be
careful though – this can damage the
cable.
Blades, Arrows and Angles

Knifeblades, lost arrows and angles The Placement
are the original types of piton. They Slide the piton approx 2/3 of it’s
are less useful nowadays since the useable length into the crack, then
introduction of larger sized beaks and hammer it in to the eye. In most
offset cams. cases, you’ll need to hit them fairly
hard to make the placement good.
However, they are often way stronger
and more secure than anything else Essentially, the piton acts as a wedge
that will fit in a weird placement, and relies on outward pressure from
particularly in horizontal slots. the sides of the crack to remain in
place.
The piton should make a higher- Try stacking another piton with it (see
pitched ring with each firm hammer page 208) or remove it and try
blow. When you hear the same something else.
pitched ring twice in a row, the piton
has reached it’s optimum depth.
Hammering more will probably make Roof Cracks
it difficult to remove. You’ll need to go against clean
climbing ethics to get an upwards
The ideal piton reaches its optimal driven piton of any kind to hold your
depth just before the eye contacts the weight.
rock. If the piton goes in up to the eye
easily, you’ll need to remove it and try Weld it in with your hammer as hard
a bigger size. If you hear a dull thud, as you can. The harder you hit, the
the piton has probably bottomed out. better it will be. Then apologize to the
In this case more hammering will not rock for your destructive behaviour.
help.
Horizontal Cracks
In horizontals, the back of
the piton is pushed up
when the eye is weighted
down. This helps to lock it
in place.
Pitons can be excellent in

incut cracks. In these
placements, you may not
even need to hammer
them.
Vertical Cracks
In vertical cracks, the
piton torques into place
when weighted (like a
cam hook, but with less
leverage). Make sure to
clip the perpendicular eye
on blades.
Piton Removal Step 1
To remove a piton, you will first need Unseat the piton by tapping it side-to-
to unseat it and then pull it out the side (in horizontals) or up and down
way which it went in. Depending on (in vertical cracks) a few times. This
how driven the piton is, this can loosens the pitons grip in the crack.
sometimes be done by hand,
sometimes with a hammer and
sometimes using a funkness device.
Step 2
Clip your funkness device to the piton
and also to your hammer. Swing your
hammer outwards to shock-load the
piton out of the crack. Lean to one
side so you don’t hit yourself in the
face with the piton. If this doesn’t
work, repeat step 1 and try again.
Sawed Angles
These are angle pitons which have
been sawed in half so they can fit into
shallow but wide pods and scars.
To make your own, saw a regular

angle in half (approximately) with a
hacksaw. Then make the edges
smooth with a metal file.
Piton Racking
Rack blades in groups of 3-5, facing
the same way so they spoon each
other. Arrows and angles can be
racked as a group of 3, facing in
alternate directions.
Use oval carabiners for racking pitons

– other shapes cause pitons to sit
awkwardly and be more fiddly to
remove.
Piton Stacking
Stacking means having two or more Start by placing the first piton, then
pitons side by side in the same slot. tap a second immediately next to it.
Stacking is useful when a placement The idea is to wedge them in tightly
is too shallow for a large piton and too together.
wide for a smaller one.
Once you’ve created your iron
Any piton can be stacked with artwork, loop a sling over it with a slip
another to make a more secure knot, pushing it as close to the rock
placement – be creative. as possible to reduce leverage.
Step 1 Step 3
Step 2
Step 4
Attach a keeper cord to the pitons so
you won’t lose them if they fall out.
Make sure the keeper cord isn’t

weighted.
Beak Stacking
Clip both beaks, either weighting both For hard aid routes, it is worth taking
of them, or just the one which reaches some ground-down beaks (sawed-off
furthest back. halfway along the blade) for features
like this. Don’t bother sawing your
new beaks though – your old ones
will snap at this point anyway if you
use them enough.
Small spectres are sometimes useful

in placements like this too, since they
are the same thickness as a few
stacked beaks.
Copperheads
Heads are single-use malleable lumps Due to their super low strength (body
of copper (copperheads) or aluminium weight only) and difficulty to place,
(alumi-heads) that can be shaped with they are only useful for aid climbing.
a hammer and chisel for a custom fit Every aid climber should know how to
into a weird slot where nothing else place copperheads, even if it's just to
will go. replace the occasional one which has
ripped out on a popular route.
Heads are commonly available in four

sizes (#1 to #4) from matchstick thin
to the thickness of your little finger.
They can be made in a variety of
styles, including double-heads,
circleheads or lead-heads.
#2 Circle
#4 #3 #2 #1
double head
Copperheads – The Placement

Heads work best in small pods, flared Try to get a beak or a small brass nut
constrictions, or shallow grooves to fit in first. If this doesn't work, bring
where pitons or offset cams and nuts out your 'heading kit'. Attach your
won't quite fit. heading kit together with a piece of
cord and clip it to your aiders so it
cannot be dropped when in use.
2 or 3 different sizes
Wire brush
of blunt chisel
Tooth brush
Step 1 – Clean Up
Use a wire brush to scrub
away loose rock fragments.
Then use a toothbrush to
'dust' the placement. For a
head to stick, the
placement must be clean
and dry. A layer of water,
dust or slime between the
head and rock will prevent
the head from sticking.
Step 2 – Measure Up
Measure your rack of
heads against the slot and
select the correct size. It'll
need to be the same size
as the slot and no bigger.
Step 3 – Shape It
Hold the head against a flat and clean
section of rock away from the
placement and hit it with the square
end of your hammer to make it the
same shape as the slot.
Make sure to have the wire side of the

