multipitchclimbing.

com

A free resource of advanced climbing techniques

spreading goodpractice
exposing myths opening minds

I
Download the mini guide to Wonderland (a 67 pitch route in the Boulder Ruckle, Swanage, England)
Download David’s Big Wall Tips (from his big wall course).

Please buy me a coffee.

If you don’t understand something, ask us, and we will try and add an image to cover it.

Topic 1 - M ultipitch 101 HTML PDF

1. Variety / 2. Other things to think about

Topic 2 - Blood Rules HTML PDF

1. Stay Safe / 2. The Basic Method / 3. The belay

Topic 3 - M ultipitch Physics HTML PDF

1. Fall Factors / 2. Belay Device and Rope Choice / 3. Forces Depend on Angles / 4. Failing
Daises

Simple model of forces and rope stretch during a fall (Excel file).

Topic 4 - Gear HTML PDF

1. Climbing Gear / 2. Going Light / 3 The Rope / 4 Non-Climbing Gear / 5 Coiling the Rope / 6
Tying into the Middle of the Rope / 7 Coiling a 100m Rope / 8 Racking the Gear

Topic 5 - Leading and Cleaning HTML PDF

1 Protecting the Leader / 2 Protecting the Belay / 3 Pieces in Opposition / 4 Extending over an
Edge / 5 Three-way Forces on Carabiners / 6 Stuck Pieces / 7 Use a Cleaning Sling or Cleaning
into Bunches

Topic 6 - The Belay HTML PDF

1 General Points / 2 Where to Belay / 3 Belays Built from the Rope / 4 Belays that largely don’t
use the Rope / 5 The Sliding-X / 6 Tying into a Powerpoint / 7 the Extending Death Belay / 8
Redundancy vs. Equalisation / 9 Banshee Belays / 10 Workstations in the Sky /1 1 Bunnies and
Other Alternatives / 12 Belaying the Leader Directly From a Munter (Italian) Hitch / 13 Chariot
Belays / 14 Belaying Off the Rope Loop or Belay Loop / 15 Monster-Bolt Belays / 16 Direct
Belaying and Plate Hanging / 17 Parking the Second / 18 Redirecting the Rope / 19 Stacking the
ropes at the belay / 20 Swapping Over / 21 Checking the belayer / 22 Other Points
 Topic 7 - Com munication HTML PDF
1. Table of Climbing Calls

Topic 8 - Clim bing as a three, or more HTML PDF

1 Series or parallel / 2 The Stance / 3 Swapping Ends / 4 Protection / 5 Tying into the Middle of
the Rope / 6 Climbing in a Three on Easy Terrain

Topic 9 - Sim ul-Clim bing HTML PDF

1 Basics / 2 Other Considerations / 3 An Alternative to Tying in

Topic 10 - Descent HTML PDF

1 Types o f Anchors and Threading the Rope / 2 Joining the Ropes / 3 Throwing the Rope / 4 The
Backup / 5 Attaching the Plate / 6 Descending / 7 Stuck Ropes / 8 Abseiling with a Single Rope, a
Pull Line or a Gri-Gri / 9 Building your own Stations / 10 Making the Rope a Little Longer /1 1
Simultaneous Abseiling /1 2 Abseiling past a Knot /1 3 Fixed Lines /1 4 Retrievable Abseil Slings /
15 The American Death Triangle

Topic 11 - Cheating HTML PDF

1. Getting the Leader Over the Crux: Gorilla Aid / 2. Getting the Second Up: More Gorilla Aid / 3
Ascending a Rope / 4 Abseiling and Belaying Without Your Belay Device / 5 lowering off a Single
Piece

Topic 12 - Going Solo HTML PDF

1 Types o f Device / 2 Some other Points / 3 Top Rope Soloing

Topic 13 - Getting Out o f Trouble HTML PDF

1 Basics / 2. Tying Off a Belay Plate or Grigri / 3 Escaping the System / 4 Improvised Harnesses /
5 Spiders and Munter tails / 6 Lowering a Climber/ 7 Traverses etc. / 8 Hauling / 9 Other Points

Topic 14 - Tactics - no extra images

Appendices
Knots HTML PDF
Grades HTML PDF
Glossary HTML PDF
References HTML PDF

This site started its life as a way of presenting the images from the ebook High: Advanced
Multipitch Climbing, by David Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to
a minimum most of these were not included in the book. However the site has grown to be far
more extensive and now contains much original material not in the book, together with an
appendix covering most knots used in climbing, an essay on climbing grades and a bibliography
in the form of web links. We suggest you print some of the PDFs and take them on your travels.
We would also love you to buy the book - which costs less than a screwgate.

Remember, climbing will kill you if you mess up. If you don’t know what you are doing seek
professional help from a qualified guide, and don’t rely on a book or website to keep you safe.

However you learn them, all new techniques you learn should be tried out first somewhere safe
with appropriate backups. When under pressure, tired and cold using an approach you don’t
have totally dialled is asking for trouble, or for a shortened life. Often simple makes sense, so
always ask yourself if an approach that might shave a few minutes off a route, but is more open
to failure if used incorrectly, is really worth it.

A note on gender: in the text the leader is always female, and the second(s) male. Hopefully this
makes it a little easier to understand some of the complex sequences of actions.

Please use the following links to buy the book. It costs about $9, or £6 - less than a locking
carabiner
Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) / itunes / kobo
With the exception of any marked COPYRIGHTED, you are free to use any of these pictures in
any non-commercial way including climbing forums, but please reference the book. If you have
any comments or spot anything that needs correcting (however small and including spellings),
please contact David (d.a.coley@bath.ac.uk). Thank you.__________________________________

coLDmountainkit the v a r ic A L expe/LTf

©
Acknowledgem ents

First and foremost apologies to Duncan Kenny for not being able to use
his illustrations. Thanks to Steve Price and Pete Callaghan for sorting
out the English as much as possible. Jim Titt for various words of advice,
providing test data and explaining to me how things actually work, and
/'
s /a
when some things might not. The Quay Climbing Centre, Exeter
(http://www.quayclimbingcentre.co.uk/), for allowing their wall to be used
for photography. Scarlett and Theo for their photos and drawings. Helen,
Scartlett, Theo, James Tisshan, Leigh Arscott, Mark Garndener, Tom
Eagle, Anne-Marie Dibner, Matthew Bano, Daniel Murphy, Charlotte
Lloyd-Wrigley and various members of the South Devon Mountaineering
Club (http://southdevonmc.ning.com/) and the 2 Degrees Climbing Club
(http://www.2degeesclimbingclub.com/) for helping out and agreeing to
be models in the photos. To Mammut
(http://www.mammut.ch/en/index.html), Lyon Equipment
(http://www.lyon.co.uk/), e-climb (http://www.e-climb.com/es/) and Petzl
(http://www.petzl.com/) for providing equipment and to anyone else we
have forgotten.

1 il# COLO MOUNTAIN KIT

Please use the following links to buy the book.

Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) / itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 23 March 2016

--------- multipitchclimbing.com----------
 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Chapter Contents
1. Variety / 2. Other things to think about

Back to Other Chapters

1. Variety
The following images show the kinds of routes and locations this book is about: hopefully they
also give a hint as to why each multi-pitch environment needs different skills and a different
approach in order to be climbed efficiently and safely. Hence, you need stay flexible in your
approach to learning about multi-pitch rock.

A route doesn’t have to be hard to still need a El Chorro, Spain. Although most of the routes
competent approach. (Flying Buttress, Wales: are bolted single pitch, there are several
VDiff, 5.4). Here, failure of the belay would have bolted longer routes in a safe setting allowing
serious consequences so the team have a a first introduction to multipitch climbing and
 Jesus piece in place (see Chapters 5 and 6).
Mountain rock such as this eats up wires rather
than cams, and it is common to carry two sets
on anything but the easiest routes. Although the
weather is not extreme, rain is common. Routes
are short (1-3 pitches) and decent is by walking
back down.
First Slip, Tremadoc, Wales. Two to three pitch
trad routes right by the road. Just the place for
a first multipitch mission. Given the twisting
nature of many o f the routes double (half) ropes
are very useful.
Why stop at three? Climbing in a rope of four
using a pair o f half ropes on Grooved Arete,
Tryfan, North Wales. (Dad, helmets might have
been a good idea!) Climbing in a 3 or 4 is
covered in Chapter 8.
for you to gain experience on how to swap
over at belays, rap back down etc.
Climbing multipitch doesn’t always mean
climbing in a pair - three is fun. A Winter’s
day on Coronation Street, Cheddar, England.
Note how the third person has been “parked”
out o f the way below the stance. Parking the
third is discussed in Chapters 6 and 8.
Multipitch need not head upwards. Sea cliffs
can make for long horizontal routes: Costa
Blanca, Spain. Here twin ropes are being
used. Sea cliffs require a competent
approach and some knowledge of self-rescue
(Chapter 13), as simply lowering an injured
climber to the ground is not possible. You
also need to get to the top somehow even if
the route proves too difficult for you, so
knowledge of gorilla aid (Chapter 11) might
be useful.
 Flations, Boulder, USA. A great collection of
long easy routes up slabs with short walk-ins
and easy descents. The climbers have been
using a single rope so they can move together
with a micro-traxion backup. Such, simul-,
climbing is covered in Chapter 9.
Tuolumne Meadows, California, USA: Long
easy and mid-grade routes on solid granite in
an awesome setting. Most of the descents are
on foot and the main danger will be an
afternoon storm, which given the altitude can
have serious consequences, hence speed is
the key. Expect long runouts on the slab pitches
and a mix of bolted and trad belays, which you
should be able to set in couple of minutes or
less (see Chapter 6).
Puig Campana, Spain. Fantastic three to
fifteen-pitch bolted and trad routes in the sun.
Lumpey Ridge, Colorado, USA. Mainly short
multipitch routes up cracks and slabs on solid
granite and in a pastoral setting. The routes
often follow strong natural lines making route
finding easy. An ideal place to see if you are
up to speed before heading to the mountains.
Red Rocks, Nevada, USA—long routes in a
relatively safe environment make for just the
kind of place to practice advanced multipitch
techniques before a trip to a more committing
environment. Many of the routes have abseil
descents and stuck ropes are common, so
you need to know what to do when they do
get stuck. Chapter 10 covers this.
The ever popular Diedro UBSA on Penon
d'lfach, Calpe, Spain displays the standard
 Like Red Rocks, this is just the place to start
playing with longer routes in the hills or for your
first multipitch holiday in the sun.
Boulder Ruckle, Swanage, England. Two pitch
routes on complex coastal limestone. Many of
the cracks contain knobs and flint bands and
sometimes using hex’s and large wires will
make more sense than cams. The cliff is tidal
and exposed to large waves. Access is by
abseil with no option to walk out. The mid­
height belays are often on weak sandy rock and
need skill to be able to engineer correctly.
Unless it’s a sunny weekend, no one will be
around to see you get into trouble and it might
be as well to leave the abseil rope in place and
for you to know how to prusik out (see Chapters
11 and 13). Given the coastal setting, fixed
equipment such as pegs corrode very quickly
and should be treated with suspicion - many
will be ready to snap.
mix of bolts, pegs, rust and trad found on
many larger cliffs. How much trad gear
needed depends on how close to your limit
you might be. The climber is using a cow’s
tail and third hand to protect himself on the
abseil pitch near the top of the route. As the
ropes are needed for the abseil, the belay
has been constructed using a sling. See
Chapter 6 for a multitude of different belay
types.
Zion, Utah, USA. An example o f needing to
match the rack to the rock type: i.e.
sandstone, with some wide, dusty, parallel
cracks. See Chapter 4 on trad rack choice.
Most routes have roadside access and the
location is stunning. With rock like this, there
is the need to pay attention to how solid any
fixed equipment is as the rock erodes quickly
and the early pioneers might have used a
variety of approaches including engineering
their own protection in their garage.
 ■, '
W €%
i -_; *■'.r
V?*' ■■■%^ •4
Hallet Peak, Colorado, USA. A sub-alpine
environment on compact rock where the routes
often don’t follow natural lines and it is easy to
get lost (we did). Afternoon storms are common
and retreating might well mean building your
own rap stations (see Chapter 10).
Racing up The Spearhead, Colorado, USA .
With the possibility of afternoon rain on the
final runout crux pitch, and the likelihood of
other teams on this classic route, a near­
dawn start is a good idea (which means
bivvying at the base of the route). Here twin
ropes are being used in case of retreat.

Petit Grepon, Colorado, USA. On longer routes,

carrying a sack is the norm, and will nock a
grade or two off your climbing. It can also be
cold, even in the sun. (Slings around shoulders
and a sack is a poor combination, carry the
slings on the harness when leading.)
 Glacier Noir, Ecrins, France. Long routes with
loose rock in an alpine setting. Most teams will
bivvi on the glacier the night before, and
sleeping on ice can be cold. Afternoon storms
are common, you can expect the ropes to get
stuck on abseil descents and helmets are
compulsory. There is no cell (mobile) phone
reception and all-round competence is required.
Hence it is best to start on shorter routes further
down the valley near the road and see how
close to the guide book times you are getting.
Timing yourself so you know how fast you really
are is one of the key messages o f the book.
El Cap, Yosemite, USA. The home of long
trad and aid climbs that few can expect to
compete in a day. Water, food and weather
will be serious concerns, as will getting back
down safely when very tired after several
days climbing. The climbing will feel very
different (i.e. hard) for those more
experienced on steep bolted limestone rather
than wide granite trad cracks. Luckily there
are numerous shorter multipitch climbs in the
same valley to get your speed up on before
you throw yourself at the big stone.

2. Other Things to Think About

Getting stuck behind others will slow you down; holding others back will not make you any
friends. So practice your rope techniques somewhere safe, and if possible, somewhere you
won’t spoil other’s fun or endanger them.

Congestion on a via Ferrata, Pralognan, French Alps.

Some hazards are organic. (Left, Utah, USA; middle, Northern Spain, the white stuff is a thick
layer of bird droppings; right Colorado, USA)

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 19 Novem ber 2014

--------------------- m uLfcipifcckcLim biK3.com ----------------------

 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1. Stay Safe / 2. The Basic Method / 3. The Belay
/ 4. The Route

In this chapter we look at using a buddy system to stay safe, how to check a Grigri, the three
basic ways to climb multi-pitch, rope choice, introduce two ways in which multi-pitch belays
might be a little different from what you are used to and show how multipitch routes are
described in guidebooks.

1. Stay Safe

The first pitch might be more than half a
rope length, so put a knot in the end of
the rope in case you have to lower the
leader back down in a hurry. You will
probably have to put a knot in the rope at
sometime in order to tie in, so do it at the
start. Or ju s t tie in together.
Use a buddy system throughout the day. Check
knots, belay devices, anchors and attachments for
each other, especially on raps. This can be done
silently. You will make a mistake one day (we all do),
so you need your partner to be checking.
Test the Grigri each time you use it. The important thing is to reach for the rope near the leader,
then slide back to the Grigri, and test with a couple of sharp pulls. If you don’t start by taking the
rope from near the leader, you won’t know you are pulling her rope at the Grigri. This is a classic
example o f using a backup check or test that tries to get around the issue of people seeing what
they want to see. Any check or backup needs to check or backup in a different way than the
normal visual inspection or method you will have used anyhow. The second always tying in to
start is another example o f this. Yes, you could reply on keeping an eye on the end of the rope if
you have to lower the leader back down quickly, but the second tying in provides the backup
which uses a non-visual check and will ensure (unlike David) you never get dropped to the deck
when the end of the rope passes thought the belay plate.

2. The Basic Method

The following images show the three basic ways of climbing a multipitch route: leading through
(i.e. swapping/swinging/alternating leads) leading in blocks and moving together.
 Leading in blocks. Black leads the first n-pitches (or for m-hours); then red takes over. This can
be useful if for example the first part o f the climb is easy and the rest hard as the weaker climber
leads the easy stuff and doesn’t slow the team down higher on the route. If a block is defined as
a period of time, then you can rig things so both climbers get to lead for the same amount of
time, so the faster climber is less likely to become upset by Mr Slow.

Mirco-
traxion

Moving together. This is useful on easy ground or if you want to link pitches. The micro-traxion
stops the second pulling the leader off the rock if he falls. This is an advanced technique for
experienced teams only.

The three basic rope systems: left, single rope (this is fast); centre, double ropes, also known as
 half ropes, (more complex, but less drag, makes it easier to protect the second and with the
possibility of doing full-length abseils); and, twin ropes (simple, and with the possibly of doing
full-length abseils).

3. The Belay

Multi-pitch belays need to be set not just to take the direction o f the pull a falling second might
apply, but also the direction needed to hold a flying leader if she falls on the next pitch. Here,
the leader has headed off to the right, and because the main anchors are also on the right, a
third piece (a counter-piece) has been placed off to the belayer’s left.

On multi-pitch routes, particularly those with fixed anchors such as bolts it is common to attach
the belay plate to the anchors and belay the second directly rather than off the harness. This is
termed a direct belay and requires the use of the correct type of belay plate - here a Reverso
is being used. Direct belays are only normally used to bring the second up, although there is a
growing acceptance that they might under some circumstances (when rigged in a different
way) be useful when belaying the leader (see for example: http://www.outdoorlink. org/research-
papers/part-5-belaying-lowres.pdf or http://willgadd.com/anchor-clipping/).

4. The Route
Guidebooks stop you getting lost. They can be in the form of photo topos, written descriptions or
complex looking schematic drawings. Complex natural-looking line drawings seem to have
dropped out of favour. In the following the same route is described in three different ways, each
has its advantages and disadvantages and if you can find your route in more than one form it
can sometimes help to take both. Climbing a big route smoothly is often about gathering as
much data as you can before you set off. Walking to the base of the route and back the night
before often saves an hour of confusion at dawn the next day.

1. The Photo Topo

Pigs in Space. 200m (6a, 6c, 7a, 6a, 5c)

Advantages: You are unlikely to start up the

wrong mountain with a photo topo. The route
is clear and it is very easy to match what you
see looking at the face with the photo. The
location of the rap stations is particularly clear.
Works very well in any language.

Disadvantages: The red line coves up many of

the features, particularly cracks and corners.
The length of each pitch is often not given, nor
the location within a pitch of the crux. Can be
surprisingly difficult to find the exact position of
the start of a long route on a photo taken from
several miles away, or workout the details of
any of the features climbed.

2. Schematic
H 30m
\ Pigs in Space. 200m (6a, 6c, 7a, 6a, 5c)

50 Advantages: Easy to see what the main

s features - like the big corner on the first pitch -
are. Pitch lengths are clear. Obvious that two
/ of the belays are at trees (which you might not
be able to spot in a photo). Positions of key
30m Q | bolts marked as crosses. Clear indication of
where not to go (the top corner) as well as
where to go. Sometimes the crux move on the
pitch will be indicated and the maximum size
JO 60m of protection to take. Works well in any
language as long as you can read the key to
the symbols.

OW 8'
I Disadvantages: Much harder to see if you are
3. Written description
Pigs in Space. 200m. FA: G.K.J.F. Smyth-
Wilingson and J.H.U. Longstone, 1896.
on the right part of the cliff, or even the right
mountain. Once you get off route you will be
lost, as unlike a photo you don’t have
information about the surrounding features.
This can be a serious issue if you have to
retreat. Harder to get inspired by a schematic
glued to the fridge than a photo of the route.
Advantages: A good sense of history. Easy to
get inspired by, or be put off. Gives a good
idea of what you are up against. Clear
statement of the feature the route starts up.
A truly brilliant but complex route. Climbs the
damp overgrown face by the easiest line, but
via lots of loose rock. Epics are common. A
route ahead of its time in many ways. The
opening offwidth is now harder as Smyth’s
original wooden posts are long gone.
Start at the base of the large corner with the
graffiti "Say no to voles” in red paint.
1. 60m. 6a. Climb the corner, pulling over the
small roof using holds on the right. Skirt the
next overhang on the left to belay at the tree.
2. 30m. 6c. Trend rightwards over ledges to a
small corner, which is climbed with difficulty to
a band of loose rock. Trend rightwards once
more over unstable blocks to belay on a mix of
old threads and cams in suspect rock.
3. 50m. 7a. Swing over the small roof above
the belay to enter the short corner. Exit left
from the top of the corner and gather your
strength under the roof. Critical Friend 1.5 or
equivalent. Reach up right to a small pocket in
the centre of a hand-sized white-coloured
patch of rock and commit to the mono. Head
left, up the crack then back right for 5m along
the break to belay at the tree at Lunchtime
Ledge. Leading this pitch Longstone was
forced to gather her long woollen skirt up with
the straps of Symth’s backpack, forcing him in
turn to carry the Champagne and lunch in his
jacket pockets.
4. 30m. 6a. Follow the white streak up left
across the buttress via various small but easy
roofs to the arete. Belay in the back of the
cave on a bed of bat droppings.
5. 30m. 5c. Follow ledges and corners to the
top trying to avoid the unstable blocks.
Long description of crux moves, even details
of key handholds, which could prove useful, or
be considered too much beta. Gives you
something to read on a rainy day when stuck
in the tent. Clearly sets on the key features
from the perspective of the climber’s position
with the detail they need to know when they
need it.
Disadvantages: Can take a long time sitting at
the base to match the description to the rock
you see in front of you. Very easy to convince
yourself what is written is what you see and
start up the wrong cliff (maybe the graffiti
washed off). Often the writer forgets to say
how far, or in what direction (e.g. "traverse into
the obvious corner”, when there are corners to
the right and left, and how far west the first rap
station is). Once you get off route you will be
lost, as unlike a photo you don’t have
information about the surrounding features.
Only makes sense if you can read the
language it is written in.

Descent is via abseil from a series of decaying

rap stations to the west.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 19 Novem ber 2014

-pifcckcLim binq.com
This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1. Fall Factors / 2. Dynamic Belaying / 3 The 3-5-8 Rule / 4. Belay Device and Rope Choice / 5.
Forces Depend on Angles / 6. Failing Daisies / 7. How Fast Do You Climb? / 8. What is a kN? /
9. What is a “Solid” Placement? / 10. A simple mathematical model of a climbing rope / 11. The
problem with high energy falls___________________________

In this chapter we expand on the basic idea of fall factors to account for rope drag, look at
testing data from Petzl and Beal on real-word falls, consider if the angles between the arms of a
belay really matters that much, look at how your daisy might kill you, introduce a unit of climbing
speed (the Steck), discuss what the “kN” on the side of your carabiners means, present one
way of defining just what is a solid placement and introduce a simple mathematical model of a
rope.

1. Fall Factors
The longer the fall the more energy that needs to be absorbed by the rope. The fall factor
provides a useful way of distinguishing between falls of equal length (and therefore equal
energy) but that have different amounts of rope out to soak up the energy of the fall. The lower
the fall factor the less force on the top piece, the climber and the belayer. Fall factors of 1 or
more need to be avoided, as huge forces will be involved and they can be very difficult to hold.

If there is a lot of friction from the runners or the lip of a roof, much of the rope will not be able to
fully engage in absorbing the energy of the fall. Thus the effective fall factor will be higher than
the fall factor calculated in the normal manner. The effective fall factor is defined as the fall
factor that generates the same force as the real fall. For example in a real FF=0.5 fall friction
might mean the leader experiences the same force as normally associated with a FF of 0.75.
Hence the EFF is 0.75. It is worth realising that normally if the EFF for the leader is higher than
the FF, then the EFF for the second will be lower than the FF.
 The fall factor is found by dividing the distance fallen by the length of rope out. Here the fall
factor is 4/10 = 0.4. For a more in depth discussion of fall factors see
http://wallrat.com/PDF_Files/forcesinleadfalls. pdf

FF = (2+2)/30 = 0.13
EFF >0.13

Effective fall factor (EFF).

The following images show the implication of the EFF displayed as a mathematical model which
clearly shows how much each section of rope can help in reducing the forces on the leader. The
sections nearest the second are seen to do little, with possibly one tenth the absorption per
metre of rope as the section nearest the leader.
In the case o f carabiners not far off-line,
friction a t the carabiners causes the
effective fall factor (EFF) to be give
approximately by:
EFF=H/(L0+0.63L1+0.49L2+0.37L3+0.29
L4+ 0.2 2 5 L5)
With carabiners clipped in line but with
rubbing points against the rock, we
have:
EFF=H/(L0+0.52L1+0.33L2+0.19L3+0.1
1 L4+ 0. 06L5)

The above images are from Beal and illustrate well the impact o f friction in the system.
(http://bealplanet.com/sport/anglais/facteurdechute.php) COPYRIGHTED IMAGES.
For example, if L1..5 = 1m, and H (the distance fallen) = 2m, then the fall factor is 2/6 = 0.33;
whereas, with the situation shown in the right hand image the corresponding equation gives an
effective fall factor o f 0.90 - a relatively serious fall.
 In exceptional circumstances the fall factor can be greater than 2. Here the rope fell down
behind a flake and jammed as the climber fell, leaving only 1m of rope to absorb a 3m fall.

FF = 2/20 = 0.1

%
r 2m
V
Ledge

20m of
rope

P n
A low fall-factor doesn’t always mean a safe fall: falling off is only safe if there isn’t anything to
hit.

2. Dynamic Belaying
Giving to the fall, rather than fighting it can reduce the peak force, making the experience better
for both leader and second. In particular, this reduces the violence of any swing into the wall.
Even on a multipitch route it is possible to give a dynamic belay by moving from one side of the
anchors to the other or jumping up slightly, or using a chariot belay.

The use of dynamic belaying can stop the leader from flying into the wall and hence protects her
ankles.

3. The 3-5-8 Rule

Due to the friction at the top (and other) pieces the second will not be exposed to as much force
as the lead climber, and the force on the top runner will be less than twice that on the lead
climber. The ratio between the forces will depend on the situation, but 3:5:8 has been the
working assumption for many years.
 The very approximate 8/5/3 rule.

Petzl have done a small series of tests on the forces experienced during real falls (i.e. using a
human as the test mass) for various fall factors. The results seem to support the 8 / 5 / 3 rule
extremely well, at least when a Grigri is used (the mean experimental ratio was 8.2 / 5.2 / 3) -
with a Reverso the data is more scattered.

Ratio o f the force on the climber and anchor to that on the belayer for a series o f real falls with
fall factors of 0.3, 0.7 and 1 (the lines are just a guide to the eye). Data from
http://www.petzl.com/files/all/product-experience/SPORT/R32-PE-CORDES-EN.pdf

4. Rope and Belay Device Choice

Devices like the Grigri are often criticized for putting more force on the top runner as they don’t
allow the rope to slip. On the other hand, unless the top piece is poor, this might not matter in
comparison to the second losing control of the rope and dropping the leader after twelve hours
of belaying in the sun.

Clipping in line w ith no rubbing points Clipping 5 slig h tly o ff-lin e runners in
below the top runner. Fall o f 8 m. 19 m o f ascent, w ith no rubbing
against the rock. Fall o f 8 m.

11.10 kN

Maximum force in kN from

the EN892-UIAA 1e»1 written
in the rope's technical
notice.

Clipping 5 s lig h tly o ff-lin e runners in 19 O verhanging passage w ith a ru b -p o in t on

m o f ascent, w ith som e ru b-p o in ts. Fall the roof lip - Fall o f 8 m.
o f 8 m.
 Although this is a complex issue and further testing is required, the above images from Beal
indicate that belaying with a locking device such as a Grigri, does increase the force on the top
runner considerably, however I have yet to get sight of the experimental protocol that is behind
these results. It also confirms that there is a relationship between the impact force a rope places
on the system in the UIAA test (i.e. for a very harsh fall) and more common falls. This suggests
that low impact rated ropes do indeed offer advantages in common situations.
(http://bealplanet.com/sport/anglais/facteurdechute.php) All images COPYRIGHTED. The
results from Petzl shown below indicate something similar. Data from
http://www.petzl.com/files/all/product-experience/SPORT/R32-PE-CORDES-EN.pdf
Forces (in kN) on the climber, belayer and top piece for a series of real falls. Forces are slightly
higher with a Grigri for the climber and belayer, but only slightly. The main difference is on the
force on the top piece. This doesn’t mean a device like a Grigri is a poor choice for trad. Often
ensuring the fall is held is more important than the forces.

5. Forces Depend on Angles

It is sometimes a good idea to link pieces together in opposition, either on the lead or at the
belay. This can increase the forces on the pieces, but this will be worth it if it ensures the pieces
stay in. Although some degree of load sharing might be possible by using techniques such as
the sliding-X, more often than not it is more important to use the approach to stop a piece being
lifted out, or to stop the belayer falling off the stance if one piece fails.

Many climbers understand that as the angle between the arms in a belay increases the load
increases on each arm, they fail to understand that if the angle is small any sideways movement
will dramatically increase the load on one arm. This suggests that small angles are not in reality
optimal, force-wise.

A consideration of angles is also important when thinking about the direction the belayer will be
flung in if the leader falls. If the belayer is pulled sideways, rather than up, the normal dynamic
effect the weight of the belayer produces will not be present, and the fall will be more
aggressive.

Another time to thing about angles is when assessing the swing the leader or second might be
exposed to if they fall whilst climbing. The force with which they smash into a corner will greatly
depend on the angle between them and the nearest runner.
 lOkn
As the angle between two pieces increases the forces on the pieces increases. However,
this doesn’t mean that large angles should not be created if they are the only timely option.
Also the above is very much theoretical. In reality, the direction of the load is unlikely to
always be straight down. Consider a real stance: If the last runner below the belay is to one
side, or the belayer is hanging to one side, or the leader and second move around once
they are at the stance and re-racking, then the direction will not be straight down, and might
be constantly changing. The following graph compares the theoretical situation (as
presented in the above diagrams for a non-sliding powerpoint), with what happens if at any
time the direction of the load shifts to one side by 10 degrees. We see that if the angle
between the pieces is small (20 degrees) then a slight movement of the belayer means one
arm takes 100% o f the load rather than 50%! This is the same load as when the arms are
120 degrees apart: a situation that most texts suggest we should avoid. We also see that
unless you know that the load will always remain straight down the cliff, the best angle
between the arms is probably 50 to 70 degrees. It also adds weight to the argument that the
idea o f ensuring load sharing between arms is over emphasised by many climbers.
Redundancy is the key. The main advantage of a small angle between the arms is that if
one piece fails, the belayer will travel less far before being saved by the remaining piece,
and therefore might stay on the ledge.
120.00
Red dashed, no error; green solid 10 deg. error
E
k_
ro 100.00
c
o
.c 80.00
.SP ■« |j| -ar
Ol
>
i/i 60.00
<u
S3
E 40.00
u
»«-
O 20.00
\P
O'

0.00
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00
Angle between arms (deg.)
The direction of pull and the angle between pieces is important for more important reasons than
the forces involved - the key is that the pieces MUST stay in. These two placements look fine
when connected by a long sling (left), but not when connected by a short one (right) — now the
direction of pull could easily unseat them.

Angles in Powerpoints
ID

14

12

10

z o
8

0 " j | jU t
Left Central Right
C ordelette Arm

Results o f seven pull tests on a symmetric three-armed cordelette anchor. The central
arm is the shortest. It takes much more force than the others: clearly this is not
equalizing. An ideal set up was used for this data, in the real world one arm will normally
take most of the force because it is unlikely the powerpoint was built to equalise things
for a leader fall. We can conclude that: One should worry less about angles and more
about finding quality placements; adding more pieces might add redundancy, but is
unlikely to improve the equalisation or reduce the force on the most loaded piece;
however it might be worth avoiding one much shorter arm. (Data from J. Marc Beverly et
al, Multi-point pre-equalized anchoring systems.)

The angle between the leader and the Jesus piece

Rarely discussed in climbing is the difference between the actions of gravity and inertia.
If the first piece is directly above the belay and the leader falls the belayer will be pulled
upwards, but gravity will be acting on the belayer to limit how fast and far they travel.
Hopefully this will result in a soft catch for both belayer and climber. This is a gravity-
limited fall.

If however the first piece is off to the side but the climber has gained height after this
piece or a subsequent piece, gravity will not slow the second when the leader falls. The
result will be a more aggressive catch and the belayer might well be travelling fast when
he comes tight on the belay and therefore let go of the rope. This is an inertia-limited fall,
and will be at its most serious for the belayer if they are much lighter than the leader. In
some drop tests reported by Petzl, they had to stop using a set up where the Jesus piece
was off to the side as the belayer was suffering too much. Note: this is only occurs if the
leader gains height. On a purely traversing pitch this is not an issue as the forces are low
if there is a reasonable amount of protection. Nor is it likely to be a problem if the leader
gained height after a long traverse with many pieces of protection in, as the drag of the
rope on the rock will limit the force on the belayer.

A: a gravity-limited fall. B: an inertia-limited fall. Be careful o f the latter. Short traverses

directly after a belay are a common problem. Using a chariot belay and one o f the anchor
pieces as the Jesus piece can help to solve this.

The angle between the leader or second and the protection

Another place where it is important to consider angles is if the protection is off to the side and a
swing might end with the leader or second hitting something, usually the opposing wall of a
corner. From high school physics we know that if the climber falls a distance h then their
potential energy mgh will have all been converted into kinetic energy Vzmv2 at the base of the
fall. This is true whether the drop is a straight line or a swing. This means that a 2m (6ft)
swing into a corner (with the protection at the same height as the climber) is the same as
a 2m fall onto a ledge. A leader will try to do their best not to drop the second 2m onto a ledge,
so they should try to not allow them to smash into a corner at the same speed. Often this
situation can be avoided by the use of a second rope, or not placing protection at the base of a
corner if using only one rope. The mental picture that probably needs to be encouraged is one
of "corner equals ledge”.

A swing can easily be even more serious than a straight fall of a similar terminal speed. In a
vertical fall onto a ledge you will hopefully land on your feet and your legs will bend to absorb
the impact. In a swing the climber might impact the wall side-on, not feet first. This can lead to
serious injuries even with small falls. (How would any of us fancy being dropped 2m horizontally
onto a stone floor onto our ribs?) Accident data shows that a surprising number of climbing
accidents are of this type, and possibly indicate that climbers don’t try take side falls as
seriously as they should.

A corner fall should be taken as least as seriously as a ledge fall if the vertical drop is identical.
 The same is true for the second. i.e. they are “leading” as they approach a corner.

Right: limiting the consequences of a swing by using double ropes. The yellow rope reduces the
height lost by the second as he falls, and hence through mgh = %mv2 the speed he hits the
corner. Although it could still be dangerous. Note: the yellow rope (i.e. the diagonal one) needs
to be tight.

It is worth using some maths to see how much difference this might make (we will ignore energy
absorbed in the rope, and rope stretch).

Given that mgh = %mv2 we know that v=root(2gh). As g=9.81, which is approximately 10, this
gives the simple rule v=root(20h). i.e. if you fall h metres, you will be travelling at root(20h)
metres per second when you pile into the ledge.

In the above drawing with a single rope, the height fallen will be given by the distance (L) from
the corner. When double ropes are used the height fallen will be given by root(D2+L2)-D, where
D is the height the belayer is above the second (or the height the first runner on the second
rope is above the second).

Putting some numbers in we find the following:

For a single rope if the second is 5m out from the corner and the belayer 5m above them and
there is (as shown) a runner in the corner at the same height as the second: D=5m, H=5m, they
fall 5m, v=root(20x5) = 10m/s at impact and their kinetic energy will be 7.8kJ.

If two ropes are used then h=root(52+52)-5 = 2.07m i.e. the distance fallen has been more than
halved. v=6.4m/s (nearly a 40% reduction) and their kinetic energy will only be 1.6kJ. This
implies that energy-wise, using single ropes increases the energy of the fall (and that the
climber’s body has to absorb) by a factor of nearly 5.

It is also worth considering what the numbers might have been if the leader had chosen to belay
further up the corner. This makes no difference to the numbers if one rope is used and the
lowest runner is still at the same height as the climber, as the distance fallen will be the same.
However if two ropes are used (and the second rope is tight), then if the leader belays a further
5m up the corner (i.e. D=10), then the second will only fall 1.18m (that’s a massive improvement
over 5m), v= 4.9m/s and the kinetic energy will be only 0.9kJ, i.e. an eight of the single rope
case.

If you don’t have double ropes the consequences of a swing into the corner can be reduced by
placing the first runner high rather than low. This might seem simple, possibly obvious, but most
leaders seem to forget the maths once on the hill. This won’t always be possible as the leader
might need to protect herself when ascending the corner.

6. Failing Daisies
Falling on a daisy or any lanyard is never a good idea as there is little to absorb the energy, so
the forces can be very high. However, tests seem to indicate that using a rope-based lanyard
(such as Beal’s Dynaclip) can reduce the forces involved compared to using a sling.

Test FF Dynaclip Nylon sling Dyneema sling

Impact force on system 1 6.2 kN 11 kN >15 kN
Number of falls before failure 1 >20 4-8 0-1
Impact force on system 2 9.5 kN >15 kN >15 kN
Number of falls before failure 2 8 0-2 0

Comparison o f the performance o f rope- and webbing-based lanyards under test falls. Forces
over 12 kN should be seen as highly dangerous. (80 kg drop mass; FF= fall factor; data from
Beal. As the mass was presumably inflexible it is not clear how representative these data are of
the true difference between these three possibilities when used in the real world.)

7. How Fast Do You Climb?

One rainy afternoon in the pub we were reflecting on the film of Ueli Steck climbing the 1938
route on the Eiger in 2hr 47min. This is a speed of 900m/hr or 15m/min (50 feet per minute); a
speed we termed 1 “Steck”.

Knowing this definition means you can usefully reflect on how fast you are climbing by working
in units of Steck. If you shut your eyes and count slowly, 1001, 1002, 1003...., then 15m/min
doesn’t seem that fast if the climbing is not near you personal limit and much of the protection in
situ, i.e. the main thing that is being measured is body movement - test it at the climbing gym
(wall) and you might find you can climb easy routes at 0.5 Steck. However when we use units of
Steck to analyse our own performance on real rock climbs we quickly discover time must be
evaporating somewhere.

For example, if a relatively easy, mainly bolted, 10 pitch, 300m route has taken you 4 hours
(and we all know people who might take all day on such a route), you have been moving at a
speed of 75m/hr. Which is only 75/900 = 0.08 Steck! Even if you allow for the fact that your
second also had to climb the route, this is depressing. The thesis of this book is that although
some of this time difference is because we are weak and we move our limbs more slowly than
Ueli (and because we might have had to tackle a couple of crux pitches), much is because of
the time spent messing around with the rope and other equipment. Hence if you can speed this,
systems-based, element up you will gain much more speed-wise than you will trying to get
stronger in the climbing gym. Most of us will never be able to pull the kind of moves needed to
climb 5.14, or have the physical fitness and perfection in movement to climb the Nose on El Cap
in 3 hours, but there is no reason not to be able to tie a clovehitch or re-rack the equipment as
fast as anyone.

There are probably two parts to this speedup: (1) Having a good knowledge of what works, with
a lot of alternatives in your toolbox of techniques, and (2) having practised the techniques in a
safe environment until you are totally proficient.

Hopefully the book and these webpages will give you an idea about possible techniques, but in
the end you will need to get out there with a stopwatch or a video camera and discover where
you are wasting time. I know it sounds geeky, but taking the effort to produce a table or pie
chart which includes every element - time spent climbing, placing gear, cleaning, racking, the
length of time between when the ropes go tight and when the ropes are in the belay plate ready
to bring the second up, etc. - will pay a huge dividend.
 8. What is a kN?

Climbing equipment is often marked with a label in kN indicating the maximum force it can take.
A force is a pull or push upon an object resulting from its interaction with another object: forces
only occur during the interaction between objects. There are two types of forces: contact forces
and action-at-a-distance forces. In climbing we are interested in both; gravity is an action-at-a-
distance force, a rock hitting your head provides a contact force.