head at the back of the placement.
This means your body weight will pull
down from the rear (and more secure
part) of the placement. It also means
that you can punch more metal into
the placement, therefore having more
head-to-rock surface contact.
Wire
side
Front
side
Top View
Step 4 – Place It
Place the head into the slot and set it If it won't stay, dust the placement, re-
in position with the pointed end of your shape the head and try again. Be
hammer (use a chisel on tiny heads careful not to hit the rock with your
for a more precise aim). It should stick hammer when you do this; it'll ruin the
with just a couple of hammer taps. placement.
Step 5 – Chisel It
Use your blunt chisel to cross-hatch chop the head into pieces. You can
the head into place. Start in the also use a large punch (similar to a
middle and work outwards. Make sure chisel, but with a rounded point) to do
your chisel is blunt, otherwise you'll this.
…………..
Imagine the head is a tiny climber
facing outwards in a flared chimney.
In order to stay wedged in place the
tiny climber needs to press itself into
the chimney using as much surface
contact as possible.
Hit the head hard enough to push it

into the placement, but not too hard
that you chisel down to the wire. The
aim is to push the head so it makes
as much surface contact with the
back of the placement as possible.
Obviously you can't see this, but if
you shaped the head correctly it'll
conform to the placement fairly
quickly. Make sure to chisel and
punch to the very top and bottom
edges, being careful not to ding the
cable as you do so. If the head moves
when you hit its top or bottom, take it
out and try again.
To fine tune the head, use a small

punch to smear as much copper as
possible into every useable grain of
rock. Start in the head's centre and
work outwards. The aim of this is to
add a little extra head-to-rock surface
contact. Finally, clip your aiders to
your copper artwork and give it a test.
Removing Copperheads
It is possible to remove and re-use a
head (depending on how much you
chiselled it the first time), but it'll be
weaker the second time around.
Trying to remove a well-placed head
usually results in damage to the rock
or the head staying in place while the
cable pulls out, thus making the task
of removing the 'dead-head' difficult
for the next climber. Therefore, it is To remove a head (or a dead-head),
common courtesy amongst aid position your small punch underneath
climbers to leave good heads 'fixed' in the head and tap it with your hammer.
the rock for the next climber to use. Do the same on the top to lever it out,
However, never trust a fixed head. Be being very careful not to damage the
prepared to replace them. rock.
Dead-Heads
An alternative with dead-heads is to
use them as aid placements. Gently
tap a small beak or a pointed hook
into the top of it. Just one or two soft
taps will set it in place.
Lengths
Heads are available in different
lengths. Long-wired copperheads can
be wedged deep into 'expando' slots,
or be bent over an edge. Short-wired
heads are better for most other
situations, simply because they'll put
you higher up the wall.
Circleheads
Circleheads are designed to fit in
small horizontal flares or underneath
roofs. In these places, a regular head
will pull from one side, meaning that
it'll probably be levered out. A
circlehead pulls evenly from both
sides and therefore is more stable.
Copper or Aluminium?
Copper is a stronger metal but
aluminium is more malleable. This Overhangs
means that a copperhead will take Heads are more secure when placed
longer to place and it'll be more in slots which are less than vertical.
difficult to get it to stick. But a well- This is because of the direction of
placed copperhead will be a stronger loading. An 'overhanging' head is
piece of gear than an alumi-head of more likely to be plucked out when
the same size. weighted, just like a nut would.
Generally, if the placement is a good

nut-like slot and the head doesn’t #0 Heads
need much chiselling, use copper for #0 heads are made of the same cable
a stronger piece of gear. If the diameter as cam triggers. These will
placement is a flared pod, use break under the force of a gentle
aluminium so it is quicker to shape bounce test. There’s really no point
and more likely to stick. using #0 heads because you can
always flatten a #1 head and use that
instead.
Making Your Own Copperheads
If you plan to place hundreds of which are not pasted (i.e: not the
heads, it’s worth investing in a good mashable head part of the head).
quality bench-mount swager to make
your own. Nicopress is a good brand. Having your own swager also means
Cheaper Chinese-made brands tend you can fix cam trigger cables, re-
to have compatibility issues with swage beak and rurp cables and
sleeves and cables. make your own wire rivet hangers and
funkness devices. If you can borrow a
For the strongest heads, use tensile-testing machine, it is wise to
galvanised aircraft cable and zinc- measure the strength of your swages
plated copper sleeves for all points before you trust your life to them.
…………..
Loose Rock and Expanding Features

Climbing on loose or expanding rock The main problems are that it’s hard
is a trouser-filling experience. If you to differentiate between the two, and
climb a hard aid route, you will expanding features often have loose
certainly encounter a lot of it. An sections within them.
expanding feature will spring back to
its original position once you’ve The key to climbing on this kind of
finished climbing it. Loose features ground is understanding the physics
will not and must be treated of how the feature is attached to the
differently. wall.
Have a look at it. Where exactly is it belayer or chop your rope. Gear in
attached? Is it resting on top of small crumbly choss isn’t nearly as
another rock? Are there fracture lines bad as gear behind massive death
around it? Most loose features can be blocks. Think about how your partner
weighted in a certain direction without will follow the pitch – will that gear
causing them to break off the wall – behind the giant wobbly flake be
you just have to figure out exactly loaded when they are jumaring?
what that direction is.
Like walking on thin ice over a deep Testing