Force is a vector quantity, i.e. it has both magnitude and direction. This is important as it is the
direction of the force that is as likely to rip a stopper from the wall as the magnitude of the force.
Direction is also important when it comes to flying climbers.

Newton’s second law states F=ma (force = mass times acceleration). So halving the mass (with
all other things being equal) will halve the force (i.e. a light climber will provide a lower force and
stress the system less); as will halving the acceleration. As mass isn’t a vector F=ma must
mean that acceleration is also a vector. In SI units force is measured in newtons (N).

F=ma also applies if the acceleration is negative, i.e. a deceleration, and often it is ensuring this
deceleration is as slow as possible that is used to limit the force on the system and the climber.

For a suspended object the other object in the interaction is the Earth, and the acceleration will
be the acceleration, g, due to gravity, so F=mg in this case.

g = 9.81 ms-2 (or about 10ms-2), so an 80kg climber, hanging from the belay will provide, F=mg =
80 x 10 = 800 newton.

An 80kg climber slowing from 54miles per hour (24m/s) in a fall (a speed that could be reached
in 30m of free fall) to stationary due to a braking force from the rope of 3kN would decelerate at
38m/s2, i.e. nearly 4 times g. They would take 0.65s to stop and the combined movement of the
belayer, rope stretch and slip, plus a little bit of slack, would be nearly 8m! A much great
distance than most people think, and why you see climbers pile into the deck on safe climbs,
(These numbers come from simply applying the equations of motion, and are therefore slightly
simplistic.)

9. What is a “Solid” Placement?

Although higher forces are possible, the maximum force on a placement under normal
circumstances is likely to be no more than 12kN (as the force is limited by the rope, with the
placement experiencing twice the force the rope does). A kN is not a unit most of us find
natural, so one way of thinking about how strong a solid runner placement needs to be is to
reflect on the static hanging mass that might provide 12kN. As F=mg, m=F/g = 12000/10 =
1200kg. This is the weight of a small car. So, if you want to judge what is meant by a “solid”
placement, you should be happy hanging a small car from it and letting your children picnic
underneath it.

10. A simple mathematical model of a climbing rope

We can use a little high school math to create a model of a climbing rope and use this to
examine the likely forces is the system. (Thanks to Mark, The Ex-engineer, for much of the
following). The model is a rough one, in part because it ignores and movement of the belayer or
friction between the rope and rock, or the leader rolling/bouncing down the face rather than
being in free-fall. It is based on a consideration of the data that comes with any climbing rope
you buy.

Single ropes are tested under the following conditions (the UIAA test):
- a test mass of 80kg
- 2.8m of rope 'in play'
- 0.3m of rope to the 1st runner, 'climber' 2.3m above runner with 0.2m of slack, giving an initial
fall of 4.8m

The tests give three numbers which are prominently displayed on the rope’s packaging:
• peak impact force on the 1st fall
• % elongation on first fall
• number of falls held by the samples tested.

A typical rope might have the following characteristics:

• An impact force of 9.1kN for the first fall (which is well below the maximum allowable of
12kN)
• It elongates 30% in the first test fall (well below the maximum allowable of 40%)
• Finally it holds 7-8 falls before it either snaps or exceeds the 12kN impact force limit (well
above the minimum of 5).

In the standard rope test, the fall factor is 1.71. It is tempting to assume that the forces increase
in direct proportion to the fall factor (FF): double the fall factor and you double the force on the
top piece (or the belayer, or the climber). However, forces don't increase simply with the
FF. This is where the maths comes in. They increase in line with the square root of the FF. So
If you double the FF, the forces increase by only 1.41. The corollary being that the FF would
need to be reduced by a factor of four in order to halve the force. This comes directly from the
basic physics: the energy stored in a spring (which is what the rope is) is proportional to the
square of the force. So if you fall twice as far (with the same amount of rope out) the FF will
have doubled and, via energy = mgh, the energy of the fall will have doubled, but the force will
only have increased by a factor of 1.41. Or stated the other way around, the force increases
inline with the square root of the energy the rope absorbs per metre of rope.

The next thing we need to consider is how a real climber compares to a steel 80kg test mass.
This is because there is some “give” in the climber’s body when it flexes as the rope comes
tight. There seems some debate about this, but the answer is probably that there is perhaps a
10-15% difference. So the test mass might behave more like a 90kg human than an 80kg one.
However, by the time you start considering the weight of a standard climbing rack, harness,
helmet, clothing etc. the differences are fairly minimal. If you do want to correct things for a 'real
climber' who is much lighter of heavier than average it turns out that the forces are proportional
to the square root of the weight (as again, energy = mgh and the force goes with the square root
of the energy). This implies that a climber who is half the weight gives rise to more than half the
force of the heavier climber.

The final thing we need to consider is how do we translate the forces on a climber to the forces
on the top runner. If the carabiner on the top runner acted as a perfect pulley the force on the
runner would be twice that on the climber. In the real word, due to friction, it is nearer 1.67
times.

So to analyse any hypothetical fall we simply consider how much we need to adjust for things
not being the same as the standard test fall. For this we need to know:
 • The rope impact force (Fimp) and elongation (Elong) produced in the test fall (for our
rope, 9.1kN, and 30% respectively).
• W - weight of the climber plus kit (in kg).
• Lf - length of the fall (before the rope comes tight; in m).
• Lr - total length of rope in play (in m).

Using the fall factor we can then calculate a scaling factor (SF) to adjust for the true weight of
the climber and the FF:

SF = square root (W/90kg) x square root (FF/1.71)

Where FF=Lf/Lr as normal.

We then use the scaling factor as follows:

Force on climber = SF x Fimp

Force on top runner = 1.67 x SF x Fimp
Rope stretch = SF x Elong x Lr

An example:
A light climber (70kg with gear) falls off around 8 m up a route with their waist 2 m above the
last runner. The fall factor is 0.5 which gives a scaling factor of Root(70/90) x Root (0.5/1.17) or
0.58.

Hence according to this simple model:

Force on climber = 0.58 x 9.1kN = 5.28kN

Force on top runner = 1.67 x 5.28kN = 8.8kN
Rope stretch = 0.58 x 30% x 8m = 1.39m

Because this model ignores many important elements, for example how hard the belayer can
grip the rope, it is only an approximation designed to help climbers understand what is going on
and the relationships between the important parameters. Just for fun I (DC) put the first fall
described in the Beal diagram above (which described measured data from real falls) into the
model for the five different ropes Beal used (i.e. only one runner, climber directly above runner,
7.15m of rope to the top runner, 4m of rope above runner to climber). I got the following graph
for an 80kg climber (I used the data from the Grigri tests, as the model does not allow for
slippage at the belay device).

Looking at the graph it would seem the model can represent some real world situations
reasonably - in particular that the impact force rating stated on the rope’s packaging for a
FF=1.71 situation does have relevance to more modest falls, with ropes with lower ratings
producing less force on the top runner.
It is worth noting that one effect of the square root relationship is that even fairly small falls will
still result in moderate forces. A pretty small fall (FF = 0.15) might result in a runner force of
50% of the rope’s impact force rating achieved during the standard test fall, yet a big fall four
times larger (FF = 0.60) will only equal twice this.

Hence we can conclude that when it comes to runners, there isn't a massive different between
small falls and big falls. If your gear isn't completely solid it is likely to fail regardless of how
small a fall you take.

11. The problem with high energy falls

The concepts of fall factor and effective fall factor are highly useful in thinking about how to
compare one fall with another. However not all falls with identical fall factors are the same. For
falls were the FF is small, a long and a short fall with the same FF will feel reasonably equal for
both the leader and second (assuming the leader doesn’t hit anything on the way down).
However once the fall factor is large enough for the forces to be great enough to pull rope
through the locked off belay plate, the energy in the fall matters as well as the FF. This is
because the rope is now not the only energy absorbing item: the belayer’s hands, the belay
plate and the body of the belayer start to play a role. As energy = mgh we see that in energy
terms a long fall with a high fall factor is even worse than a short fall with the same fall factor.
The movement of the rope through the belay device and locker will create heat due to friction,
and we experience this when an abseil device gets hot on a long descent. The movement of the
rope through the hands however also creates heat.

The belay plate works as a force multiplier effectively multiplying the force the hand can apply to
the rope by a factor of about 3. The corollary being that the hand must be offering about 1/3rd of
the braking force and will suffer a corresponding rise in temperature. If enough heat is
generated the skin will be damaged and the belayer may let go. So always be concerned by big
falls and make sure you know you will be able to catch them. Belay gloves will stop you getting
burnt, but tend to be slippier than hands, so it can be difficult to lock the rope off as effectively. A
Grigri-like device provides an alternative solution.
Two falls can have the same fall factor but differing amounts of energy. This will be important if
the rope starts to slip through the belayer’s brake hand, heating the skin.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 19 Novem ber 2014

— multtptfeckcltmbing.com
 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1 General Climbing Gear / 2 Sling Draws and Extenders / 3 Cordelettes / 4 Pre-tied Belay Rigs /
5 Prusik Cords etc. / 6 Daises and other Tails and Tethers / 7 Going Light / 8 The Rope / 9 Non­
Climbing Gear / 10 Coiling the Rope / 11 Tying into the Middle of the Rope / 12 Coiling a 100m
Rope / 13 Racking the Gear____________________________

In general in the book we encourage a light-is-right approach. Most of the climbing equipment
used on multi-pitch climbs is the same as that used on single pitch ones. The rock type and
route will determine the range and quantity of protection you need, however, you do need to
take enough to not only protect the leader but to also build the belays (assume on average 6
pieces will be in the belays). Big routes often meander about more, so longer draws might be a
good idea. If you are using direct belays, cordelettes or belay rigs can be useful.

Common mistakes are to bring too many screwgates, not to leave the second with the basic
equipment to mount a rescue, not to have joined in the colour-coding revolution so both
climbers can read the rack at speed, to have forgotten the head torches and to rack the gear
into a mess.

To ensure you are travelling as light as is sensible, buy light gear, consider if things can do
more than one job, think about the right combination of ropes, ensure you have what you need,
but only what you need (e.g. you don’t need all 256 pages of the guidebook)

1. General Climbing Gear

 Typical multi-pitch trad (left) and bolted (right) racks. If the crack systems are more continuous,
for example on North American granite, it would be common to only take one set of wires and
double the number of cams. In other locations a large selection of micro-wires will be needed.
On desert sandstone with splitter cracks you might swap the wires for many cams of the same
size. In all cases it really helps if the rack is easy to read: i.e. not a collection of random stuff
from a large number of manufacturers with gaps between sizes: you might know your rack well,
but your partner will stress out trying to find the right size on the crux. Many climbers would
want to add a pair of cordelettes as well for trad climbs.

Only take a big rack if you really need one, as it will slow you down. (Yosemite; Photo Nick D.)
 Anatomy of an autoblocking belay device (in
this case a Reverso 4). Such devices offer far
more flexibility than normal belay plates for
multi-pitch routes.

What the second needs. At all times the second requires enough gear to do his normal jobs,
escape the system and prusik up to and rescue an injured leader. This probably means he
needs (clockwise from top): a short prusik (in this case the chalk bag cord), length of 1mm cord
to use as a knife (shown wrapped around one of the attachment points on the chalk bag), nut
tool (if it’s a trad route), Reverso with 2 lockers, locker for tying into powerpoints etc., 3 magic
carabiners for the belay (unless it’s a fully bolted route), 60cm sling for cleaning (and used in
self-rescue), 120cm sling used in self-rescue, 1 spare locker and 1 normal carabiner (the latter
could be replaced by the carabiner on the nut tool). If you plan on using a cordelette or sling to
belay off then you will need to add one. The leader will need much o f this equipment too
although hopefully much of it will already be part of her lead rack, unless of course she has
placed it all on the pitch.
 If you run out of locking carabiners, use a pair of snap gates doubled up—but make sure the
gates are truly opposing. On many climbs you only need three locking carabiners each: two for
the Reverso and one to tie into the belay with.

Old screwgates like this should be thrown Use the correct sized carabiner for the job.
away—the collar can stick closed, and the Used like this, this one could easily fail.
gate is probably not as strong as modern
versions. If once the collar is screwed up the
gate doesn’t rattle, bin the screwgate.

The three basic shapes o f locking carabiners: Use triple action auto locking carabiners like
Left, HMS, or pear-shaped; middle, standard the one on the right. Not ones that can be
D-shaped; right, oval. Large pear shaped opened by just turning the sleeve.
carabiners are better if several ropes will be
tied to the same carabiner, or when using a
Munter hitch. A mini-, or micro-, traxion
requires an oval carabiner.

For most jobs, snapgates without a tooth
(keylock, left) are better than ones with a tooth
(right) as they won’t keep getting snagged in
slings.
Assuming you are swinging leads, you both
need to be happy using the rack and be able
to select the correct piece as quickly as
possible. This will be easier if the rack is
uniform and easy to read. (If you are short of a
birthday present, buy a set of coloured
carabiners to make the cams even easier to
identify.)

The yellow carabiner on the left has a ledge at the nose that can hook a bolt, wire or sling and
lead to the carabiner failing; the red one on the right is a better design with no ledge. You can
find an example of what happens when this occurs here: www*. A hooked-up carabiner can fail
at only 10% of its rated strength (http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/qc-lab-weakness-of-
nosehooked-carabiners. html).
 Although not needed on
most routes, on long routes
with several easy pitches
with bolted belays a micro-
traxion will make moving
together less dangerous. It
also makes a great
ascender or rescue pulley.
A belay loop that is a different Bunches of wires are often
colour to the rest of the harness best carried on larger,
is a good safety feature; brightly possibly oval, carabiners so
coloured gear loops also help. they are easier to handle.
Some people like to use a
toothless (keylock) carabiner
to make the wires snag less.
I (DC) prefer using one with a
tooth to reduce the chance of
wires being dropped when
the gate is opened. It is hard
to get oval carabiners in
different colours, so you may
have to paint them so you
can quickly pick the right one
on your harness. A different
colour for: micros, small,
medium, and large.
 Mark your wires to match the carabiner that
carries them. This will greatly speed re-racking
at belays particularly by someone not used to
your rack. Bass micro-wires don’t normally
need to be marked, as it is obvious these all
go on the one carabiner.

3 Sling Draws and Extenders

Using short extenders when the rope passes through an angle causes more drag, increases the
effective FF and means pieces are more likely to unzip. Folding 60cm slings up to create “sling”
or “alpine” draws will help greatly, as these can be rapidly deployed as long or short extenders
as and when required.

Forming a sling draw from a 60cm sling. On trad routes consider carrying half your extenders in
this form and leaving your 10cm sports draws at home.
 The bottom sling has been sewn so as not to Sling draws are also useful for extending
leave any ends that can catch; this is a better pieces when bring up two seconds. On trad
solution for sling draws and slings in general. gear or bolts, clipping with a sling draw also
creates a foot hold for gorilla aid.

Be careful of retainers on sling draws or just Shock-absorbing extenders (commonly called

don’t use them. These can cause a fatal screamers): top, stitching based and not reusable
mis-clip if the sling draw isn’t formed once deployed (made by Yates); bottom, friction
correctly. (This is not an issue in normal based and reusable (made by e-climb).
draws with retainers.)
 The two basic types of extender. Top: closed
(also termed a dog bone, or express,
extender). Bottom: open. An alternative is a
half bone, which has dog bone stitching along
half its length: this possibly ensures the rope
carabiner is well fixed, but the flexible upper
half puts less leverage on any protection that
might rotate out - and unlike a open extender
gets less entangled with other gear on the
harness.

3. Cordelettes

Cordelette. Left: sling-style (i.e. a circle made of Cord-based cordelettes can be finished
cord or webbing). Right: snakeloop-style (i.e. a and used sling-style (left) or snakeloop-
length o f cord, or webbing, with knotted or sewn style (right). Note a triple fisherman’s has
loops at the end). been used on this spectra cord.

4. Pre-tied Belay Rigs

A belay rig is a sling or length or cord used to link anchor bolts together. It is much shorter than
a cordelette and, unlike a cordellete, is carried with all its carabiners and the reverso attached.
Commercial versions include a harness-style buckle to make adjustment even faster. There are
to basic ways to set one up: so the bolts are connected in series, or so they are connected in
parallel. The latter is termed Banshee style.

Belay rigs: left, 120 cm sling with a double overhand (this is the most flexible); middle, 120 cm
sling with a clove hitch made using both strands of the sling (the easiest to untie). Never clip
anyone into the shelf if using a clovehitch - if anyone removes the carabiner with the clovehitch
the shelf could fatally collapse); right, 60 cm sling with an overhand in the middle and the locker
clipped across the overhand (using a 60cm requires the bolts to be closely spaced). Other
arrangements are possible, for example a sliding-X. With these rigs the bolts are connected in
parallel.

60cm banshee belay rig—a 120cm sling is A cheaper alternative a sling is to us 7mm to
best unless the bolts are close together. The create the Banshee rig. With a banshee rig the
small loop containing the lockers is formed bolts are linked in series.
from a bowline on a bight.
 Edelrid’s Adjustable Belay Station. Can be
used in powerpoint or Banshee mode.
COPYRIGHTED IMAGE

Edelrid’s Adjustable Belay Station in use. Close up of Mammut’s Belay Eight banshee
COPYRIGHTED IMAGE belay rig. Although heavy, such rigs are very
hardwearing and don’t leave you with a difficult
to untie knot at every stance.

5. Prusik Cords etc.

You will need one or more prusiks to climb the rope, use as a third hand when abseiling or to
mount a rescue. 5.5mm seems a good diameter. Cord is much easier than webbing to thread
through small holes in the rock when building your own rap stations.
 Attaching a chalk bag (left), and three not so good ways to do it: you need to be able to easily
rotate it to either side so you can access it even in a chimney. An advantage of attaching it with
a piece of cord is that you will always have at least one prusik to get you out o f trouble.

6. Daisies and Other Tails and Tethers

Having some way of attaching yourself without using the rope is often useful. As is being able to
extend the abseil device away from your harness.

Cow’s tail made from a 120cm Standard daisy. Lamb’s tail (i.e. a open
sling. Girth hitching it to the extender) girth hitched to belay
belay loop rather than the tie-in loop.
points probably makes it more
comfortable.
 Lamb’s tail clipped to the
belay loop using the two
snap gates from the draw
itself. This produces a slightly
longer tail.
Lamb’s tail made from a doubled
60cm sling. This can be passed
through the belay loop or the tie-in
points.
PAS Purcell Prusik in 7mm nylon
cord. This should provide
greater dynamic properties than
a cow’s tail made from a
dyneema sling.
A cordelette can be used to make a very
strong tether. Triple it up into a loop and put
an overhand in the middle then girth hitch it to
the harness. This should also be slightly
dynamic. One nice thing about using the
cordelette as a rap tether is that it is much
easier to undo at the end of the day than
knots in a 6mm dyneema sling!
 Clip the far end to the belay Then place the overhand.
first double it up and girth loop with a locker.
hitch it to the belay loop.

For those concerned about shock loading a tether, or just wanting a very strong adjustable
system, a 7mm nylon cordelette can be made into a Purcell prusik leash. Because the cord is
so thick, the prusik will not grab well enough on new cord, so wear the cordelette in first. Note
how when the cordelette is doubled up in the first stage the double fisherman’s is offset slightly
from one end to leave room for the girth hitch.
 If you want to make maximum use of your cordelette as a tether, fold it with one loop twice the
length, put an overhand at the midpoint o f the four stands and a Purcell in the long strand. You
now have one tether to clip into the anchors and one for your rap device. (Or you could forget
the cordelette and just use a sling with a knot in it and stop making things so complex.)

W)
Mammut’s Belay Sling is Beal’s Dynadoubleclip (left) and Dynaclip (right) lanyards.
strong, and unlike a COPYRIGHTED IMAGES. Such rope-based lanyards greatly
traditional daisy cannot reduce the effective fall factor that might arise if the user falls off the
be mis-clipped). stance (see data below).

Fall factor Measurement Dynaclip Nylon sling Dyneema tape

(80kg) sling
 1 Force 6.2 kN 11 kN >15 kN
1 Number of falls >20 4-8 0-1
before failure
2 Force 9.5 kN >15 kN >15 kN
2 Number of falls 8 0-2 0
before failure

Data from Beal of forces produced by test falls on various lanyards

(http://bealplanet.com/sport/anglais/longes-dynaclip. php). It is clear that a rope-based lanyard is
less likely to fail, and produces a lower shock to the body.

Girth hitching a daisy or cow’s tail to a harness. Either method is fine, but most people find the
left-hand one more comfortable if it will be in place all day.

Making a lamb’s tail from a standard open extender - nothing could be simpler. Note the two
snap gates have been reversed so another locking carabiner is not needed.
 Keep your weight on the daisy if possible at all times, and never put your waist above its
attachment point. You should be just as worried if you partner does: it might be the whole belay
that fails, not just her daisy.

How not to shorten a daisy. If the stitching One way to shorten a daisy. As two carabiners
between the pockets fails, you might find are being clipped together, they should both be
yourself unattached. Look very closely. locking carabiners. It will be quicker if both are
twist-locks.
 Another way to shorten a daisy. The right hand
carabiner probably only needs to be a snap gate,
but some people will be happier with a twist lock, as
if it became unclipped a high effective fall factor
could result.
How not to clip a daisy. If the screwgate
is subsequently clipped to the anchor the
climber is only hanging from the stitching,
which isn’t designed to hold much more
than body weight.

7. Going Light
As always the key is to think creatively but to play safe. Think about whether some of the gear
could be replaced by lighter alternatives or simply left at home. Finding a lightweight alternative
might mean you can take some safety equipment that you were not going to because you had
assumed it would be too heavy

If you are climbing many If you use the right bindings, Getting seriously
grades below your crampons can be fitted to approach traditional: Woollen socks
maximum, why cram your shoes to get you up or down small grip a lot better than rock
feet into rock shoes for patches of snow - don’t try ice shoes on snow. (Rock
eight hours when you climbing in them. shoes on snow are
could walk and climb in extremely dangerous.)
approach shoes? The socks go over the
shoes.
 8. The Rope

Web forums are full of endless debates as to whether a single, double or twins are best. The
important thing is to understand the advantages and disadvantages to each and to have fully
experimented with each. This will allow you to choose the right rope for you and the route.

These photos show a pull line, a twin, a half and a single. When carried they might not look very
different, but the weight difference is substantial, as is how small they can be compressed into a
sack.

M m

Different ropes feel very different when you start walking A 50m 5.5mm pull line will fit into a
uphill whether they are in the sack or on your back. In this small fanny pack (bum bag)
case: 0.9kg (5.5mm), 1.9kg (7.7mm), 2.3kg (8.5mm), alongside the food, knife and head
3.0kg (10.5mm); all 50m. torch, but practice using one
 before you head up a committing
route: you may wish you had
brought along a proper second
rope.

Relationship between weight per metre and Relationship between weight per metre and
diameter for accessory cord to lead ropes. diameter just for lead ropes.

Centre Marks, Ends and Care

A rope needs a clear centre mark so you can find the middle quickly when setting abseils.

A good, easy to spot centre mark.
An even better solution (Mammut 9.8mm Tusk
rope). This approach also means you are less
likely to untie your partner at a belay when
trying to untie yourself, as you end of the rope
looks different from her’s.
Ropes ends cut straight across (top) and
wrapped in tape can catch when being pulled
down from raps—consider smoothing the
ends of the rope into a point with a hot knife,
or a flame and your fingers (bottom).
Removing the manufacturer’s tape will
remove any information about the date of
manufacture, length and type of rope and
therefore needs to be done with caution and
not when others may use the rope.

Standard identifying marks found on climbing ropes. From left: twin, half, single.
 What to do with the Second Rope

Most of the time it is best for one of the

climbers to carry the spare rope on her back,
or in a backpack, however an alternative is for
the second to just tow the rap rope. (Tom
Blight towing a rope. Riglos, Spain.) This
approach is not popular outside of North
America and I (DC) think it only sensible if the
route includes a lot of chimneys (making
carrying it on the back difficult), or if there is
nothing much for the rope to catch on and no
loose rock.

9. Non-Climbing Gear

Even if you like to be Modern windproofs are tiny Shoes will fit comfortably on
comfortable, try not to take too and weigh about the same as the back of your harness or
much. a screwgate. fanny pack (bum bag).
 The sack doesn’t need to be
big enough to take the
climbing equipment and
everything else unless the
walk in is long; just strap half
the load on the outside. Maybe
you don’t need a sack at all.
An example o f two jobs done
for the weight of one: If taking
water, consider using sports
additives as it won’t add much
weight but will add calories. (El
Cap, Yosemite, USA.)
The weather can turn, even in
summer in benign looking
places like Yosemite. You
Even if you think you have
the muscle, don’t take a sack
unless you really have to,
especially on steep terrain.
(Carl Hubbard fighting harder
than needed because o f a big
sack, Tete D ’Aval, French
Alps.)
The amount of food required
depends on the length of
route: preparing for a
multiday route at Camp 4,
Yosemite, USA.
What you need will depend
on the route, location and
time of year, but on anything
Tall man, small tent, tight
shoes: Make sure your
equipment is up to the job, you
fit it and it fits you.
If you are climbing for many
days in a row and returning to
base between routes, try and
eat well to perform well.
Take enough to stay warm,
but not enough to slow you
down. (Jane drying out after a
 need to be prepared, but not
too well prepared - your
speed will suffer if you carry
too much. Having an escape
plan might be just as important
as having storm gear, and a
plan doesn’t weigh anything.
except a short route it is likely storm whilst soloing Lurking
to include: shoes (to get back Fear, Yosemite, USA.)
down), phone (if there will be
reception), water, windproof,
knife and head torch; food
and sunscreen are often
useful as well.

Often equipment can have
more than one function: why
take a duvet jacket just for the
bivvy when an inverted
sleeping bag will do almost as
well—think creatively.
If you go somewhere cold
and don’t take a team of
porters, a degree of suffering
is inevitable. Some people
seem to be better at suffering
than others, but the idea is to
try and not suffer by using
the right equipment.
A classic alpine clothing
dilemma. One moment you
are playing around in the pre­
dawn dark on cold snow, the
next hot from pulling hard on
rock and trying to move as fast
as possible. (Ecrin, France.)

Try not to carry the whole guidebook around. Route descriptions can be copied in various ways
(some o f these probably breach copyright). Make sure you take the details of how to get to the
route and off the top, and include details about alternative routes and rap descents nearby. You
might like to take the details of adjacent routes in case yours already has climbers on it. On a
multi-day route, or if the weather could turn bad, consider laminating the topo and/or carrying a
spare. Carry the topo in a pocket, not in the sack so you can access it quickly.
 A water filter can save carrying a A length 1mm cord can be used instead o f a knife to cut
lot of water into the hills. through ropes, cords and slings by using a sawing motion.
Always keep a length wrapped around a tie-in point on
your chalk bag.

Backup plastic buckles that are An alternative to a satellite

critical (i.e. a bum bag (fanny pack)
containing your head torch, keys
and passport) need to be backed
up or replaced with ones that can’t
unclip mid move.
somewhere truly remote
your cell phone won’t work,
so consider renting a
satellite phone.
COPYRIGHTED IMAGE
phone is a GPS beacon that
can send a message with
your position to the rescue
services. COPYRIGHTED
IMAGE

What happens if your shirt

doesn’t cover your hips on a
multiday route, and hence a
reason to take along some
finger tape.

*awaiting images

For photos that tell a story it is often worth trying to get the camera away from the climbers. Left,
gorillapod self portrait; right, trekking pole shot.
A battery bundle. Think about how you plan to replace the batteries in your torch in the dark with
no light to see what is going on. Note the tape on the bundle is offset from the centre and the
matching tape on the headlamp indicating which way around the bundle should be inserted (you
will be able to feel this in the dark). Only use a single wrap of tape, or the housing won’t close.

On serious routes you can’t afford to lose your head torch, so back the plastic clips up if you
think you might be taking falls. A length of 1mm cord can be left permanently on your helmet for
this.
 10. Coiling the Rope
The following photos show one (good) way of coiling the rope. We all have our favourite way,
but this method: starts from one end (so you don’t have to separate the two ropes), doesn’t
require you to keep lifting the coils to head height, produces a rucksack so you can carry it on
your back and doesn’t require you to pull the ropes through at the start of the climb (this can be
important on unstable ledges or at the base of sea cliffs where there isn’t much room, or if you
are doing it repeatedly on multiple raps).
 Assuming you have coiled it in the way just
described, you won’t need to pull the rope
through at the start o f the route as long as
you very carefully uncoil it. Unwrap the final
turns, lay it down carefully and tease the two
ends apart all the way to the main coils. The
leader ties onto the end that looks like it is on
top.
 An alternative to the normal
rucksack coil—which you strap
to your back—is a pack coil.
(Start by coiling the rope as
suggested above.) This is a
way of finishing the coils so
they fit nicely onto a small sack
with compression straps. By
undoing the finishing turns, you
can quickly turn it into a
rucksack coil for carrying on
your back once you get to the
face

11. Tying into the Middle of the Rope

To tie into the middle of a 100m rope use a bowline on a bight with a step through. (The knots
appendix shows a close-up of the knot.) This takes no longer than a normal bowline with a
stopper. There is a video of this here:
https://www.voutube.com/watch?v=PzIP4IUnqvI&feature=player embedded
 Thread the bight through the tie-in points and form the hole of
the bowline as normal. The rabbit goes up the hole, but instead
of going around the tree and back down the hole, pass the loop
over your head and then under your feet. Finally adjust the
knot to bring it close to the harness. The knots appendix and
Chapter 8 show other ways of tying into the middle of the rope.

12. Coiling a 100m Rope

Coiling a 100m rope (coil it into two 50m bundles as normal but with a short length of rope
between them, roll them toward each other and secure as normal but through both tunnels.
 13. Racking the Gear
With small pieces such as wires and micro cams it is logical to keep them in bundles of similar
items on a single carabiner. In part this is because there are simply so many of them that
keeping them on separate carabiners would need a massive number of carabiners, but it is also
because you often need to be much more precise in choosing the right piece with smaller
pieces as the expansion range of a small cam or range in width along a stopper (nut) will only
be a few millimetres, or less. This means you might need to try several pieces before you get
the right one. However, keeping two or three medium or large cams on the same carabiner is a
false economy, most of the time it should be obvious whether it is a 1 or 2 inch cam straight
away, and if you do keep them on the same carabiner you won’t be able to clip one as quickly
when you need to.

v -

mr.J .f
A•
y
W T .> V
1 S '. • /m
r
M i
■7 '\
*

Rack everything in a sensible, simple A mess will slow you Racking cams in
manner throughout the whole climb. Here down. pairs if you have two
the climber has cams on one side and sets saves harness
wires on the other, but there are many real estate. Note the
alternatives. Most climbers keep the small coloured carabiners
pieces at the front, large pieces at the and that each cam
rear. has its own carabiner
unless you always
extend your cams.
 On easier pitches or easier bolted routes, try
carrying the extenders in bunches; this makes
it easier to pass them between you at each
stance. It helps if each bunch only contains
extenders of the same length. On bolted
routes the second can clean onto bunches on
his harness and simply clip them onto the
leader’s gear loops as he reaches the belay.

On items that are best clipped in a certain way or at a certain point, for example Dragon cams,
mark the clip point with tape (here in red). The right-hand image shows the cam sling incorrectly
clipped. (Plea to DMM: please mark the stitching area in bright tape to make it is easier to see
where to clip and pull the webbing.)

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 19 Novem ber 2014

.com
This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

The chapter starts by considering what else apart from the leader needs protecting, how to
place pieces in opposition and what Jesus pieces are for. We try to emphasize that cleaning a
pitch well and fast is as important as leading it fast - this means not cleaning into one big mess
on the harness.

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1 Protecting the Leader / 2 Protecting the Second / 3 Protecting the Belay / 4 Pieces in
Opposition / 5 Don’t get unzippered / 6 Extending over an Edge and Cross-loading Carabiners /
_____________ 7 Stuck Pieces / 8 Use a Cleaning Sling or Clean into Bunches_____________

Riglos, Spain. Classic multi-pitching:

bolted or trad. Depending on the climb,
protecting a route here can be as simple
as clipping the bolts, or complex and time
consuming with loose rock and novel
placements to deal with.
 Protection has a variety of purposes beyond just Using a piece just to keep the rope
protecting the leader. Left, rope eating crack; right, one away from some scary loose
solution. Other purposes include showing the way to go blocks.
and
protecting the second on a traverse.

1. Protecting the leader

Seven things to think about: 1. What direction will the piece get pulled in in a fall if it is the top
piece? 2. What directions will it be pulled in if it isn’t the top piece - will it stay in? 3. How
old/safe is any fixed protection? 4. What’s the rock like? 5. Can I find/engineer the best
solution? 6. Drag. 7. Do I have the strength to place it?

Strange things can happen Wires can be used for small threads. (Here the
during falls. Protection needs to carabiner is in danger o f suffering cross-loading, so one
work in whatever direction it will carabiner on each end would have been better, or at
least rotating the carabiner around so its wider end was
 be pulled in. in contact with the wire. However, often there isn’t
time/strength for the perfect placement.

If the eye of a peg is proud o f the rock, girth hitch the peg to reduce the leverage.

Left: stacked wires—not as good as a wire of the correct size, but better than nothing. Right:
weighting a critical piece to stop it lifting out.
Wires can be joined if you can’t reach a placement. (You might want to clip an extender to the
upper wire before you place it to make clipping the rope easier too.)

Fixed equipment is not necessarily safe. (Left: Riglos, Spain; right: Costa Blanca
sea cliff, Spain.)
For more pictures of unsafe protection, see:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1691689&tn =0&mr=0&utm_source=SuperTopo
+purchasers+and+forum +up+to+3.22.11&utm _cam paign=b63be099a7—
SuperTopo_C lim bing_N ew s_M ay_26_20114_5_2011&utm _m edium =em ail
 When putting slings around flakes or trees, then unless the tree is massive, keep
them low so as to reduce the leverage.

A long sling being used to reduce the drag and therefore the effective fall factor
caused by the rope passing over a roof. Another reason to extend under a roof is to
stop the gate of the carabiner being opened by the lip o f the roof.
 A bunch o f micro’s: left, in series; right, equalised in pairs, then the result equalised to
a single point (note the use of limiter knots) — the latter is nice in theory but not easy
to do on the lead!

mgh = % mv2
Therefore
Corner = Ledge
2m

As discussed in Chapter 3, corner fall should be taken as least as seriously as a ledge fall if the
vertical drop is identical. So think about the protection needed to avoid this.
 2. Protecting the second
The leader is the one placing the protection, and she will naturally be interested in her own
survival, so will place protection as and when need to protect herself. But she needs to take
time to protect the second as well. A traverse is an obvious place where protection needs to be
placed to minimise the size of fall the second might take. This means not only placing a lot of
protection, it means placing it directly AFTER a hard move, as such moves are where the
second is most likely to fall. A common error is to not understand the danger to seconds corners
provide, and how to minimise them.

Right: limiting the consequences of a swing by using double ropes. The yellow rope reduces the
height lost by the second as he falls, and hence through mgh = ^ m v 2 the speed he hits the
corner.

Limiting the consequences of a swing by placing the first runner in a corner high rather than low:
see the images in Chapter 3’s web page if this isn’t obvious.
 3. Protecting the Belay
If the belay fails or the belayer fails to hold the fall then you won’t be safe - so protect the belay
and belayer by using Jesus pieces, clipping a piece above the stance before you build the belay
and occasional using chariot belays.

Belay plate
pulled
downwards
into a poor
position and
2m unless the
belayer can
pull his arm
upwards above
FF = 4/3
the plate
quickly enough
the plate might
run out of
2m control

Initial fall factor

Belay plate up
= 6/3 = 2 !
the right way
and pulled
upwards into a
good breaking
position break
hand in correct Climber dropped
position
Protecting the belay with a Jesus piece in the left hand image. In the right hand one no Jesus
piece has been used; the resultant fall factor is greater and it is unlikely the belayer will react
quickly enough to get his brake hand up to his chest so it is above the belay plate..
 When repeating a pitch, try
and leave the first clip clipped
for the next leader when you
pull the rope down. Do this by
unclipping the rope from the
second bolt as you lower off -
just as you do at the climbing
wall. This not only protects the
climber, but also the belay.

4. Pieces in Opposition
Sometimes the crack is shaped so that it will hold a piece, but not in the direction we need it to
so that it will hold a fall, or even stay in the rock. An example would be a horizontal crack which
gets wider to the left and if the climb heads left. The movement of the rope through the piece’s
carabiner will work it loose over time and it will eject itself from the crack. We can solve this
problem by placing another piece off to the right in a constriction that faces in the opposite
direction, then linking the two pieces together. The same idea can be used with vertical cracks.

Many instructors teach clients to place a good cam as the first piece, as this is naturally
somewhat multi-directional.
 The first piece is often the most susceptible to being pulled upwards and out. If needed, place
an opposing piece below it that can take an upward force. Linking them in the way shown
ensures that even if one fails the other might stay put. The method shown works best when the
two pieces are far enough for them not to entangle each other.

*awaiting image. If you really need to make sure movements of the rope won’t loosen a piece in
opposition, then rather than use the method above tie a clove hitch (one-handed) rather than girth hitching
them. Tighten the sling between the two pieces using the clove hitch so the pieces are bolted down to the
rock.
 There are many ways of connecting pieces in opposition. The bottom two use a sling to ensure
carabiners are not cross-loaded or wires pulled apart; however you may be hanging by one arm
and not have the time to do this. Often it is not about rigging something with maximum strength,
but what you can get in quickly.
 Here the poor right hand
wire is being used just to
ensure the good left hand
piece can’t be flicked out:
it adds little to the strength
of the placement and if the
left hand wire fails it will
also fail. But it will help the
main wire stay put as the
rope pulls it around.

Here the two pieces BOTH contribute to the strength of the placement. Underload they will pull
each other into place and load share. This is the same method (and the same images) as for
the vertical crack shown above, but for a horizontal situation. This works best when the two
pieces are far enough apart that they won’t entangle each other (i.e. the two carabiners can’t
touch).

5. Don’t get Unzippered

In the event of a fall the pieces below the top piece are often subjected to an upward pull. This
is because the directions the ropes either side of the piece are pulling in and because of the
upward movement of the rope during the fall. This means these pieces can unzipper upwards.
The upward pull is often worse on the piece nearest the belayer because the belayer will be
slightly away from the wall, or to one side of the first piece. If this first piece is unzippered, the
second piece becomes the first piece and will be exposed to similar unzippering forces. If the
belayer is far enough away from the wall, the whole pitch can unzip except for the top piece. If
the top piece then fails because it couldn’t hold the fall, the leader will deck.

This suggests the belayer needs to be close to the wall and the first piece needs to be able to
take a downward fall (in case the leader falls before she places the second piece), and also be
able to take a smaller upward force (in case the leader falls higher up after placing more
pieces).

A leader will often place a low first directional piece simply to stop unzippering if she see a
multidirectional placement, even if the climbing is easy. Threads, cams (ideally in horizontal
cracks, but vertical cracks will normally work as the outward force will be small) and pieces in
opposition all make good first pieces to stop unzipping. In the USA it is common to hear
climbers saying: “always use a cam not a stopper as the first piece”, for this reason. However it
probably wouldn’t be sensible to replace a solid stopper with a poor cam, better to place the
wire and then try to use a cam in opposition to stop the wire unzipping.
6. Extending Over an Edge and Cross-loading Carabiners
 Extend wires and cams over edges to stop carabiners being cross-loaded, to stop your rope
being thrashed, to reduce friction and to reduce the effective fall factor. Using two carabiners
back-to-back isn’t ideal, but is better than nothing. (The simple loop-one-sling-through-the-other
method might seem surprising, but has been tested—see
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/all/qc-lab-extending-a-cam-sling-
sling-on-sling). Another reason to extend under a roof or over an edge is to stop the gate o f the
carabiner being opened by the lip o f the edge or roof.
 Avoid three-way loads or cross loading carabiners by extending placements. In the
top right the extension has possibly been a bit short.