lake, the goal is to move slowly, Any thin flake will have some amount
putting as little pressure on the of elasticity to it. To test how
feature as possible. There is a expanding (or loose) the rock is, give
delicate balance that you must find it a gentle tap with your hammer. The
between expanding the feature too lower and more hollow the sound, the
little (with each piece barely wedged looser the rock. Find an area of rock
in) and expanding it too much that you know is solid and listen to the
(causing the whole thing to break off). difference.
Be gentle and try to keep your
hammer away. Aggressive bounce testing is not a
good idea on expanding terrain, as
you could generate enough force to
Leaving Protection break the rock or expand the whole
Be aware of clipping gear to the rope feature so that the piece you’re
that is behind large loose features; if hanging from rips out too. Test gear
you fall, the broken rock could hit your as gently as possible.
Climbing Expanding Features
When you place a piece of gear Here are a few things you can do to
behind an expanding flake, the crack reduce this:
becomes wider. Because of this, you
will need to select a bigger piece than
you would for solid rock. This is 1) Clip the next piece with your daisy
simple if you are just making a single chain before you place it. Keep your
expanding aid move. daisy tight so that you don’t shock-
load it if the lower piece falls out. For
Problems arise when you must make pitons, give it a few taps to seat it in
many consecutive moves up the position. Then commit to it by
same expanding feature. In this case, hammering it in quick and hard. If the
the crack widens more each time, rock expands enough to cause your
meaning that the piece you are current (lower) piton to fall out, you
hanging from will probably fall out – will swing gently onto the new (upper)
with you attached to it! piton.
2) Hook the flake. On many 6) Climb with two ropes. This
expanding flakes, there will be a place doubles the safety for both the leader
for a crafty skyhook. Hooks pull down and follower. If one rope is damaged
(not out) on the rock, making them or cut, you have the other to save
way better on this kind of sketchy you. Climb with two lead ropes in the
terrain. same way that you would use half
ropes when free climbing.
3) Reach as high as possible

between placements. The higher you 7) Use cam hooks. These are much
place a piece, the less the flake will better suited to mildly expanding
expand at your current piece, flakes, since they absorb the flex of
therefore meaning it is less likely to the rock. Cams or cam hooks should
fall out with you attached to it. Also, not be used on loose rock because
using less placements means the they exert a high outwards force
feature is expanded less overall, which could break the rock. Tiny
which means the whole thing is less cams will umbrella out with only a
likely to break off. slight movement in the flake. The
largest size cam hook is best for
fragile flakes as it exerts less
4) Seek out constrictions in the outwards force than a cam of the
crack for nuts, copperheads or hand- same size.
placed beaks. Place gear as deep in
the crack as you can. Use your chisel
to poke nuts and heads as far back 8) Look out for fracture lines. Often
as possible. Anything that will put less the thinner edges of expanding flakes
outwards force on the flake is better. are fractured and loose. Avoid these
sections if possible.
5) Free climb. Your fingertips and the

soft rubber of your shoes put much Cleaning Expanding Features
less force on the rock than a bunch of When cleaning an expanding flake,
hammered in lumps of metal. Often a you’ll often find the lower pieces easy
few semi-free moves can help avoid a to remove (if they haven’t already
horrendous expando aid move. fallen out) and the last piece
impossible because the flake has
clamped down on it. You may have to
jumar up to the top of the expanding
section and remove them in reverse.
Andy Kirkpatrick on The Russian Direttissima, Eiger North Face, Switzerland. 218
Bolting

Bolting Ethics
Belays When encountering a blank section,

Some first ascentionists choose to some first ascentionists choose to drill
create bomber bolted belays (making a bat hook hole instead of place a
a quick and relieving end to the pitch rivet or bolt. This may be because
for future ascentionists), while others they’re running low on time, low on
prefer natural belays (believing that rivets or because they want their
creating an intricate belay is part of route to remain more dangerous.
the climb). There is no right or wrong
here. When repeating a route with Whatever the motive, it is commonly
natural belays, it is expected that you agreed amongst modern aid climbers
respect the adventure of the route that choosing to make a bat hook
and do not add bolts. hole on a first ascent is poor style,
and that a rivet should be placed
instead.
Blank Sections
When a climber reaches a blank Drilling a rivet makes the route more
section on a first ascent, should they ‘repeatable’ for future ascentionists.
drill a rivet and continue climbing, or This is because bat hook holes are
claim the route to be too difficult and often hard to see and can blow out
retreat to the ground? Again, there is with very few uses, meaning that a
no right or wrong answer. The rivet must inevitably be placed
commonly agreed ethic is that rivets anyway.
and bolts should only be placed when
there is absolutely no other way to
climb the rock, and the number of
drilled holes should be kept to a
minimum.
Bat Hooks
Bat hook holes are shallow holes
which have been drilled in a blank
section of rock to accommodate a
small pointy ‘bat hook’.
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Bolting 220
Adding Rivets and Bolts Replacing Rivets and Bolts
It is not acceptable to add bolts, rivets If you plan to climb a seldom travelled
or bat hook holes to an established route, it’s a good idea to bring a bolt
route in a place where there wasn’t kit to replace old/broken bolts and
one previously (‘replacing’ them is rivets. The common ethic is to only
different). This would be roughly replace hardware if it needs
equivalent to gluing a massive plastic replacing, and to replace it with the
hold at the crux of a crimpy free climb same type of hardware as the original
in order to downgrade it to your level (e.g: replace a 1/4” rivet with a 1/4”
– not cool. The only exception to this rivet).
rule is if part of the aid route has
fallen off, creating a new blank An exception to this rule is to replace
section. With permission from the first substandard belay bolts with a full-
ascentionists or local climbers, you strength alternative (e.g: replace an
may repair the route with the sensible old 1/4” belay bolt with a 3/8” bolt).
addition of rivets/bolts where needed.
Bolts – Material and Strength

The breaking strength of a new, well sandstone), use 3/8” bolts instead
placed bolt is at least 22kN (very which are least 2” long. Belay bolts
strong). Whereas the strength of a should be 3/8” in diameter and at
rivet is much less and quite variable. least 2.25” long in solid granite. In
Even a new rivet should not be softer rock, it’s recommended to use
expected to hold a big fall. You should 1/2” bolts which are at least 3.5" long.
only use high-quality bolts, rivets,
nuts, washers and hangers which are Bolts should be used for all steep
made of stainless steel by a reputable overhangs and roofs (rivets on steep
brand. This material lasts a long time ground are difficult/impossible to
before it rusts. climb). Always leave the hangers on
bolts so future teams can use them
Rivets should be at least 1.5” long in easily.
solid granite. In softer rock (e.g:
………………..
Removing Old Bolts

To remove an old bolt, you will need:
- Tuning fork (#4 lost arrow with its

centre cut out)
- Long thin knifeblade
- Epoxy glue
Step 1 Step 2
Gently hammer a long, thin knifeblade Slide the tuning fork behind the
under the bolt hanger to begin the hanger and tap it until it is driven all
process of prying the bolt out. Tap the the way. If the bolt hasn’t already
knifeblade in from all sides. You may popped out, clip the tuning fork and
need to switch to a fatter knifeblade gently weight it to lever it out.
before the tuning fork will slip behind
the hanger.
Step 3
It is theoretically possible to re-use
this hole for the new bolt. However,
this is not recommended because the
old bolt may have moved position
over time and created an uneven hole
from repeated use. You can’t be
certain that the original hole is smooth
enough for the new bolt to function
correctly.
Instead, fill this hole with epoxy glue

and cover the top with rock dust to
camouflage it. Then drill a new hole
next to it (at least 6” away).
Once you have started removing a
If the bolt breaks off while you are bolt, it is important to continue until
prying it out, fill the remainder of the the bolt either pops out or breaks.
hole with epoxy and rock dust for a Leaving a half-removed bolt for the
smooth finish. next climber is extremely dangerous!
How To Place Bolts
This section describes how to place You Will Need
expansion bolts. Other types exist - Hammer
(e.g: glue-in bolts) but are not - SDS compatible drill with a drill bit
commonly used on big walls. - Bolt hanger, washer and nut
- Torque wrench
- Blow tube
- Bolt which matches the diameter of
the drill bit
Step 1 Step 2
Assess the rock. Visually inspect the Choose the precise area where the
area and tap it with your hammer to bolt will go. The hanger will need to be
check that the whole area of rock flush against a flat part of the wall
surrounding the bolt is solid. Never when the process is complete.
place bolts in loose rock. Visualize where the hanger will be (or
place it there) to confirm exactly
where to drill the hole. Use your
hammer to gently remove any loose
crystals or micro flakes which would
stop the hanger from being flush
against the wall.
Step 3 Step 4
Attach the correct sized drill bit to your Now the hard work begins. Keeping
drill and loop the keeper sling around the drill perfectly perpendicular to the
your wrist or clip it to something so rock, hit it with steady, precise blows,
you can’t drop it. Hold the drill 90 rotating the drill 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn
degrees to the rock and hit it a few between each hit. Develop a steady
times to create a small depression. rhythm and keep concentrating or
else you’ll drill a wiggly hole or hit your
It’s important to hit the rock in the thumb.
exact same place when starting the
hole so as not to create a ‘rounded Remove the drill every 50 or so hits
off’ hole. and blow out the dust using your blow
tube. Close your eyes when doing
this, wear glasses or both.
Step 5
Once the hole is deep enough (this
may take 20-30 minutes depending
on the depth of the hole and rock
type), carefully blow all the remaining
dust out.
Measure the depth of the hole using

the drill bit. It needs to be almost the
same length as the bolt. If you’re not
sure, it’s better to drill the hole a bit
deeper, than too shallow.
Step 6
Put the hanger, washer and nut on the
bolt and tap it into the hole. It should
go all the way in with a few gentle
taps. Adjust the nut so the bolt can go
inside the hole as far as possible.
Step 7
Tighten the nut with a
torque wrench, making
sure the hanger stays in
position. The bolt will rotate
slightly initially, but then it
should stay in position as
you continue tightening the
nut.
Check the torque

recommendation for your
bolt and be careful not to
over-tighten. As you tighten
the nut, the back of the bolt
expands and locks the
whole thing in place. The
bolt is now complete.
How To Place Rivets
Rivets are available in different types. This compression holds the rivet in
Some are basically small expansion place. Because rivets are smaller
bolts. Simply place them in the same than bolts, it is much faster to drill the
way as a bolt, but using a 1/4” drill bit. hole for them (typically 5 minutes).
Other types of rivet work by Step 1

compression. As they are hammered Drill a hole as described on the
in, the rivet compresses and deforms. previous pages.
Step 2
With a plate hanger over the rivet, tap
it into the hole, being very careful not
to overdrive it.
The rivet should go in as far as
possible while allowing the hanger to
be removed and replaced easily.
Ideally, you would drill the hole the

exact depth so that when the rivet is
hammered in as far as possible, it
protrudes out from the rock the
correct amount. But this can be
difficult to get right on your first few
tries.
The author on the first ascent of Sandromeda, Fisher Towers, Utah. Keiko Tanaka. 228
Essential Knots