8. Stuck Pieces
*awaiting image

Often the quickest way the remove a nut is to
simply grab the extender, and violently swing
your arm upwards. Make sure you don’t get
hit in the face. Don’t do this with small brass
micro-nuts as you will damage the wire
where it enters the nut.
Unless it is a small wire, try using the piece’s
carabiner to give the wire a tap before grabbing
the nut tool. Try not to put sharp-edged dents
into the carabiner: tap, not hammer.
 If you do have to get the nut tool out,
consider clipping the piece back on the rope
in case it comes unstuck unexpectedly. Strike
it to loosen it then play with it to move it to a
place where it can be removed.
Removing a cam by using a cleaning tool and a
wire to ease the trigger bar back (you will need
to use a thumb at the same time to apply
pressure to the stem). This needs both hands
so the second might need to hang on the rope.

8. Use a Cleaning Sling or Clean into Bunches

Timing experiments show that one of the key differences between efficient and less
experienced multipitch teams is the time that is wasted between when the second hits the
stance and when the leader starts to climb again. This can be longer than the time taken for the
second to climb the pitch.

THE key thing not to be doing is for the second to clip each piece separately onto his
harness, then to unclip each piece separately onto an arm of the belay, then to start
sorting each piece out. A second important observation is that if you are swinging leads,
then if your harness is full of mess from cleaning, then re-racking whilst this mess is on
your harness won’t be smooth. The cleaning has to have left the pieces in an orderly
fashion, or on a small number of carabiners or on a cleaning sling, so you can empty the
gear loops quickly before re-stocking.

Being organised when you clean the pitch will really help here. If you are swinging (alternating)
leads then the second can often re-rack sling draws and cams as he cleans, leaving only the
wires to deal with at the stance. If this isn’t possible (because the climbing is too hard), or he
won’t be leading the next pitch, clean onto a cleaning sling or bandolier, or in a small number of
logical bunches. For example, if the second ends up with one bunch of wires and one bunch of
cams on each side of his harness, there are only FOUR things to clip onto the anchor. The
leader can then just grab a bunch of cams and re-rack.

A useful trick is for the leader to clip the three (or so) carabiners carrying the wires onto an arm
of the belay whilst he is bring the second up (on a direct belay). The second then has access to
these to help with the sorting. Don’t forget to colour-code the wires and the carabiners they live
on.

If you clean onto a cleaning sling or bandolier, and you are not leading the next pitch, simply
take it off your neck the clip it to high on the belay, or place it around the leader’s neck.

If both of you rack logically, the second can often clip things directly onto the leader’s harness.
Although if you are both truly efficient he might not have time to do this as he also has to sort
the rope out and get the leader on belay.

Second using a cleaning sling rather than
clipping the removed gear to the harness, a
bandolier works equally well—this can greatly
speed things up at the belay; as can cleaning
onto bunches.
Cleaning onto bunches. Here, one bunch of
cams, one o f wires; there are many other
possibilities.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 19 Novem ber 2014

------------- mulfetpifechcLimbing.com---------------
 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

This is one of the longest chapters in the book. In part this is because the form of the belay
depends on what you find to belay off, but it is also because standard practices vary greatly
across the world. We present a lot of possibilities and what you finally use out there on the
crags will depend on personal preference, but we hope you at least try a few alternatives.

We look at both belays built from the rope and those that use a cordelette to create a
powerpoint. We look at the sliding-X, EDBs, Banshee belays, and how to belay a leader directly,
rather than off the harness. We also see how to reduce the fall factor by using a chariot belay,
at parking the second and third to create more room at the stance, and consider something
critical to moving fast - getting the swap over at the belay dialled (the fastest method discussed
takes less than 2 seconds).

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1 General Points / 2 Where to Belay / 3 Belays Built from the Rope / 4 Powerpoints made from
the Rope / 5 The direct isolation loop belay (DIL belay) / 6 Belays the largely don’t use the Rope
7 Belay Rigs / 8 The Sliding-X / 9 Tying into a Powerpoint / 10 The Extending Death Belay / 11
Redundancy vs. Equalisation / 12 Banshee Belays / 13 Workstations in the Sky / 14 Bunnies
and Other Alternatives / 15 Belaying the Leader Directly From a Munter (Italian) Hitch / 16
Chariot Belays and Leading Through to the First Piece / 17 Belaying Off the Rope Loop or
Belay Loop / 18 Monster-Bolt Belays / 19 Direct Belaying / 20 Direct Belaying with a Grigri / 21
Parking the Second / 22 Redirecting the Rope / 23 Stacking the ropes at the belay / 24
Swapping Over (A. Swinging leads on a direct belay, B Trading Plates, C. Trading Plates -
Combo Style, D. Trad Belay and Leading in Blocks, E. Block leading on a bolted anchor, F.
Banshee Belay using the Rope and Leading in Blocks) / 25 Checking the belayer / 26 The
Equalette / 27 Belaying a much heavier leader / 28 Belaying Using a Munter (Italian) Hitch / 29
Lowering or Giving Slack with a Reverso in Guide Mode / 30 Keeping your shoes safe at the
belay / 31 Hauling the Sack Up / 32 Location of the Jesus Piece / 33 Avoid snap-gate to snap-
gate (or locker to snap-gate) / 34 Using a Grigri / 35 Don’t Mis-Clip / 36 Top Rope Anchors / 37
Belaying with thin ropes______________________________
 The belay is what you make o f it—note Darren
is plate hanging (i.e. hanging off the Reverso),
not tied into the anchors, and a backup knot on
his rope has been used. This is a common
approach when climbing in a three particularly
if you need to park the third person out of the
way on a long tether (Coronation Street,
Cheddar Gorge, England.)

1. General Points
A belay obviously needs to be solid. By this we really mean solid in any of the directions
it might get pulled in. There are likely to be three such directions: 1. Directly downwards,
as the belayer hangs off it or the leader takes a factor two fall onto it; 2. Towards the last
runner on the previous pitch, when the second falls off; 3. Upwards towards the first
piece on the next pitch, when the leader falls.

Many trad belays are built as if the only possibility was number 1, and mainly with the
idea of only hanging the belayer and the lunch from the anchors. Some climbers who
haven’t belayed directly from a trad anchor (i.e. belayed with the Reverso hanging off the
belay not the harness) get stressed when they do because they feel the belay might
collapse if the second falls off. The second falling off is as benign as it gets. If this force
could blow even one piece in the belay, then what is going to happen if the leader falls
before the first piece, or onto the anchors if the anchors are the Jesus piece?

In my (DC) mind, there are three nightmares. Firstly the factor 2 fall. Hopefully the Jesus
piece will solve this in part, but this creates the second nightmare: the high factor fall.
The belayer will be jettisoned upwards and is likely to be smashed into the rock. The
belay will also be pulled upwards hard. Thirdly the leader falls and is injured. If she can’t
be lowered to safety, the belayer may have to escape the system and head up to her.
This means she will be hanging off the belay and pulling it upwards, without the weight of
the second to counteract this. If the belay can’t take an upwards force this doesn’t sound
good. Although such an event might be rare, it is probably true that too much self-rescue
practice and writing is all about escaping the system and mounting a rescue of the
second (presumably because guides practice self-rescue more than most people), yet,
unless he gets hit by rocks, the second is not normally the person who gets smashed up
and needs rescuing, it is the leader. This is because it is the leader who will be taking
that nasty leader fall. Hence we should probably all be asking ourselves more often, is
that belay stable if the belayer is removed from it, or if it takes an upward pull?

A tip from personal experience: as soon as you place the first good piece in the belay clip
into it with the rope. This is just in case you step off the belay ledge by mistake whilst
 building the rest of the belay. Do this even if you plan to build the belay with a cordelette.
A very poorly organised belay. (Leaning
Tower, Yosemite, USA.) It is very hard for
anyone to workout what is safe to unclip and
what isn’t.
Slings can be used as part o f an anchor, but
almost always the rope will form the final link.
Here, four pieces are bought together to two
main anchor points. The blue sling is in the
form o f a sliding-X: however it is clearly not
equalising (look at the slack in one arm) and
the climber should have used limiter knots in
case one arm of the X blows.
NO! Try and avoid clipping multiple slings
directly to your harness. Build the belay with
the rope, or use a cordelette or a sling to make
a powerpoint.
A five piece belay without the use o f any
slings: use as many pieces as the quality of
the placements demands. In this belay most of
the pieces are wires. Cams are normally
carried on their own carabiners, wires are not.
This means you will need to cannibalise sling
draws for their carabiners when placing wires
in the belay. A quicker solution is for the leader
to carry two or three spare snap gates ready
for such belays. These have been termed
magic carabiners, as they help to magically
speed the process up.
 Feed the ropes into the belay plate whilst the wire keeper loop is still on the locker. This way
you won’t drop it.

2. Where to Belay
Although it is tempting to make every pitch a rope stretcher, and combining pitches can often
save time, it isn’t always the fastest solution. It will slow you down if: it means using belays
which take longer to build (e.g. 4 cams rather than a big fat tree); means communication is
difficult; means the weakest person leads the crux; means you have to climb more cautiously as
you have run out of gear; means you find it difficult to build the belay because you only have
one cam left; means you can’t throw a rope down to help a stuck second over the crux because
he is too far away; means you get injured because you belayed in a place exposed to stone fall
rather than beneath the overhang you passed; means the rope drag makes the moves twice as
hard as they should be.

If possible belay so you can see your second,
even if it means extending the anchors. This
will speed everything up. (Keep the rope
running back to the anchors tight - unlike how
this climber has rigged it.)
View from a poorly placed belay (the second is
the small red dot near the top of the photo and
is just finishing the first half of the pitch). The
second could not have been visible for much
of the pitch (nor could have been the leader
 when she was leading it) and the rope could
have dislodged stones from the grassy ledge.
Hence, it might have been better if the belay
had been set at the front of the grassy ledge.

3. Belays Built from the Rope

The world is divided in many ways but rarely as vocally as the division between those that use
the rope to form the belay and those that use a sling/cordelette. Most climbers however
understand that both have advantages and disadvantages. In summary these are: using the
rope means you don’t have to carry cordelettes, you are more likely to use placements that are
further away (and might be more solid), and the rope adds an extra dynamic element to the
belay compared with dyneema slings; whereas using a cordelette produces a belay that is easy
to read (especially in a team of three), has a powerpoint for the Reverso, makes it easier to
escape the system (this is something you might need to do even if there isn’t an emergency),
you always have some abseil tat with you.

Although I couldn’t find any published data, anecdotal evidence suggests that in competent
hands there is little time advantage in either, and that in incompetent hands both can take a
long time.

Basic rope-based three-point belay. The rope is tied off at the piece if the piece is within reach,
or at the harness if not. You may find it more comfortable to place the locking carabiner on the
rope tie-in loop, rather than the belay loop. To reiterate, the general rule is to tie the piece off to
the locker at the harness with a clovehitch if the piece is out of reach from your final position,
and with a clove hitch at the piece if not.
When using two ropes is it common use one
rope for the anchors on the left and the other
for those on the right.
This three-point belay looks solid (one thread
and two good cams), but all the anchors are in
the same pillar of rock—which could easily fail
as it is cracked at the base and unsupported
on the left. In reality, the cams offer nothing, if
the thread fails the cams fail. Although this
belay has been built using the rope, this
problem is more often seen with cordelette
belays as it is tempting to rely more on co­
located pieces.

One example of a two-bolt belay using the rope. Note the draw that becomes the Jesus
piece for the next pitch. The assumption here is the second will lead the next pitch, so the
current leader has tied in with a locker and to the TOP o f the draw.
 Often it is difficult/impossible to get two carabiners through the bolt hangers. By using draws
there will be a carabiner for both climbers. Again one of the draws becomes the Jesus piece. To
allow this to happen, the rule is that the climber who is not leading the next pitch ties into the
TOP of the draws. This requires the use of standard sized carabiners, not mini ones. (Note, in
the middle image it would have been better if the clove hitches had been placed on the outside
of the draws, so they would have been easier to untie.) The middle photo shows the setup when
swinging leads, the right image when not swinging leads. In the latter case, the leader will
simply convert one of the extenders into a Jesus piece by unclipping the clove hitch and then
clipping the lower carabiner.

Tying off

Tying into an anchor using a clove hitch at the piece. (Note the clove hitch is tied one handed
and on the carabiner, not formed then slipped onto the carabiner. This allows you to get the
length of rope just right and to be safely clipped into the anchor whilst tying the knot and still on
belay.)
missing image Most of the time it is best
when tying off at the
harness to use a clove
hitch on a locking
carabiner as shown in the
basic three-point belay
photo (above), however
tying into an anchor using
a figure of eight at the
harness is useful when
you run out of lockers or
when travelling light.
Finish with a half hitch
around the pair of ropes in
her left hand. The process
is repeated for each
attachment point.
If the main anchor is a long way back, place another anchor close to you. This stops you being
pulled over the edge because of rope stretch, or being pulled sideways across the cliff. (This
second piece is termed a “counter piece” as it counteracts forces in directions other than that
where the main strength of the anchor lies).

Counter
piece

Left: here the counter piece is clipped to the belayer to stop him being pulled rightwards in the
event of the leader falling. Right: the counter piece is simply a piece in opposition to one o f the
nuts in the belay and placed only to ensure the belay stays put if an upward force is applied: the
belayer could still be lifted up and propelled into the rock face or roof.

4. Powerpoints Made from the Rope

You don’t need to use a sling or cordelette in order to use a Reverso in guide mode - just hang
it off the ropes. Knowing you can do this counters any arguments that using guide mode
requires you to use a cordelette or a sling to build the belay. As the photos show, there are
many ways to do this.
 Building a "powerpoint” using the rope. Left, on the slack side of the anchors; middle between
the belayer and anchor; right, Banshee-style. With the middle and right options it normally
makes sense to form the powerpoint overhand before tying into the anchors - this is easier than
guessing how much slack to leave.

Another Banshee-style "Powerpoint” built from the rope.

5. The direct isolation loop belay (DIL belay)

In the images above of powerpoints made from the rope, the rope is tied off at the anchors. This
is fine if the anchors are within reach and there are only two anchor points in the belay. With
multi-point trad belays neither might be the case. This means the anchor lines need to instead
be tied off at the harness once the belayer is standing/sitting/hanging in the location they will
belay from, and that there could be a lot of clovehitches to tie-off. A few climbers have always
tied the anchor lines off (and hung the belay plate in in-direct mode) not off the belay loop but
from an isolation loop. This is just an overhand on the bight (or figure of eight, or butterfly) on
the climbing rope 15cm (6inches) from the tie-in knot. They then belay by sitting to one side of
the belay plate, making sure the belay plate is in front of them at all times to allow it to be locked
off easily. The reason for doing this is that it makes escaping the system trivial if the second has
a problem: just tie the belay plate off, untie the harness tie-in knot and walk away. This leaves
the second on a releasable system (the tied off belay plate). It also means a powerpoint is
always in place should one be needed in order to mount a rescue. It is useful on single pitch
routes when the belayer is sitting at the top of the cliff because it means that they can possibly
run to the base, find out what the problem is, hopefully sort it out, run back up and tie back in
very quickly. It makes less sense in a multipitch situation. Here, the belay might well be a
hanging one, making it impossible to safely use the belay plate in the in-direct mode to bring up
a second because it will be hanging above the belayer and therefore will not easily lock off.
However, this hanging position with the plate above the belayer is exactly what we try to do
when direct belaying. This suggest it might be worth adopting this practice of using an isolation
loop when direct belaying on complex trad anchors when a cordelette is not appropriate (for
example, when one of the anchors is a tree 5m (15ft) away) or if you don’t carry a cordelette.
The main downside compared to a cordelette will be that the switch-over will be more difficult if
the belayer is also going to lead the next pitch, but it should be no more complex than if a
normal system of tying in with clove hitches at the harness had been used. When the second
arrives, there is less point in him setting up an isolation loop as he won’t be using a direct belay.
Although it would still offer advantages when escaping the system and mounting a rescue
because the isolation loop will provide the powerpoint.

To reiterate, the nice thing about the DIL approach is that it allows those that don’t like
cordelettes to make full use of direct belaying.

When using double ropes, you need to form the isolation loop out of both ropes, tie two isolation
loops, or much better use just one rope in the belay. If a different rope is used at each stance
then the ropes should still be long enough. When swinging leads this will automatically happen
if each climber picks a different rope as "their” belay rope. However, if the belay contains a large
number of pieces, or pieces a long way apart, then you will be better forming the belay from
both ropes, possibly using one rope to connect most pieces, and the other rope to tie yourself to
the counter piece.
Forming a direct isolation loop (or DIL) belay. First,
form the isolation loop using a butterfly, figure of 8
or overhand. The isolation loop then plays the role
the belay loop normally does. The fu rthe r away
the isolation loop from the harness, the easier
the use o f the Reverso w ill be, but the more
difficult it will be to get the anchor lines correctly
tensioned (long arms help). _____
u r n ?
Now treat the isolation loop as you would
the belay loop or tie-in loop. Tie off as
normal, with clove hitches on the pieces if
in reach and on a pear-shaped locking
carabiner at the isolation loop if not.
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 Finally add the belay plate in guide mode
(two ropes are shown just for clarity; in
reality it would all be the same rope if
climbing on a single).

6. Belays that largely don’t Use the Rope

The main advantage of using a sling, cordelette or belay rig to build a belay is the ease with
which you can chop and change who is doing the leading or can escape the system. Escaping
the system isn’t only done in a self-rescue situation. You might just be abseiling down the pitch
to remove a stuck piece and then re-ascending, or needing to untie from the ropes because
they have got in a real mess. This doesn’t mean that not using the rope is best, there are
various downsides to using a cordelette (it’s another thing to carry, it can blow all over the place
in strong winds, it makes people look for anchor placements that are near each other rather
than the best or quickest - this is termed cordelette blindness). But it can often be the logical
approach.

Building a trad powerpoint with a long sling or cordelette. (Clip the sling through all the pieces;
bring down the lobes by running your fingers down between the pieces; tie an overhand (or
figure o f eight) with all the strands. If the cordelette is too long, shorten it by placing an
overhand in one of the arms and clipping below this, or by one of the methods shown later.
 Building a trad powerpoint with a snakeloop-style
cordelette when the ends are not clipped to the same
piece. This allows you to reach pieces further away, but
reduces the strength of two of the arms. If you don’t need
the extra length, clip the two ends to the same piece.
Powerpoint with a low (counter)
piece to handle an upward pull.
(Note the counter piece here is
being used to stop the other pieces
from being pulled out - the belayer
could still be flung upwards,
although not as much as without it.

The powerpoint can be formed using an overhand, figure of eight or figure of nine. Using a
figure of 8 or 9 can be useful in making the knot easier to undo or in slightly shortening the
system. (A figure of 9 is just a figure of 8 but with an extra turn.)

Extending a powerpoint using the rope so the second can be in view. The need to do this often
arises when the anchors are on the wall at the back of a large ledge and when there is the need
to keep the second in sight because they might have difficultly with the pitch.
If you belay out of reach of the Reverso, you won’t be able to give slack or lower the second
without returning to the anchors, and then you will not be able to see the second—although this
is not usually a problem. An alternative is to place the Reverso on an overhand on a bight in the
ropes, as shown in one o f the earlier images. (Here a different rope has been used to extend
the powerpoint, this is just for clarity; in use there would be only one rope.)
If the cordelette is too long, shortening it by doubling the cord through the last piece or by tying
an overhand or clovehitch.

If the cordelette is too short, then some of the

pieces can be connected in series, although
this might reduce the strength of the system.
The in-series pieces need to be inline with the
powerpoint to ensure stability if one blows.

It is easy to run out of space in the powerpoint during a rescue—consider using the shelf to
give yourself more space. Never use the “shelf” above a clovehitch powerpoint: if the main
carabiner is removed the shelf might no longer exist - this could have fatal consequences. It is
probably good practice to always leave a carabiner in any powerpoint, as loading the shelf
could in theory pull the main knot through.

A shelf in use.
 Left a correctly identified shelf. Right a misidentified shelf—if either anchor fails the result is
likely to be catastrophic. A carabiner should be left in the powerpoint when the shelf is in use to
guard against the possibility of the overhand pulling through.
The cordelette conundrum. The more pieces in the belay, the greater the number of strands that
come together in the overhand. Hence just when you need more cord because you have more
pieces to connect, the more is swallowed by the powerpoint itself. With a three-piece belay 1.9m
of your 7mm thick 6m cordelette will be in the knot; with four pieces, 3.2m will be! Much of the
time this means extending pieces with slings, or bring pairs of pieces together with overhands in
slings or sliding-X’s, then clipping the extensions to the cordelette. If this is needed, then it will
normally be quicker to use the rope rather than a cordelette.

Using thinner cord and/or leaving the cordelette open means that much less cord is in the knot
so it is easier to reach pieces further away. Compare this picture with the one above - they are
the same length o f cord, but this one is 5.5mm spectra. However, be aware of the reduced
strength of this.
 '>*L- ■ I
Cordelettes can be stowed by knotting with an Or around your shoulder. In this case it
overhand, or tripling up and twisting. helps if the length of the cordelette has
been chosen to make this a comfortable
fit.

For two-bolt belays, the same “powerpoint” philosophy can be applied by using a 120 cm sling
and an overhand on a bight or an alpine butterfly. Or use a 60 cm sling with an in-line overhand
(or figure of eight) knot placed near the mid-point of the sling—this needs to be correctly clipped
in case one bolt were to fail.

Standard two-bolt powerpoint using a 120 cm Standard two-bolt “powerpoint” using a 60 cm

sling and an overhand on a bight. (A figure o f sling and a single in-line overhand.
8 can be used instead o f an overhand.)
Close up o f a correctly clipped in-line single Miss-clipped in-line overhand. Failure of either
overhand knot in a powerpoint. (This is the bolt might well be fatal.
knot shown above right)

With 2 bolt belays you might find using an alpine butterfly easier to untie than an overhand. Use
the same method to form the butterfly as that shown in the knots appendix, but around your
finger. With practice this will take no longer to tie than an overhand.
Failure of the shelf of a clovehitch powerpoint. If someone removes the Reverso, the shelf
evaporates. This could easily get you killed. (Note: The shelf doesn’t always fail when the
Reverso is removed, it depends on how the shelf and clovehitch were formed and is hence
somewhat random and therefore possibly even more dangerous.
 A tiger clip. Some people clip a carabiner into
the knot after forming the powerpoint overhand
so as to make it easier to untie. This is very
effective with thin dyneema slings. (Note, a
toothless carabiner has been used.) This is
potentially dangerous, in that, if someone in a
hurry (or in the dark) thought the tiger clip
carabiner was a secure place to clip in and
weighted it, the knot would fail once the main
locker was recovered. As removing the locker
is exactly what will happen if you are swapping
belay plates or an emergency occurs, this is a
very serious issue, and I (DC) would never use
the approach. Accidents happen when the
unplanned occurs. Systems should be easy to
read and safe against the unexpected. Some
people use a small keyring-like clip to make it
more obvious that one should not clip into it -
but this might mean someone clips into
something that can’t even take bodyweight.

7 Belay Rigs
On many routes with bolted anchors the bolts will be similarly spaced at each belay. This means
you can carry a pair of preformed belay rigs made from a 120cm sling, a locker and a carabiner
for clipping the bolts, the Reverso and its two lockers and a final locker to tie yourself in with. If
you like the approach you can buy a more robust version from some of the major climbing
companies that will last a lot longer and is designed so you don’t have to undo the main knot to
adjust its length. Or just use a length of 8mm cord tied in a loop to really keep the cost down.

Belay rigs can be carried pre-formed between pitches if the bolts are likely to have similar
spacing at each stance. The overhand near the top locker is for the Jesus piece.
With belay rigs it is easy to make the Jesus piece integral.
 8 The Sliding-X
Although it looks as though the arms and main overhand knot of a sling or cordelette based
powerpoint should help to equalise the load between the pieces, in reality this doesn’t happen.
The reasons were explained in detail in the supporting webpage for Chapter 3 (Physics). In
short, these are that the shortest arm will take a disproportional amount of the load, and that as
the load moves most of the load will end up on a single arm. To solve these problems climbers
have for many years used the sliding-X. Unfortunately, for the reasons described at length
below, the sliding-X doesn’t seem to offer much of an advantage over a regular powerpoint.

One nice thing about a sliding-X in its purest form (i.e. without limiter knots) is that there are no
knots to untie each time you strip the belay. However, without the limiter knots, a sliding-X has
considerable extension if a piece blows, normally enough to drop the belayer off the stance.
This will be a bit of a shock, and if the belayer is clipped into the X with a daisy or other tether
could rip the belay from the wall (see extending death belays, below).

Sliding-X. Unlike an overhand knot, this shares the load between the two anchor points. But
failure of either bolt will drop the carabiner to the end of the sling and the belayer off the ledge.
 Mis-clipped sliding-X. Sliding-X with limiting overhand
Failure of either anchor knots. Now failure of either bolt
point could be fatal. would only lead to a small drop. If
the knots are too close to each
other, the range o f angles the
sliding-X can slide over will be very
 small. This is important to realise if
the direction of pull might change:
which it normally does.

Sliding-X with one limiter Four-piece anchor utilising a pair of sliding-X’s with limiter knots
knot. This can be useful if bought together into a powerpoint. Note how the right hand arm
one piece is higher than the has been extended with a quick draw to make the angle at the
other overhand smaller than it might have been.

Before spending time trying to build equalised belays from slings it is worth understanding some
fundamental principles.

1. In order to equalise, the X of a sliding-X needs to slide. Unfortunately tests show that
because of friction at the carabiner, the ease of sliding is restricted (this is termed the carabiner
factor), even with an ideal setup. This means that the force in one arm might only be half that in
the other. New 6 mm dyneema will probably slide better than fat furry nylon.
2. If one piece can take the load independently, there is no point in trying to equalise. You
should concentrate on redundancy, minimising the drop if the other piece blows and multi­
directionality.
3. Equalisation plays no role if one piece has less than half the strength of another. Imagine one
arm of a perfectly equalising belay can take 6 kN and the other 3 kN. It might be tempting to
think this belay can take 9 kN. However, if a 6.1 kN load is applied each arm with receive 3.05
kN, the weakest arm will fail, and then the stronger as it receives the full 6.1 kN.
4. This leads to the rule that the maximum theoretical strength o f a two-piece sliding-X is
NOT the sum o f the strengths o f the arms, but only twice the strength o f the weakest
arm. Understanding this is key (and most climber’s don’t): unless you know both arms are
strong, a sliding-X is probably the last way you should be building a belay.
5. Just linking everything together with perfect sliding-X’s or other such systems will not in
general share the load equally between the pieces. We know from the Chapter 3 that forces
depend on angles and that force is a vector. In the following picture we see three sliding-X’s.
The angle of pull is different for each piece. The top two bolts for example have very little load
on them, which would be a shame if it were the strongest ones. Here the presence of the lower
bolts is stopping the upper ones doing their job. A better solution might have been on getting the
load on the upper bolts and minimising extension if anything pulls.
So, logic tells us that a sliding-X will only be better than a normal powerpoint (i.e. both arms
hold) if, and only if, (a) neither arm of the powerpoint could have taken the load independently,
(b) the weakest arm of the X is at least half as strong as the other, but not strong enough to
take the load by itself (if it was you could have used a powerpoint), (c) the weakest arm can
take at least half the load, (d) the sliding-X holds - if the whole thing fails it doesn’t matter how
you tied it. (d is in fact implied by b and c.) (Note, if one arm of a sliding-X fails this will be worse
than one arm of a powerpoint failing because of the extension.)

This sounds like there might only be a very small window of possibility where a sliding-X could
outperform a powerpoint. And given the downside (extension) it might not be worth trying.

The following graph results from a simple mathematical model of a 2-armed powerpoint and a
sliding-X. For the powerpoint it is assumed that only one arm takes all the force (i.e. the worse
case), for the sliding-X it is assumed the load is perfectly shared between its arms (i.e. the best
possible case). 1000 falls of random force (x-axis) were applied (of 1 to 20kN with a uniform
probability distribution). Each arm is assigned a strength of between 0 and 20kN (with a uniform
probability distribution). The y-axis shows the percentage of falls for which one of the arms of
the powerpoint or sliding-X fails and the percentage of times the powerpoint or sliding-X holds
(including cases were one arm fails). We see that the window of advantage the sliding-X might
offer is indeed very small, and at small loads it is essentially zero. At very large loads (>9kN) the
sliding-X does indeed offer an advantage; however, it is not clear how often (if ever) such loads
occur (Black Diamond have never found a stopper (a wire) rated to 9kN to have failed). In
addition, as stated, the distribution of the force in the falls was assumed uniform: i.e. a 15kN fall
was as likely as a 2kN fall. This is unlikely to be true, and hence the graph probably overstates
any advantage the sliding-X may have. Also, when an arm of a sliding-X fails the climber falls
further (even if limiter knots are present), presumably increasing the force of the fall. This has
not been accounted for, and hence, once more, any advantage the sliding-X might have is even
less than shown.

However a sliding-X without limiters is fast to tie, so maybe that why it is popular.

9. Tying into a Powerpoint
One classic way o f tying into a
direct belay with the rope. The
climber’s weight is equalised
between the anchors and if
one bolt were to fail, the
remaining bolt would not be
shock loaded nor the climber
suffer too large a jolt, i.e. the
belay is stable against partial
failure.
Load (kN)
into a direct belay with the
rope. The rope is attached to
the powerpoint or shelf. When
using a single rope, this is
better than tying into a single
piece as if one arms fails the
belayer is not thrown off the
stance; make sure the
Reverso can’t be trapped by
♦ One PP arm fails
E PP holds
A One arm of X fails
X x holds
Correct use o f daisy when
connected to a direct belay or
powerpoint. If either bolt fails
the belayer will swing, not
drop onto the remaining bolt.
Here, and in-line overhand
has been used to form the
powerpoint. This is not a
suitable method if the
powerpoint has been formed

10 The Extending Death Belay (EDB)
Unless you really don’t have
an option, don’t trust a single
bolt as a belay or rap point—
they do fail.
the rope’s carabiner—it might
not lock off if it is.
Extending Death Belay (or
EDB). I.e. one not stable
against partial failure: If the top
bolt blows the belayer will
shock load the system with a
large effective fall factor, as
the remaining non-dynamic
system will extend and
probably drop him off the
ledge.
using a clovehitch, as if the
clovehitch is removed you
may die.
Again an EDB, however with
the potential to only create a
much small force on the daisy
(and less destabilisation o f the
belayer) as the drop is less.
However, the daisy has been
clipped into a snap gate not a
bolt or locking carabiner!
 Solving the EDB Not sensible at all: left, cross-loaded tie-in knot; right, daisy girth-
problem: clip the daisy hitched to the rope tie-in loop. The crossloading is only part of the
into the powerpoint. If problem: untying the lead rope could prove fatal.
one piece fails only a
swing rather than a
drop will result.

11. Redundancy vs. Equalisation

When considering if you are trying to obtain redundancy without extension or want equalisation.
Consider the following two images.

The right hand arm has been extended to both
allow a distant placement to be reached and to
reduce the angles between the arms. This
arrangement won’t equalise like a sliding-X,
but it has redundancy as it is stable against
partial failure from one piece blowing.
How well does anything equalise?
If the angles between each piece and the
direction of pull are not the same, the load will
not be evenly distributed. Here, given the
direction of pull, the upper bolts carry almost
no load. One has to ask, is it worth the small
amount of equalisation this array might provide
 over the potential for extension during partial
failure. Maybe using the rope would have been
a better option.

12 . Banshee Belays
Connecting high quality bolts in series is fast. This can be done with the rope or with a sling.
Many will see this as a controversial approach as it doesn’t try to equalise, or minimise
extension under partial failure. It is however common in much of Europe were new big fat bolts
have been placed by trained individuals into solid rock.

It is much quicker than a cordelette and allows direct belaying of the second.

Non-equalised, or banshee, belay. Left: It is best if the main locking carabiner (the one on the
right hand bolt) is reasonably large, as it carries the clove hitch and the Reverso’s carabiner. If
the main carabiner is large enough, it can simply carry the clovehitch and the Reverso. Right:
Some will be nervous of clipping two carabiners together—the use of a very short open
extender (i.e. a short lamb’s tail) between the two locking carabiners solves this, as will the use
o f a banshee rig (see below).

Banshee rig—a 120cm Banshee belay using a banshee Mammut’s Belay Eight
 sling is normally best. rig. The belayer is attached to the banshee belay rig in use with
Carry two between the sling via another locking carabiner the belayer clipped to the main
party, just as you would clipped into the bowline on a bight. loop. This loop is manufactured
a normal belay rig. It is in much the same way as a
also best to tie the loop harness belay loop, so it is
(formed from a bowline strong and hardwearing.
on the bight) adjacent to
the stitching on the sling,
as the stitching can get
in the way of the
clovehitch on the second
bolt.

A thin dyneema sling is fine for a temporary banshee belay rig, but the sling will wear quickly,
and slings aren’t cheap. A cheaper alternative is a length of 7 or 8mm cord. Set the length so it
can be carried over a shoulder. However you carry it, carry it with all its carabiners: belay rigs
are about speed.

Another way of forming a Banshee rig is to use a PAS-style daisy (don’t try this with a normal
daisy - the pockets might fail). Doing this means there is no dynamic element in the system at
all. The user needs to be very aware that they must not shock load the belay bolts. Hence this
approach is for advanced climbers only.
 Realised Ultimate Banshee Belay Rig (or RUBB). A snapgate will also be needed to clip the
second bolt. Note how this short PAS has been extended with a 60 cm sling. Using a longer
PAS is better.

Bringing up the second on a RUBB. The spare Belaying the leader on a RUBB. The end of
PAS links between the bolts can be used to the RUBB is used as a Jesus piece.
hang the sacks, water and the lunch from,
much like a daisy belay (see below). One
issue with a RUBB belay is that because the
PAS is girth hitched to the belayer, she can’t
escape the system easily. Escape is possible
but it will be slower: a quick solution would be
to just cut the PAS at the harness, after the
belayer secures herself using another sling.
This is another reason the RUBB is only for
advanced teams.
 Leader
tied off
to first
bolt with
a clove
hitch
If the bolts are aligned such that failure might An alternative: single rope Banshee Belay.
create an EDB, tie into the other bolt with the
rope as well. The rope needs to be tight in
order to avoid an EDB being created. This can
be done as the second prepares to leave the
lower belay and hence doesn’t waste time.
(Note, if the right hand bolt blows whilst the
second is climbing, their rope provides the
dynamic element.)

13 Workstations in the Sky

Given a three-person team with backpacks, water bottles, cameras and a good lunch there can
be a lot of stuff to park at the belay, especially if the climbing is hard so packs are frequently
removed. This can lead to a crowded powerpoint and shelf that can be dangerously hard to
read, and could lead to someone unclipping the wrong person. A PAS gives you far more tie-in
points, but is only useful for two-bolt belays.
 A daisy chain belay. A PAS-style daisy is Once the seconds arrive they too tie in with
used to link the two bolts. The belayer ties in clovehitches on lockers. The remaining links
with her rope and the tail (or any link) can be can be used to hold cameras, sacks, water
used as a Jesus piece. This solves the bottles and lunch, creating a “work-station” in
problem of the belayer being trapped in the the sky.
RUBB and not being to easily escape the
belay. Never use a traditional daisy for such a
belay - the pockets aren’t strong enough. Like
any belay rig, the daisy is carried with the
Reverso and carabiners attached.

14. Bunnies and Other Alternatives

The following images show three alternative ways the belayer can tie into the anchors. These
have their fans, but are rarely seen in use - mainly as the methods shown above are better.
One issue with them is that when you first get to the stance you need to immediately clip an
anchor in case you fall off the stance whilst building the belay. These knots don’t allow you to do
this— instead you will be fumbling around tying a complex knot whilst trying not to fall off the
rockface and standing on the rope. However, the bunny ears and a triple figure of eight loop are
good for fixed rap lines.
 A self-equalising figure o f eight.
This seems dangerous in that
failure o f one bolt could be
catastrophic. COPYRIGHTED
IMAGE
Double figure of eight loop A triple figure of eight loop
(or bunny ears). makes a neat way of belaying
to three bolts without using a
sling, or of fixing a rap line.

13. Comparisons
Here we compare the approaches seen above: The more stars the better. This is presented
only as a way of thinking about belay types, not a recommendation of any particular approach,
and others will disagree heavily, but it should make for some lengthy fireside debates at Camp
4.
System Flexibility Speed Easy to Equalisation Stability Easy of Scalability
read? under untying
partial after
failure being
loaded
* ** ** *** *** *** ***
Directly
with the
rope and
clove
hitches
*** ** *** ** *** * **
Sling with
an
overhand
on a bight
(i.e. a
powerpoint)
** ** ** ** *** *** *
Clove hitch
on doubled
sling
* ** * *** * *** *
Sliding-X
* * * **/*** *** * *
Sliding-X
with
limiting
knots
** ** ** ** *** * *
In-line
overhand
*** ** ** ** *** *** **
Alpine
butterfly on
120cm
sling
* * * ** *** *** ***
PP on the
rope
* ** * ** * *** **
Self-
equalising
figure of
eight knot
* ** * * * * *
Bunny knot
* * * * * * *
Triple
figure of
eight knot
* *** ** * * *** *
Banshee:
clove
hitches on
rope
** ** ** * * *** *
Banshee:
sling with
double loop
knot
*** ** *** ** ** *** *
PAS belay
* *** *** * * *** *
RUBB
 15. Belaying the Leader Directly From a Munter (Italian) Hitch
The idea of belaying the leader directly off the anchor rather than from the harness will seem
alien to most climbers, however there are potential advantages, most importantly that the
belayer is not flung upwards at high speed in the case of a high fall factor fall. If the second
were flung upwards and is not using a Grigri he might not hold the fall because he might
intuitively put his hands out in front of himself to safeguard himself. Secondly, it should make it
much easier/possible to hold a fall factor 2 where the normal approach would leave the plate
upside down with the brake hand below the plate - thereby stopping the plate from working.

The traditional solutions to the problem of a high factor fall near the belay are to use a counter
piece to hold the belayer down (not normally possible with bolted routes), to place more runners
during the first few metres of the pitch (not always possible), placing a screamer on the Jesus or
other low piece or to use a chariot belay. It is worth noting that high effective fall factors can only
arise if the falling leader has the chance to build up speed. On low angle rock this is unlikely.

Like much in climbing, the subject has not been researched as much as one would like and
(fortunately) the field data from real high fall factor falls is not extensive. By belaying directly off
the anchor, the dynamic element from the upward movement of the belayer will be removed,
therefore the top piece will see more load and the leader suffer a more aggressive catch (unless
a screamer is also used). This might be important if the pitch contains marginal pieces even
high up on the pitch. Another potential problem with a direct leader belay is the possibility of the
upper hand (the one above the Munter) being square against the rock. Hence belay gloves are
recommended.

The climbing literature contains a few examples of complete belay anchor failure when the
belay has been ripped from the wall and the two climbers being left suspended from a high
runner. The reason they have survived is that the runner was stronger than the belay, and that
the belay device was on the harness. If a direct belay fails, the belayer would be left controlling
the fall by just holding the rope, this would be even harder. Hence direct belaying of the leader
requires an anchor that is as strong in the upward direction as the downward and can really
take a lot of pulling/vibration from any direction: i.e. good quality bolts. Yes, a direct belay might
in general be better for the first few moves off the belay, but this might not be the place the
climber falls. Do you really want to be belaying the whole pitch from one up-wards pointing cam
(used as a counter piece or piece in opposition) in the belay?

There have been attempts to use belay plates (rather than a Munter) for direct leader belays
(see for example the video and references in http://willgadd.com/anchor-clipping/), however,
some would comment that such approaches have not been tested in the field to the same
extent as indirect belays or direct belays using a Munter have, and there might be issues such
as the plate becoming trapped and therefore not gripping. More extensive testing will be needed
before using belay plates in this way becomes the norm.
 Belaying the leader directly using a Munter Don’t put the Munter on a long tail, you will
and banshee belay rig—this is a skill which lose control of it if the leader falls.
needs practice for the leader to feel and be
safe. The approach is very attractive if the
belayer is much light than the leader. Belaying
gloves are recommended.

16. Chariot Belays and Leading Through to the First Piece

So how do we stop that high factor fall onto the belay? It is believed that such falls have led to
the deaths of several climbers, so this isn’t fantasy land. Belaying with a Munter directly off the
belay seems like a possible way of surviving such a fall, but is there a way we can simply avoid
such high fall factors, and the associated forces. To create high forces, not only does the fall
factor need to be high, the effective fall factor does as well. This means a clean fall is needed,
which probably indicates steep ground above and below the belay. You also have to fall off.
Although a fall at any point is always possible, this suggests we should be extra paranoid if
there is a hard move above the belay, or lose rock.

Two solutions climbers have developed to deal with runout hard climbing above the belay are
the chariot belay and simply not stopping at the belay but climbing through the hard section then
lowering back to the belay after clipping a bolt above the belay. A chariot belay is created by the
belayer hanging himself some distance below the belay on a tether formed using the rope.
Clipping the first bolt on the next pitch leads to probably the quickest changeover when leading
through of any method, and is discussed later.
A chariot belay being used to almost halve the fall factor. Note how the anchor was clipped so
the leader could top rope up to the anchor and place the Jesus piece.

Leading through a crux directly above the stance to reduce what might have been a high fall
factor to a very low fall factor. This is also a way of making a poor anchor a little less terrifying -
assuming the high piece is solid.

17. Belaying Off the Rope Loop or Belay Loop?

 The belay plate can be attached to the belay loop or the tie-in knot. But if you attach it to the
belay loop at least you won’t drop it when you untie.

Wffl
Alternatively, just attach it to both.

18. Monster-Bolt Belays

An interesting question is why we place two or more bolts at the belay, rather than using the
same amount of time to drill a deeper hole. Once upon a time pairs of anchor bolts were often
placed a long way apart in what was hopefully different lumps of rock and gave some sense of
backup. These were then linked with an old piece of rope, countering much of the increase in
security we might have felt from having two bolts. We now tend to place a pair of closely spaced
bolts and equip them with links for abseiling. It is not clear if one big long bolt is better or worse
than two smaller ones drilled in the same lump of rock, by the same person on the same day
possibly using the same poorly mixed glue and bolts. This has led some locations to favour one
big bolt at belays.

In the book we describe an ultra fast method of tying into and belaying from single bolted
anchors.
Some monsters are out there waiting for you. Some are stronger than others (COPYRIGHTED
Photos by Jim Titt).

19. Direct Belaying of the Second

One of the key techniques used on long routes, and mentioned repeatedly in the book, is
bringing up the second using a Reverso or equivalent in guide mode. This is termed direct
belaying. Assuming the anchors are solid, this is safer, and allows the leader to drink, eat and
re-organise the rack for the next pitch. It also allows two seconds to be belayed safely up the
pitch at the same time.

Reverso in guide mode (also called a direct belay).

The rope has to be fed through the device in the
correct way: see the manufacturer’s instructions. If
the second falls, his rope will crush the brake rope
and lock off. Although the manufacturers don’t
recommend such devices as being hands free,
they offer an extremely good level of backup
compared with a normal (indirect) belay off the
harness, especially after 18 hours of belaying and
climbing. Note: such devices are not designed to
belay a leader directly off the anchors.
An example o f direct belaying with the belayer tied in using the rope.

If you need to tie off the

climber whilst direct belaying
simply form an overhand and
clip it to the rope.
 20. Direct Belaying with a Grigri
Petzl does not recommend using a Grigri in guide mode, however some climbers find the
approach very useful. If you do it make sure that the device will not be forced against the rock
and fail to work, and that you set a redirect in case you need to lower the your second. Trying to
lower someone without the redirect might be catastrophic as the rope will be exiting the Grigri in
the wrong direction, therefore you need to have the redirect carabiner in place (but not clipped)
before you start to bring the second up just in case you need to lower in a hurry. The redirect
could be one of the anchor pieces, or the powerpoint can be used by hanging the Grigri on a
lamb’s tail. Never park the second (see below) on a Grigri. Do not use this technique unless
both climbers understand the risks.

Grigri in guide mode. This is not recommended by the
manufacturer, and there is the need to make sure the
camming action is not compromised by the device pressing
against the rock and that the brake rope is held firmly at all
times. As pictured, the leader has failed to install the
redirect required so that the second could be lowered - this
is essential.
Tying off a Grigri in guide mode.
The climber is on the rope exiting
the bottom of the photo. This is
only a temporary fix. If the rope
slides and the knot meets the
Grigri, the leader might need to
set up a haul to undo the knot if
the second cannot unweight the
rope.
 Grigri in guide mode set for lowering by passing the brake Close-up o f a Grigri on a lamb’s
rope through a re-direct. Place the redirect carabiner tail with a redirect.
when you hang the Grigri, but don’t place the rope
through it until you need to lower. If you try and lower
w ithout a re-direct then you w ill kill your second.

21. Parking the Second

Plate hanging provides another reason for using direct belaying, particularly with a party of
three. Rather than the second tying off when he reaches the belay, he simply weights the
Reverso. This mean he will automatically be on a dynamic tether of exactly the right length. The
approach does need a com petent team as everyone needs to understand not to remove the
Reverso until the leader has put everyone on belay: otherwise they will probably die. When
using the approach it makes sense for the party to have cow’s tails or daisies ready for clipping
themselves independently into the belay in case the Reverso needs to be removed. For
example, if on the next pitch a team of three changed from climbing in parallel to climbing in
series.

The approach works really well with a team of three, as often there isn’t room for three at the
stance, so it can be better to park the third below the belay on another ledge and drop the ropes
to them to sort out, while the upper second belays the leader on the next pitch. This requires a
very long tether of exactly the right length. Plate hanging can provide this.

Note. As the second is left hanging off the Reverso, the team needs to carry 3 belay devices (2
of which need to be Reversos or equivalent) and need to remember to pass the one used to
hang from on the last stance to the leader before she sets off. At some point you will forget to
pass the belay device to the leader, so it would be good to learn to use a Munter as a direct
belay. When belaying two seconds use a separate Munter and locker for each second.
 When using the belay device in guide mode, A correctly tied off Reverso.
there is no need to tie the second off at the
stance, just park him in the best place and tie
a backup knot in the ropes. With two seconds,
a knot and carabiner is placed separately in
each rope. A backup knot is critical especially
with two seconds as the movement of one
second around the stance can semi-release
the Reverso, allowing the rope to the other
climber to slide and drop the climber the length
o f the rope. The photo shows a single second
on twin roes and therefore a single backup
knot, which is about to be clipped back to the
climber’s ropes as in the photo to the right.
 Parking the third: Plate hanging at a belay.
(Cheddar Gorge, England.) Darren has been
parked well out of the way as there wasn’t
enough room on the stance for three. Note the
backup knots. Never park a second on a
Grigri.

22. Redirecting the Rope

Using a Reverso in guide mode with a fat single rope is a right pain as the rope won’t run
smoothly through the device when it is hanging from a powerpoint, in addition some climbers
don’t own a Reverso-style plate. The solution can be to run the rope from the belay plate or
Grigri up to a redirect and then down to the second. On a hanging stance this will be much more
comfortable and safer than an indirect belay. On a hanging belay it is also exhausting to keep
lifting rope through the plate and over the belay to stop it falling down the cliff, and it is easy to
end up with the plate not locked off some of the time.

The re-direct can be the powerpoint, a solid anchor piece, or the first piece on the next pitch if it
is a solid bolt.

The approach is also often used by teams who like to belay on Grigris or who use the flying
swap method described in the section on swapping over.
Using a redirect to bring up the second to a hanging belay. This Grigri with redirect off the first
is less exhausting and more controlled than an indirect belay bolt of the next piece, used if
with the rope hanging downwards. It works well with either a the second will lead the next
normal belay plate or a Grigri. pitch.

23.Stacking the ropes at the belay

A common cry from the second is, "Hang on! I’m just sorting the ropes out”. Sort the ropes out
before they get into a mess by stacking them neatly and in a way that means you focus on the
belaying, not the ropes. When looping the rope over your legs, a sling or the anchor lines
making each loop 15cm (6 inches) shorter than the last one can help stop the loops creeping
inside of each other.
 Various ways of stacking the
ropes at a hanging stance.
The last one shows the
ropes carefully piled on the
ledge: note the ropes have
not been pulled through to
separate them as this is not
normally necessary in this
situation, just flip the pile up
side down if swinging leads.
But is does require the
second to stay ahead of the
game and always ensure
there is 10m of rope that can
be paid out fast.

24. Swapping Over

Here we show a few examples of how you might swap over at the belay whether you are
swinging leads or leading in blocks. There are a great number of possibilities, however the
message is that that the changeover should take very little time. The use of magic carabiners
can save a lot of time.

It might seem we are over complicating things, but the evidence is that teams take far longer
doing this than is necessary, especially when leading in blocks or if the stance is cramped. The
kind of things that slow people down are: the leader not thinking where everyone is going to
stand, not or sorting the remains of the lead rack out; the ropes getting in a mess; the rope
being removed and reinserted into the belay device when it doesn’t need to be; someone
temporarily tying into to lots of pieces when they don’t need to. This can all be summed up as:
not having a plan.

The final example is the flying swap. On a bolted route this is a ridiculously quick method for
those that like using Grigris.

A. Swinging leads on a direct belay.

For most people swinging leads is the easiest way to make the change over smooth. In the
images below the second ties into the powerpoint or one solid piece temporarily and the belayer
gets to keep her belay plate by removing it from the powerpoint and putting it on her belay loop.
The ropes are never removed from the belay device. The exact sequence will depend on how
the leader tied into the belay.
One way (of many possibilities) of swinging leads with a direct belay.
 Swinging leads on a two-bolt belay when tied in using the rope (much the same as
the drawings above). Note the draw that becomes the Jesus piece, and that the
original leader tied into the TOP o f the draw.

B. Trading Plates

Trading plates is THE standard method when alternating leaders when at least one member of
the team is carrying a Reverso-like device. The second arrives at the stance and plate hangs
without a backup knot. The belayer takes the second’s belay device and puts the second on an
indirect belay and ties an overhand below this belay device as a backup. The second is still
hanging from the Reverso. When the re-racking has finished the second (who is now the leader)
simply removes the Reverso that he has been hanging from, clips it to a belay loop and sets off.

This is all a lot more simple than it sounds, and the neat thing is that it is impossible for either
climber to be left without a belay device. Again, the remaining rack needs to be clipped to the
anchors so the new leader can re-rack, or placed on a sling-draw so she can place it around her
neck.
 Trading Plates: a really neat way of
swapping over. The belayer brings the
second up and leaves him hanging from the
Reverso. The belayer then grabs the
second’s plate and puts him on an indirect
belay with it. The second (now the leader)
grabs the Reverso he is hanging from and
sets off up the next pitch with it. A backup
knot is only needed if the belayer is needed
to help sort the rack, and can be either side
of the second belay plate.

Depending on the situation, it

can be worth placing the
Jesus piece before removing
the Reverso. But remember,
it is normally good to have
the Jesus as high on the
belay as possible to reduce
the fall factor.

C. Trading Plates - Combo Style

Some climbers have evolved the idea of the leader using a Reverso (in guide mode) and the
second using a Grigri. There is a lot of sense in this. The images show one way of swinging
leads when doing this which keeps everyone safe all the time. See Chapter 10’s supporting
images for comments on abseiling if using a Reverso/Grigri combo.
 D. Trad Belay and Leading in Blocks

This is a situation where many climbers think the changeover will be slow or will be helped by
using a powerpoint. However all that is needed is a few magic carabiners carried by both leader
and second. ("Magic carabiners” are two or three spare snap gates used to clip into anchor
pieces. Carrying them means draws don’t have to be cannibalised and the changeover is
smooth and rapid

Leader ties into trad

pieces with lead rope,
using, if needed, her
magic carabiners

Changeover for a block lead when using an indirect trad belay. Note: there is only one rope in
the images, two colours have only been used for clarity.

E. Block leading on a bolted anchor

Clipping the bolts with draws can be useful if the bolts are small or when leading in blocks.
 Often it is difficult/impossible to get two
carabiners through the bolt hangers. By using
draws there will be a carbineer for both
climbers. Again one of the draws becomes the
Jesus piece - to allow this to happen, the rule
is, as always, that the climber who is not
leading the next pitch ties into the TOP of the
draws. When the second arrives he must bring
his ropes UNDER the leader’s when he ties in.

F. Banshee Belay using the Rope and Leading in Blocks

This is about as complex as it gets.

Leading in blocks when using a rope-based banshee belay. This is best done with large lockers
and once practiced is not as confusing as it looks. Although having 3 lockers in a line might
seem heavy and excessive, 2 o f them would be in most belays: one for the belayer to tie in with
and the other to hang the Reverso from.

7. Redirect Belay: the Flying Swap

Swapping over with a redirect belay: “the flying swap”. A well organised team should be able to
achieve this in under two seconds on a bolted route! Whilst bringing up the second, the leader
places any remaining clips in bunches within reach of the second as he passes through (here
they on the left hand anchor bolt). The second grabs the bunch and climbs through, never
stopping! In the left image the second is just reaching the top of the pitch. It can be seen that
the leader preclipped the first bolt on the next pitch as the redirect before she lowered back
down (if the rock isn’t steep she can normally do this by batmanning down the rope without
communicating with the second). It is tempting to think that time has been wasted because of
the original leader having to climb up to the bolt and lower back down. However, this is more
than made up for by the fact that the new leader passes the belay in climbing-mode and is top
roping. This feels more relaxed than, stopping, getting ready to go, stepping off the ledge into
leading mode and facing a factor 2 fall until you can clip the first bolt, and relaxed means fast
and smooth.

25. Checking the belayer

 Checking that an assisted belay device has been correctly threaded. It is important you slide
your hand along the rope from the leader’s harness, otherwise you might have grabbed the
wrong rope and not performed a check at all. Belays and rap stations also need to be checked
by eye, when possible by both climbers.

Park with the brake on. Does your second keep the brake off (left) much of the time or on
(right). Always have the break on except for the fraction of a second it takes to give slack or
take in.

26. The Equalette

The equalette is used by some climbers but has never become popular. This is probably
because it doesn’t produce a powerpoint that is as intuitive or strong looking as that produced
by simply tying an overhand in the strands of a cordelette anchor. It is likely to appeal to fans of
the sliding-X as it often contains one. People sometimes use it when setting top-ropes from two
or more bolts as the two strands within the powerpoint naturally suggest the use of two lockers
(one on each strand), and two lockers to hold the rope is common practice when top roping.
One advantage over a normal cordelette and powerpoint is that the main knots are permanent
and hence don’t have to be worked undone at each stance if the anchors are always reasonably
similarly spaced: e.g. bolted anchors. There are two standard ways of tying it, one where the
main knots are left in place, and the more general case when they aren’t.

If the main knots are to be left in place: Form the equalette by tying a pair of overhands about
25cm (10 inches) apart near the middle of a 7mm cordelette or a length of half rope.
Link the pieces together using clove hitches If clipping just one carabiner into the powerpoint
and figure of eights. Using just clove hitches form it into a sliding-X.
can make for excessive twists. Although
cams have been shown in this image, pre­
tying the main knots and leaving them in is
only really practical on bolted anchors.

If placing two carabiners either hang the Reverso from the first (large) locker, or you can put
both lockers through the sliding-X, although it is unlikely to slide much.

O r put one locker on each strand. Note a real When top roping put one locker through each
equalette needs to be made o f 7mm cord or strand. Personally this is the only time I (DC)
stronger (a length or half rope works well). would use an equalette.
 di m um i i i m H n M n i w ni

If all four strands aren’t needed shorten the equalette by clove hitching a double strand (note
how the free end has been clipped into the carabiner), or use an overhand.

When removing the knots between each belay, Tie an overhand to one side of the X.
i.e. a trad belay. First place all anchor pieces.
Clip your 7mm cordelette into the first piece
and guesstimate where the sliding-X will be.
 And another overhand on the other side. Clip the remaining cordelette to the other
pieces using figure of eights or overhands.
Don’t expect the main overhands to be easy to
untie after a hanging belay.

27 Belaying a much heavier leader

A question that often comes up is how to safely belay a leader who is much heavier than the
second. Low on the pitch the fall factor is likely to be higher and therefore the belayer might be
propelled up to the first piece and the leader take a ledge or ground fall. The second might also
smash into the rock, get hurt and let go of the belay plate.

A sensible precaution, unless the belayer is very experienced in holding such falls, i.e. in being
propelled, is to use a Grigri. Although this might slightly increase the impact force they will
hopefully catch the fall (unless the cam of the Grigri jams in the carabiner of the first piece - an
unlikely event). It is also important that the belayer stands under the first piece or they will be
dragged along the ground and get hurt. (Standing away from the rock also means that their
weight will be less effective in resisting the falling climber, and there will be more rope out -
increasing the chances of a ground fall.) Another possibility is to use a ground anchor. In the
following pictures the belayer is attached via his belay loop to the ground anchor twice: Once
with a short length of rope (or a sling) and secondly with a longer length. The longer length
needs to be less than the distance from the ground anchor to the first piece.

With this setup, the short length (or sling) will stop the second smashing into anything or being
pulled into the first piece and the leader hitting the ground. Once a ground/ledge fall is not
possible, the second unclips the short length from his harness. Now if the leader falls, a
dynamic belay is possible, but the length of travel is controlled to keep everyone safe. The
belayer needs to be able to unclip the short length easily, therefore clip it with a carabiner. If the
leader is climbing above a ledge higher on the pitch, the belayer might have to clip back into the
ground anchor, therefore rig it so this is easy to do. On single pitch routes, make sure that the
second can disconnect himself from the system so when it comes to lowering the leader off
there will be enough rope for her to reach the ground.

For teams experienced in the technique, an alternative to a ground anchor when belaying a
heavy leader is to belay directly off the bolts using a Munter and gloves.
Ground anchor
As shown above, ground anchoring the second can be useful, but never ground anchor a Grigri
when lead or top rope belaying, always clip it to the harness.

Don’t use a Grigri attached to a ground anchor as it may

not lock off.

28 Belaying Using a Munter (Italian) Hitch

Freedom o f the Hills (8th Edition, p165) states that the Munter probably has a higher holding
power than any belay plate. This makes sense because as the forces increase the hitch
crushes the ropes on top of each other more and more, whereas for a belay plate as the force
of the fall increases the ropes become thinner and therefore presumably the effectiveness of the
braking reduces. This makes a Munter potentially good for high factor falls (wear belay gloves).
However its main use is when you dropped your belay device.
Direct belaying o f a second with a Munter; two carabiners and two Munters, one on each rope,
are used with double ropes. With two seconds, you would be much better off using a Reverso.
(If lowering from a direct belay, use one carabiner and one big fat Munter with double ropes.
Always use large locking carabiners, if possible HMS triple action twist-lock style ones - a
Munter can undo the gate o f a screwgate.

Indirect belaying with a leader with a Munter. The same technique is used to belay a second
indirectly. With double ropes this is a right pain and is best only done in an emergency.
 Belaying with a Munter is the opposite o f using a belay plate (left letting out slack;
right locking off).

29 Lowering or Giving Slack with a Reverso in Guide Mode

If the second falls off whilst being belayed in guide mode, the device will lock off. If the second
subsequently needs to be lowered the device then needs to be rotated to allow the rope to slip.
This needs to be done in a controlled manner, or the second will be dropped down the cliff -
hence it pays to practice this somewhere safe. A modern Reverso-style device has a small lump
with a hole in it. Inserting a carabiner into this forms a lever, allowing the weighted Reverso to
be rotated and released. If you have an older device without this feature, then it is probably
worth upgrading.

Giving slack with a Reverso when the
device has little weight on it: just use your
thumb. Note how the brake rope is firmly
held.
If the second is fully weighting the rope use a
carabiner through the tiny hole at the base as a
lever, but be careful you lower rather than drop the
second. Note again how the brake rope is firmly
held.
 •
• 1
d »'

• u

II * \

B • m
Vi V ­
* M b

Until you are well practiced in lowering,

consider using a Munter backup on your
B •

Lowering one of two seconds—note how the

1
rope to the other climber has been tied off. (It
harness. Always do this if you are using a sling has been assumed that the second on the
through the hole and a redirect and your body dark rope can keep his weight off the rope—
weight to rotate the Reverso. otherwise the backup knot will slide into the
Reverso and be very difficult to extract. If he
can’t, you will have forget the backup and
lower both seconds even if you don’t need to.
A Reverso without an eye for the nose of a carabiner is released by girth hitching a sling to the
keeper loop, running this over a carabiner on the shelf and down to your belay loop. Dropping
your weight will release the device. Note the backup Munter on the harness.

On a hanging belay it can be difficult to weight When lowering from a Reverso, BD Guide or
a sling clipped to your waist, or control the similar device, never pull on the rope carabiner
release it you do, so try a foot sling instead. - this will kill your second as he will plummet
the length of the rope.

30 Keeping your shoes safe at the belay

If your shoes are tight, you will need to take them off on the belays. It is a very bad idea to drop
them.
One way of removing your shoes without dropping them: clip a And another way: a short
60cm sling from your gear loop to the back of the shoe before length of strong elastic around
you remove it. the ankle.

31 Hauling the Sack Up

Although most of the time on long routes carrying any extra gear on your backs makes the most
sense, there are times when this becomes difficult. This is most likely either because you plan
on taking bivvi gear, or because the route includes some hard climbing. The solution is either for
the second to jug up using handled jumars, or for you to haul. Both have advantages and
disadvantages. If the second jugs, he won’t get to climb. This might not matter if it is just for a
couple of pitches, or if you are swinging leads. For jugging to work, you need to practice it or
you will be far too slow. Jugging with a heavy sack on steep ground is a right pain. Hauling
means the second gets to climb properly, but for it to work the ground either needs to be steep
enough that the sack can’t get stuck or the line of the haul close to the line the second is
following so he can unstick it. (One possibility is for the second to link the bag to himself with a
length of 5mm cord, or the end of the haul line, so he can yank it from afar if needed and hope
the cord doesn’t catch on a flake instead.) The main problem with hauling is the danger of
pulling a rock off onto the second or another team. You also need a proper haul sack, as
dragging a normal sack up will trash it unless the pitch is overhanging. Luckily there are several
small haul bags on the market that are also reasonably ok for carrying the gear to and from a
route.

The following images show a couple of simple haul setups for a light bag. To learn how to haul
a heavier bag, have a look at a book on big walling. The leader carries the minitraxion attached
to the rope on the haul loop on the back of the harness with the cam engaged. When she
reaches the stance she clips the minitraxion and the figure of eight on the end of the haul line to
the powerpoint, or to a solid high piece. She then pulls any spare rope through the minitraxion
and shouts "haul line fixed”. Once all the rope has been pull up and the second is sure the
leader is ready he unclips the bag from his anchor and the leader hauls.

The haul bag should be equipped with a tether made from an old cow’s tail to hang it from the
anchors and attached to the haul line with an auto-locker and an alpine butterfly protected by
the top of a water bottle. Tuck the end of the haul line and the cow’s tail into the top of the bag
when hauling. For a light bag, an old half rope makes a good haul line and will also double as
the second rope when abseiling. By tying the bag in slightly short, the tail of the haul line can be
used to lower the bag out so it doesn’t swing into space on steep pitches.
 Haul setup for a light bag. The picture shows the bag just having reached the upper belay.

For a slightly heavier bag add another minitraxion or a Protecting the knot on a haul if
ropeman on a foot prusik (to create a stirrup hoist), or clip it to the bag will be dragged over
your waist. several lips.
 Lower the haul bag out on the tail of the haul line if the pitch heads to one side. The alpine
butterfly can be moved along the line to give to required length of tail. (The lead rope is not
shown.)

32 Location of the Jesus Piece

Where the Jesus piece (JP) is located can be important for the integrity of trad belays,
especially with wires (stoppers). If the JP is higher than the anchors then the belayer might be
pulled upwards above the anchors and rip them out (Figure A, below). If the JP is one of the
anchors (B) this less unlikely, but the fall factor higher. If the JP is below the anchors (e.g. the
powerpoint is used, C) it can’t, but the fall factor will be even higher. This suggests than the use
of a counter piece attached to the belayer might be useful. As usual, there are no rules and
everything is a compromise: the use of a counter piece on the belayer will reduce the dynamic
belaying the mass of the belay introduces, making the effective fall factor higher. On the other
hand, holding the fall could be made even more difficult if the belayer and belay device is
dragged into the JP.
Some o f the issues above can tamed by the use of a counter piece. Left: here the counter piece
is clipped to the belayer to stop him being pulled rightwards in the event o f the leader falling.
Middle: the counter piece is simply a piece in opposition to one of the nuts in the belay and
 placed to ensure the belay stays put if an upward force is applied. Right counter piece in a
cordelette belay. In the middle and right image, the counter piece is to protect the belay, not the
belayer, who might still be flung upwards.

Rarely discussed in climbing is the difference between the actions of gravity and inertia. If the
first piece is directly above the belay and the leader falls the belayer will be pulled upwards, but
gravity will be acting on the belayer to limit how fast and far he travels. Hopefully this will result
in a soft catch for both belayer and climber. This is a gravity-limited fall.

If however the first piece is off to the side but the climber has gained height after this piece or a
subsequent piece, gravity will not slow the second when the leader falls. The result will be a
more aggressive catch and the belayer might well be travelling fast when he comes tight on the
belay and therefore let go of the rope. This is an inertia-limited fall, and will be at its most
serious for the belayer if they are much lighter than the leader. In some drop tests reported by
Petzl, they had to stop using a set up where the Jesus piece was off to the side as the belayer
was suffering too much. Note: this is only occurs if the leader gains height. On a purely
traversing pitch this is not an issue unless the distance between the protection is great. Nor is it
likely to be if the leader gained height after a long traverse with many pieces of protection, as
the drag of the rope on the rock will limit the force on the belayer.

A: a gravity-limited fall. B: an inertia-limited fall. Be careful of the latter.

33 Avoid snap-gate to snap-gate (or locker to snap-gate)

 Try not to clip snapgates to one another or to locking carabiners if they are securing anything
more important than your lunch— they can twist undone. There was a bit of a fashion for using
pairs o f carabiners as short draws once upon a time, and most of the time this worked fine,
however if either one of the carabiners isn’t free to rotate, or the carabiners can find themselves
in strange orientations, one might force the other open in much the same way as back clipping
can unclip the rope. On the other hand, if you have run out of slings and draws, using two
snapgates on a peg or bolt might be better than using just one, as this might reduce the
chances of the carabiner twisting open on the bolt, and will reduce drag.

34 Using a Grigri
Detailed instructions on how to use a Grigri can be found on Petzl’s website and you should
read them if you plan on using one, however the following images cover two points where
mistakes are common. (Other devices operate in other ways - so always read the instructions,
and don’t just do as you see other climbers do.)

Most of the time belay ju st like If you need to give slack rapidly and can’t do it as you would
you would with a belay plate with a belay plate or by temporarily moving closer to the wall,
with a hand securely on the “float” the Grigri off the index (fore) finger of the brake hand
brake rope. whilst still keeping the hold of the rope. Place your thumb on
the cam and rapidly pull the rope through the device. Remove
your thumb immediately and return to the normal belaying
position. Whilst your thumb is on the cam the device will not
catch a fall.

Never let go of the brake rope Be careful not to stop the cam activating by taking the force of
or wrap your fingers around the fall through your upper hand. Your upper hand needs to
the bottom of the device. either let the rope slide through it without friction, or the hand
 Here, the belayer has done has to move up with the rope, or it needs to let go. One way of
both. ensuring you don’t grip too hard is to only grip with the ends of
your fingers and thumb. Your lower, brake, hand should grip
normally and must never let go during the fall (and it shouldn’t
let go after either, although you see the latter often at the crag).

35 Don’t Mis-Clip
Try to avoid clipping more than one “thing” into a carabiner at the belay. This will lead to a
twisted mess and make it hard to cleanly unclip one of the “things”. The most common mistake
is to clip the rope into the first piece to protect you when building the belay but not to add a
second carabiner for the cordelette, or the sling used to take the Reverso. The sling then
becomes entangled with the rope making the changeover a mess.
When clipping carabiners to things clip them so they end up gate out and down. This makes it
much easy to clip the rope, heavy sack or anything else into the carabiner. Note this doesn’t
matter on the top carabiner o f a draw or similar, as the rest of the draw is already clipped to the
carabiner.

36 Top Rope Anchors

Many of the techniques discussed in the book might best be practiced on top rope. Setting up a
top rope isn’t exactly hard, and how you do it will depend on the anchors, but just like abseiling,
plenty of accidents have occurred. It will only be safe if: the anchors are solid, no one trips over
the rope at the top of the crag (don’t place it where hikers might walk), you don’t step off the top
by accident whilst rigging it (once you have one anchor in place clip the rope from the anchor to
you with a Grigri in case you slip), the top rope can’t pull any blocks off even if one anchor fails
(make sure the top is solid). The following images show two ways of setting one up. Other
obvious ways would be to use a cordelette extended over the edge with some static line, or
rapping down to a bolted anchor. The basic principle is to get the main lockers over the edge of
the cliff to reduce friction, reduce wear on the rope and to reduce the chances of the moving
rope dislodging anything. Consider padding the edge (you can buy purpose-made rope
protectors). As you might be playing on it for a long time the knots can become difficult to undo,
so use alpine butterflies.
 Length of static or ^ Sling around tree, static
climbing rope tied rope clipped to it with
to tree with alpine butterfly and locker
bowline and
stopper, or
rethreaded figure
Tail of static rope,
8. Taking two
Pair of alpine with stopper in end
turns around the butterflies (in case someone
tree helps protect
20cm (9 raps off it by
the bark and inches) apart, mistake).
make the knot both lockers go
easy to undo Consider through both
padding butterflies
edge

One of many, many, ways to set a top rope. Here a length of static line or climbing rope has
been used to place the lockers over the edge. The system is highly redundant: two anchors, two
butterflies, two lockers. Using a static rope for the rigging line at the top of the cliff reduces
movement and wear.

Close-up of the two butterflies - using two makes it less likely that an edge could fatally cut the
rope.
 belay loop of climber

The Pex Hill method provides a neat solution to getting the main lockers in just the right position
using only a single rope as both the rigging rope and the top rope. The climber is belayed by a
2:1 advantage, making it a useful system if the belayer is much lighter than the climber. It only
works if the height of the crag is less than 1/3rd the length of the rope. A clovehitch rather than
an alpine butterfly can be better on the tree nearest the edge, as this can make it easier to get
the rope between the two trees tight.
Pex Hill method o f top roping. The climber’s harness is on the left. The belayer’s top hand is
shown on the right.

37 Belaying with thin ropes

Ropes keep getting thinner, and some climbers have started to question whether normal
belay plates are capable of providing enough friction on long, high fall factor, falls. Even
when the plate says it is capable, most climbers won’t have held such a fall nor
understand that if the rope travels through the brake hand they might well get burnt. One
possible solution is to use the technique used to add friction to a rap by using two
lockers of the same size.

The biggest problem is that the manufacturers have not recommended this technique in
their literature and hence we don’t know if there are any unintended consequences. So
it is a use-at-your-own-risk approach, so test your device first somewhere safe and with
a backup. It is im portant not the use the approach w ith any belay device that relies
on the locker being forced into a slo t or niche - i.e. an assisted device. (For
example: the Click-up, Alpine-up, Smart, Jul, etc.)

One situation where it would seem to be very sensible to use the approach would be
when, because the other rope was lost or damaged, one had to climb on the single
strand of a twin or half rope
 ■ L ,

Belaying with a single half rope. It is critical that both ropes are clipped to the belay loop
(left image), or you will be reducing the friction, not adding to it. The right hand image
shows how not to do it.

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 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

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There is little as frustrating as standing in the cold wondering what is going on, so this chapter
looks at why good communication is required for moving efficiently and safely. One key
conclusion is that climbers need to talk to each other more about what they like and don’t like.
For example, some hate a tight rope when seconding, others are comforted by one. One tip is
that if the leader puts the belay plate in the right place and ready for the rope to be slotted into it
before she pulls the slack up, the second will know he is on belay within a few seconds of the
ropes going tight.

1. Table of Climbing Calls

The following table lists common climbing calls from around the world. If you can fill in the gaps
or know others from around the world please let David know (d. a.cole y@bath. ac. uk).

(Austrian ones provided by Andreas Wimmer.)

N o rth M e a n in g UK France Spain It a ly G e rm a n y A u s tr ia

A m e rica
O ff belay You can ta ke me o ff belay Safe vachee S ta n d
Slack Given me m ore rope (w ith dou ble ropes Slack du m ou
add th e c o lo u r if you o n ly need slack in
one rope).
Said by th e second w h ils t on th e belay T hat's me bout du Seil aus
w h e n th e leader has ta ke n in all th e corde
slack rope.
T ight Take th e rope in tig h t. N o rm a lly used by T ight
th e second.
Take th e rope in tig h t and hold me on it. Take sec
O ff belay You are no lo n g e r being belayed. O ff belay corde libre Seil e in (y o u a re o f f
b e la y , ta k e th e ro p e
up)
Clim b on You are being belayed. N o rm a lly Climb allez- "N a c h k o m m e n " or
sho u te d to th e second to co n firm he can w hen y/q u a n d tu
 s trip th e belay and s ta rt m oving. ready ve u t " G e s ic h e r t"
Take in Shouted by th e second to in dicate th e re avalez la
is s till a lo t o f slack rope a round. (Add corde
th e c o lo u r o f th e rope if th e re is only
slack in one rope.)
Clim bing Shouted by th e second to co n firm he Clim bing Kom m e
has m oved o ff th e belay
A w a rn in g scream ed to in d ica te you Below ! caillou
have knocked a rock o ff o r dropped
som ething.
Rope A w a rn in g to o th ers th a t you are a b o ut Rope corde
to th ro w an abseil rope dow n. below
I th in k I'm a b o u t to fa ll o ff. N o rm a lly W a tch me
said by th e le a d e r as a w ay to m ake sure
th e second is co n ce n tra tin g and sharing
h er anxiety

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v 9 Septem ber 2014

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m .

hiv 'i
8: Climbinq in a 3 or more
This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Many people are resistant to the idea of climbing in a three. However, once you know how to do
it efficiently, it doesn’t take much longer than climbing in a two and can be a great deal of fun.
Having two rescuers to help get a casualty down a face also makes a lot of sense.

Depending on the terrain, using cordelettes or other forms of powerpoint for belays and
everyone carrying daisies can really help in a team of three.

Climbing in a three will be faster than climbing in two pairs, and climbing as two teams of three
faster than climbing in three teams of two.

The chapter also briefly looks at climbing in a four.

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1 Series or parallel? / 2 The Stance / 3 Swapping Ends / 4 Protection / 5 Tying into the Middle of
the Rope / 6 Climbing in a Three on Easy Terrain___________________

French Alps: The weather can always change.

In a three you need to have your systems even
more dialled, particularly at the belay, in order
to move at a reasonable pace.
 1. Series or Parallel?
The first thing to decide is whether to climb in series or in parallel. Most of the time parallel will
be far quicker.

Climbing in parallel: both seconds climb at the same time belayed by a Reverso in guide mode.

Climbing in series. Only one second climbs at a time. This is slower and therefore best avoided.
 One can also climb one at a time (i.e. in series) but with the leader taking up both ropes. This can be
useful on the crux pitch if the seco n d s might struggle, or if terrain suggests it wouldn’t be sensible to
have both clim bers on the pitch at the sam e time, e.g. traverses or loose rock.

2 n d c l i m b s

3 r d j u m a r s

Another possibility is for the second to climb and the third to jum ar up the rope, or climb on a
mini-traxion. Either the leader or the second can take up the third’s rope. This can work well on
any route, but is often used on two-day routes if the leader takes a very small pack (or no pack),
the second a small pack and the third all the rest of the equipment. This might mean there is no
need to haul, which if the terrain is complex could save a lot of time.

Climbing in a parallel (Ailefroide, France.) The

Igap between the climbers that develops will
\depend mainly on their relative speed.
 When climbing in series with the second taking up the third’s rope, always tie the third’s rope
into the second’s harness, don’t just clip the rope into the rear loop, or worse a gear loop: you
might forget it’s not attached to anything structural and you won’t be able to create a baby
bouncer (see below) if needed.

A baby bouncer, or back belay, can be useful with a nervous seco n d and a difficult traverse, and is a
good reason to som etim es climb in series.

2. The Stance
It often makes sense to park (see Chapter 6) the second below and off to the side of the main
stance when there isn’t enough room.
It is often easier to not tie the second and third Darren is plate hanging (i.e. hanging off the
into the belay directly, but to leave them Reverso), not tied into the anchors, and a
hanging from the Reverso that was used to backup knot has been used. This is a common
bring them up. This is because it automatically approach when climbing in a three (Coronation
creates tethers o f exactly the right length. A Street, Cheddar Gorge, England.). The images
backup knot is required and the team needs to below show the sequence.
understand that removing the Reverso from
the anchors at the wrong time could prove
fatal. The approach ONLY works when
climbing in parallel. (Coronation Street,
Cheddar Gorge, England.) The seconds need
to carry daisies or cow's tails so they can
quickly clip into the anchors rather than hang
on the Reverso if the Reverso needed to be
removed.
Top and bottom: Plate hanging and parking the third.
 Tying off a Reverso when plate hanging

3. Swapping Ends
Unless the same person is going to lead the whole climb, you will need to swap over at some
point. This will mean either re-stacking the ropes at the stance so the new leader’s ropes are on
top or untying and retying into the ropes. If you are climbing in parallel some retying is
compulsory, as the new leader needs both ropes. This makes the following complex looking
routine more sensible than it appears. Note: because of the need to untie, when climbing in a
three everyone should have a cow’s tail or daisy.

Swapping the leader in a three. The black climber led the last pitch, the red climber will be
leading the next. Everyone is clipped into the belay with a cow’s tail whilst doing this.
 4. Protection

Sometimes both ropes need to be clipped to the same runner in order to protect both seconds.
The above photos show various possibilities. With the bottom two a few draws o f this form can
be specially prepared and carried ready to deploy. The bottom right-most might be inappropriate
with smaller carabiners if it could lead to leverage on the carabiner clipped to the piece, and
requires the use o f very thin extenders to help reduce this.
Left, one way NOT to clip a piece for two seconds: the ropes could possibly damage each other
as they will not always share runners and hence in a fall a moving rope could rub against a non­
moving one. It is worth noting that although such double clipping has always been seen as bad
practice some very good climbers are regularly seen climbing on half ropes and sometimes
clipping them to the same carabiner (like twins) and then splitting them and clipping them to
different piece of gear (like double ropes), then bringing them back together as twins. This is
interesting in part because these are the type of people who fall off a lot. However until more
testing is completed it would seem sensible to always keep the ropes on separate carabiners.
Right, another poor approach. The two snap gates could twist undone (although this is unlikely),
and the bottom carabiner is unfortunately back clipped.