Essential Knots
This chapter introduces the most Your knots should look exactly like the
commonly used knots for big wall diagrams in this manual. A knot which
climbing. Every wall-monkey should isn’t well dressed could slip or fail.
be able to recognize, tie and untie the
following knots without having to think
about it. Remember that you may Webbing and Cord
have to tie them in situations which Webbing (tape) is flat. Cord and ropes
are far from ideal and you will trust are round. Knots which are designed
your life to each knot. for flat webbing may be useless when
tied with rope and vice versa. Make
Each knot has multiple uses and, in sure you understand what material
most cases, there are many knots your knot is for.
you could tie to achieve the same
result. Before choosing a knot,
consider the following. In order of Diameter, Flexibility and Surface
importance: Friction
The examples given in this manual
1) Is it suitable for the intended use? assume that you are tying identical
2) Could it slip or roll? sections of cord, rope or webbing
3) Is it easy to untie or adjust? together. Knots work best when every
rope involved is of the same diameter,
flexibility, elasticity and surface
Dressing friction.
After tying any knot, it is important
that you dress it correctly. This means Minor differences are fine. For
tightening each strand and adjusting example, tying a 10mm and an 11mm
the loops and twists so they are dynamic rope end-to-end for abseiling
perfectly aligned. is safe. But tying a 7mm tag line to an
………….
VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Knots 230
11mm rope with the same knot will A simple alternative for joining ropes
probably result in that knot falling or cord of different materials or
apart. Likewise, a knot joining an old, diameters is to tie a figure-8 loop in
stiff static rope to a slick, flexible the end of each and clip them
dynamic rope is likely to slip, even if together with a carabiner.
they are the same diameter.
11mm 7mm
Figure-8 Tie In
Uses
The figure-8 is widely accepted as
being the safest knot to tie-in with.

Make a loop about a You should end up with Pass the end of the rope
meter from the end of an '8'. Make sure the through both of the two
the rope. Wrap the end knot is around 90cm points on the front
of the rope around the from the end of the centre of your harness
base of the loop, then rope (the exact length – the same ones your
push the end through varies with ropes of belay loop runs through.
as shown. different diameters). It is important that the
rope goes through your
harness in exactly the
same way as your belay
loop does.
~90cm
Use the end of the Continue following the Make sure the end of the
rope to re-trace the twists until you end up rope is around 25cm
figure-8. Follow the back at the start of the long. If it is shorter, you'll
twists of the rope knot. have to untie and start
starting from where it again. After this, you will
joins your harness. Pull the whole thing need to tie a stopper
tight. knot. Loop the short
section of rope around
the main length.
25
cm

Do this twice, with the Push the end of the Pull this tight too (make
second loop closer to rope through these two sure it's pushed right up
you than the first. loops, away from you. to your figure-8 knot).
Figure-8 on a Bight
Uses
- Attaching the rope to an anchor. - Creating a master point in a
cordelette or sling.

Take a bight of rope Push the end of the Pull it tight.
and form an ‘8’ shape rope through the top
as shown. part of the 8.
Stopper Knot
When tying a figure-8 in the end of a
rope, make sure to add a stopper
knot.
Warning!
Figure-8’s should only be end-loaded
(pulled along the line of the knot).
If you load the loop in two opposing

directions, the knot can roll over itself
and lose strength or fail completely.
For this reason, you should never use
the figure-8 to join ropes for abseiling.
Overhand Loop
Uses
- Creating a master point in a
cordelette or sling.
Step 1 Step 2
Clip the sling to both bolts and pull the Pull the bottom of the sling around to
strands down so they are equal. form a loop.
Step 3 Step 4
Push the end of the sling through the This forms two small loops beneath
loop as shown. Pull the knot tight. the overhand knot. Clip a screwgate
through both of these loops to form
the central point.
The same knot can be used to equalize
three or more pieces.
Clovehitch
Uses
- Attaching yourself to the anchor. - Attaching ropes, cord or slings to
carabiners.
Step 1
Make two identical loops in the rope.
Put the rear loop over the top of the
front loop.
Step 2
Clip a screwgate carabiner (never use
a snapgate carabiner) through these
two loops.
Step 3
Pull it tight and fasten the screwgate.
Alpine Butterfly
Uses
- Equalizing a two-bolt belay.
- Isolating a damaged section of rope.
- Forming a fixed loop in the middle of
a rope. This provides a clip-in point
which can be loaded in 2 or 3
directions.

Form a loop in the rope. Twist the loop so it Push the now lower loop
becomes two loops. through the original first
Then pull the top of the loop.
upper loop behind and
underneath the line of
the rope.
Step 4 View From Front View From Back

Pull it tight.
Alternative Method
An alternative way to tie the alpine
butterfly is to wrap it around your
hand three times as shown.
Pull the top wrap down over the other

two, then back up behind them.
Equalizing a Two-Bolt Belay

Tie a large-looped alpine butterfly to
one screwgate and a clovehitch to the
other.
You can adjust the size of the loop

once the alpine butterfly is tied. Then
adjust the clovehitch to fine tune the
equalization.
Isolating a Damaged Section

This is useful when using your rope
as a fixed line or in a situation where
the rope will not pass through any
carabiners.
Obviously, you will not be able to lead

climb with a knot in your rope!
Water (Tape) Knot
Uses
- Joining flat or tubular nylon webbing
of equal width.
Step 1
Tie a loose overhand knot near one
end of the webbing.
Step 2
Thread the other end into the knot as
shown.
Step 3
Retrace the original knot, making sure
it lies flat at all times.
Step 4
Cinch the knot tight. The tails should
be at least 10cm long.
Warnings!
* The water knot should never be * The water knot can untie itself over
used to join: time with repeated loading and
- Dyneema webbing unloading. Make sure the knot is tight
- Any webbing of unequal width and the tails are at least 10cm long
- Rope/cord to webbing each time you use it.
In these cases, the knot is very weak * Some climbers duck-tape the tails to
and prone to slipping. keep them neat and to help prevent
creeping. If you do this, leave the
ends of the webbing in view so you
can see them.
Girth Hitch (Lark’s Foot)
Uses
- Attaching slings to your belay loop. - Fastening a sling around a tree.
- Attaching slings together. - Connecting a sling to a carabiner
without opening the gate.
Step 1 Step 2
Feed a sling through your belay loop. Put one end of the sling through the
other.
Step 3 Strop Bend