5. Tying into the Middle of the Rope

With ropes getting ever longer (or with a standard 100m half rope) there is often the need to tie into the
middle of the rope - leaving an end for each second. Use a bowline on a bight. (The knots appendix
shows a close-up on the knot.) This takes no longer than a normal bowline with stopper and leaves a
very small knot.
 Thread the bight through the tie-
in points and form the hole of the
bowline as normal. The rabbit
goes up the hole, but instead of
going around the tree and back
down the hole, p a ss the loop
o ver your head and then under
yo u r feet. Finally adjust the knot
to bring it close to the harness

The bowline on a bight shown above requires the leader to step through a loop of rope and is therefore a
bit awkward to do in a cramped situation. An alternative is to use a re-threaded overhand finished with
half of a double overhand as a stopper. I (DC) cannot find any pull test data for this knot and it could get
cross-pulled in a fall with runners on both ropes, hence the stopper knot is probably compulsory.
An alternative to tie into the middle of the rope is to use a re-threaded overhand finished with
half of a double fisherman’s as a stopper.

6. Climbing in a Three on Easy Terrain

On easy terrain and when climbing on a single

rope one of the seconds can just be tied into
the single rope in front of the other second.
They need to be tied near the end of the rope
and the other second, because as soon as
they reach the belay the leader will not be able
to take in any more rope; or you need to be
able to quickly put a Munter on the third’s rope.
The safest way to tie-in mid-rope is to form a
large loop using an alpine butterfly, thread the
end of the loop through the belay loop and
over your head and under your feet. This will
leave a girth-hitch on the belay loop.
Alternative methods o f tying in mid-rope on easy terrain: always use two locking carabiners.

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 m ultipitckclim biKg.com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Climbing is dangerous and simul-climbing makes it more so. Hence it isn’t for everyone.
However on long routes it is well worth knowing how to do it so you can get over easy terrain as
quickly as possible and to remove the odd belay. In the book we suggest gadgets like the micro-
traxion are key simul-climbing tools. Using one won’t remove the danger, but if used sensibly it
makes it a little safer.

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1 Basics / 2 Other Considerations / 3 An Alternative to Tying in

1. Basics
Mini-traxion with oval locking
carabiner—don’t be tempted
to use a standard D-shaped
carabiner. Such devices are
key to making simul-climbing
a little less dangerous.
Clip a micro or mini- If the second keeps the Grigri on he
traxion to a bolt before can make minor adjustments to the
you run out of rope, and length of rope between the two
just keep climbing. climbers. This is useful if the leader
stops to place protection and the
second needs to finish a steep
section. This works best when
there isn’t anything for the rope to
snag on. Personally I (DC) have
rarely found it worth doing.

Although using a microtraxion will allow you to put long pitches together, it isn’t always the
quickest way to cover a lot of ground. Sometimes short pitching makes more sense. This means
moving together possibly carrying coils on the very easy bits (i.e. walking bits), then stopping to
pitch short hard sections. This makes most sense when the walking sections outnumber the
climbing ones.
 2. Other Considerations

When attaching the mini-traxion to more than one bolt, do so in series (left) not in parallel
(right); if the route is well bolted, it might be ok just to clip one bolt as you pass the belay. If you
are using a trad anchor it needs to be multidirectional, but set so the mini-traxion can’t flap
around. On bolted routes clipping the mini-traxion to the belay bolts might not be the best place
to do it - as the next pitch could be longer than the one below. This would that mean once the
second reaches the belay and removes the mini-traxion there won’t be a mini-traxion between
the two climbers. Hence you need to place the mini-traxions so that there is one between
yo u at all times. Carrying two can help.

If you think you will use a mini-traxion on When the second removes the mini-traxion from an
a pitch and won’t be able to get hands anchor he leaves it on the rope until he gets to the
free to place, some climbers put it on the next belay—otherwise he risks dropping it.
rope without the cam deployed before
you start the pitch. Clip it to the belay
loop or the rope’s knot loop to stop it
sliding down the rope. Warning - if you
do this, it is important that the cam
cannot deploy. If it does and you fall, you
might be falling onto the teeth in the
device, not your tie-in knot. This could
potentially cut the rope.
 Shortening the Rope

When moving together a 70 or 80m sport rope will cause too much drag: shorten it at the
second.
 Two other ways of shortening the rope that allow for a much more rapid adjustment of rope
length. As the coils are not so well tied down, tighter coils are needed. A single directional
(captive) locker such as a BD Gridlock could probably be used as an alternative to a back-to-
back pair. Use of a Grigri also allows you to put the leader on or off belay very rapidly (note the
backup knot).

3. An Alternative to Tying in?

An alternative way to tie in when climbing in blocks that is possibly quicker than pulling the rope
through: you simply swap ends. A pair of twist locks might be better as you can’t forget to screw
them up. This is a very advanced technique which leaves the climbers regularly not tied into the
rope (cow’s tails are used at stances). There is therefore a chance of dropping the rope down
the cliff, or falling off the mountain. You need to ask yourself if the minor increase in speed is
worth the risks.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
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v 24 Novem ber 2014

multipitckclimbing.com
This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

This, like the Belay chapter is a long one due the many different approaches that can be
adopted. Although a series of alternative knots are discussed, the EDK is presented as the
normal knot for joining abseil ropes. A surprisingly high number of climbers die abseiling. So
keeping it simple makes sense. Don’t try something that might save a few seconds, or looks
cool, that gives you more potential to mess up.

Unfortunately, not all abseils will be down simple terrain nor on still days, so you might well
need to find an alternative to just throwing the ropes off the edge and this is discussed.

Probably the two most important things to remember are to check the rap anchors are good and
to use a French prusik as a backup. At some point the rap rope will get stuck when you pull it,
so you need a plan to get it back.

Most of the time the best way to abseil is on a pair of ropes, however if you plan to climb on a
single rope, or only take a Grigri with you, you might need to know how to rap with a pull line.
There are times when it might be appropriate for both climbers to rap at the same time, and we
discuss two ways of doing this - and point out that several deaths have occurred doing so.

On many cliffs, safety can be reached simply by joining all your climbing gear together in a line
and tying the two ropes together. This might get you 150m down the wall, assuming you know
how to abseil past a knot.

Contents
1 Types of Anchors and Threading the Rope / 2 Joining the Ropes / 3 Throwing the Rope / 4
The Backup (A. The Third Hand, B. Putting Knots in the End of the Rope) / 5 Attaching the Plate
/ 6 Descending (A. Using the Third Hand, B. Abseiling with a Bag, C. Adding Friction, D.
Dropped the Belay Plate?, E. Creeping the Knot, F. Making Sure You Don’t Let Go of the Rope
G. Descending into the Unknown) / 7 Stuck Ropes / 8 Abseiling with a Single Rope, a Pull Line
or a Gri-Gri (A. Single Rope, B. Pull Lines, C. Combo Rap)/ 9 Building your own Stations / 10
Making the Rope a Little Longer / 11 Simultaneous Abseiling / 12 Abseiling past a Knot / 13
Fixed Lines (A. What is a Static Rope)/ 14 Retrievable Abseil Slings / 15 The American Death
Triangle_________________________________________________________________________

Getting to the top is only half the battle.
(Rapping down Big Tower is Watching
You, Ecrins, France.)
Rap routes will often take you down chutes with
exposure to stone fall, particularly if there is a party
above. (Yosemite, USA.). Wear a helmet, be
careful where you throw the ropes, and watch out
for stones when you pull the ropes.

1. Types of Anchor and Threading the Rope

One key to staying alive is to not rap off poor anchors.

Not all in-situ rap anchors look as good as you might like. Spend some time improving them.
(Carry a knife and some cord.)
 Thread the rope the correct way (left) so
the down rope doesn’t trap the up rope
and make it difficult to pull (i.e. not the
way shown on the right).
A temporary anchor link made from a short
extender. Without this, if the left hand bolt fails the
climber could fall off the cliff. The extender will be
removed by the last person down. (The Prow,
Yosemite, USA.)

It is common for the first rap to directly from the top belay and it seems natural to thread the
second’s end through the chains when he gets to the top, as his ends will be on top of the pile
when he unties. However, this will mean the ropes will be up the wrong way to throw off the
cliff. It is therefore better to thread the leader’s ends through the chains, even though her ends
will be on the bottom of the pile, and then throw the second’s ends down the cliff. Often it can
be quicker not to let the second untie but to lower him down the cliff on the first rap as soon as
he arrives (if the rock is solid). This might require bringing him up the last pitch using a redirect
rather than using the belay plate in guide mode.

2. Joining the Ropes

A lot of forum space is taking up with a discussion of which rap knot to use. I (DC) almost always use an
overhand.
 The standard way to join ropes: an overhand Some feel safer with a pair of overhands.
with 40cm tails.

A flat knot such as an overhand used to join two

ropes passes easily over an edge. this has proved fatal.

Don’t be tempted to use short tails with an

overhand knot. If the knot rolls, it could roll off
the end.

Tying a big flat fish - start with half a double fisherman’s. Although this is plenty strong enough
for abseiling and lowering, it has a possibly dangerous failure mode: see the knots appendix, and
 I (DC) would just use the normal EDK.

3. Throwing the Rope

When preparing ropes for throwing, flake them into However carefully thrown, mystery
butterfly coils rather than using round coils. knots in the rap rope are always
possible. The thinner the rope the
more this will happen.

Don’t just toss the lot down the cliff. Throw one at a time unless the ends have
been tied together. If the ends are tied
together, you can still throw them carefully
after butterfly coiling them.
 Try and aim the ropes, and account for any
wind.

If it is windy keep the rope flaked out in a sack. If the rap is over steep ground, clip the sack to a
gear loop (if the gear loop is a strong one) or to a sling around your shoulders. The sack needs
to hang below your third hand so the rope can feed automatically out of the bag and into the
abseil device. A sack also works well with short carabiner-block abseils for holding the pull side
o f the rope, or the pull-line. Although coiling the rope around your shoulders will work, you need
to make sure you let out slack well in advance, or it will all end in a mess.

The holster method makes an alternative to wrapping the An alternative to the holster
rope around your shoulders when it is windy. One rope is method is the stacked butterfly.
attached on either side of the body using a girth hitched Simply jettison each bunch in
60cm sling. If you are lucky the ropes will pull out of the turn when needed as you
holsters by themselves as you descend. I’m never this lucky descend. (Note: the ropes are
(DC). not separated.)
 4. The Backup
The other key to staying alive when abseiling is the backup: normally a third hand and a knot in
the end of the rope.

A. The third hand

The third hand is normally formed from a French prusik placed below the belay device. Many
people think a third hand is guaranteed to save them, it isn’t. Don’t be casual about how you
tie it. Its success depends critically on the number of turns used, the length of cord, its
diameter, the diameter of the rope and how slippery either is. If in doubt add more turns -
and if using a new combination of rope and cord, test it before you leave the stance. See
here * for an example of one failing to grab.

One reason to extend the rap device away from you by using a tether is to stop the third
hand being able to touch the rap device. If this happens the third hand is likely to release -
sending you plummeting. One situation where this is most likely is when cleaning on abseil,
or installing bolts, as you will be thinking about other things, and might well lift you thigh up
when slinging around to get to the placement, or trying to free the piece.

Always use a third hand when abseiling. If you can’t use a third hand for some
So you don’t have to stand on your rope reason use a Fireman’s belay (the
and try to fiddle the rope into the rap person on the ground is in essence
device without dropping it, place the third playing the role of an autoblock.)
hand on the ropes before the belay plate,
then pull a loop of slack up. Then put the
plate on the rope.
 1 i

Left and middle, two good ways to attach a third hand to the leg loop so you can’t
drop the prusik.

Left, it is just about possible for the buckle of an adjustable leg loop to slide if the
third hand’s carabiner loads it in just the right way. Right, a simple solution: use
another structural part of the harness

Some people prefer to put the third hand on the Don’t be tempted to place the prusik
belay loop; others find this more awkward. If your above the plate. You will not be able to
harness has a plastic clip buckle on the leg loop, release it easily if it sticks.
this approach might be a better method in case the
leg buckle blows. When doing this, it is essential to
extend the plate away from the harness by using a
lamb’s or cow’s tail, or a daisy.
 B. Putting Knots in the End of the Rope
A third hand won’t stop you abseiling off the end of the rope, so always tie a knot.

The best way to stop you abseiling off
the ends is probably to tie them
together. Leave 1m tails.
As this story shows, it is easy to rap off fisherman’s, barrel
the end of the ropes because there is a
good chance you are thinking about
something else:
http://publications.americanalpineclub. or
g/articles/13199903700/print
An alternative is two Don’t like using knots? Try
separate knots. using floating rap hitches to
(Overhands, reduce the chance of rapping
off the ends of the ropes. Tie a
knots, fig 8s can all clovehitch 60cm (2ft) from the
be used.) end of each rope around a
carabiner and clip it to a gear
loop. Tie these before you
throw the rope down the cliff,
and jettison them only if you
need to because the ropes
start to twist near the end of
the rap. Once jettisoned be
very careful not to rap off the
ends as there will then be no
knot to catch you. The good
thing about floating hitches is
that you can’t forget to remove
them before you pull the
ropes.

5. Attaching the Plate

If you are making a series of raps it is probably best to extend the plate away from the harness
with a cow’s tail or daisy. This will give you a tether to clip into belays using the locking
carabiner (the anchor carabiner) at the far end. It also allows you to perform stacked abseils.
Remember, feed the ropes through the belay plate without taking the plate off its locker - this
way you won’t drop it. One reason to extend the device away from the harness is so that
you are much more likely to place both hands on the brake rope, rather than one on the
brake rope and one above the device. If one hand is above the device and something
happens it is very tempting to grab the rope hard with the hand above the device, rather
than the one below. Which is the opposite of what you need to do, and unless you have a third
hand in place could kill you. Unless you are performing a stacked abseil, on the ropes before
you place the rap device. This allows you to pull a loop of slack up through the third hand that
won’t fall back down once you let go of it. This means it will be a lot easier to get the plate on
the rope.

With a Grigri I (DC) tend to clip it to the belay loop. This might not be best practice as it makes it
a bit difficult to add a third hand. As this story shows, a third hand on a Grigri-like device can be
a good idea unless you know you will let go of the handle if something happens:
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/why-we-back-up-a-rappel/108910267

Don’t extend the abseil device too far away from you. You need to be able to reach the rope
above the device to install a prusik if get stuck.

Four ways of extending the plate away from the harness:

Daisy Cow’s. The locker on the end of

the tail is used to anchor the
climber to the rap station.
Lamb’s Purcell (the rap device is attached
via a clovehitch)

As you leave the stance clip the anchor

carabiner on the daisy or cow’s to the rope
as a reminder of which strand you need to
pull.
 Stacked Abseils
One of the key speed-up techniques is the
stacked abseil. This can halve the time a team of
three takes - see the book to find out why it says
so much time.

Performing a stacked abseil. The first person to

rap first places her third hand on the ropes then
draws in enough slack for the whole team to put
their belay plates on the ropes at the same time.
Note each person has extended their plate with a
cow’s tail or daisy so they aren’t pulled on top of
each other at the stance. While the first person
descends, the second person puts her third hand
one, then ditto for the next person.

6. Descending
Always check everyhing before you unclip from the anchors. Make sure both ropes are
attached to the rap device and that the third hand is around both ropes. After doing this,
take the ropes in tight to the anchor so you are now hanging off the rap device and ropes
not your teather. Only then unclip from the station. This is an example of using a second,
non-visual, check of a system.

A. Using the Third Hand

When pushing the third hand down the rope, try to keep your hand above the knot
and push it down (left); not grab it and pull down as this can stop it from doing its
job, and means you will have to let go of the rope to make it bite: this will be un­
nerving and a poor idea if it doesn’t bite!
 If you need to stop for a while you can If you still don’t feel safe, or need to
engage the third hand and ju st hang. hang for a long time, clip a bight of rope
However, no third-hand is fail safe, so if to your belay loop using an overhand.
you need to let go of the rope you must
back the third hand by wrapping the
rope around your thigh. (Third hand not
shown in image.)

Rapping with a sack on steep ground: clip it to Or if the bag is heavy, treat it as a casualty
your belay loop or hang it from the other side o f and rap using a Y-hang.
a Y-hang. (The belay plate is out of sight on
the cow’s tail.)
 C. Adding friction

Adding friction when abseiling. It is important that the Reducing friction when abseiling.
two carabiners are the same size.

Other ways of adding more friction: Pass the rope around your back. (The belay plate is out of
sight on the cow’s tail.) Or add a Munter.

Or take the brake rope down to a locker on your Or use a monster Munter (note the rope
belay loop, then up to a second locker clipped to the exits on the non-gate side). Again, be
plate’s locker. When adding friction in this way, make careful not to allow the rope to abrade
sure the moving rope isn’t rubbing against the cow’s the sling. (One solution if you are
tail in a way that could abrade or even cut the worried about this might be to clip the
through the cow’s tail. Munter’s locker to another locker and
clip this second locker to the sling. Just
make sure both lockers are locked.)

D. Dropped the Belay Plate?

If you drop your belay plate, use a Munter or a carabiner brake.

The above images show how to build a carabiner brake. The wire in the final image is optional
and is only used to stop the two outer carabiners being dropped when the rope is removed at
the end of each rap. Always use a third hand.

E. Creeping the Knot

The last person to rap has the responsibility for spotting any potential retrieval problems. The most likely
problem is the knot getting stuck in a crack or on the edge in front of the rap station. If the latter could be
a problem either slowly creep the knot over the edge as you rap over the edge, or if there is a reasonably
sized ledge just over the edge, rap to the ledge and pull the knot down over the lip. (You will need a third
hand to do this safely.)
 If you are not sure you will be able to find the next rap station consider rapping on one rope and being
belayed on the other. If you fail to find the next station, you can then simply top rope back up. This works
well even if the terrain is too hard to climb in parts as you can prusik these sections on the rap rope, but
switch to top roping on bits you can climb, then possibly to an assisted hoist: Prusiking the whole length of
the rope will take a considerable time, and is usually unnecessary.

F. Making Sure you Don’t Let Go of the Rope

It is normal to thread the next set of chains as soon as the first abseiler reaches the next station,
and this approach can be extended to solve the problem of being stranded if you let go of the
ropes. This is most likely to happen on an overhanging wall or a traverse where letting go of the
ropes might put the team in a very bad situation.
The first person raps down to the next station and clips into the new anchor. She removes the
knot in the end of the rope, threads the rope to be pulled through the chains and ties the ends of
the ropes together under the chains. She only now removes her belay device and backup
prusik.

The next person down can then be pulled in on the ropes and the ropes can't be lost to the
wind.

Once the second person is down, untie the knot and pull the rope. Note that because the ends
were tied together rather than a knot in each end, you won't forget to remove the knot before
pulling.

Rope is threaded
by the first
person down and
knot placed
under chains
*
before third
hand is removed
Rapping down a steep wall or on diagonal means not letting go of the rope.

In some places the wall is so steep runners need to be placed on the way down to keep the
abseiling climber near the wall. In such situations lowering both people can make more sense
than rapping. The first person is lowered and places the runners. The second is lowered and
removes the runners - the second will need to tramline at the same time. Remember: lowering
is dangerous if the rock is loose.

G. Descending into the unknown

A belayed rap is ideal if you think there is a good chance the climber will need to re-ascend
because they might not find the chains. To do this, rap on a single strand with the other rope
belaying them via a re-direct. Even if the climber has to prusik much of the pitch back up, she
will be able to safely and rapidly free climb any less steep parts.
 n o rm al. T h e n clip a lo cke r to th e ring and tie th e rope
o ff to it. T h e se co n d p erson d o w n re m o v e s th e lo cke r
and knot.
A belayed rap is ideal if you think you won’t be able to find the next set o f chains, or one of the
party is nervous.

7. Stuck Ropes
When considering whether to use a single, doubles or twins, one thing that often gets forgotten is that
the heavier the rope, the more likely it is that is will fall down the cliff smoothly, rather than being blown
all over the place and thereby get caught. This suggests singles can have an advantage in locations
where hook ups are common. Of course if the rope does snag, and you can’t retrieve it easily, having
another half rope could save your bacon. One possible solution is a combination of fat single plus a light
half rope, always rigging the raps so the thin rope is pulled drown first. This requires the bottom ends of
the ropes to be knotted together in case the thin ropes feeds through the rap plate more quickly.

The book discusses in detail what to do if the rope gets stuck. The solution will depend on the situation,
and will range from simply pulling harder by attaching a prusik to the rope and jumping up and down on
it, to having to ascend the rope. The key is how to keep yourself whilst doing this and the book presents
various possibilities.
 *" ‘“f?
V #1
ffr * _j[_—
> V I- r *m

"I / *
! - - ., —
ft % * J n

w•

/ ' K m
-

Use a foot prusik to free a stuck rap rope.

*awaiting image: magic overhand tied at top o f rap

8. Abseiling with a Single Rope, a Pull Line or a Gri-Gri

A. Single Rope
If you have a single rope and a normal belay plate you can rap as normal, i.e. on both stands. However if
you are using a Grigri this won’t work. An easy solution is to take a belay plate just for the abseils; an
alternative is to use a carabiner block. This is also a nice trick if you have a series of very short raps,
maybe a series of 5m rock steps. At such times it is a pain to have to have to repeatedly uncoil a 60m
rope, throw it all down and watch it get tangled on the bushes below, then have to coil it back up. Better
to use a carabiner block and keep most of the rope stacked in your backpack.
Rapping on a single rope with a Grigri? Use a carabiner Don’t use a snap gate as a
block. The approach on the left is possibly better as the carabiner block—always
knot is less likely to get pulled over the rap sling, use a locking one.
locking carabiner, rap link or maillon. However unless
you are very experienced, I (DC) would recommend
you simply bring a belay plate to rap with and abseil as
usual on both strands. The approach is very useful if
part of the rope is damaged.

Left: If the rap ring is very large, or there isn’t one, the knot can invert, stopping the
rope from being pulled down. (This is more likely to happen with a figure of eight
than a clove hitch.) Right: Placing a maillon will stop this from happening.

One issue with the carabiner block used on a single rope is that both strands look
the same. Even more so in the dark. Hence you might rap on the wrong strand. In
which case you will probably die. Here are two ways to help stop this. Combining the
two methods (i.e. tie the rope off AND leave one side piled on the ledge) gives you
more chance of survival and of not having to prusik back up when you forget to throw
the second half of the rope down (as you be more engaged with the system). It is
 critical that the inexperienced (by which we mean those that have not regularly used
the system before, even if they lead 5.12 and have climbed for twenty years) are not
left on the upper stance by themself in case they rap on the wrong strand.

Keep a team safe on a single rope rap:
the pull side is clipped to the anchor for
everyone but the last person. If anyone
but the last person raps on the wrong
rope, they will be ok. Both ropes are
thrown down the cliff and you need a
knot in the end of the rope. This is still
safe if you tie the figure of eight on the
wrong strand.
Another way to try and stop people
abseiling on the wrong end and to their
deaths is to leave the pull end coiled on
the ledge until the last person raps. This
means the last person needs to
remember to throw it down. Note this
only gives a visual indication of which
rope to rap on and no backup. If they try
and rap on the wrong rope they will still
die. They will also die if they coil the left
hand rope onto the ledge, then throw and
rap on the right hand rope. Hence as far
as backups goes, this is a very poor one.

B. Pull Lines
A natural extension of the carabiner block concept is the pull line. Here the rap rope is
linked to a thin cord, 5-6mm being the norm. This allows you to climb on a single rope
but complete full length raps with just the added weight of the cord. As it is so thin, it is
unlikely you will rap the pull line by mistaking it for the rap rope, which is one safety
feature. Some have rigged a pull line rap without the blocking carabiner, and hoped to
rely on a maillon or rap ring from stopping the knot joining the two ropes from pulling
through. Some of these people are now dead. Always place the carabiner block.
(Here’s a link to a test showing knots being pulled through rap rings: *)

Personally I (DC) don’t get along with pull lines: the pulling is much harder than when
using a normal diameter rope, in high winds they are a nightmare and they get tangled
all over the place even when there is no wind. However for one long rap off the back of
the hill they can be very useful.
A 50m 5.5 mm pull line takes up very little Pull line rap setup. Rap on the lead rope
space and weighs little. never the pull line!

To keep a thin pull line under control, flake it into a backpack, large fanny pack (bum
bag), or a sleeping bag stuff sack clipped to a gear loop for the decent. Once you are at
the next station, as one person pulls it down, the other re-stuffs it for the next rap.

C. Combo Rap
If a pair of climbers have elected to use a Reverso/Grigri combo (i.e. the leader is belaying with
a Reverso and the second with a Grigri) and don’t bring a second belay plate for abseiling with
they can either rap using a carabiner block (as above), which often seems to make pulling the
rope harder, or use the method shown in the images below. A word of warning: If the team gets
confused, which is more than possible, one of them might rap on one strand without the
clovehitch in place (for example the one with the Grigri goes last without thinking through the
implications of this). This would be fatal, and suggests most teams would be better off bringing
a second belay plate and abseiling on both strands as normal. Light might be right, but there are
times where the most practiced technique is the one to use. After all, a second Reverso only
adds * grams.

Thread the rope as usual. Add a clovehitch on a locker.
(Note, unlike a carabiner break,
abseiling on the wrong strand is
unlikely to be fatal, especially if
you have a placed a knot in both
ends.) The first person raps with
the Grigri.
: t.
The last person removes the
clovehitch and locker, and raps
on the Reverso ON BOTH
STRANDS. If they forget to
remove the clovehitch they will
still be safe, although they will
have to prusik up to free the
rope. However if they remove it
then rap on a single strand by
mistake they will die.

9. Building Your Own Stations

Either because you are climbing somewhere wild or being forced to retreat, you might have to build your
own rap stations. This can be a highly traumatic experience. Mainly because you don’t know if you will
find somewhere to build the next one, but also because you ideally want to rap off several solid pieces,
but know that you have to conserve enough gear to be able to keep building rap stations all the way
down the cliff. Conserving gear for this reason is potentially sensible and a classic climbing compromise
of one element of safety over another. What is not sensible is not backing up rap stations because you
don’t want to go to the the expense of buying more gear. That’s just stupid.
It can often make sense when building your own stations to take what you can get when you can get it,
rather than always trying to rap a full rope length. This might even save some gear if you can find some
solid trees to rap off.

Use a long sling when rapping off spikes (left), not
something that might flip off the top (right) - a short
sling can also increase leverage.
H H aR t / T 7' jn n H K ttc VK
A thread being used as a rap point. A
cam has been placed as a backup
and will be removed by the last
person to rap. Note how the cam has
been extended to ensure the weight
of the other climbers will test the
thread, but if the thread fails the
destabilisation will be as small as
possible before the cam takes the
strain because the carabiner is right
next to the thread. If in doubt, never
rap off a single piece and that
includes fixed gear.

10. Making the Rope a Little Longer

If you get lost you might need to make the longest rap possible to reach safety if you can’t find another
place to build a rap station (or if didn’t bring a trad rack).
 If you run out of rope, use
everything you have to make the
rope longer. Ten 60cm sling
draws, two 120cm slings, two 7m
snake-loop style cordelettes and
four prusik loops might allow
nearly 30m of extension without
having to even use cams and
carabiners.
You can either use slings etc. to extend the rap point down
the cliff, climb down the extension and rap, or rig a
carabiner block abseil and use the slings to extend the pull
side of this. The latter means you will get your slings etc.
back, but you will not be able to rap so far. Note: there is a
good chance that the mess o f slings will catch on
something when you pull it down unless you pull carefully.
 Using a carabiner block with a 70m lead rope and a 50m tag line will allow you to complete 60m
retrievable raps. To find the place on the main rope to tie the carabiner block, tie the two ropes
together, then, starting from the other ends, flake the ropes back until you find the midpoint of
the pair. A 60m single and a 40m tag line will allow 50m raps. The tagline can be further
extended by slings and other gear to allow an even greater distance to be descended in an
emergency.

M ax. rap le n g th =
70m
* Sack o r haul
bag fille d
w ith rocks
etc.

%
7 0 m single

An emergency/total madness approach is a sack-block. The rope is passed through the rap point
and tied to a sack or haul bag. The attachment point on the bag must be able to take the weight
o f the climber without question, so make sure you include the shoulder straps - you might end up
prusiking back up so consider wrapping the bag with a sling and sending a prayer to your
favourite god. The bag must not be able to pass through, or get hooked up on, the rap point, so
leave a locker or maillon. Additional weight in the form of rocks might need to be added to the bag
as it needs to be heavy enough to automatically pull the rope down once the climber reaches the
bottom of the rap and removes her weight from the rope. The sack will then fall the height of the
rap, possibly ripping open and scattering its contents (i.e. rocks) on the way down or top o f you,
or exploding on the ground. Unless the landing zone is massive the bag is likely to continue down
the wall—leaving you without the rope. It is important that the knot attaching the rope to the sack
can’t get stuck in the rap point: this might require a carabiner block—which will make it less likely
the bag will pull itself down. (Unless the rap is at least vertical, it is unlikely the bag will pull the
rope down, but will get stuck on a ledge at some point during its descent.) I (DC) only know of one
person who has done this, and this was in a situation where not getting the rope back would not
have been fatal. In theory, by tying two 60m ropes together you would have a 120m retrievable
rap, or die trying.
 11. Simultaneous Abseils
A key skill for getting a casualty or nervous second down the cliff is the tandem rap, where the climbers
are both attached to the same rap device. A true simuli-rap, where each climber uses their own rap
device and only one strand of the rope, is rarely justified and has been the cause of several deaths.

Standard Y-hang made from two A correctly (left) and incorrectly (right) clipped cow’s tail
120cm slings. The climber in red will for a Y-hang for a tandem rap. Clipping across the knot
control the rap device as the other stops the plate sliding down to the harness when under
won’t be able to reach it. the weight of the second person

A single 120cm sling can be used for a Y-hang if the climbers are happy to be close to one
another. Use a 240cm sling if you want the casualty below you. With a long sling a normal
overhand can be used to form the suspension point.
With a simul-rap each climber is on a different
strand, each with their own plate. If one
climber removes her weight/plate from the
rope, the other may fall to his death.
Tandem-rap with a climber with a minor arm
injury: both climbers are on a single plate
controlled by one o f the climbers. The climbers
are connected to the plate using a Y-hang -
here a 120cm sling and a cow’s tail have been
used.

12. Abseiling Past a Knot

The normal advice for passing a knot is to use a PMMO or French prusik and to hang off this
whilst the abseil device is swapped to below the knot. However, most of the time this is over
complicating the situation and unless you are hanging in space, just use the terrain (e.g. a small
ledge) to keep your balance while you move the belay device from the upper to the lower rope.
Don’t forget to use a backup knot! With a bit of forethought, it is often easy to place the knot
joining the two ropes so it is next to a suitable ledge.

A French prusik (bottom) and a PMMO (top). The PMMO needs a considerably longer prusik
(>3.2m), but is possibly easier to control and doesn’t need another sling to reach the belay loop.
A mariner hitch (see below) combined with a French prusik also makes a good way of passing a
knot.
Above: Abseiling past a knot. The French prusik is shown in yellow. This needs practice to get
the right distance between the French prusik and the knot. Having an extra prusik loop so you
can place a third hand below the plate before you slide to release the upper prusik will help to
make it smoother and give you both hands to release the upper French prusik. The upper
French prusik can be replaced by a PMMO, but this needs to be as short as possible or you
wont be able to reach up to retrieve it from the rope after you have passed the knot. For this
reason I (DC) don’t think this is a great place to use a PMMO.
 An alternative to using a French prusik or a
PMMO to pass a knot, is a French Mariner, i.e.
a French prusik on the rope followed by a
mariner hitch on the carabiner. This potentially
gives the best of both worlds: a French prusik
which, if it won’t slide, is releasable via the
mariner. The great thing is that, unlike a
PMMO, because the carabiner is clipped
through the prusik loop, not around it, the
prusik loop will stay with you, not move out of
reach. Start by wrapping the prusik cord
around the rope(s) to form a French prusik.
13. Fixed Lines
Loop the cord around the carabiner twice and
form the mariner. If you are nervous about this
holding, replace the mariner with a Munter-
Mariner-Overhand. You will need a short sling
from the locker to the belay loop. When you
have moved the belay device to the other side
of the knot and need to release the French
mariner, start by trying to slide the French
prusik down to release it. However, if this
doesn’t work, slowly undo the wraps of the
mariner.
 A. What is a static rope?
Many climbers use old climbing ropes for fixed lines and most of the time this is an adequate
solution, however is isn’t the best solution. Dynamic climbing ropes are not very abrasion
resistant, most are only 60m long and they stretch under bodyweight. This stretch means that if
the line is prusiked or jugged it will rub up and down on any sharp edge, and this combined with
the lack of abrasion resistance can lead to a damaged rope or worse. Although stretch can be
an issue when abseiling, the real issue is when jugging as this creates more up and down
motion.

In aid climbing it is normal to jug the climbing rope. However, it is normally only jugged by one
or two people before it is moved, therefore it is unlikely to rub on the next pitch in exactly the
same place. The leader will also be very aware of any sharp edges etc. as she will have led
over them, whereas when you throw a fixed line down a cliff, you might not know about the
sharp-edged roof 10m below. Hence if you plan on jugging a line several times, the rock might
be sharp, or think that others will be rapping the line all day long, use a static and protect the
rope using gaffa tape on sharp edges or a rope protector.

For fixed lines climbers use ropes that conform to EN 1891. Such ropes might best be termed
semi-static as you will still feel some bounce. This makes them safer in any situation where they
might be dynamically loaded. For example, you drop a haul bag attached to one, or part of the
rap anchor fails. (More truly static ropes are apparently used by the military for abseiling out of
helicopters etc.) There are two forms of EN 1891: A and B. Type B ropes have reduced
slippage of the sheath therefore in theory less bunching of the sheath when abseiling. The
minimum static strength of type A ropes is however higher (12kN for Type B, with termination,
versus 15kN for Type A). EN1891 contains a dynamic test on a 2m length of line with figure
eight knots at each end. A drop of 0.60m is completed five times. The rope must produce an
impact force of <6kN in all five falls when the test mass is 80kg for Type B and 100kg for Type
A. For both A and B, static extension should be not more than 5% with a 150kg mass.

In practice type B ropes are lighter, and in climbing it does normally matter which is used for
fixed lines.

If when you buy it, the sheath of your static line doesn’t seem to be well bonded to the core, and
the rope feels about as supple as a normal climbing rope, throw it in a bath or bucket of cold
water for an hour, weighting it to keep it submerged, and then dry it somewhere warm but in the
shade. This will shrink the sheath down onto the core and make it harder wearing.
One way of rigging a fixed line from two
anchor points using a sling. (An alpine
butterfly has been used for the lower
attachment point, but a figure of eight or
overhand could have been used.)
An alternative to using a Always place a stopper
long sling to reach the knot at the end of a
second piece: form the fixed line: The ground
rope into a long loop with a (or sea) might be further
figure of eight on a bight or away than you thought.
an alpine butterfly. You
can then spend time
adjusting the knots to
ensure each arm is the
correct length, or as has
been done here, add a
clove hitch on the
carabiner to allow for easy
adjustment.

*awaiting image

A Bunny Ears knot is ideal for attaching a fixed line to two anchor points that are close to one
another.

If the two anchor points are a long way from

each other (for example stakes at the top of
sea cliffs or trees back from the edge), there
is a need to measure the length of the arms in
some way before tying the knot, and you will
be dealing with a lot of rope in each arm. This
suggests something simple might be best. An
overhand is just this. Note how the rope is
clipped to both anchors at the start and pulled
down to the place where you want the knot to
be in an action reminiscent of that used when
setting the arms in a cordelette belay. As
some rope will be lost to the knot, allow for
 this by measuring out a little more rope.

Some people prefer to use an inline figure of

eight rather than an overhand. This is particular
easy to adjust, and to untie at the end of the day.
It is important than the angle between the arms
is not too large (<90 degrees) as the knot will fail
if it inverts, this would then be serious if one of
the anchors were to fail.
There is often the need to join fixed lines for very long raps. This is best done by creating a
changeover station at a point where the abseil device can be removed easily and placed on the
lower rope - i.e. not mid overhang. A common example is when one rope runs down a gentle
slope from trees or boulders a long way from the cliff edge, then the second rope is placed down
the cliff itself. Sometimes there is also the need to shorten fixed ropes, for example to stop them
ending up in the sea, and this might need to be done at the edge, not at the anchors to allow
you to see what length is needed.

One way of shortening a
fixed line mid rope—clove
hitches or alpine butterflies
could also have been used.
Here two ropes have been
joined with a pair of locking
carabiners. Note how the
spare rope has been firmly
coiled—this is important to
stop someone using the
wrong rope and rapping off
A neat way o f joining two fixed
lines and creating a changeover
station using a Flemish bend with
a figure of eight tail. (Use a cow's
tail to clip into the figure of 8 as
you move the rap device from one
rope to the other.)
 the end.

14. Retrievable Abseil Slings

.y y /

Wf y k

A/
A retrievable rap sling. Once down, pull the blue rope down and then the purple one. Here the
purple rope has been tied to the sling, which is fine if the sling is around something smooth (like
a tree branch). If you only thread the pull line through the sling rather than tie it to the sling, you
might get the rope back even if the sling catches as you pull it down. But you stand much more
chance of rapping on the wrong strand as they will look almost the same.) This also works with
a single rope as long as you are less than a third of the way up a route.

*awaiting image
A retrievable rap sling used as a way o f retreating from a bolted route. On square-edged bolts
pulling the rope through the bolt will damage it so a sling or piece of rap tat is needed. On
smooth staples this is unnecessary. Only rap off a single bolt if the bolt cannot fail.

15. The American Death Triangle (geek warning)

Belay bolts can be in any arrangement, but a side-by-side arrangement of two bolts is common
in some parts of the world. On rap stations, it is not uncommon to find these connected by a
sling (or piece of cord) tied to form a simple triangle, rather than brought together to a
powerpoint. The rap ring is then free to slide at the base of the triangle.

*awaiting image
Photo of an ADT

Because the ring slides, the system provides reasonable equalisation. However, because of the
top horizontal link, the direction of pull on each bolt is different than with a powerpoint (as
indicated by the blue arrows in the schematic) and produces a greater angle than if the bolts
had been linked to form a powerpoint, and hence the force on each bolt is greater. In addition, if
one bolt fails extension will occur and the climber dropped a short way. If she wasn’t using a
third hand she might well lose control. This has led to such an arrangement being called the
American Death Triangle or ADT.
 Schematic o f forces within an ADT.
Image from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File:AmericanDeath Triangle.png.

We can analyse the situation as follows.

For a powerpoint arrangement the force on each bolt will be (if the powerpoint perfectly shares
the load):

Fbolt = 9.81 x weight of climber / (2 cos (0.5 x theta))

where theta is the angle at the rap ring.

And if the powerpoint fails to share, then at most, Fbolt = 9.81 x weight of climber on one of the
bolts.

For the ADT:

Fbolt = 9.81 x weight of climber / (2 cos (45 + 0.25 x theta)).

If the climber weighs 80kg (i.e. provides 785N) and manages to abseil without bouncing, then if
the angle at the ring is 60 degrees:

Fbolt = 453N for the powerpoint and 785N for the ADT.

This suggests several things: (i) At 60 degrees or less, the force on either bolt with the ADT is
no more than if the clim ber had rapped o ff a single bolt. (ii) A powerpoint possibly places
less force on either bolt than an ADT, but the ADT only multiplies the force by a maximum of 1.7
(at 60 degrees), not by 100s of times (it is unlikely that the angle at the base of the triangle
would be greater than 60 degrees, and with smaller angles the multiplication is less). (iii) In
either case the force is modest and even with bouncing would only be an issue if one of the
bolts was inherently unsafe.

A bit of thinking shows that a powerpoint does offer advantages, force-wise, over an ADT but
only in a narrow range. To make the powerpoint worthwhile, rather than just picking one of the
bolts to rap off at random, one of the bolts must be weak enough not to be able to take the
whole force of the climber (784N). If it cannot take more than 453N it will blow and you will die if
the other bolt cannot take 784N. With an ADT the first bolt will blow if it cannot take 784N. So in
this case (60 degrees) the powerpoint offers an advantage only when the weakest bolt has a
strength of less than 784N but more than 453N. This is a narrow range of possibilities. (At
smaller angles the window is even smaller; with heavier climbers or bouncing the whole thing
just scales.)

This doesn’t mean climbers should rig rap stations with ADTs, as a powerpoint (or two equal
length slings) with a rap ring are better solutions. It just shows that an ADT is, like a powerpoint,
as safe as the bolts it is made from. An ADT with an angle much greater than 60degrees, is a
poor idea. At 120degrees (about the maximum I (DC) can imagine finding, Fbolt = 1.5kN for an
80kg climber rapping smoothly, or maybe 3kN if not so smoothly.

The main issue with the ADT is that is unstable under partial failure, i.e. if one bolt blows you
will drop not swing onto the other, which if you are near the anchor could generate a reasonable
force (and be a bit of a frightener at any point of the rap, and possibly fatal if you are not using a
3rd hand). This could be a major issue if the other bolt is also weak, or the tat connecting them
poor, or you are clipped to the rap ring with a daisy (which will offer no elasticity). It also doesn’t
offer any redundancy if one of the arms of the sling is damaged or the knot incorrectly tied.
Hence assuming you have enough rap tat you should build something better than an ADT.

This last point is the final complicating factor. Assuming you are not rigging a permanent rap
station for others, but simply joining two belay bolts together because you a escaping down a
route, you might be limited in the amount of rap tat you have. If you only have, say, 1.2m of cord
for each station then the angle at the base of the triangle will be smaller with an ADT than with a
powerpoint or if you cut the tat into two 0.6m lengths to form a sling on each bolt. The result will
be that the multiplier provided by the ADT is reduced. (An alternative would be a sliding-X,
however, given a fixed length of tat, this will still produce a larger angle than an ADT.)

From the above equations we see the powerpoint and ADT will give rise to the same Fbolt when

theta(PP) = 90 + 0.5theta(ADT).

So the if the ADT is causing an angle of 60degrees, the powerpoint would need to use enough
cord to create an angle of 120 degrees for it to generate the same force as an ADT, and unless
the angle with the powerpoint is greater than 90 degrees, it will always generate less force than
an ADT.

Another common ADT-like situation is when a lower-off consists of two bolts with a couple of
chain links on each bolt. Threading the rope through the links on both bolts forms an ADT like
triangle. The above analysis still holds, and it is far better to thread both bolts than ju s t one.
In addition, in this case the angle between the ropes is likely to be very small. Even at the start
of the rap the angle is likely to be less than 10 degrees, so the multiplication factor between the
ADT and a powerpoint will be less than 1.5. Interestingly, the above equations converge to a
ratio of about 1.4, so even at the bottom end of the rap there is a multiplication factor. It is
however worth remembering that once you have descended to the point that the angle between
the ropes is less than 60 degrees (which is probably before you even leave the station) the
force on either bolt will be less than if you were on a single bolt.

So although the ADT is not a great idea, it is fictitious to see it as something that will multiple the
force on the bolts in an unlimited manner, and is much better than rapping on a single bolt.

Threading the rap rope to form an ADT-like triangle. (The Prow, Yosemite,
 USA). A temporary anchor link made from a short extender has been
placed. Without this, if the left hand bolt fails whilst the rap was being rigged
the climber could fall off the cliff. The extender will be removed by the last
person down. (The Prow, Yosemite, USA.)

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

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v 24 Novem ber 2014

— multtptfeckcltmbing.com
 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

Contents
1. Getting the Leader Over the Crux: Gorilla Aid / 2. Getting the Second Up: More Gorilla Aid / 3
Ascending a Rope / 4 Abseiling and Belaying Without Your Belay Device / 5 Lowering off a
Single Piece__________________________________

Cheating isn’t often discussed by climbers except when doing someone down. This is probably
a mistake. Old photographs often show climbers in the mountains standing on each other’s
shoulders or pulling on pegs. Nowadays, unless you set out to go aid climbing, no one wants to
pull on the pro, but knowing how to cheat effectively and efficiently can be a real life saver when
you get stuck and retreat isn’t a good idea. This might be because the top is one pitch away,
whereas the bottom is twenty pitches down and it has just started to rain; or because your
partner has had an accident. However, often it is because one of the team isn’t as good as the
others and just needs a helping hand to get over a roof. Knowing you can cheat if you really
have to will also allow you to tackle those long alpine routes that have one short pitch that is
much harder than the rest of the route with confidence. Although some will disagree, many of
these routes also make for a better, more balanced, outing when climbed in this way.

There is an art to cheating and it needs to be practiced. Without having cheated a few times
climbers under stress seem to forget it is an option, and even it they remember to cheat can’t do
it efficiently. Hence twenty minutes later they are still stuck under the crux hanging from the
rope getting weaker and weaker trying to free it. Most of the time it is a matter of getting the
leader over the crux by simple French freeing (i.e. pulling on gear), but it might be useful to build
a couple of aiders out of slings. Next the second needs to get over the crux. The approach used
will depend on the situation, but planning will be key. Often throwing a loop of rope down will
solve the problem, other times the second might be able to haul himself up one rope while the
leader protects him with the other rope. The key point is to avoid prusiking at all costs as it is so
slow - but sometimes there is no other way.
Tete D ’Aval, French Alps. By alpine standards, few objective dangers, but at twenty pitches, an
easy place to get benighted. This means that the leader or second might elect to cheat on the
odd move if they don’t think they will top out before dark.

1. Getting the Leader Over the Crux: Gorilla Aid

Do what you need to get over the crux: left, foot in sling; right, clipping into a piece to
rest and place a higher runner to pull on. As the left image shows, simply using 60cm
slings as the extenders on pieces can get the leader or second rapidly over the crux
without the need for anything complex.

On long hard climbs, if you think you will Be creative: A large cam makes a
 have problems with a short section, foothold.
consider taking a hook or two.

Going Prepared to Go Ape

Once you know you are going to have to aid more than a couple of moves, stop and take time
to build an aider and a daisy or two.

Improvised aider made from a 120cm and a 60cm sling—note Gorilla aid rig (an improvised
how the knots have been tied to form offset loops and the aider and daisy made from
stitching of the red, sling is right at the base o f the aider. This knotted slings) in action.
will make it easier to get your foot in and out.

Unless you need the extra reach, try not to clip an aid sling directly into a wire or peg. Clip into
the top o f the piece’s extender. This will make it much easier to unclip your aid carabiner
quickly.
 2. Getting the Second Up: More Gorilla Aid
r
C

ti
l

Sometimes the best way to get over the crux is just to give it some effort. (Top: Chris on
the Plum, Tremadog, Wales. Bottom: Tom Bight, Spain.)

One of the key tools for getting the second over the crux is the drop loop haul. To be possible at
all the second needs to be less than 1/3rd of a rope length of rope and know what to do. It will be
far better if a direct belay is used. So, if you think the second might have a problem getting over
the crux, tell him the plan and set up a belay just after the crux.

Reverso Second
or Grigri - pulls rope
down

Second pulls
green

Locking carabiner clipped to

rope loop and belay loop

3:1 Drop loop haul off a pre-existing direct belay (there is The second completing a drop
only one rope - the colours are for clarity). This takes as loop haul.
long to rig as it does to throw the rope down the cliff. It is
hard to believe how effective this is until you try it. The
second is protected the whole way by the rope self-feeding
through the Reverso or Grigri. The second will be hauled
directly towards the belay by the red and green ropes and
hence it won’t work if the second’s main (blue) rope takes a
different path through runners off to the side and the
second can’t easily remove them as he ascends. If so, use
the 2:1 haul shown below. This is probably THE key
technique for getting the second over the crux. All teams
should have practiced it so they are as fast and as
confident with it as they are with abseiling. It will help if the
leader belays soon after the crux, even if this means
adding a pitch.
Reverso Overhand

2:1 Drop loop haul off a pre-existing direct belay (there is only one rope - the colours are for
clarity). This is used if the direction of haul isn’t the same as that taken by the lead rope, or if the
friction from the rope passing through the runner is too high: Tie off the main (blue) rope; throw
a loop down; both second and belayer hauls; use a backup in case the belayer drops the red
rope. In the drawing a Munter has been placed so the second can be belayed normally once
over the crux. An alternative would be to also tie the main rope off at the Reverso once the
second’s weight is off the it, remove the blue rope from the Reverso and place the red rope
through the Reverso so it forms both backup and belay. Using a 2:1 isn’t as good or as quick to
set as the 3:1 above, so if possible belay just above the crux (and vertically above it) so a 3:1
can be used.
Drop loop haul off an indirect belay. This one The leader during a drop loop haul off an
takes longer to rig and is hard work but is still indirect belay.
effective.

Reverso
or Grigri
e

* it
Second uses foot prusik
on down rope if too
exhausted to pull or if
injured
If the second doesn’t have the strength to pull down oris
injured, he can add a foot prusik to take some of the weight.
A small mechanical device as the prusik will speed things
up considerably.
 Left: Hip hoist off a direct belay - be careful of your back. This will just about work for a very
short distance or if the second can help a little by trying to climb the rock. Right: close up o f the
French prusik during a hip hoist. If the French prusik keeps slipping add more turns.
 3. Ascending a Rope

r v « .
• *%
•' *

Ascending devices. From the top: Reverso (or
equivalent), Grigri (or equivalent), mini-traxion,
Ropeman, Tibloc.
One possible emergency
ascension rig in action. (Chalk bag
cord; 60cm sling; 120cm sling.)
The foot prusik goes below the
waist one. A Klemheist knot has
been used for the foot sling (a
French prusik on a loop of the
sling would have been a good
alternative). The waist prusik
needs to be a Klemheist or
ordinary prusik knot for security.
Place a backup knot on the rope
below you and clip it to your belay
loop. Occasionally move the
backup knot up.
 If you don’t have a foot prusik use this hitch Prusik knots tend to clamp up. Loosen by
(pull on the un-weighted end to move it up the pushing the loop back with your thumb.
rope - the sticker the rubber the fewer the
number of turns), or just use a few turns of the
rope around your foot.

Using a Reverso as the waist prusik. This Getting ready to install a Reverso as a waist
works best on thin ropes and is almost prusik when starting from a hanging start, for
impossible on a 10.5mm. example if you just fell off an overhang. Start
by installing the foot prusik: Note the overhand
in the foot prusik that creates a temporary
isolation loop. Stand in the foot prusik and clip
your belay loop into the isolation loop in the
sling, then sit back down. This will have
 created a loop of rope for you to install the
Reverso.

A common use of a Reverso prusik is in converting an abseil into an ascent when you miss the
next rap station. Simply clip a locker between the Reverso’s hanging hole and your belay loop
and sit back down, you are now hands-free. (You might need to take a twist of rope around your
foot so you can stand up to get your belay loop close to the Reverso.) Now tie an overhand
below the th ird hand and clip it to you belay loop as a backup. Unclip the original locker
from your belay loop without removing the ropes from it. Do this carefully; if you remove the
ropes from the locker you will no longer be attached to the ropes. If the ground isn’t too steep
and the rap station not too far away, you can just haul/belay yourself up the rope. If it’s steep,
just add a foot prusik above the Reverso, and up you go. D on’t forget to place the backup
k n o t before you touch the Reverso’s lo cke r and keep the th ird hand on at all times.
 A Reverso can also be used as a foot
prusik. With thin diameter ropes, this will be
a lot smoother than a normal prusik knot.

4. Abseiling and Belaying Without Your Belay Device

It is well worth knowing how to still be able to rap and belay when you have dropped your belay
device.

Munter rap: make sure the rope exits the
carabiner across the back bar not the gate; or
the gate could undo. If possible always use a
triple action twist lock not a screwgate when
using a Munter.
Bringing up the second, or lowering, off a
Munter on a direct belay. (A triple action twist
lock would have been better.)
An alternative to a Munter is to use a carabiner brake to abseil with. The wire in the final image
is optional and is only used to stop the two red carabiners being dropped when the rope is
removed at the end of each rap. Always use a third hand.

5. Lowering Off a Single Piece

Using a prusik as a backup when lowering off a single piece and needing to strip the lower
pieces. The prusik might save you if the top piece blows. Only lower off a single piece if you
know it is solid. The prusik should use the thickest prusik cord you have and use a prusik knot
rather than a French prusik.
 A similar approach can be used if the upper piece is questionable and you therefore plan to
leave some o f the lower pieces in place. In this case, don’t unclip the rope as you pass a piece
until you have replaced the draw with another. Double ropes will give you many more ways to
keep the distance you could fall to the nearest solid piece at a minimum if the top one blows
during a lower.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

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v 13 Septem ber 2014

LpifcckcLimbiKq.com
 multipitckclimbiKg.com

\ t /¥ / J MM f m 1JH
. At J '' $ / / '/ f aJSw
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■■ , (A v — - w

V--. 1
This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

Climbing is dangerous. Soloing, even

Q with a rope, is even more dangerous.

Only consider it if you know you have the
experience and are happy with the
potential consequence: death.

This chapter is not about climbing without a rope. It is about climbing without a partner. This
might be because your partner is injured or because you have decided to climb without one.
Solo climbing is more dangerous because you don’t have anyone to buddy check you, the
systems are more complex, the belay less reliable and if you get hurt you are on your own. In
the book we consider a variety of approaches that can be used for roped solo leading either by
choice or in an emergency. We also look at solo top roping. Andy has a book on solo aid/big
wall climbing.

Contents
1 Basic Approach / 2 Types of Device / 3 Some other Points /
_________________ 4 Top Rope Soloing_________________
 1. Basic Approach
The basic approach is to: tie your rope to a multidirectional anchor that cannot fail, climb as
normal placing gear but using a special belay device clipped to your harness, on reaching the
next stance rap back down to remove your gear and dismantle the lower belay, climb back up
using your chosen solo top-roping approach; then repeat, repeat, repeat. The rope can be
carried on your back, left on the lower belay in a rope sack, or carried in a large number of
backup knots on the harness.
 2. Types of Device
As you don’t have partner, you need something to catch you if you fall. A clove hitch on a locker
will work in an emergency - consider placing a second clove hitch on another locker as a
backup.

From top: Grigri (or Eddy), Silent Partner, clove hitch (or Close up of a running clove hitch.
figure of eight), running clove hitch, Reverso— all can
be used for solo leading if you have to, but only one is
designed for the job.

• ( ? ) <

I
Silent Partner showing how the rope is The rope needs to exit from the top not bottom
attached using a clove hitch. of the Silent Partner.
 Attaching the Silent Partner to the harness. One or two maillons would be even better. The
right-hand image shows the Silent Partner clipped to the tie-in points. This is the method shown
in the manufacture’s instructions (and reduces the chances o f it hitting you in the teeth when
you fall), but some climbers attach it to the belay loop.

Standard soloing kit, including a spare

rope to allow you to escape more easily,
a Grigri to make stripping the pitch
quicker, a mini-traxion to top rope solo
back up again, some spare locking
carabiners, a daisy (because you won’t
always be tied into the rope), 1mm prusik
loops to stop reverse feed (see below), a
Reverso in case you have to escape the
route and cordelettes to build equalised
belays. You also need to add in a rope
bag and possibly one or more screamers.
Note the mandatory helmet.

3. Some Other Points

The instructions with the Silent Partner suggest you carry the rope in a series of backup knots
attached to lockers clipped to a structural part of the harness (e.g. a belay loops). Some find this
gets in the way of their feet and hence carry the rope in a backpack. An alternative is to use the
approach used in aid climbing: flake the rope into a rope bag at the lower belay.
Rope soloing with the rope in a sack, note the carabiner on the shoulder strap (backup knot not
shown - it would be on the rope between the Silent Partner and the backpack).
Once the weight of rope between the anchor and the belay device is great enough, rope can
automatically reverse feed through the device. This means a lot of slack will pile up and a fall
will be much, much longer. The solution is to occasionally place something on the rope to
remove this weight, this is termed a re-belay.

1 mm prusik being used to stop the rope
feeding backwards through a Silent Partner.
As an alternative to 1 mm prusik cord,
consider using large clothes pegs, prusiks
made of wool, or rubber bands.
Another way to stop reverse feed: Double­
clipping a runner. Even through a screw gate
has been used to stop the rope from
unclipping itself, an extender has been used
as a backup in case the screwgate is cross­
loaded. This will increase the effective fall
factor, but is quick to do.

Left: fixing the rope to a mid-pitch piece (either as a backup in case the belay fails, or to stop the
rope reverse feeding). The danger with this is you can take a factor 2 fall. Right: adding a long
sling to access some of the shock-absorbing potential of the lower part of the rope when fixing
the rope to a mid-pitch piece (there is a clove hitch on the lower carabiner). This will avoid a
factor 2 if you fall higher up the pitch after you have placed other runners, but not if you fall off
 just after placing it.

Others have tried making the prusiks to stop reverse feed out of wool rather than 1mm cord, or
using rubber bands. A French prusik or Klemheist (on 5mm cord) works well. (With a Klemheist
place it so it slides in the correct direction (i.e. upside down) - see image below.) Another
possibility is to use your micro traxion rather than a prusik loop. You simply collect it on the way
down for use on the way back up. (This assumes you are rapping the lead rope not a haul line.)
However a micro traxion (or a Petzl Tibloc) has very nasty teeth and if you placed it the wrong
way around, or something strange happened, it could destroy the rope.

It is important to understand the difference between rope solo free climbing and solo aid with
respect to re-belays. When aid climbing, you rap your haul line and jumar back up the lead rope
- with the protection and re-belays in place. This means you will weight the re-belays as you
ascend. If you used 1mm prusiks etc. these might snap - which could leave you with a
dangerous fall onto the teeth of your jumars. So you either need to use something you can
simply snap by pulling the rope hard before you ascend (e.g. rubber bands), or something that
will not snap even with you jumaring on it (e.g. an upside down Klemheist tied in 5 or 6mm
cord). With solo free climbing this problem doesn’t occur because you rap the lead rope
removing the re-belays on the way down.

It is worth noting that solo aid climbers also place re-belays before points where the rope
passes over a sharp edge. This is so the rope is not abraded by the edge as the climber jumars
back up: because the rope touching the edge is not weighted as the re-belay takes the force.

*awaiting image Klemheist stopping reverse feed

The advantage of a Klemheist is that it holds the rope well, but if you fall it will hit the carabiners
it is attached to, release and let the rope slide, thereby accessing the full length of the rope.
However this action cannot be guaranteed, so put the Klemheist on a long sling to allow the
rope to stretch.
In the event of a fall the only dynamic element will be the rope as there will be no
belayer to be lifted up off the stance, or any slip through the belay device. This means
falls might be more aggressive with a higher effective fall factor. Hence it is common to
include some form of screamer into the anchor system.

A “screamer” anchor. A Using a screamer as a mid-pitch backup in case the belay

large loop is left in the fails. Trad placements will need to be multi-directional
rope to allow the (right).
“screamer” to deploy.

Another reason to re-belay is so all the slack is taken out of the belay. In the above left
image the screamer is magically pointing upwards. This is because the climber led up a
few metres then placed a re-belay and pulled the lead rope up through it to take the
slack out of the system. This reduces the length of the fall by a minimum of
approximately twice the length of the powerpoint’s shortest arm. However, as the image
below left shows additional slack can build up.
 m

Solo anchor with a lot of The solution: A re-belay. [COPYRIGHTED IMAGE by

slack in the lead rope Mark Hudon (Elcappanos.com)]. This is an aid climbing
[COPYRIGHTED IMAGE image. For free climbing the Klemheist would be on a long
by Mark Hudon sling.
(Elcappanos.com)]
In an emergency you won’t have a Silent Partner to hand. This means you will most
probably be using a clove hitch to self belay. Others have played around with using a
Reverso. One advantage of using a Reverso it that it can be used on double ropes (it
will be smoothest with thin twins and would be very difficult to feed with a fat single).

Attaching a Reverso for roped soloing. The device is not designed for such use, so
the technique should only be considered an emergency approach, and even then, no
one really knows what will happen if you fall, the device o r rope might well fail! (If the
rope fails, you will probably die.) Its main advantage is that unlike other approaches
it works with twin/double ropes. Just as when trying to use a Reverso as a prusik: the
thinner the rope, the easier it is to make it work.

Unfortunately, it would seem that the thinner the rope the more likely failure is. Jim
Titt has reported some pull test results (http://www.mountainproject.com/v7atc-
guide/106838345 1) and they don’t look encouraging.

He describes two failure modes. “First fail mode: The trapped rope escapes
sideways from under the tensioned rope and gets trapped between the tensioned
rope and the side of the slot. This is very difficult to free and you have to dismantle
everything and twist the locking krab brutally to release the rope. Take your Prusiks.
Second fail mode: Apply yet more load and the trapped rope where it crosses the
tensioned rope goes down through the slot with a bang. At this point the holding
power drops off considerably but not catastrophically, though pretty near!”

• “ATC Guide. 10.2 Mammut, used, non-treated. First fail mode 4.8kN. No
second fail mode, rope sheath cut at ca 9kN.
• ATC Guide. 9mm Edelrid, used, non treated. First fail mode 2.96kN. Max fail
load 5.58kN. Residual load 1.6kN
• ATC Guide. 8.2mm Edelrid, new, treated. First fail mode 2.05kN. Max fail load
4.06kN. Residual load 1.2kN
• Reverso3. 10.2 Mammut, used, non treated. First fail mode 3.68kN. No
second fail mode. Rope sheath cut ca 9kN
 • Reverso3. 9mm Edelrid, used, non treated. First fail mode 2.25kN. Max fail
load 3.60kN. Residual load 0.9kN
• Reverso3. 8.2mm Edelrid, new, treated. First fail mode 1.6kN. Max fail load
2.38kN. Residual load 0.7kN

All with Petzl Attache 12mm round profile carabiner.”

4. Top Rope Soloing

Read this document in full before considering top rope soloing:

http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/product-experience/self-belay-solo-climbing/introduction
Top rope soloing is frequently practiced in its own right as a way of staying fit if you don’t have a
partner for the day. With respect to this book, it is included because you need to top rope solo
back up after stripping the lower belay when lead rope soloing. As the link above shows, Petzl
recommend two devices are used and that these are of different type (see notes below).

Mini-traxion (left) and micro-traxion (right) with oval locking carabiner—don’t be tempted to use
a standard D-shaped carabiner. Hence, always carry your mini or micro traxion on an oval
carabiner.

Mini-traxion with elastic neck loop.
Top rope soloing—note the backup knot. Petzl
recommend use two devices o f different form
when top rope soloing as it is possible to
depress the release switch on a mini or micro-
traxion, or make various other mistakes.
Another way of backing up a mini-traxion by using a maillon (which needs to be very small, yet
strong) on a lanyard and blocking overhands. This is might be ok, but nothing is as good as a
real backup knot.

This is what Petzl say about top rope soloing with a minitraxion (we can assume the same holds
true for a microtraxion):

“Petzl has studied the current usage of the MINI TRAXION as a self-belay device on a fixed
rope. Serious accidents and many handling errors have been reported.
The risk of using the device with the cam held open is significant, as well as the possibility of
accidental opening of the cam when climbing.
Consequently, the MINI TRAXION must be paired with a different ascender: ASCENSION,
BASIC, MICROCENDER... Petzl does not recommend using a system consisting of only two
MINI TRAXION for self-belayed solo climbing with a fixed rope.”

http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/product-experience/self-belay-solo-climbing/introduction
 Top rope soloing using a pair o f mini- Petzl recommend the lower device is a different
traxion. This is common approach which device, presumably so you can’t make the same
adds some safety (but see the note mistake with both devices. COPYRIGHTED
above from Petzl). Top: the upper micro- IMAGE
traxion is attached via an elastic cord
threaded though the eye of the micro-
traxion and an open sling girth-hitched to
the belay loop.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 24 Novem ber 2014

.com
 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

At a guess this will be the least read part of the book. Climbers are strange beasts, we know the
sport is dangerous, and that the danger is one reason we do it, but we act in a way that says "it
won’t happen to me”. This is in direct contradiction with all the cams etc. we carry and plug into
cracks on easy routes and then don’t fall off onto. We protect trad climbs most of the time not
because we think we will fall, but just in case we do. If you climb long enough in places where
you can’t just lower the climber to the ground, your time will come.

Although it is tempting to think that you will be able to come up with a solution if something
serious ever happens, this is unlikely to be the fastest approach, nor is it sensible to try and
manufacture knowledge under stress, when it is getting dark and the rain has just started. You
need a well-stocked toolbox of practised pathways to a solution which you can build off. The
first skill will be a working knowledge of first aid. There are plenty of books and general courses
on this, as well as outdoor activity focused first aid cources.

This chapter explores what you can do if something unfortunate happens to you or those
around you. It is presented as a series of scenarios, such as an injured leader or an
unconscious second and covers both situations where safety is within a rope’s length and when
it isn’t. The two key skills you need to learn is how to move the weight of the casualty on and off
the anchors, and how to get them up or down the cliff efficiently.

For a more detailed analysis of the topic David Fasulo’s Self Rescue is recommended (get the
latest edition).

A self-rescue can often mean pulling a casualty around roughly and dragging them across the
rock, so don’t try a self-rescue if you think there might be a spinal injury.

Contents
1 Basics (A. French or Italian? B. The Shelf C. Emergency Power Points ) / 2 Tying Off a Belay
Plate or Grigri / 3 Escaping the System (A. From a Direct Belay B. Indirect Belay: Anchors in
Reach C. Indirect Belay: Anchors not in reach D. No slings or prusik cords E. Indirect Belay and
Redirect F. From a DIL belay)/ 4 Improvised Harnesses (A. Chest Harness B. Waist Harness) /
5 Spiders and Munter tails / 6 Lowering a Climber (A. From a Redirect B. From a Floating Plate
C. Lowering a Big Load D. Lowering Past a Knot) / 7 Rescuing the Second (A. The Drive-by
Pick Up B. Counterbalanced Lower) / 8 Leader rescue / 9 Traverses etc. / 10 Hauling - the
theory / 11 A hauling system that actually works / 12 Other Points (A. Belaying with a Munter B.
Dealing with a Damaged Rope C. One or Two Carabiners? D. Calling the Helicopter E. Carrying
the Casualty Out)_________________________________

Big Tower is Watching You (the sunlit arete and the face
below it), Glacier Noire, Ecrins, French Alps. At 800 m long
and in an alpine environment, even on a bolt protected route
like this you need to be able to sort yourself out if it all starts
to go wrong.

1. Basics
Most of the information on self-rescue has as its focus the training of aspirant guides etc. This
means the assumption is often that it is the second that will need rescuing - as the guide will be
the leader. For most of us this means it might be incorrectly focused, as, unless you knock
some rocks on the second, it is much more likely that it is the leader who will be in trouble after
taking a lead fall.

When it comes to non-life threatening situations, getting the leader and second over the crux
are key gorilla aid skills (see Chapter 11).

The assumption also seems to be that the second is only hurt whilst seconding the pitch and
hence the rescuer is at the belay. This is possible, but as seconding normally takes less time, it
is more likely they will be hit whilst the leader is on lead. (Often it is the leader who pulled the
rocks/ice off anyhow.)

Hence two key scenarios worth thinking about are:

1. Rescuing the leader - this will mean the belay is being pulled upwards, not downwards, and
the weight of the belayer is part of reason the belay doesn’t pull from the wall. Hence, you might
have to partly rebuild the belay, or keep your weight on the rope at all times - you can use a
prusik attached to the leader’s rope and clipped to you whilst you sort something out to achieve
this. (This scenario is another reason trad belays are often best if they are built to take an
upwards force.)

2. The leader being on lead and needing to rescue the second - who probably can no longer
use their belay device to belay the leader, or prusik.

Properly the central technique in self-rescue is the use of a releasable system to hold the
weight of a climber. This might be for example when escaping the system or when abseiling
past a knot. Two approaches to this have become popular: the simple French prusik and the
more complex prusik-Munter-mule-overhand (or PMMO). The book covers both of these
approaches. But out there on the cliff you will rarely find either is needed most of the time. To
unweight the belay device most of the time all that is needed is to lower the casualty (who might
be the leader or second) to a point where they can take their weight off the rope for a few
seconds (don’t forget to tie a backup knot first). In Fasulo’s book this point is emphasised
repeatedly: don’t get all technical with the knots unless you have to - just use the terrain.

If possible practice most of the skills discussed at your climbing gym (wall) with appropriate
backups and near the ground— belay sacks make great “casualties”.

Although holding a climber via a releasable system is a key skill, it often isn’t necessary. Unless
the terrain is overhanging it will often be better to park the climber on a ledge, or ask her to take
her weight off the rope for a couple o f seconds. This will simplify most techniques considerably.
When doing this a backup kno t o f som e form w ill be needed.

The classic escaping-the-belay sequence in most books has the aim of leaving the
casualty suspended from a releasable system and the healthy climber with her belay
plate so she can abseil if needed. I (DC) have no idea why the books don’t point out that
one can always abseil with a Munter hitch (assuming you have a spare locker), so you
don’t normally need to retrieve your belay plate. A locked off belay plate in guide mode is
also, by definition, a releasable system. So when escaping the system from a direct
belay, consider whether it is worth spending the extra time taken to extract the Reverso
from the system. In addition, if the casualty is incapable of abseiling unaided, you will
only need one Reverso for the rest of the rescue - so use theirs!
 A. French or Italian?

The two standard ways of forming a grab that can be However, the mariner-overhand
released under load are a French prusik (bottom) and a can also be useful. Don’t forget
PMMO (top). the finishing overhand.

B. The Shelf
It is easy to run out of space in the powerpoint during a rescue—consider using the shelf to
give yourself more space. Never use the “shelf” above a clovehitch powerpoint: if the main
carabiner is removed the shelf might no longer exist - this could have fatal consequences.
Left a correctly identified shelf. Right a misidentified shelf—if either anchor fails the result is likely
to be catastrophic. A carabiner should be left in the powerpoint when the shelf is in use to guard
against the possibility of the overhand pulling through.

Never use the “shelf” above a clovehitch “powerpoint”. Once the main carabiner is removed the
shelf might self-destruct. (What happens to the shelf when the clove hitch is removed depends
on how the clovehitch was tied: you might be left with a sliding-X, or with the carabiner that was
on the shelf attached to nothing—this could be fatal.)

C. Emergency Power Points

If the belay has not been built using a cordelette (or isolation loop) to form a powerpoint, you
might need to create a powerpoint in order to make the rescue easier to mount. If possible do
this using slings, if not, use the rope. In general, using slings will be better as you can then fully
extract the rope so you can use it to rap to the other climber, or set up a retrievable abseil.
However, you might have been left without enough/any slings, or the pieces might be too far
away to connect using slings. If you do have a sling (your long second prusik loop might be
suitable), then a temporary powerpoint can be built by wrapping the anchor lines with a
Klemheist.

Whether you are using slings or the rope, try and place new, separate, carabiners rather than
the ones originally used at the anchor pieces. This will make extracting the rope if you need to
easier.

The best way to use the rope to form a powerpoint will depend on how many anchor pieces
there are. You might end up with a lot of knots at the powerpoint, so it might be better to form
the powerpoint on a locker and then use another locker clipped to the first one to hang the
Reverso / garda hitch / Munter off. This ensures the knots forming the powerpoint can’t slip out
off the main locker, because once formed you won’t need to open it again. An alternative is to
use a figure of 8 on a bight an build the powerpoint off this.

Use a of a DIL belay removes the need to build an emergency powerpoint from the ropes, as a
DIL includes one.

With a bolted belay formed of a pair of solid bolts, it may prove quicker to simply use one of the
bolts as a powerpoint and clip the bolts together with a sling as a backup (i.e. make it
Banshee-style).

A complex emergency powerpoint built from

slings. Note, the climber has clipped the slings
to the anchor pieces using new carabiners
rather then used the ones the belay was built
from. This will make it easier to extract the
rope if needed.

Emergency powerpoint built from the rope and

* awaiting image a figure of 8 on a bight. Note the stopper on
the figure of 8, as the figure of 8 might be
 cross-loaded and potentially pulled apart.

One way of forming an emergency point powerpoint built from the rope when the anchors are
within reach. Left: climber tied into the anchors; right powerpoint built. Note, there is only one
rope - different colours have been used only for clarity. The climber may have to escape the
system first in order to reach the anchors. In this case this would probably be done by forming a
temporary powerpoint formed from a sling and Klemheist around the original anchor lines (see
images below). Note: use a of a DIL belay removes the need to build an emergency powerpoint
from the ropes, as a DIL includes one.

An emergency powerpoint built using a Klemheist around the anchor lines. This has the
advantage that it can be achieved without needing to reach the anchors.
2. Tying Off a Belay Plate or Grigri (key skill 1)

Getting hands free with a belay

plate: method 1

r l
 If you know the climber can Hands free with an indirect Hands free with a Reverso
easily keep her weight off the Grigri—just tie an overhand. in guide mode.
rope, an overhand on a bight
can be used to get hands free
temporarily.

Getting hands free when belaying with a Munter or when securing the rope in a releasable way
to the powerpoint. To tie off a Munter hitch use an MMO. The carabiner might be on the
powerpoint, or your belay loop.
 3 . Escaping the System
A. From a Direct Belay (key skill 2)

* T
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^ fr 1

Get hands free by tying an overhand in the Put a French prusik (or PMMO) on the
brake rope. casualty’s rope and link this back to the shelf or
powerpoint.

Tie a MMO on the rope onto a locking Tighten the MMO to take up the slack that was
carabiner at the shelf and remove the in the Reverso.
Reverso.
Release the French Prusik (or PMMO).
Job done. You have your belay plate and the
casualty is tied off on a releasable system.
However, you could have just tied off the
Reverso in step 1 and used a Munter if you
need to abseil.

B. From an Indirect Belay: Anchors in Reach

If the anchors are within reach and you don’t have a

powerpoint, build one out of slings. Then link the
casualty’s rope to it with a sling and French prusik. Then
transfer the casualty’s rope to it using an MMO and
remove the belay plate using the same approach as for
a direct belay. If the powerpoint’s carabiner might suffer
a three-way load use one carabiner on each arm of the
powerpoint.
l/l/rap a Klemheist around the anchor ropes
and attach this to the casualty’s rope with a
French prusik (or p M m O)
Tighten the MMO to remove the slack and
remove the French prusik (or PMMO).
Attach the rope to the Klemheist using a MMO
and remove the belay plate. (Depending on
what you formed the Klemheist out o f and what
you used to connect it to the French prusik, you
may have to place an overhand in the sling, as
here, to act as a “shelf’ for the MMO.)
Untie yourself from the system. The casualty is
now hanging from the Klemheist (note the
leader’s tying-in knots and locking carabiner
have been left in in case the Klemheist slips).
You are only halfway there. You now need to
build a true powerpoint near the anchors and
shift the casualty’s weight onto it. This is done
as before: place a French prusik on the rope to
the casualty and link it to the new powerpoint.
Place an MMO at the new powerpoint. Remove
the first MMO and tighten the new one then
finally remove the French prusik. (A little time
can be saved by not removing the French
prusik after you escaped the system.) By now
you maybe wishing you had used a DIL belay.
 D. No slings or prusik cords?
Some good ideas of what to do if you need to prusik up the rope but you don’t have a Reverso
or any slings on you, or if you need to escape the system without using a sling or length of cord
can be found here: http://www.mountainproiect.eom/v/prussiking-without-any-slings-or~
cords/108353040. These use special prusik knots made from the climbing rope.

The following images show one approach you can use when you only have your chalk bag cord,
and is hence useful for when climbing bolted routes with the minimum of equipment. Here a
mariner hitch is used to extend the short holding prusik back the anchors because the belayer
didn’t have a long sling to spare. The rest of the escape is as normal.

Start by tying of the belay plate as normal and Using the spare rope on the slack side of the
placing a prusik (your chalk bag cord) on the anchor, form a large bight of rope with an
casualty’s rope. overhand.

Use the bight to form a mariner or munter- Free the belay plate.
mariner-overhand at the prusik. (As a mariner
 Tie the casualty’s rope off to the anchor with Remove the mariner.
an MMO.

E. From an Indirect Belay and Redirect

1. Get hands free by tying off the plate.
2. Put a French prusik (PMMO) on the rope to the injured climber below the redirection
point and clip it to the redirection point using a sling.
3. Move your body to let the French prusik (PMMO) take the weight of the second.
4. You now need to create enough slack to tie the rope off with a MMO as usual, but
ensuring that the French prusik (PMMO) is backed up whilst you do it. So, untie the belay
plate lock off, let 2m (6ft) of slack through the plate and lock off the plate once more (an
overhand knot in the rope will be fine). Tie a Munter on the redirect’s carabiner and take
in any slack to the fallen climber through it
5. Tie the Munter off to form a MMO, remove the rope from your belay plate and release the
French prusik (PMMO).
6. Note, if the redirect is the first bolt/piece on the next pitch it is unlikely you can reach it
from the stance. In which case you will have to treat as an escape from an indirect belay
(above).

F. When using an isolation loop (i.e. a DIL belay)

This is so simple, it brings into question why the DIL is not more popular when belaying from the
rope.
1. Tie off the plate with a backup knot. 2. Undo your tie-in knot (leave the figure eight
in place as a stopper knot in case the isolation
loops rolls (unlikely). Job done! (Use a Munter
if you need to abseil.)

4. Improvised Harnesses

There is always the chance you will forget your harness or drop it. You might also elect to go
without one if you only need one for a couple of easy pitches during a day or two of travelling in
the hills. Knowing how to make a chest harness is highly useful if you are dealing with a
casualty.
 A. Making an Improvised Chest Harness

Parisian Baudrier using a 120cm sling.

Use a figure of eight chest harness for a larger casualty.

To keep the casualty upright don’t tie him to the rope: use a French or normal prusik,
or clip him into the midpoint of his daisy. His weight should still mainly be on the
waist harness: the chest harness is just to keep him upright - don’t hang him off it.
 B. Making an Improvised Waist Harness

An improvised waist harness made from a 120cm sling. The carabiner is clearly crossloaded -
this maybe isn’t ideal, but failure of this still leaves the rope tied around the waist.

In abseil mode. Note a length o f cord has been

used as a backup because o f the possibility of
falling out o f the harness and because o f the
three-way load on the lower carabiner.

If you look carefully, you can see the

climber is wearing an improvised
harness. This was on a 20-pitch
route with 20 raps, which shows it is
possible, even if not sensible. (Ecrin,
French Alps.)