Pull it tight. You can also link two slings together
using these same steps.
Arrange the girth hitch as shown

below to create a strop bend. This is
basically a neater version of the girth
hitch.
Double Fisherman’s Bend
Uses
- Tying two ends of cord together to
make a prusik or cordelette.
Spare
Step 1 Cord
Loop one end of the cord around
twice as shown to create two loops.
Then push the end through these
loops.
Step 2
Pull it tight and do the same with the
other end of the cord.
Step 3
Pull it all tight so that the two knots
jam together. Make sure the tails are
at least 10 times the diameter of the
cord (e.g: 5cm tails for a 5mm prusik
cord).
Triple Fisherman's Bend

Add an extra coil to make a triple
fisherman’s bend.
Some slippery cords (such as

dyneema) require a triple so they
don’t slide apart under load – check
the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Slip Knot
Uses
- Tying off half-driven pitons or other
poor gear in order to reduce
leverage.
Step 1 Step 2
Form a loop in a sling (thin Dyneema Pull a bight through this loop as
works better than nylon). shown.
Step 3 Step 4
Slip this bight over the piece of gear. Cinch it tight and push it as close to
the rock as possible. This reduces
leverage on the piece, therefore
making it a stronger piece of
protection.
Munter Hitch
Uses Note
- Belaying without a belay device. The munter hitch tends to 'kink' the
- Abseiling without a belay device. rope when used for abseiling or
- Lowering out from a pendulum point. belaying. It can also cause slight
- Creating a releasable knot – useful abrasion to the rope's sheath,
for things such as docking the especially if the leader falls. It is a
haulbag. useful skill to know, but is not intended
for long-term use.
Step 1 Step 2
Clip the rope through a large, pear- Twist a loop in the climber's end of
shaped (HMS) screwgate. Smaller the rope as shown.
screwgates work too, but will make
belaying more difficult.
Rope to Rope to
fixed fixed
point point
Step 3 Step 4
Clip the loop into the screwgate. Clip the carabiner to your belay loop
and fasten the screwgate.
Rope to
fixed
point
Step 5 Warning!
Test the knot by pulling tight on either Make sure the brake strand is on the
end of the rope. The knot should flip 'spine' of the screwgate.
through the carabiner easily both
ways. If the brake strand is on the 'gate'
side, it could rub against the gate and
potentially open it.
Rope to Rope to
fixed fixed
point point
To Lock Off To Give Slack

The munter hitch creates a lot of Hold the brake rope loosely and pull
friction. Depending on the situation through slack rope, similar to giving
(rope thickness, weight of climber, slack with an ATC.
rope drag, etc..), it can be locked off in
any direction. However, for maximum
Rope to
friction, you must hold the brake rope
fixed
forward (so that both strands of rope point
are parallel to each other).
Rope to
fixed 100% Friction
point at 0 Degrees
75% Friction
at 180 Degrees
To Take In To Lower
Pull the brake rope so that the knot Lock the rope off in the maximum
'flips'. friction position. Slowly move the rope
back and lower as you would with an
More rope can now be taken in by ATC. It can be tricky to find the 'sweet
continuing to pull rope through spot', so make sure to move position
forwards. slowly.
Munter-Mule-Overhand
Uses
- Tying off a munter hitch.
Step 1 Step 3
Form a loop in the brake-strand of Pull the knot tight, either by easing
rope. the climber's weight onto the rope if
they are weighting it, or by pulling on
Step 2 the climber's strand of rope if they're
Feed a bight of the brake rope around not weighting it. This is now a munter-
the climber's rope and through the mule, which is tied-off, but not
loop as shown. backed-up.
Rope
to fixed
point
Step 4 Step 5
To complete the knot, you must back Then feed it back through as shown.
it up. One way of doing this is to tie an
overhand around the climber's strand Step 6
of rope. To start, wrap the loop A carabiner completes the hands-free
around the back of the rope. munter-mule-overhand.
To Release
Unfasten the overhand knot. Then pull
forwards on the brake strand of rope
until the knot pops free.
If the rope is weighted, you can

expect a few centimetres of rope to
slip through the munter hitch. Prepare
for this by holding the brake strand
tight with both hands.
Garda Hitch (Alpine Clutch)

The garda hitch uses two parallel Uses
carabiners to create a system where - As an improvised ratchet pulley for
a loaded rope can move in one hauling.
direction but not the other.
Step 1
Secure two D-shaped carabiners
together with a girth hitch so they lie
parallel with the gates on the same
side.
Clip the rope through Clip this loop through the Pull the loop back so it
both carabiners. left carabiner and fasten sits around the spine of
the screwgates. the carabiners.
Step 3
Form a loop in the non-
loaded strand as shown.
Loaded
Strand
Step 6 Warning!
The garda hitch is now complete. You * The garda hitch is a one-direction
will be able to pull rope through in one knot – it cannot be released under
direction only. Make sure you have it load. Be careful how you employ it.
the right way around.
* It’s vital that you use D-shaped
carabiners. A garda hitch tied on HMS
or oval carabiners is prone to slipping
down which causes the knot to fail.
* You must girth hitch the two

carabiners together as shown in step
1. If you simply clip the carabiners
through a sling or another carabiner,
the garda hitch will not function
Pull Pull correctly.
Up Down
Loaded
Strand
Prusik Knots: Different Types Explained
A prusik (also known as a friction
hitch) is a short piece of cord which
can be wrapped around your climbing
rope to add friction. They can slide up
and down easily, but lock around the
rope when weighted.
Prusiks are most commonly used for

abseiling but are also incredibly useful
in a variety of emergency situations
such as ascending a rope without
jumars or escaping the system.
Four types of prusik knot are

described on the following pages:
- Classic
- Autoblock (French)
- Klemheist
- Bachmann
Prusik Cords: Size and Material