5. Spiders and Munter tails

If you need to make a sequence of raps with a casualty one of the difficulties will be getting him
off the rap rope and onto the next station and off the station and back onto the rap rope. A
person weighs 60kg plus; this makes moving him and not dropping him very difficult if he can’t
help himself. If you have rapped with a couple of full haul bags you will understand the problem.
You therefore need some form of releasable tail that can be used to tie the both of you into the
anchors, yet is releasable under load when you start the next rap. You also need a Y-hang for
the rap itself. A single cordelette can be used to perform both these functions in a way that will
speed the rescue considerably. You still each need to clip into the anchors at each station with
an unweighted second tether (a cow’s tail) in case you mess up. Start by laying out the
cordelette as shown in the first image

Forming a rescue spider.

Rescue spider is attached to an anchor with an
MMO. The other locking carabiners are clipped to
the climbers’ harnesses.
If you don’t normally carry a cordelette, Attaching the abseil device
you can make a make a rescue spider
from two slings and a 3m prusik loop. Or
in many other ways.
Attaching the abseil device to
the spider—it is clipped
through the loops attached to
both climbers, i.e. across the
overhand. This is the same as
for a Y-hang.
A rescue spider in use. Note the cow’s tails used as a backup in the right-hand image. In order
for the system to be releasible, it is important the weight is on the spider, not on the cow’s tails!

If you don’t fancy using a spider, a long prusik

can be used as releasable tail for the casualty
here a MMO has been used). Make sure the
weight is always on the releasable tail, not the
cow’s tail backup!

6. Lowering a Climber

It is normally much better to head down with a casualty than up, so knowing how to lower
someone is very useful. It is often useful in normal climbing situations as well, for example when
it is extremely windy the first person might be better off lowering than abseiling, unless the rock
face is loose.
 A. From a Redirect
You can lower straight off a redirect, and this works fine if the person doing the lowering is
roughly the same weight or heavier than the person being lowered. A French prusik can be
placed below the belay plate as a third hand. If the person is heavier than you lowering via a
redirect is difficult and potentially dangerous, as you will be pulled up into the redirect.

B. From a Floating Plate

As just mentioned, if the belayer is much lighter than the person being lowered, the belayer will
tend to be pulled into the redirect. An altogether more controlled method that solves this issue is
to float the belay plate from the powerpoint. This will only work if the person being lowered can
temporarily unweight the rope and be clipped into something whist the belay device is moved is
placed as a floating plate. Therefore it is normally only used for lowering from a stance, not if a
climber gets in trouble mid-pitch. It is a really neat trick as the belayer does not even feel the
weight of the person being lowered.

Floating plate lower. This produces a very controlled lower and without the weight of the climber
being passed to the belayer. Left, using a lamb’s tail off a powerpoint; middle, off a redirect (the
redirect point must not fail). Right: how not to do it. In all cases, use a Munter (or French prusik)
on the belayer’s harness if there is any doubt of the strength o f the redirect, or your ability to
hold the person being lowered.

C. Lowering a big load: Munters and Monster Munters

With a really big load you might be better lowering with a Munter, a Monster Munter
or a Zuper Munter (see the knot appendix for how to form the latter).
' “ ■ H \i~

Lowering with a Munter with single and double ropes.

Simultaneously lowering an injured

climber and a helper connected by a Y-
hang. A monster or zuper Munter makes
an ideal lowering knot
A monster Munter. This is ideal when lowering a lot of weight and stops the ropes twisting into a
right mess. If you are abseiling with a monster Munter, make sure the brake rope exits on the
non-gate side of the carabiner

D. Lowering Past a Knot (key skill 4)

You can lower past a knot in much the same way as you abseil past a knot. You are most likely
to be doing this because one of the ropes has been damaged, or because you needed to join
both the ropes together to lower someone to safety. As the knot will have to pass over edges
when weighted, but is likely to be exposed to some very rough terrain, it is best to join them with
a double (not single) overhand knot with 60cm (2ft) tails. Just like when lowering without
passing a knot, you will find it much easier to lower from a direct belay of some sort, than from
an indirect. The end of the double length of rope must be tied off to the anchor, or you could
lower someone right off the end.

Using a Munter (Italian) Hitch

1. Join the ropes together. Tie the far end to the belay as a backup and the other end
to the casualty.
2. Place a Munter on a locking carabiner on the first rope near the person to be
lowered and clip it to the powerpoint.
3. Place a French prusik with a lot of turns in front of this Munter and extend it back
to the powerpoint with a sling and carabiner.
4. Lower the climber, ensuring the French prusik doesn’t snag, until you only have
30cm (1ft) of rope left before the knot.
5. Slowly creep the rope through the Munter and let the French prusik bite when you
have almost no rope left.
6. With the French prusik taking the weight, place a tied off Munter (an MMO) on the
other rope just after the knot joining the ropes and clip it to the powerpoint. (Place
the MMO as close as possible to the knot joining the ropes.)
7. Remove the first Munter.
8. Slowly Release the French prusik and remove it.
9. Hold the brake rope firmly as you untie the overhand and mule from the second
Munter.
10. Continue to lower.
 End tied off MMO Munter

Lowering past a knot. A PMMO will often be better in such a case than a French Prusik. The
knot joining the ropes is placed as close to the left hand MMO as possible.

A similar arrangement can be used to lower past a knot with a Reverso in guide mode, just
ensure you put a backup knot in the system in case the French prusik slips in the brief moment
when you move the Reverso from one side of the knot to the other.

7. Rescuing the Second

A. The Drive-by Pick Up

If you have enough rope at the belay to reach a safe ledge by abseiling you can opt for a drive-
by pick up i.e. you tie the rope off, abseil down to the casualty on the free rope, transfer him
onto a Y-hang tandem abseil on your rope and continue down (remember if you are using
double ropes, you might be able to free one complete strand—don’t try abseiling with a casualty
on one strand of a twin, you won’t have enough friction). If he is hanging in space you won’t be
able to untie him from his rope: you will need to either cut his rope or use a stirrup hoist to get
his weight off the rope. Once you have reached the next rap point, and secured the casualty,
you will have to ascend the rope and set a retrievable abseil. This extra faff means it is normally
better to lower the casualty unless he cannot look after himself and make himself secure at the
next station.
 Stirrup hoist during a drive-by pickup.

B. Counterbalanced Lower and Abseil

It will often not be sensible to lower an injured climber by himself: the other climber needs to be
alongside. A drive-by pick solves this only when you don’t need to pull the ropes down to
continue the decent. The alternative is a counterbalanced abseil: In essence you abseil down
one rope of a retrievable abseil whilst lowering the casualty on the other rope. The downside is
that the ropes are moving and hence there must be no loose rock about. With a single rope the
next rap point needs to be within half a rope length of the upper belay.

Counterbalanced lower. A knot in the end o f the rope is compulsory. If you have double ropes to
hand and need to make a full length rap you will have to descend to the casualty, release one of
his ropes, return to the belay, rig the counterbalanced abseil, join the two ropes, rap back to the
casualty and descend passing the knot either before or after you pick the casualty up depending
on how far up the pitch he was.

Abseiling past the knot in a counter balance abseil with a casualty will not be easy and need
practice. So, it might be better to just do a normal single rope counterbalance abseil to get to a
point where you can build a new anchor. Then pull your rope down and set a new rap.

8. Leader Rescue

The leader might need rescuing because: she can’t complete the pitch (and can’t use gorilla aid
to solve the problem); she has fallen into space; or she is injured.

If she has simply fallen into space then she can simply prusik up the rope until she can reach
the rock. If she can’t complete the pitch, but the second might be able to lead it, she either
needs to lower back down to the stance (possibly by tramlining) or lower down to a good place
to build a belay, then bring the second up to the new stance so he can lead through.

A very simple leader rescue: lower to a new anchor and let the second lead through.

Lowering down to the original belay and escaping from there will be complicated if the leader is
more than half a rope length out from the belay. A sensible plan is then to lower down to a solid
piece that is less than half a rope length out, clip into it with a cow’s tail and repeatedly
bounce up and down on the cow’s tail to ensure the piece is solid (consider adding more
pieces). The leader then ties into the rope below her (as a backup), unties her main knot, pulls
the rope down, reties into the end of the rope and undoes her backup knot. The belayer then
takes in the slack and lowers her down to the stance. This is much the same as lowering off a
sports route.
Lowering the leader back to the stance when she is more than half a rope out from the belay
(continued below).

Tie back
into the
end of the
rope
I

Finishing lowering the leader down. The leader clips the piece before she is lowered down.

If the leader is injured, the runners very good and she is only a little over 30m up, then it might
well make more sense to lower her down as the belayer ascends. This will leave the second
now needing to rescue himself - without being able to untie the rope from the leader. So the
lead needs to be able to untie her own rope.
 A very quick way to get the leader down. The leader needs to be able to clip in at the lower
belay, and be thinking clearly enough not to untie until the rescuer has anchored himself to a
solid piece! The need for a solid piece for the second to secure himself to and possibly rap from
means this approach is normally used on bolted climbs. On single pitch routes, one can imagine
various ways the second could tie the rope off and descend even if the casualty could not untie.

If the top piece (the one the leader failed at) is super-solid and you are using double ropes
(twins or halves) and only one of the ropes is involved in the anchors, another option is to clip
into that piece (and bounce test it), pull one of the ropes up (probably the one with the
fewest/lowest/poorest pieces in), get the belayer to tie the remaining rope off, join the two ropes
together and rap (consider adding more friction) off the freed rope back to the stance. Then pull
the ropes down. If the top piece is super solid, a normally better and much simpler solution is to
thread the ropes through the top piece and rap (if and only if the piece it can’t fail - consider
adding another piece). The main reasons to abseil rather than lower are so you can strip more
intermediate pieces, or if the most/only solid piece is more and half a rope length from the
belay.
 Solid piece Clip into super-solid piece with sling and consider
adding another piece. Stay on belay for as long as
possible. Add a backup knot before you untie.

Poor piece

> 30m

Thread and knot

rope, add third
hand, remove
backup knot, rap
and remove lower
pieces
Rapping down off a super solid piece.

Things start to get much more complex and potentially more dangerous if the leader is injured
and can’t get herself back to the belay. This means ascending the rope after removing yourself
from the belay. This could leave both second and leader hanging from the leader protection,
with the result probably being two dead climbers if it rips. To make thing worse, the second
won’t know how good the pro is as he didn’t place it, and hence can’t make an informed
decision.

Start by lowering her to the most sensible place. This might be where her weight is off the rope,
or where you think you will be able to build an intermediate belay, or to a point where you can
reach her quickly.

Unlike when a second is hanging below the belay, the weight of the leader will be passing
through a redirect (the top piece), the friction at this point means that unless the leader is
considerably heavier than the second, and there is little friction from the rock, escaping the
system should be easy. The choice now is simple and stark. Either remove the belay and
ascend the rope/rock (possibly as she is lowered), which although very quick, means if the top
piece blows there is no belay to form a backup, or try and leave the belay in place as a backup
and ascend he rope (possibly after re-jigging the belay so it can take an upward force. What you
do will depend on the situation and the urgency.

Things will be considerably easier, and potentially safer, if the leader is still capable enough to
isolate herself from the system by clipping into a piece and weighting that rather than the rope.
This also has the advantage that if the second needs to ascend the rope, and the leader can tie
the rope off to a piece, the second will not exacerbate the leader’s injuries by prusiking directly
off the leader’s harness and thereby jostling her.

If the belay is to be used as a backup whilst the second ascends, the form of the backup at the
rescuer will depend on whether the main rope is under tension from the weight of the casualty
or not. If the casualty has managed to unweight the rope, then the rope will be slack and a
clovehitch or figure of eight on a bite can be tied and used as a backup knot clipped to the
rescuer’s harness. As the rescuer ascends, this knot will need to be repeatedly moved up the
rope. (A device such as a Grigri or microtraxion will not be suitable as a backup, as these will
only grab in one direction and the second could slide up or down the rope depending on
whether they slip or whether a piece blow).

If the casualty cannot unweight the rope, slack cannot be created and no backup knot can be
tied. This might be a good argument for not attempting to rescue the leader without outside
help. If outside help isn’t a possibility then the rope/rock can be ascended using a pair of prusiks
as backup. Again, these must be prusiks not a Grigri or mechanical ascender.

As is often the case, it might well be possible to use a combination of approaches, for example,
lowering the leader until the rope runs out, then prusiking up to offer assistance. If nothing else,
this will give you less far to prusik.

9. Traverses etc.
If the casualty is off to one side you may have to drag her over to you, or move the belay over to
her. Going for the drag is probably the quickest option in most circumstances, but requires you
to have enough rope left at the belay to reach the casualty with your end of the rope. It might
not be the best option if dragging her across the cliff would not be sensible (due to injury or
loose rock), or if heading up or down would be easier from her location than from the belay. The
methods used are key to being able to rescue an injured leader.

With two ropes it might be possible for the leader to pull one rope up and throw it back to the
second. Then the leader could be lowered and pulled across to the stance. But this requires the
leader to be reasonably uninjured. It might also be possible for the second to give slack in one
rope and for the leader to pull herself back possibly with the help of the second.
If a third hand is needed when taking in rope rather than letting it out the autoblock goes in front
not behind the belay plate. This is sometimes called a clutch. (Note the belay plate is on a
different carabiner to the lamb’s tail.) Depending on the length o f the prusik it is often possible to
dispense with the lamb’s tail and simply clip the prusik’s locker to the belay plate’s locker.

Such a clutch is used when pull a rope toward you, i.e. you are taking in, for example when
dragging an injured climber toward you.
A. Going for the Drag
Moving the Belay
 10. Hauling - the theory

Most climbing manuals have a section on hauling for self-rescue and show a series of standard
methods. Having tried many of them out I (DC) have to question if some authors have really
used the systems they describe, and if they have, I would question if they have tried them with
various combinations of rope, prusik diameter and casualty weight, or from various realistic
stance positions. (Some online videos have the person doing the hauling walking 10ft
backwards as they haul - in most real situations there won’t be anything like this much space.)
I’m not trying to be critical, but I can’t get them to work except in ideal circumstances. Maybe I’m
just weak (I weigh 62kg (9 /s t, 137lbs) so I’m not the heaviest). The assisted hoist (Chapter 11)
is unquestionably brilliant. Un-assisted hoists without pulleys etc. are a completely different
matter. Hauling someone 3m (10ft) up over a roof will be extremely tough work, hauling
someone heavier than you an entire pitch would be a nightmare if you were lucky, and unless
you really sort every thing out, impossible. Although many texts stress the difficulty of hauling,
there is a difference between suggesting it is will be difficult, and that it simply won’t work as
described in the text. This has led to situations where even three people have found it
impossible to raise an exhausted climbed and benightment and near death followed.

Although there might be some rare circumstance where there is the need to haul an
unconscious partner a whole pitch or more, a much more likely scenario is the need to haul a
climber who is hanging in free space, and is too injured to prusik, up to a ledge so they can
remove their weight from the harness before they get harness hanging syndrome. Even if you
can escape the system and go for help relatively easily, it will be many hours before the
helicopter arrives, so the casualty needs to be got to a ledge and parked. For this reason,
knowing how to haul is important.

Some truths:
• Friction is THE killer, do everything you can to remove any bit of friction, e.g. use the
largest diameter carabiners you have, not those 19 gram micros.
• Take your clothes off, you are going to be working hard for a long time.
• Hauling someone heavier than you is much, much, harder than hauling someone lighter,
so don’t bother practicing with someone lighter (add a haul bag full of water bottles if you
need some extra weight), and be very careful with your back when practicing.
• If the rope runs over the edge of a ledge in front of the stance at anything but a modest
angle you will HAVE to move the stance to below the edge, or the friction will be too
great. I guess you might in some circumstances be better moving the stance up the wall
to improve the angle. (I once tried to haul an injured climber up a sea cliff in Wales using
a military vehicle to provide the pull. The rope went through the dirt at the edge of the cliff
and formed a right angle. All that happened was the rope got thinner and thinner
because of the friction at the edge. Luckily we stopped before the rope snapped).
• A Reverso makes a great clutch for small diameter ropes, but adds too much friction with
fatter ropes (unless you use the adapted 2:1 wall ratchet described below).
• If you get lucky, using a French prusik as a clutch will work, but there is a good chance it
won’t bite quickly enough and you will loose much of the height gain on each stroke as it
re-sets (and as the gain might be only 3 inches per stroke this is a serious issue).
• If the rope passes through runners, then unless they are in a straight line and probably
on an overhanging wall, you won’t succeed - remove the runners first.
• There are three problems with any system that requires you to grip the rope and pull
upwards: you aren’t using your body weight to provide the force; you are relying on small
muscles that will tire; you risk damaging your back; you are applying the force through
your grip around a 10mm rope. So the question is not just how strong your back is, but
how hard you can grip repeatedly for maybe an hour. (This last bit seems to have been
forgotten on many texts.)
 • Adding a microtraxion and a small pulley in a 3 to 1 haul is transformative, so if you are
heading to the middle of nowhere consider taking one of each.
• If you only have one pulley, place it nearest to the point you pull from not on the
suspension point (unless it is a microtraxion or other ratchet, in which case place it as the
main suspension point - unless you are using the adapted 2:1 wall ratchet system).
• If you are willing to learn how to set up a haul by reading this material or playing around
in your garden, go the extra mile and practice it by setting a up a REALISTIC, but safe,
scenario (use backups to keep both of you safe).
• If you only have time to learn two systems, learn the assisted hoist and the adapted 2:1
wall ratchet.
• Unless you practice this stuff, and do it realistically, you might not make the right call in a
rescue situation, as you will not understand the limits of what you can do.
• The classic 3:1 and similar systems will work if the casualty can help a little by keeping
some of their weight on the rope and hence can be useful to help someone over a crux.
• The ONLY method I have found to work in a realistic practice scenario with an
unconscious casualty is the very last one - the 2:1 big wall ratchet.

One key question is what is the best diameter of cord or sling to run through the carabiners that
are acting as pulleys? Should we use the climbing rope, or should we replace the rope with a
thinner cord? The experimental data below is from Jim Titt. It clearly shows that friction at the
carabiner is likely to be considerable, and that we should use thin cord or dyneema webbing not
the main rope. This clearly shows that by running the main rope over a couple of carabiners
most of the mechanical advantage will be lost: so, think thin.

When hauling some way of holding the casualty’s weight whilst you prepare for the next stoke is
needed. This requires a clutch (ratchet) to be placed at the top of the system (normally the
powerpoint). A microtraxion type device is ideal, but there are several alternatives. Some add
more friction than others but tend to lock better with less slip-back as the system settles.
 French prusik and floating plate. In theory this grips and releases automatically. But this
requires the right combination of rope and prusik diameter and roughness of rope and prusik. If
allowed to set itself it is likely to let several inches of rope to slide back before it grips. This isn’t
too bad when a 3:1 with a long stroke length is being used (for example where you can walk
back along a ledge) and the casualty moving a reasonable distance each time, but is an issue if
you are only raising them 3 inches with each stroke.

Prusik clutch. This has to be released A Garda hitch can be used as a clutch with any
and reset each time by hand, but will diameter rope, but adds friction.
grip better and less rope will slip back
compared to a French prusik. The
prusik is clipped to the powerpoint or a
solid anchor point.
A Grigri makes a very good clutch, but
adds a massive amount of friction.
A Reverso makes a clutch that grips well with little slip
back, but adds a lot of friction. With thin ropes and the
casualty helping it works well (for example in an
assisted hoist). It is also likely to be in place on the
rope when the climber gets into trouble. So it is quick
to deploy. With fatter ropes the friction is likely to be
too much.

Mechanical advantage when used in a 2:1

1.8

1.7

1.6

1.5

1.4

1.3

1.2

1.1

1
12mm HMS 10mm GriGri Revolver Edelrid CT
karabiner Turn RollNLock
The above data (from Jim Titt) shows the true mechanical advantage of various devices when
used as the point the rope turns through within a 2:1. In the test 100kg was being lifted and the
device clipped to the weight being lifted (i.e. like a 2:1 assisted hoist, but without any
assistance). The Edelrid Turn is a small metal pulley; the RollNLock is a capture/pulley combo
much like a microtraxion. From this we see that the greater the carabiner diameter the better;
that when used for this application a Revolver (a carabiner with a pulley wheel built in) isn’t
much better than an HMS; that a Grigri removes almost all the mechanical advantage. A
Reverso or other similar assisted device is likely to add more friction than a Grigri, and hence
will remove all mechanical advantage. Hence we can conclude that if we want to preserve the
mechanical advantage, we can’t use a Grigri, a Reverso or anything similar as the clutch if it will
be loaded during the pull stroke.
A 3-1 haul off a Reverso in guide mode with
a thin rope is super fast to set. If you want to
pull down not up, add a redirect to the rope
being held in the photo up to one of the
anchors and down to a foot loop (using a
prusik) to stand in, however this will add a lot
of friction. The Reverso can be replaced by a
Garda hitch. A 3:1 like this will only be of use
when the climber can help at least a little by
occasionally taking some of their weight onto
the rock, and there is little friction from the
edge of the stance.
3-1 indirect haul. Note the French prusik and
belay plate used as a clutch. This will be slow
work with each lift only gaining a few inches.
The belay needs to be set so the force is being
transmitted to the anchors. Again the casualty
needs to be able to help a little. This problem
with all such systems is that not only are you
pulling upwards, and therefore not using your
weight, but that you can only apply as much
force as your hand can grip repeatedly.
 3-1 direct haul using a floating belay plate The efficiency and easy of use of a 3:1 will be
and clutch. This is an alternative if you don’t massively improved if a pulley and a
have a Reverso and produces less friction. microtraxion are used.
The only purpose of the belay plate is to stop
the prusik flipping over the top of the
carabiner. Move the lower prusik as far as
possible down the rope each time you reset
the system. This maximises the stroke
length, meaning the losses from slide-back at
the French prusik will be less critical.

250N 125N

Input Input
250N =250N (25kg) 62.5N =250N (25kg)

^ 250+250=500N 250+125=375N

Output Output
=250+500 =62.5+375
=750N (75kg) =437N (44kg)

You can get some idea of what you can lift by looking at the forces involved. Left, with pulleys
(assumed to be 100% efficient); right, with carabiners (assumed to 50% efficient). The
assumption here being that 25kg might be the maximum lift a light climber can apply repeatedly
through gripping the rope with one hand.
http://user.xmission.com/~tmoyer/tesiting/Simulation o f Climbing and Rescue Belays.pdf
reports a mean grip strength of 209N, i.e. 21kg, on the brake hand when belaying, so 25kg isn’t
an underestimate). The hauler will no doubt use both hands, so we might expect them being
able to apply twice the force and raise 88kg (194 lb). So they might just about be able to lift a
climber a short distance before exhaustion sets in. The situation will be worse if there is friction
over the edge, adding another 50% reduction in efficiency (or more) and indicating it might only
be possible to raise 22kg with the 25kg per of lift. I.e. your wonderful 3:1 system isn’t in reality
even a 1:1 and the maximum weight of climber that can be raised is 44kg (97 lb). In his book,
Fasulo’s recounts the story of a team of four trapped on Bugaboo Spire in Canada. Despite
having three people to haul, they failed to raise the fourth member of the team! The most likely
reason being friction over the edge in front of the stance. This is not surprising. If the casualty
(with clothing, climbing equipment and sack) weighed 100kg then because of edge friction one
might need to apply an equivalent of 200kg of lift above the edge, which given the analysis of
the 3:1 without pulleys shown above still means over 100kg equivalent on the pull end of the
rope. i.e. it would be the same as hauling someone free hanging where there wasn’t an edge
straight up the rope.

125N 250N

Input Input
125N 250N (25kg) 125N =250N (25kg)

^ 250+125=375N 250+250=500N

Output Output
=125+375 =125+500
=500N (50kg) =625N (63kg)

Where to put the pulley. If you have only one pulley, the above analysis shows that it should be
placed nearest to the applied force, not at the suspension point (which seems the most natural
place for it). An exception to this rule is if the pulley contains a ratchet (e.g. a microtraxion),
because this will grip the rope better and offer less slip-back than a prusik it should be placed
on the suspension point.

If you don’t have pulleys, use your fattest carabiners (left), not those ultra-light micros you got
 for Christmas (right).

Rescuer
pulls
upwards

Long sling

%
A 3:1 can be converted into a 5:1 by adding a long sling. The problem with all these more
complex systems is that the stroke length (the distance your hand travels) will be very small with
realistic belays. In a professional rescue from the top of the crag (or a crevasse rescue) the
anchors will be placed a long way back from the (padded) edge leaving plenty of space to walk
around and to place the prusiks/pulleys a long way from each other. This means the stroke
length will be considerable. If you are pulling 3m (9ft) of rope through such a system on each
stroke, the casualty will be rising 30cm (1 ft) with each stoke on a 9:1. This will give a
reasonable rate o f progress. In a realistic rock climbing self-rescue situation you are unlikely to
have this space. You will be on a small ledge with the anchors at chest height (and the
powerpoint even lower) and your stroke length at maximum power might be 30cm before your
hand is too high to pull hard, o r the prusiks/pulleys come into contact with one another. A
30cm stoke on a 9:1 means the casualty will be lifted 3cm. But the system might well have 2cm
o f slip-back, so they will have gained only 1cm. If you can only manage 20cm of stroke, you will
get nowhere.
 Left: 3:1 Spanish Burton. This has two great advantages: (i) you pull down, not up, and
therefore you can use your body weight, (ii) the force is not being applied via a handgrip. Right:
7:1 Spanish Burton. This looks great in theory, but in a self-rescue situation the carabiners will
come into contact with one another after a stroke length of maybe 30cm or less. This will only
just have made up for the slip-back from the clutch re-setting.

11. A hauling system that actually works

Having stressed the difficulty of hauling and done some analysis to show where some of the
problems lie, what does work with an incapacitated casualty when you don’t have a microtraxion
and a pulley? The above methods will work if the casualty can be of some assistance, but not if
they really are incapacitated. The hip-hoist (Chapter 11) is one possibility for a short distance,
but will only work if you are lucky enough to have a good stance, high anchors and friction from
runners. With a hanging belay (and your feet in slings), a long way to haul and a heavy casualty
it isn’t going to work unless you have the thighs (and back) of a god. An important thing to
remember is that you will be dragging your partner up the rock face and this isn’t going to do
them any good. If you have hauled a bag up a big wall you will know that bags get stuck on
anything and everything they can. An unconscious climber probably has even more ways to
hang up. This means that you will have to regularly descend to the climber to unhook them. This
suggests you will be much better off hauling from as near the casualty as possible so you can
unhook them by swinging/rolling their rope around, or at least don’t have to travel so far each
time. This might well mean the hauling point will have to be moved several times. This in turn
means the hauling point might have to be a prusik around the rope the casualty is hanging from.
It might also make sense to move the hauling point nearer the casualty as there is a good
chance you don’t need to haul them all the way to the original belay, but just to a ledge or new,
lower, belay. (One possibility would be to use the far-end system used by big wall soloists.)

To work in practice the system needs to:

1. Use the body weight of the hauler or she will simply run out of strength. This means
pulling down, not up.
2. Not use the fingers to drive the system as they are weak, particular so when gripping a
rope. This means the attachment point should not be the hands
3. Minimise friction at the carabiners by using a prusik cord or thin dyneema sling rather
 than the rope to lift the casualty.
4. Use a clutch that works reliably with little back-feed and doesn’t add extra friction.
5. Work effectively once the person hauling has moved the hauling point over the edge to
remove the friction generated by the edge of the stance. This means it might have to
work from a hanging belay.

An obvious starting point is to ask what those dragging haul bags up big walls use, and see if
any of their systems can be adapted to meet the five criteria given above and without the
pulleys and rope grabs big wall climbers use. One that does is the 2:1 big wall hauling ratchet.

The key element of this system is that the load does not pass through the clutch during the
lifting part of the cycle. This means that one can use just about anything as the clutch even if it
would introduce far too much friction to be used within a normal system. This means you can
use your Reverso. This means no messing around with French prusiks that don’t grip when you
need them too, or that wrap themselves around their carabiner. This means you will have a very
reliable and safe clutch. The Reverso might even already be in place on the powerpoint.

Luckily, the 2:1 system also uses a thin pull cord, is designed for pulling downward, the
attachment point is not the hands and it works from a hanging stance. So it ticks all five criteria.
Bingo. It is also field-tested most days on El Cap.

The system used by big wall climbers makes use of pulleys and a rope grab, so some
adaptation is required - see the following photo. I have tested the system and it works well in
realistic scenarios. It still takes a long time to raise someone 50m, but it isn’t exhausting and
use of the Reverso as the grab makes it feel secure.

P u l l

The Adapted 2:1 Hauling Ratchet. Note the prusik on the rope should be a French prusik as this
will be easier to move. If you don’t have a Reverso to hand, use a Grigri (unfortunately this has
a lot o f slip-back as it re-orientates) or a Garda hitch (use the occasional backup knot). The pull
cord (a long single strand of prusik cord, a length of cordelette, or a thin dyneema sling) has
been tied off to the upper carabiner with an alpine butterfly (or possibly even better a bowline
and stopper) so the knot can be removed later. The key to making the system efficient is to set
the pull cord to just the right length. Hence it is attached to the belay loop of the harness using a
clove hitch around two carabiners so you can adjust it even after it has been loaded a few
times. To lift the causality simply sit down hard or walk backwards. When the two “pulley”
carabiners meet at the end of the pull stroke, pull the rope through the Reverso, then stand
back up and slide the French prusik knot back down the rope. If you can’t lift the weight of the
casualty, try pulling up on the carabiner clipped to the prusik at the same time as you walk down
the cliff. The person hauling needs to be clipped to the anchors via a tether o r via the rope
in case the p u ll co rd snaps. Using thin 5mm prusik for the cord will give less friction, but it will
stretch more unless it is spectra. It will also be difficult to untie the knots after the haul (even if
you use alpine butterflies). So, consider using a strand of 7mm cordelette - at least when
practicing.

*awaiting image
The Adapted 3:1 Hauling Ratchet. The basis of the design comes from an Ontario Rock
Climbing Assoc. Safety Manual (1990) and was pointed out to me by “Marty C” on a Mountain
Project forum. The clever thing about this is that it adds some mechanical advantage over the
2:1, but without adding in any extra turning points, i.e. the cord still only runs over two
carabiners. It has advantages and disadvantages over the 2:1. Advantage: it is is a 3:1 and
therefore better if the casualty is heavier than the rescuer, or some edge friction is still present.
Disadvantages: the distance you will raise the casualty per stroke is a LOT less than with the
2:1. This is not just because it is a 3:1, but because the travel distance is very small, as the
upper carabiner descends to meet the rising prusik, giving a very small raise per stroke. A
second issue is that, unlike the 2:1, the prusik does not reach the Reverso, and hence there will
be a long length of unweighted rope between the Reverso and the prusik at the end of the
stroke. This rope will stretch once it is reloaded. Because of these disadvantages, it probably
makes sense to use the 2:1 if you can and only use the 3:1 if you have to, or you have a large
ledge and a long cord so you can get a considerable stroke.

The above analysis indicates the following as a potential hauling strategy.

1. Use an assisted hoist if the injured climber can help.

2. If they can’t help and you think it might work, you are strong and they are light, and there
are no intervening runners try a hip hoist or a normal 3 to 1 as shown above.
3. Assuming you failed to move them, or because you know from having practiced that it
would not have worked, then get ready for a very long process. Consider all other
options.
4. Take most of your clothes off. You are about to get very hot.
5. Escape the system. If you plan to abseil or prusik all the way down to the casualty,
and they have a Reverso-type device, don’t bother to waste time removing yours
from the belay - just tie the Reverso off and rap using a Munter. You can then use
their Reverso to create the 2:1 ratchet. If you are using the second method below,
it is important you don’t remove the Reverso at this stage even if you plan to use it
later.
6. Prusik (or abseil) down to the casualty, removing the runners. Apply first aid and create a
chest harness to keep them upright.
7. Prusik back up.
8. Move the attachment point they are hanging from over the edge of the ledge if needed. In
doing this you are trying to do two things: create a new powerpoint to mount the rescue
from, and create an unweighted loop in the casualty’s rope that can be fed into the
Reverso. The details will depend on whether the new powerpoint is just over the edge,
much further down the pitch, formed on the rope by using a prusik, or from wires and
cams, and a host of other details. If the casualty is weighting the rope the transfer to the
new powerpoint will be the difficult bit, and will either be by (i) hoisting them momentarily
upwards and onto the powerpoint, or (ii) by dropping them down onto it. We give an
example of both, (i) will be the quickest, but might be difficult if the casualty is heavy.

(i). The method is based on the stirrup hoist used above to complete a drive by pickup. In
this example it is assumed the aim is a transfer to a powerpoint formed by a prusik on the
casualty’s rope, but the idea will work for other powerpoints. Start escaping the system
and retrieving your Reverso if you don’t plan on using the casualty’s for the ratchet. Then
prusik or abseil down to the location of the new powerpoint. Form the powerpoint using a
prusik or Klemheist around the casualty’s rope. It must not slip, so use plenty of turns.
Clip yourself into the powerpoint and hang. Build the 2:1 haul ratchet, including installing
the Reverso, but rather than clipping your belay loop to the haul cord, form a loop in the
cord at waist level. Now stand in the loop to raise them and create a loop in their rope.
Feed this loop through your Reverso in guide mode. Lower them onto the Reverso by
removing your foot. Clip the haul cord to your belay loop and haul away. When you need
to get them off the Reverso and onto a new belay, clip them into the belay with a sling (a
releasable tail would be even better), form the foot loop again, stand in it to take the
weight off the Reverso, and remove the rope from the Reverso. With this approach it
should be possible to haul them up to the haul point, tie them into the rope, remove the
haul point and move the haul point further up the rope. This allows you to stay close to
the casualty and unhook them from protrusions as and when necessary.

(ii) This approach is based on releasing the Reverso the casualty is hanging by weighting
a French prusik or PMMO while a new powerpoint is constructed over the edge and the
Reverso is moved to it. Escape the system (but leave the Reverso in place) and run the
spare end of the rope down the cliff, with an alpine butterfly or figure of eight on it some
way over the edge (this will be the new powerpoint). Tie this rope off to the anchors
leaving 1 to 2m of slack between the Reverso and the tie off (to allow the Reverso to be
removed and moved). Place a PMMO on the casualty’s rope over the edge and below
the new powerpoint and clipped back to the new powerpoint. Release and remove the
Reverso from the old powerpoint, lowering the casualty onto the PMMO on the new
powerpoint. Climb down over the edge and hang from the new powerpoint on a tether.
Now place the Reverso (in guide mode) on the casualty’s rope (triple check you have
threaded the rope the right way around) and clip it to the new powerpoint. Release the
PMMO so the Reverso takes the casualty’s weight. Construct the 2:1 ratchet and start
hauling.
 12. Other Points
A. Belaying with a Munter

Belaying with a Munter is the opposite o f using a belay plate (left letting out slack;
right locking off).
 B. Dealing with a Damaged Rope

Isolating the damaged part of a rope using an alpine butterfly. This means the rope will still be
strong.

C. One or Two Carabiners?

Many books suggest that by using a pair of carabiners wherever there is a large change in
angle of the rope in a hauling system losses to friction can be reduced. Tests would appear to
suggest this is not true. This is what Jim Titt had to say about this urban myth. "Two krabs
reduces friction? Completely wrong. Reputedly the advice to only to use one ring for abseil
points to reduce the pull-down resistance was given in a 1906 guide to Saxony and nothing has
changed since. No gear manufacture makes an abseil chainset with two rings because they
know it increases the friction. The tests are ridiculously easy to do yourself with a luggage scale
and a rucksack, or even standing on bathroom scales and pulling on a suspended load, I pull
with a powered winch and let the computer do the rest”. This is Jim’s graph for 1,2 and 3
carabiners (this is with a 9mm rope over 12mm karabiners, with a thicker rope the effect is
apparently greater):

Blue-single, Red-double, Yellow-triple

25

3 63 123103 243 303 363 423 483 543 603 663 723 783 843 903 963
Tim a (mj's)

COPYRIGHTED IMAGE: Jim Titt, with permission.

 D. Calling the Helicopter

Signalling to the helicopter crew: Yes, I need No, I don’t need rescuing.
rescuing.

E. Carrying the Casualty Out

*awaiting image x2

To carry a casualty (who is safe to be moved Place the coil over the rescuers’ shoulders. Or
in this way) make a large butterfly coil - this if there is only one rescuer, over the shoulders.
will be about the same length as the shortest
rescuer is tall.
Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 24 Novem ber 2014

-----------------------------------------m u L f c i p i f c c k c L im b iK 3 . c o m ---------------------------------------------
 .com

Back to Other Chapters

This appendix covers all the knots discussed in the book/website. For a more exhaustive
summary of climbing knots see Nigel Shepherd’s The Complete Guide to Rope Techniques or
Graig Luebben’s Knots for Climbers. The table summarises each knot’s use, advantages and
disadvantages. A bight refers to a loop of rope which crosses itself, a hitch is a knot tied around
something and bends join ends. All knots should be dressed correctly, i.e. the knot should be
tight and without twists or loose sections. Dressing a knot makes it easier to spot if you have
tied it incorrectly and reduces the likelihood it will come undone when it shouldn’t.

We also look at the advantages and disadvantages of tying in with a figure of eight or a bowline,
how to cut and tie spectra cord, making alpine (sling) draws, tying into the middle of the rope
and how to tape so you don’t bleed on those crack pitches._______________________________

Contents
Knots covered / Figure o f eight or bowline? / Summary of knot uses / The essential knots /
Good to know knots / Weird and wonderful knots / Cutting and sealing spectra / How to stow a
cordelette or sling / How to make a sling-draw / Joining two slings with a girth hitch (lark’s foot) /
Stowing a prusik loop / Taping Up (Quick and simple, Clean palms, Jamming gloves) / Tying
into the middle of the rope_____________________________

Knots covered in this appendix

Alpine butterfly (tied with rope, tied in a sling to form a Monster Munter
powerpoint)
Alpine clutch Munter (Italian) hitch
Bachman Munter-halter
Basket Hitch Munter-mariner-overhand
Big flat fish (failure mode) Munter-mule-overhand (MMO).
Bowline (with stopper knot, on a bight, tying in, double, Overhand (as stopper, on a bight, Euro death knot,
retraced tie in, for a fixed line) rethreaded)
Bunny knot (rethreaded) Powerpoints
Clove hitch (one handed) Prusik knot
Double fisherman’s Prusik-Munter-mule-overhand (PMMO)
Euro death knot (EDK)
Figure of eight (follow through, on a bight, tying in, in-line Self-equalised figure of eight
(directional), easier to release version, self equalised,
Yosemite finish)
Figure of nine Triple figure of eight loop
Flat fish sandwich Reef knot
Flemish bend Single fisherman’s
French prusik (in cord, tied with a sling) Square knot
French-mariner
Garda hitch Tape knot
Girth hitch (Lark's foot) Triple Fisherman's
Granny knot Water knot
In-line figure of eight Yosemite tuck (finish)
Italian (Munter) hitch
Klemheist (on cord, on tape, around a carabiner, locked off)
Lark's foot (girth hitch)
marinerhitch

1. Figure of Eight or Bowline?

Web forums often discuss at great length whether it is best to tie in with a figure of eight follow
through, or a bowline with a half a double fisherman's as a stopper knot. Both work fine (as do a
variety of alternatives to each). The figure of eight is probably the easier for beginners to tie and
the easiest to see if it has been tied correctly, which can be important in the dark when you are
cold, wet and tired. It doesn't need the addition of a stopper knot, although some climbers
include one. It is very much an all-day knot that is stable, and if well tightened, is very unlikely to
work loose - which to many means it wins hands down compare to the bowline for multipitch
climbing. Almost all of climbing can be achieved (through not very efficiently) with figure of eight
knots tied in a variety of ways, hence there is the need to learn less.