Size Material
The diameter of your cord should be Prusiks are usually made out of nylon
60% to 80% of the rope’s diameter, cord, tied together with a double
whether you are using the prusik on fisherman's bend.
one rope or two.
If the cord is too stiff, it won’t lock
If you use a cord that is too thin, it will properly around the rope. The
cinch tight around the rope when stiffness may also make it difficult to
weighted and be difficult to move create the knot itself. Test your cord
freely. If you use a cord that is too before you take it climbing so you can
thick, it won’t have enough friction to be sure that it works.
lock up when you need it to.
If you are planning to use your prusiks
In general, 6mm cord works well on frequently, you should consider
10mm ropes, whereas 5mm cord is buying some pre-sewn prusik loops.
better for 8mm ropes. These come in a variety of forms,
either without a bulky knot or with the
The cord length should be 1.2m - knot sewn together and covered by a
1.5m. plastic sleeve.
Prusik Types: The Classic Prusik
Advantages Best Uses
- Very secure when loaded. - In situations where you don’t need
- Locks in both directions. to keep sliding the prusik (e.g;
escaping the system).
Disadvantages
- Often difficult to release when tightly
loaded.
Step 1 Step 2
Pass the cord around the rope and Pass the cord around the rope and
through itself as shown, making sure through itself again.
the double fisherman’s bend is at the
end.
Step 3 Step 4
Make at least three wraps around the Weight the knot in either direction to
rope, pull the cord tight and clip a lock it. Pinch the knot to loosen it. This
carabiner through the loop. allows you to move it up or down the
rope. If the knot gets stuck, you can
Make sure the knot is neat. push some cord in from the centre of
the knot to loosen it.
Prusik Types: The Autoblock (French)
- Easy to tie and untie. - As a back-up when abseiling.
- Can be released under load.
Disadvantages
- Tends to slip when used to ascend
ropes.
Step 1
Wrap the prusik neatly around the
rope a few times as shown.
Step 2
Clip the ends together with a
carabiner. More wraps will
create more friction around the
ropes, though four wraps are
generally enough.
Make sure the autoblock is neat

and the double fisherman's
bend is away from the ropes.
Step 3
Pinch the knot to loosen it. This
allows you to move it down the rope.
Weight the knot to lock it. The

autoblock locks in both directions, but
the double fisherman's bend tends to
wrap itself into the prusik when the
direction is switched, making it much
less effective.
Prusik Types: The Klemheist Knot
- Easy to release after being loaded. - Ascending a rope.
- Can be tied with webbing.
Disadvantages
- Only works in one direction.
Step 1
Wrap the prusik neatly around the
rope a few times as shown.
Step 2
Pass the end of the cord through the
loop.
Step 3
Attach a carabiner.
Weight the knot downwards to lock it,

or push it upwards to release.
Prusik Types: The Bachmann Knot
- Easy to operate when wearing Ascending ropes when wearing bulky
gloves. gloves.
Disadvantages
- Not good on icy or slick ropes.
- Doesn’t grip as well as other types
of prusik.
Step 1 Step 2
Clip the cord through a large Wrap the cord around the rope,
carabiner. This will be the ‘handle’ feeding it through the carabiner each
carabiner. time. Keep the wraps snug to each
other.
Step 3 Step 4
Allow the end of the cord to hang Push the handle carabiner up the
down through the carabiner. Clip your rope to release the knot. Weight the
load to this end. Do not clip your load lower carabiner to lock it.
to the carabiner which functions as
the handle – this will release the
knot!
Prusik Cord Tips
* Prusiks are not full-strength * Make sure not to wrap the double
attachment points. Always have a fisherman’s bend into any friction
back-up so you’re attached to the hitch. This will greatly decrease the
rope ‘properly’. knot’s effectiveness.
* The number of wraps should be * If using prusiks in conditions where

increased or decreased depending on they might fail (e.g; prusiking up a wet
the cord stiffness, cord diameter and or icy rope), it’s better to use two
moisture conditions, with three wraps different types of prusik (and a full
as a minimum. Before using any strength back-up, of course). If
prusik knot, test it to see if it grips and conditions exist to cause one to slip
releases well. or fail, the likelihood is that the other
prusik would not fail under the same
* If you don’t have a prusik cord, you conditions.
can use a sling instead. Slings don’t
work quite as well but it’ll help you get * Check your prusik cord for wear and
out of a tricky situation. A narrow tear regularly. Make sure the double
nylon sling is better than Dyneema fisherman’s bend isn’t slipping and
(Spectra). Don’t use a sling for the cord isn’t abraded. When it’s
anything except a prusik after using it looking worn, retire it and get a new
once as a prusik. one – cord is cheap.
The Carabiner Brake
Uses You Will Need:

- Abseiling without a belay device * One screwgate
* Four snapgates
The munter hitch (see page 242) can
be used as an alternative, but it tends Full size oval or D-shaped carabiners
to kink the rope and causes abrasion provide the smoothest descent, but
to the sheath. almost any carabiner can be used.
Really small or sharp-spined
carabiners should only be used as a
last resort.
Step 1
Clip a screwgate to your belay loop
and fasten it.
Then clip two snapgates to the

screwgate, making sure the gates are
facing opposite directions and they
are opposed. Belay
Loop
Push a bight of both Clip another snapgate Clip a second snapgate
ropes through the around the ropes and next to this, with the
snapgate carabiners. also through the loop as gates on the same side,
shown. but facing opposite
ways.
Step 5 Step 6
Pull down on the rope until the Add a prusik and abseil as you would
carabiners align over each other. with an ATC.
Make sure the rope runs over the
spines (not the gates) of the outer Remember that the carabiner brake
carabiners. The carabiner brake is may provide a different level of friction
now complete. than your belay device.
Other VDiff Titles
Having the knowledge of safe Available as paperbacks or e-books.

climbing skills is the lightest and most For more information, visit:
useful equipment you can take on any www.vdiffclimbing.com
climb.
Learn before you go. Don’t actually

take these books up there with you!

Suggested Reading
The following instructional books are
much better than anything I could
ever write. Get a copy if you can.
Higher Education
Andy Kirkpatrick
Hooking Up
Peter Zabrok and Fabio Elli
Big Wall Climbing

Jared Ogden
Me, Myself and I

Andy Kirkpatrick
How To Big Wall Climb

Chris McNamara

Index
abseiling, see descending fall arresters, 31
aid rack, 28 falling, 78
aiders, 35 fifi hook, 37
allfrifi hooks, 38 figure-8, 231-233
alpine butterfly, 236-237 fisherman’s bend, 240
angles, 205-208 first aid kit, 43
approach, 22 fixed gear, 60-61
arrows, 205-208 fixing pitches, 178-184
back cleaning, 76 fixing the rope, 86-87
bailing, 15 following, 94-107
bat hooks, 220 food, 41-42
beaks, 200-204, 209 free climbing, 75
belay, 80-93 funkness device, 199
device, 33 gear, 26-49
seat, 44 garda hitch, 245-246
bivi bag, 40 girth hitch, 239
bivi ledges, 173 gloves, 38
blades, see knifeblades grades, 23-25
bolting 218-227 grigri, 33
removing bolts, 221-222 hammers, 198-199
replacing bolts, 223-225 hammocks, 46
replacing rivets, 226-227 harness, 34
bounce testing, 71-72 haul bag, 40
cam hooks, 53-56 docking, 130-134
capsule style, 192-193 packing, 110-113
carabiner brake, 252-253 releasing, 135-138
carabiners, 32 setups, 113-114
central point, 83 hauling, 87-90, 108-143
clean aid gear, 50-65 past a knot, 141-142
clothes, 39 pulleys, 32
clovehitch, 235 headlamp, 43
cheater sticks, 79 helmet, 33
chest harness, 35 hygiene, 43
communication, 44, 93 introduction, 6-25
cooking, 173 improvised gear, 47-49
copperheads, 210-215 joining ropes, 180
cordelettes, 31 jumars, 38
daisy chains, 35-38 jumaring, 99-102
descending, 144-163 fixed ropes, 181-182
low-angled terrain, 162 knee pads, 39
past a knot, 156, 158-162, 180-181 knifeblades, 205-209
with heavy loads, 146-153, 159-162 knots 228-253
equipment, 28-29 knot protector, 44
etiquette, 16 leading, 66-79
expanding features, 215-217 living on the wall, 164-175

loose rock, 215-216 rurps, 204-205
lower-outs, 103-107 screamers, 31
lowering haulbags, 154-156 sleeping bag, 40
mechanical advantage, 119 slings, 30
munter hitch, 242-245 shoes, 39
overhand loop, 234-235 short fixing, 188-191
partner, 13 skyhooks, 56-60
passing gear, 77 slip knot, 241
pendulums, 74-75, 103-107 space hauling, 128-130
piton craft, 194-217 spectres, 197
planning, 21 stacking pitons, 208-209
poop tube, 44, 174 storms, 175
portaledge, 45-46 stoves, 42, 173
flagging, 142-143 strategy, 176-193
rainfly, 169-170 stuff sacks, 43
setups, 166-168, 171-172 swivel, 32, 117
practising, 19-21 tag lines, 139
prusik knots, 247-252 teams of three, 185-188
rack, 28, 30-32 tension traverse, 74-75, 103-107
rack bag, 112 topo, 43
radios, 93 training, 17-21
re-belays, 178-179 tying in, 85, 169-170, 231-232
retreating mid-pitch, 157 walking off, 163
rigging plate, 117 water, 42
rivet hangers, 61-65 water knot, 238
rope management, 90-91 weather, 174-175
ropes, 29-30

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Big Wall and Aid Climbing, How To Climb The Big Stone VDiff Climbing

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Nicolas Hojac

Big Wall and Aid Climbing

Writer and Illustrator: Neil Chelton

Photographs by the author unless otherwise stated.

Front Cover: The author and Callum Coldwell-Storry on Mescalito, Yosemite.

Warning: Big Walls are Dangerous!

This book is designed to be supplemented with practical instruction from qualified

In this book Other names

50 Using Clean Aid Gear

164 Living on the Wall

194 Piton Craft

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing 5

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing 7

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 8

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 9

The Big Wall Climbing System – Overview

They trail a haul line with them which

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 10

The follower releases the haulbag

Hauling and Jumaring

The leader continues to haul the bag

Once both climbers and the haul bag

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 11

Can I Climb a Big Wall?

Where Can I Climb a Big Wall?

Other beginner friendly places include It is recommended to build up your

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 12

Why Climb a Big Wall?

Maria Parkes on Uncle Ben’s, The Squamish Chief, Canada. 14

Common Bail Reasons and Fixes

We were scared of what might We didn’t bring enough water/ food/

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 15

Bad weather Think of yourselves as a team, rather

Big Wall Etiquette

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 16

Placing all types of regular trad gear

Using cam hooks and skyhooks

Leading a straight-up aid pitch

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 17

Passing gear between the belayer and

Switching between aid and free climbing

Leading a tension traverse

Setting up the belay

Releasing haulbags on a straight up pitch

Releasing haulbags on a traverse

Cleaning a straight up aid pitch

Lowering out from a pendulum point

Jumaring a free-hanging rope

VDiff > Big Wall and Aid Climbing > Introduction 18

Hauling past a knot

Hauling low-angled terrain

Descending with a heavy load

Descending with a heavy load past a knot

Lowering haulbags past a knot

Abseiling with a damaged rope

Descending low-angled terrain

Setting up the bivi

Setting up a portaledge and fly (if applicable)