A figure of eight follow through (left) and a bowline with half a double fisherman’s tied close up
to the bowline as a stopper (right) are both suitable ways to tie in: each has advantages and
disadvantages, but the figure of eight makes for the better all-day knot.
 If teaching someone to tie in using a figure of
eight don’t encourage them to tie the tail up
like this. Leaving a non-structural loop is
always a bad idea in case it gets miss-used in
error. Simply get them to tie the knot with the
correct length of rope and tie the stopper if one
is required snug up against the knot.

Against the figure of eight is that it is difficult to untie if it has been loaded. This is a pain on
sports climbs and at the climbing gym (wall) where falls are common and you need to frequently
tie and untie. In multi-pitch climbing this is rarely a problem, you just don’t untie that often.
However if something goes wrong, you may have to untie, and if injured one handed. Even with
two hands it can be very hard to untie a figure of eight if it has experienced a substantial fall;
with gloves on it will be impossible. A bowline cannot be left on the rope once it has been untied
from the harness. With a figure of eight you can remove it from the harness but leave an "eight”
on the rope. If someone then tries to pull the rope down (say on a sports pitch) the eight might
get stuck in the ring. In multipitch climbs, the same can occur if someone lowers off a pitch.

It is also difficult to tie a figure of eight around large objects such as boulders because you have
to estimate before you tie the knot how much rope you need. This can lead to an unnecessarily
long tail someone might abseil off. (I (DC) did this on Chair Ladder in Cornwall once and it has
haunted me ever since.)

Against the bowline is that without the stopper knot it is an accident waiting to happen (it will
rapidly come undone or flip into a slip knot), it seems harder for some people to learn and it isn’t
as stable over the whole day. It is harder to tie one handed (if you include the stopper knot), or
with gloves on. It also has relatively few other uses. If you have to escape the system, when you
untie a bowline does not leave a stopper knot on the rope and therefore no protection in case
the Klemheist slips. A good alternative to the normal bowline is a retraced bowline.

It is worth noting that some climbers tie in with a bowline for single pitch sports routes and a
figure of eight otherwise. It is also worth noting that stopper knots need to be tied tight and right
up against the main knot, not several inches up the rope. This is for two reasons. Firstly, a
stopper that is tied right up tight to the main knot is less likely to shake undone (stoppers work
themselves undone surprisingly easily with some ropes - meaning your stopper might not be
there when you need it). Secondly, leaving a gap between the stopper and the knot creates a
loop that might be mistaken for the main tie-in loop (or some other structural element) and used
to either belay from or attach the climber to the cliff with. This error has led to at least one death.
Although this is most likely to be an issue with beginners, we can all make mistakes in the dark
or when a bulky jacket gets in the way of us seeing what’s what. Another problem with loose
stoppers tied 6 inches up the rope is that when they come undone it is then easy to mistake the
tail that is created for the main rope when clipping at waist level. This leaves you not clipped to
the piece. I (DC) can speak from personal experience that this is easy to do. The same can
occur if you simply tie into the rope in a way that leaves too long a tail, stopper or not.

Although prusiks can be made from just about anything, soft 5.5mm cord works well on most
ropes. For cordelettes 7mm nylon cord is considered a sensible diameter, although some use
5.5mm spectra (dyneema) tied with a triple fisherman's.

2. Summary of Knot Uses

Knot Alternative Use Comments

name
Alpine butterfly Butterfly Fixed rap lines, A knot that should be used more
powerpoints in slings, because it is much easier than
attaching haul bags. an overhand or figure of eight to
untie after loading.
Bowline on a Tying into the middle of Quick to tie, small and neat.
bight a rope when leading or Easy to untie even after loading
seconding. Or for and even in thin tape or cord.
forming a Banshee
belay rig.
Bowline with Tying into harness or See above.
stopper knot around a block
Clove hitch Building belays, Can easily be undone even if
escaping the system previously weighted; cannot be
inadvertently left of the rope to
snag.
Double Grapevine For joining ropes of the Needs practice. Some people
Fisherman’s same diameter, or for just seem to find this a hard knot
finishing off a bowline. to tie.
Double overhand Double EDK Used to join ropes for Possibly safer than a single
abseiling. overhand, but with more bulk, so
it might snag more easily.
Euro death knot EDK An overhand knot used Leave tails of 60 cm (24 inches).
for joining two ropes of Not as strong as other ways of
the same diameter for joining ropes, so only to be used
abseiling that has a for abseiling. (The knot
profile that passes more recommended by Petzl.)
easily over edges than
other knots.
Figure of eight Tying into harness or Very unlikely to work loose over
follow through around a block the day.
Figure of eight Attaching the rope to a Very unlikely to come undone
on a bight carabiner unexpectedly.
Fisherman’s Joining cord of the same Easier to tie than a double
diameter. fisherman's, but not as strong so
not to be used to join ropes that
might experience large forces.
Flat double fish Used to join ropes for Very strong for a flat knot, but
abseiling. has a potential failure mode: See
the images below.
Flat fish Used to join ropes for Stronger than a EDK and without
sandwich abseiling. the propensity to eats its own
tails
Flemish bend Figure of Good for joining ropes of Some people find this easier to
eight bend the same or slightly tie under stress than a double
different diameter for fisherman’s, possibly because
abseiling or other uses. they tie a figure of eight so often.
Much stronger than an EDK.
French Prusik A form of Escaping the system, A friction hitch that can be
autoblock third hand for abseils, released under load—which is
abseiling past a knot. both a pro and a con depending
on the situation. Can need a real
effort to release it and the
release is uncontrolled. A PMMO
works better in many situations
but needs more time and cord to
construct.
Garda Alpine clutch Creates a non-return Cannot be released under load,
pulley, can be used to creates much more friction than
ascend a rope in much a mini-traxion
the same way as a
prusik
Girth hitch Lark’s foot Attaching cow’s tails and Also useful for tying pegs off
daisies to harnesses short and for cliff top stakes as
and foot prusiks to feet. an alternative to a clove hitch.
Used to join slings.
Klemheist Friction hitch for Can be tied with tape or cord,
ascending or easy to slide up and down the
descending a rope rope, only locks well in one
direction.
Mule hitch Slippery For tying off Munter Always finish with an overhand,
hitch (slip (Italian) hitches and or it will be dangerously
“knot”) belay plates unstable.
Munter hitch Italian Hitch Use as an alternative to Very good for lowering from a
a belay plate, or as part direct belay. Tends to twist the
of a releasable system. rope badly, but only if loaded -
for example when lowering.
Munter-mule- MMO Tied off Italian hitch.
overhand Used in a variety of self­
rescue situations.
Overhand knot Used to stop you
abseiling off the end of
ropes and, as the finish
to the Munter-mule,
used to tie off belay
plates etc.
Prusik knot Very strong friction hitch Use as your waist prusik if not
that grabs well. Good for using a mechanical device. It will
ascending or grab in both directions so it can
descending ropes. partly backup a dangerous
ascent to a stuck abseil line.
Tends to stick when you don’t
want it to. Cannot be tied well
with a tape sling— use a
Klemheist instead.
Prusik-Munter- PMMO A MMO tied in prusik Can work better than a French
mule-overhand cord with a prusik knot prusik as it can be released
attached to the rope. under control, but needs more
Used in a variety of self­practice as it is more complex to
rescue situations. tie. It also needs more cord than
a French prusik.
Square knot Reef knot Tying a coiled rope Leave long enough tails such
around your shoulders. that your movements can’t work
the knot undone and cause the
rope to be lost. Possibly tie two,
one on top of each other to stop
this happening.
Triple Making prusiks and
fisherman’s cordelettes out of
spectra/dyneema.
Water knot Tape knot For joining tape. Will work loose very easily in
some tapes, so only use for
temporary fixings (e.g. abseil
slings) unless you tape the ends
down or pull it very tight. Tails
should 10cm (4 inches) or so.

3. The Essential Knots

Figure of eight follow through.

Figure of eight on a bight.

Clove hitch.
 French prusik. The greater the number of turns the more easily it will lock onto the rope. The
length o f the cord and the diameter or cord also have an impact, so experiment. Making your
chalk bag cord of a suitable length and diameter is a good tip as you will then always have at
least one prusik.

' ' V, J { fU -

‘ wWf t

iwwm
1 It*- & -i
French prusik tied with a sling. Note how this 60 cm sling has been shortened with an overhand
knot above the stitching in the sling.
Munter (Italian) hitch.
 Klemheist on cord.

Klemheist on tape.

Around a carabiner - this sides more easily, but will not lock as well so it only useful for
prusiking.
 Overhand (aka the Euro death knot, or EDK) used to join two ropes for rappelling. The tails
should be at about 45cm (1ft 6inches) but not too long, or someone might mistake a tail for the
rope. (Others have used the term EDK in reference to a flat figure of eight—a knot which should
never be used to join ropes when abseiling.)
 Alpine butterfly tied with rope. In the third step it is important
that the third wrap around the hand is laid between the first two
wraps. This is simpler than it looks. (There are many other
ways of tying an alpine butterfly and most climbers who use
alpine butterflies have a favourite method.) If you want a
longer loop (of maybe a few metres) try this method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch ?feature=player_embedded&v
= hTH-Luv7VY

For two-point anchors, an alpine butterfly tied in a sling can be used to form a powerpoint that is
easy to untie even when it has been heavily weighted. Start by wrapping the sling around a
finger rather than a hand. With practice this is almost as easy and quick to tie as an overhand.
 Powerpoints can be formed by tying an overhand (left), a figure o f eight (middle), or a figure of
nine (i.e. a figure o f eight with an extra turn, right). Many people feel using a figure o f eight
makes the knot easier to untie after a heavy loading, and a figure of nine easier still. However,
the more wraps in the knot the more material it will use - although this can be a good thing if the
cordelette is slightly to long for the placements used.

4. Good Knots to Know

Water (tape) knot. This is not stable for the long term but is fine for abseil slings if
tightened. If you find one in-situ make sure the tails are at least 10 cm (3 inches) long and
the knot cinched down. (See http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/46/nh46.html for a
discussion o f cyclic testing of water knots.)
Bowline with stopper knot. The stopper (one half of an double fisherman’s) needs to be tightly
tied and right up against the bowline.

Retraced bowline. This is a bowline on a bight tied by rethreading the end. It is possibly safer
than a normal bowline as even if part of it comes undone you still have a normal bowline left.
You would also probably notice this had happen even in the dark, as the tail would reach your
knees. It still doesn’t feel like an all day knot in the way a figure of eight does.

Overhand. Overhand on a bight.

 Single fisherman’s. Only for use on cords such as prusik loops and autoblocks; use a double
fisherman’s for tying climbing ropes together. (Use a triple fisherman’s for tying spectra cords.)

Garda hitch / alpine clutch. Start by clipping the rope through both carabiners, then back over
just one of them in a loop. This creates a non-return pulley much like a mini-traxion. The pull
rope is the one that exits between the between the carabiners. It will work at its best if the two
lockers are similar. Although it works, it is a high friction solution and a mini-traxion will work
much better. A Reverso can also be used as a clutch with thin ropes, and will also work with
two ropes. Note the gates are on the same side (this helps stop one o f the ropes riding up one
of the carabiners and making the knot less easy to work).

Square (Reef) knot. Granny knot. Make sure you don’t tie one
of these when you meant to tie a square
knot—this is a common cause o f people
 dropping their ropes when carrying them
rucksack style.

A bowline on a bight: used to make a connecting sling when belaying using a

Banshee rig.

Triple Fisherman’s (used for tying Spectra
cords). Tied like a double fisherman’s but with
an extra turn.
Spectra can’t be simply cut and sealed with a
hot knife like nylon cord. Instead, cut the cord,
pull the sheath over the core to enclose it and
then seal just the sheath together with the hot
knife.
 Munter-mule-overhand (MMO). Used to tie off a Munter hitch. The mule-overhand part is used
to tie off a belay plate. Tie a Munter hitch first, then a mule knot (a slip knot) and finish with an
overhand. This can be untied under load. If there is no load on the Munter, then before you tie
the mule knot, make sure the Munter is correctly orientated by pulling the rope that will be
loaded when the knot is used. This will make sure the finished knot wont flip over the carabiner
bar when it is loaded and helps to make sure you tied the mule and overhand on the correct
strand.
 Mariner hitch. This makes an easy to tie
releasable temporary tether. Note how the
loop is passed between the strands in the last
step, this is critical. In order you to be able to
do this underload the double fisherman’s
needs to be at the other end as it won’t pass
between the strands. It isn’t stable if
repeatedly unloaded and loaded.
The munter-mariner-overhand makes for a more secure mariner. Start with a munter, do the
mariner wraps, pass the tail between the strands and finish with an overhand
A munter-mule-overhand uses a lot of cord, so consider using the munter-halter hitch. This is
the same as the MMO except for the finish. A carabiner can be added for extra security if
needed. Although good, this knot isn’t as easy to release as a MMO if loaded.
Top: Prusik-Munter-mule-overhand (PMMO). This is an MMO tied on a
long prusik and makes a very useful self-rescue knot. Bottom a French
prusik can be used as an alternative in most situations.
A French-mariner can be used as an alternative to a PMMO in many situations. For example, it
is much better than a PMMO when passing a knot. Finish with an overhand if to give it more
stability. Form it by simply placing a French prusik on the rope and a mariner on the carabiner.

How to stow a cordelette or sling. With a longer cordelette stage 2 is repeated several times
shortening the sling each time.
 Some people like to chain long slings up
using slip knots. I find this harder to undo one
handed, but the approach does have the
advantage that the sling can be stored
without a carabiner.

Before you start climbing pull the last knot

back out and insert the carabiner. With
practice you should be able to clip a piece
and unfurl this one handed.
 A cordelette can also be stowed by forming an overhand or over the shoulder. If you like
carrying it this way, cut the cord to just the right length so it fits well and doesn’t get in the way.
 Girth hitch (lark’s foot)

Joining two slings with a girth hitch (lark’s foot).

Basket hitch. Often used with a 60cm sling to

extend cams over an edge so the carabiner’s
gate can’t be forced open by the edge.

With ropes getting ever longer (or with a standard 100m half rope) there is often the need to tie
into the middle of the rope. Use a bowline on a bight. This takes no more time to tie than a
normal bowline with stopper.
 Thread the bight through the tie-in points and form the hole of
the bowline as normal. The rabbit goes up the hole, but instead
of going around the tree and back down the hole, pass the loop
over your head and then under your feet. Finally adjust the
knot to bring it close to the harness
 A bowline on a bight requires the leader to step through a loop of rope and is therefore a bit
awkward to do in a cramped situation. An alternative is to use a re-threaded overhand finished
with half of a double fisherman’s as a stopper. I (DC) cannot find any pull test data for this knot
and it could get cross-pulled (e.g. in a fall with runners on both ropes), hence the stopper knot is
probably compulsory until more data is available.
 Another alternative is just a normal bowline, with the end clipped back the tie-in point.

A monster Munter. This is useful for lowering a heavy load or to stop the rope from twisting into
a mess. In general, a Munter only causes twists if it is loaded, which if it is being used for
belaying on long, easy, alpine routes is a rare event.

When rigging fixed lines if the two anchor

points are a long way from each other (for
example stakes at the top of sea cliffs or trees
back from the edge), there is a need to
measure the length of the arms in some way
before tying the knot, and you will be dealing
with a lot of rope in each arm. This suggests
something simple might be best. An overhand
is just this. Note how the rope is clipped to both
anchors at the start and pulled down to the
place where you want the knot to be in an
action reminiscent of that used when setting
the arms in a cordelette belay. As some rope
will be lost to the knot, allow for this by
measuring out a little more rope.
 Bachman. This can be used
as an alternative to other
prusiks for climbing a rope.
The important thing to
remember is to only touch the
upper carabiner when sliding it
up: Only ever weight the cord,
pulling down on the carabiner
the cord is around will release
the knot.

Penberthy. Another form of prusik. The main advantage of a Penberthy

 is that if given enough turns it will grip a rope of the same diameter as
the cord from which it is made. This makes it possible to escape the
system or ascend the climbing rope with only the rope itself.

A neat way to stow a prusik

loop so it doesn’t get caught
up in the rack and so you
don’t need to waste a
carabiner attaching your
prusiks to your harness -
although for the second
having a spare emergency
carabiner or two can be
useful.

5. The Weird and the Wonderful

As was mentioned in the Belay chapter, there are other, strange sounding, ways to connect
yourself to two- and three-bolt anchors, or trad anchors when the pieces are close together.
These include: the self-equalising figure of eight, the bunny knot (or double figure of eight loop)
and the triple figure of eight loop. Against them is the difficulty of adjusting the position of the
belayer, and for the bunny knot and triple figure of eight knot, remembering how to tie them,
especially in stressful situations. (The self-equalising figure of eight is easy to tie.)

If one bolt (or piece) fails with a self-equalising figure of eight on three bolts (pieces) it will
extend (a bit like a sliding-X) possibly pulling you off the stance. Personally I’m (DC) also
nervous about the way the knot self equalises by rubbing nylon against nylon if the rope was
being prusiked on (thereby creating a sawing action), although there is so much fiction in it
might not slide at all. I would not use it with two-bolt (-piece) anchors because, if one of the bolts
(or pieces) fails it might be possible for the loop on that side of the knot to be pulled through the
knot. This would lead to complete failure of the knot.
Because they don’t need any slings to form, these strange knots are in theory useful when you
are traveling light, and also in self-rescue situations where you might be using the slings for
other things. The bunny knot and the triple figure of eight loop are brilliant for forming fixed lines
from bolted anchors and for worrying the hell anyone who might be tempted to use your fixed
line and hasn’t seen such knots before. One reason not to use them in a self-rescue situation is
that you only really want to be using techniques that you know well when rescuing yourself or
your partner.

Self-equalising figure of eight. If any piece fails you will be pulled off the belay ledge possibly
letting go of the belay plate so it isn’t recommended except as a way of fighting your second if
he hasn’t seen the knot before. When only two anchor points are used failure of one (in this
case the yellow cam) could be catastrophic, this doesn’t happen with three pieces.

Left, solving the catastrophic failure mode of a

self-equalising figure of eight - clip the two
loops with separate carabiners
A triple figure o f eight loop makes a neat way of belaying to three bolts without using a sling, or
of fixing a rap line, if you can remember how to tie it. It should also frighten anyone else off from
using your fixed line.
 A bunny knot (or bunny ears) makes a simple way of
belaying to two bolts without using a sling, or of fixing a rap
line and is another way of stopping people using your fixed
line.

When fixing a line semi-permanently to a couple of stables the bunny knot needs to be tied by
threading it as follows.
 When riggering fixed lines using two anchor
points a long way from each other, some people
prefer to use an inline figure of eight rather than
an overhand. This is particular easy to adjust
and to untie at the end of the day. It is important
than the angle between the arms is not too large
(<90 degrees) as the knot will fail if it inverts, this
would then be serious if one of the anchors were
to also fail.
 .'»J/ ». ^ v L , a.- ■
- V. ,' .
n *

:syfhw#-
• ■ \ :v
*-j|-
i ■ v<3r
J i aI': ''•'••■:..

A big flat fish - an alternative rap knot. Start with half a double fisherman’s (see pull tests at
http://www.gudelius. de/spst. htm). Although this knot is plenty strong enough for abseiling and
lowing. It has a potential failure mode - see below.
Big fat fish failure mode. If the upper fisherman’s were to catch on the something when the rope
was being pulled down, the two parts of the knot could start to part company. This then has a
greater possibility o f becoming stuck. Note, if the trapped knot is subsequently released, the
knot doesn’t totally fail, but becomes a half fisherman’s with a stopper knot. I (DC) have not
seen any pull test results for such a knot and have no idea if it is safe. However, if this were to
happen during the abseil (most likely if you were creeping the knot over an edge) a drop might
ensue as the two parts o f the knot caught up with each other. This clearly makes it a poor
choice as a knot for joining ropes when lowering a climber. It might also be unsafe to prusik
back up on a stuck abseil rope joined using this knot. An obvious solution is to place a third half
fisherman’s on the rope to stop any o f this happening, however the knot then becomes
extremely large. The other solution is just to use an EDK.

Flat fish sandwich: an alternative rap knot that solves the problem with the big flat fish
discussed above (see pull tests at http://www.gudelius. de/spst. htm).
If you find a figure of eight (left) difficult to release after loading, finish it with a “Yosemite tuck".
The one in the middle can apparently invert if the rope loop is used to belay from or used as
part of the belay, so use the one on the right, and probably only use a Yosemite tuck at the
climbing gym as then you won’t be anchoring yourself to anything. Watch
http://vimeo.com/40767916 to see some Yosemite tucks being pulled apart.

A Quay finish. Many climbing gyms (walls) don’t allow climbers to tie in using a bowline and
stopper, but insist on a fig 8 and stopper. One way of making a figure o f eight easier to release
at the gym is to only clinch down one of the eights. Tie the knot as normal, but more loosely.
Then only pull on the main length of rope to clinch the knot tight - this will leave more volume in
the knot when you fall. Unlike a Yosemite finish you can now finish with half a double
fisherman’s to keep the belay police off your back, and you safe.
Above and left: An alternative to the Munter-mule-overhand is
the Munter-slip-overhand. The difference is that in stage 1 and
2 no twisted loop is formed to pass the bight o f rope through.
This disadvantage is that the knot doesn’t lock down as well as
a MMO, hence the backup carabiner in the last stage. The
advantage is that it is slightly easier to remember how to tie it.
One good reason to know it is just so you understand how to
form an MMO correctly—you might have been doing it wrong
all these years. Below: the first stages o f tying an MMO for
comparison, the finish is the same: an overhand and possibly a
carabiner.

W'A 's-S'X
 Double bowline. Alter stage 3 the knot can either be finished with half a double fisherman’s
around the loop as normal, or as shown with a Yosemite finish (i.e. the stopper goes on the
main strand). As this video shows (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=1dj5Y3h 1AEI), a
Yosemite finish to a bowline can make the knot fail (you can make this failure happen with
either a single and a double bowline with a Yosemite finish) depending on the order you tighten
the strands coming out of the knot. So it can’t be recommend for longer routes as the half a
double fisherman’s (grapevine) stopper can come undone over a day. To be fair, Jim Titt has
run some tests on a single bowline with this finish in its failed state. He found the slip knot
(which looks a bit like a prusik knot) that forms slides down to the harness, but the resultant knot
is as about as strong as a normal bowline. However in this collapsed state the knot is a bit like a
normal bowline, in that, if the tail somehow works it way out of the knot total failure will occur.
Hence the need from the grapevine stopper. (If you really are having problems trying to sleep,
this link should put you on the trail of bunch of ways to backup a bowline:
http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?topic=4453.0 . This all possibly suggests that the retraced bowline
discussed above is a better alternative. Or better still, use a figure of eight as your multipitch tie-
in knot.

The Zuper Munter. This is similar to a Monster

(or Super) Munter, but the additional loop is
clipped to a second carabiner. This makes it
easier to change back to a Munter if needed
during the lower, or to change from a Munter
to a “Monster-type” Munter without opening the
gate o f the main locker.
Difficult prusik situations

Some good ideas of what to do if you need to prusik up the rope but you don’t have a Reverso
or any slings on you, or if you need to escape the system without using a sling or length of cord
can be found here (i.e. prusik knots made using the main climbing rope):
http://www.mountainproiect.com/v/prussiking-without-any-slings-or-cords/108353040

6. Taping Up
Method 1: quick and simple.
This method covers the palm (which isn’t to everyone’s liking). To reuse after cutting off, just
add a few new turns of tape.
 If you will be wearing them
all day put some tape
between your fingers (this
ensures the glove doesn’t
ride down the hand and
uncover the knuckles).
Again, these gloves can be
re-used.

Method 2: Clean palms

Some climbers don’t like tape on their palms as it reduces contact with the rock. This method
wraps around the base of the fingers to leave the palm exposed. With care, these can be re­
used as well (by cutting the tape that is wound around the wrist).
Method 3: Buy some jam m ing gloves. Get ones that fit well so you can still get your hands in
your chalk bag. Personally I (DC) find these are great for the odd crack pitch, but nowhere as
good as tape gloves for all day crack climbing.

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 21 Decem ber 2014

- p i f c c k c L i m b i n q .c o m
 .com

Back to Other Chapters

In this chapter (which isn’t included in main book) we explore what the grade of a climb means,
and although the same basic approach is used by all free rock climbing grading systems, there
are subtle differences that are worth understanding if you plan on visiting other countries. The
chapter ends with an extended discussion of the system used in the UK, as this is probably the
most difficult system to understand.

Chapter Contents
1 Introduction / 2 Grading around the World / 3 Euroland / 4 YDS / 5 Other Systems / 6 Aid
Grades / 7 More on UK Grades

1. Introduction

There is clearly a need to be sensible about what grade you can climb however short the route.
For longer routes you also need to consider how many pitches of the relevant grade you can
climb quickly. If you take a rucksack it will knock several grades off your ability even if it doesn’t
weigh very much. On big multi-pitch routes it is well worth reading the guidebook or looking at
the topo carefully. You don’t want to be shut down by a type of climbing you have done little of
high on the route - for example, a person-eating offwidth.

An extremely useful approach is timing yourself on a series of single and multi-pitch routes. Try
and find out how long each element: leading, seconding, setting the belay, re-racking, stripping
the belay etc. takes, and how this changes as the climbing gets harder or switches from bolt
protected to trad. You could even leave a video camera at the base pointing at you and get the
timings off this later. With this information, try and establish a reasonable idea of what you can
do in an hour, and how much time you and your partner spend not climbing. Until you have tried
it, it is hard to understand just how educational making such a video can be.

2. Grading Around the World

There are many grading systems in use, however the basic principle behind all modern free
rock climbing grades is the same: they provide an ordered list o f all the clim bs in an area
grouped by the fraction o f clim bers who can clim b them. They do not attempt to classify
climbs by the angle of the rock or the size of the holds, but purely by what fraction of the
climbing population can climb them.

There are no simple set boundaries, such as if 20% of climbers can climb a route it is given one
grade and if only 10% can climb it is given the next grade. The grade boundaries are simply
historic artefacts, which have never been quantified. Aid climbing grades and the International
French Adjectival System used in the mountains are different, in that they contain explicit
statements about the terrain or consequences that might be encountered.

In practice it is impossible to carry out mass surveys using large numbers of climbers to find out
what fraction can climb which climbs, and so the grade of climbs are initially simply guessed at
by the first ascensionists. Because the first ascensionists might have been having a good day,
know the rock type very well, or climb much harder than the route in question, it may take many
years for a climb to be given its correct grade. In the end though the climb will be compared to
other routes in the neighbourhood and to certain climbs throughout the country that are
considered definitive. This can cause conflicts when the type of climbing is unusual. In the UK
most people rarely climb wide cracks and will be in for a shock in North America if they attempt
one near their personal grade limit. The solution to this is to understand that often the system
assumes that only those reasonably skilled in a particular climbing technique or rock type are
part of those used to decide the grade. Hence if you have done little jamming, some granite
routes can seem unreasonably difficult; or if you have done only short routes on solid rock, a
multi-pitch sea traverse on shale might be somewhat traumatic.

Grades can also change with time because holds fall off, pegs rust away or climbing equipment
improves. In theory they should also change as the climbing population itself evolves. There are
now many more women climbing, who will typically be shorter, have less upper body strength
and better footwork. There is also possibly a different attitude to risk than in previous
generations. Fashions for rock types and training also tend to come and go, making grades
somewhat fluid and the subject of much pub-time talk. However, the desire seems to be to keep
the grade of most climbs static, and general trends in improvement caused by training etc. are
by definition ignored - otherwise the top grade would never increase and we would not have an
open ended system. There also seems to be a desire to try and remove some of the
discrepancies in grades between areas.

It would be fair to say that the amount of equipment carried by most climbers today should have
led to a mass reduction in grades. For example, many a crack climb can now be protected
almost as well as a sports route, yet most such routes have not been downgraded even in
countries where the grade partly reflects the inherent dangers of the route. Many multi-pitch
routes were serious expeditions when they were established by climbers carrying only a few
pieces of protection and a single short length of rope: many still carry the same grade 70 years
later. At many venues most climbs can now be retreated from at any point by a few abseils from
fixed stations. Again, most of these routes have not been downgraded and they can now feel
very easy compared to their single pitch cousins. (In the UK the fashion seems to have been the
opposite: lots of short routes have had their grade inflated despite never being so safe and easy
to protect.)

There are nuances in the way different grading systems are applied. In the UK it is assumed
that you have no previous knowledge of the route, except the description in the guide book. As
they are red point grades, French grades on harder routes assume the opposite, i.e. you know
where any hidden holds are. This form of grading system makes some rock types much easier
to on-sight routes on. UK grades also cover the whole route and all aspects of it including the
quality of the protection. Most other systems supposedly only measure the difficulty of single
pitches and then only consider the moves - i.e. they assume the climber is on top rope.
However, in some countries there seems to be an undeclared difference between the grade a
pitch might get in the mountains and what it would be given on a roadside crag - but don’t count
on it.

Although French rock grades, like the Australian and North American systems, seem easy to
use, it is often difficult to know if you are about to climb a hard pitch, or a hard and scary pitch.
Occasionally this ensures a memorable experience.

3. Euroland

In the European Alps, where climbing has evolved over 150 years, the grading system on long
routes often recognises the potential for doing a route in a variety of styles. Pegs and bolts that
were originally placed for aid are now used mainly as runners. But this doesn’t mean you can’t
pull on them if you get stuck. Hence many long routes will have a free climbing grade and an
obligatory grade. The latter is the grade of the route that you need to be able to free to get up
the route with a small amount of cheating, but not full-blown aid climbing. This makes a lot of
sense, as a large number of long classic outings can feel unbalanced if they have one pitch of
5.11 (E4) in the middle of 15 pitches of 5.7 (HS). It also enables an unbalanced team to climb
enjoyably together.

The International French Adjectival System (IFAS) alpine system works in part in a similar way
to the British system and measures the overall difficulty of a route, including the length,
difficulty, exposure, seriousness and difficulty of retreat. For mountain routes the different
grades have been classified by the type of terrain, for example AD would be expected to include
snow or ice at 45-65 degrees and significant exposure. For rock routes it does give a measure
of the length of the route, the protection and quality of the rock and the ease of retreat, but it
tends to get dominated by the difficulty of the climbing. The grades are: F, facile; PD, peu
difficile; AD, assez difficile; D, difficile; TD, tr'es difficile; ED1/2/3/4, extremement difficile. ABO,
abominablement difficile (abominable) is sometimes used to state that it is both ED and
dangerous. Often a + (pronounced Sup for superieur) or a - (pronounced Inf for inferieur) is
included to indicate if the climb is slightly easier or harder than typical for the grade, e.g. PD+.

In much of Europe long mountain routes are given an overall grade together with pitch-by-pitch
grades. This can provide a lot of useful information, but you still need to be careful to assess the
skill set needed to complete a route - including getting back down by reading the description in
full. For example, the 1938 route on the North face of the Eiger has a maximum pitch difficulty of
about 5.7 (UK HS), however overall it is graded ED2 which indicates it is a very difficult route for
most climbers and this overall grade takes account of the terrain, the ease of escape and what
might be on your feet and your back. As already mentioned, the UK also does this on much
smaller routes and even single pitches.

4. YDS

The American system (or Yosemite Decimal System, YDS) was originally meant to measure
just the physical difficulty of the hardest move, but now on hard pitches it is used to measure the
overall physical difficulty of the pitch, like the French system. An optional Roman numeral is
sometimes added to the YDS grade to indicate the scale of the route:

• Grade I: one to two hours of climbing.

• Grade II: less than half a day.
• Grade III: half a day climb.
• Grade IV: full day climb.
• Grade V: two day climb.
• Grade VI: multi-day climb.
• Grade VII: a climb lasting a week or longer.

An optional protection rating is often used in North America to indicate the quantity and quality
of the protection. They were originally devised by Jim Erickson, and the identifiers are the ones
used in the U.S. to suggest the appropriateness of movie content. PG, for example, stands for
"Parental Guidance". On most cliffs only the R and X are used:

• G: Good.
• PG: Pretty good.
• PG13: OK protection, falls may be long but will hopefully not cause serious injury.
• R: Runout, some protection placements may be very far apart (likelihood of serious
injury)
• X: No protection (likelihood of death).

5. Other Systems

The UIAA grading system (which uses Roman numerals) is used for rock routes mainly in
western Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It is also used for
mountain routes in some parts of the European Alps and Asia. Eastern Germany traditionally
uses the GDR or Saxon system (which is based on the same principles as the French or UIAA
systems).

The Brazilian system is similar to the French or YDS. To convert from YDS to Brazilian, ignore
the "5” and subtract 4. So YDS 5.9 = Brazilian 5.

The Ewbank system, used in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa (which uses a simple
1,2,3... with no letters or +/-) was originally meant to cover issues of protection etc. in a similar
way to the British system. However, this has been dropped and the grade now refers to just the
difficulty.

There are a few other systems used around the world, together with separate ones for ice
climbing and aid routes.

Grade comparison table. Be cautious about translating between British and other grades, as the
British grade considers more than the physical difficulty of the climbing.
French Rock Grade UIAA North America Australian Very Approx. British
1 I 5.1 4 Mod
2 II 5.2 6 Diff
2+ III 5.3 7 VDiff
3 IV 5.5 10 S
3+ IV+ 5.6 12 S
4 V 5.7 13 HS
4+ V+ 5.8 15 VS
5 VI- 5.9 16 HVS
5+ VI 5.10a 18 HVS
6a VI+ 5.10b 19 E1
6a+ VII- 5.10c 20 E2
6b VII 5.10d 20 E2
6b+ VII+ 5.11a 21 E3
 6c VII+ 5.11b 22 E3
6c+ VIII- 5.11c 22 E4
7a VIII 5.11d 23 E5
7a+ VIII+ 5.12a 24 E5
7b IX- 5.12b 25 E6
7b+ IX- 5.12c 26 E6
7c IX 5.12d 27 E7
7c+ IX+ 5.13a 28 E7
8a X- 5.13b 29 E8
8a+ X- 5.13c 30 E8
8b X 5.13d 31 E9
8b+ X+ 5.14a 32 E9
8c XI- 5.14b 33 E10
8c+ XI 5.14c 34 E10

6. Aid Grades
Aid grades are a very different beast to normal rock climbing grades as they try and describe
consequence more than difficulty. The prefix A implies using a hammer, mainly for placing pegs.
C implies that the aid is clean, i.e. on cams, wires (stoppers) and hooks. F implies the climbing
is on fixed pieces. These might be bolts, pegs, in-situ stoppers or in-situ heads. (Heads are
stopper-like pieces made of soft alloy and are bashed in cracks and corners.) The prefix is
followed by a number (1 to 5) and possibly a "+” to indicate it’s a little harder than the norm at
that grade.

Each pitch is given a grade, and the topo might indicate the grade of various parts of the pitch.

Examples: A2, C3+, F2

• C1/A1: Easy aid where almost all the pieces are solid, easy to place and could hold a
normal lead fall; if a piece were to blow, the next should hold you. Typically nuts, cams
and hexes.
• C2/A2: Moderate aid. Solid gear, but possibly difficult to place. May require cam or sky
hooks. Any poor pieces should be above solid placements just below you.
• C2+/A2+: Potential for fall up to 10m, but the risk of injury is small.
• C3/A3: Hard aid. Many tenuous body-weight only placements in a row. Potential falls up
to 15-20m which may involve injury.
• C3+/A3+: as C3/A3, but with longer, more dangerous fall potential.
• C4/A4: Serious aid. Continuously tenuous gear placements in a row with up to 30 m
ledge fall potential leading to serious injury.
• C4+/A4+: Severe aid. Longer fall potential, with high ledge fall potential. Each pitch can
take many hours to lead. Thin nailing is to be expected, or may have long sections of
hooking.
• C5/A5: Extreme aid. Nothing on the pitch will hold a fall and the fall will not be clean and
hence may easily result in the death of the leader.
With the C5/A5 rating it is unclear if the belay also has to be poor, and hence whether the
second might die as well. (Some texts imply that A6/C6 should be used if the belay will also fail.
For the leader the distinction is irrelevant as a C5/A5 fall should kill you.) A0 is used to indicate
a short section which can be pulled through without the use of specialist aid gear such as aid
ladders. This is often just a couple of pegs or bolts, so might better be described as F0, but isn’t.

One thing that is unclear in aid grades is how much weight to place on the two elements:
consequence and likelihood. For example, if a route has a long sequence of hook moves above
a ledge it seems natural given the above list to give it C3 or even C4. However, if the hooks
placements are large, solid, and most importantly, obvious to the eye, this would seem
unreasonable, as you would almost have to throw yourself off the route to get hurt.

Although the above system is used almost universally, a few like to use Jim Bridwell’s Casual
Rating System: NBD = No Big Deal; NTB = Not Too Bad; PDH = Pretty Darn Hard; DFU =
Don’t Fuck Up.

7. More on UK Grades
UK grades have been seen as an attempt to do little more than confuse the uninitiated, and
even amongst the locals they inspire page upon page of discussion on bulletin boards. The
following is presented to help those climbing in the country for the first time get their heads
around the concept and for those British climbers that are still confused.

Within the UK, the British grading system is used for all but boulder problems and sports routes.
It is an open ended scale from Easy to Extremely Severe, which currently runs as: Easy,
Moderate, Difficult, Very Difficult, Hard Very Difficult, Severe, Hard Severe, Very Severe, Hard
Very Severe, Extremely Severe 1 (shorted to E1), Extremely Severe 2 (E2), etc. up to around
E11. The prefix "mild”, as in Mild Very Severe, was used for a while to indicate a slightly easier
route, but has largely fallen into disuse, which is a shame.

As previously said, the founding principle of climbing grades is an ordered list of how many
people are able to climb the routes. The UK (or British) grade of a climb automatically sums up
everything that goes into an ascent: the physical difficulty of the whole route, the difficulty of the
hardest move, the ease of placing protection, the quality of the protection and even the
consequences of failure, including how easily one can retreat. One result of this idea of
capturing-all-variables-in-one-bucket is that it was felt useful to introduce another grade
alongside this adjectival grade, that simply describes the physical difficulty of toproping the
hardest move (or short sequence) on a single pitch: this is termed the technical grade (although
it has nothing to do with how technical rather than physical a move is) and currently runs from 1
to 7 with subdivisions a, b, and c.

The adjectival and the technical grades are assembled into the complete grade of the route:
examples being, HVS(5a), or E5(6b). As each pitch is given a technical grade, a three pitch
climb might be described as VS(5a,4a,4c).

In the most commonly climbed grades, there are around three technical grades covering a
single adjectival grade, or three adjectival grades covering a single technical grade and the
difference between the two can be used to extract information on the difficulty of the hardest
move, the quality of the protection, the quality of the rock and continuousness of the climbing.
Unfortunately this implies at least four variables and we only have two grade types, so it is
sometimes hard to get as much information as one would want. Luckily UK guidebooks almost
always include a written description of the route (possibly because the routes are relatively
short) and more information can often be gleaned from this.

Some examples:
• HVS(5a) - a typical Hard Very Severe (HVS) pitch;

• HVS(4c) - either poorly protected, loose rock, or very continuous climbing; and

• HVS(5b) - one hard move either near the ground or in a very well protected position.

Or emphasising the technical grade:

• VS(4c) - a typical Very Severe (VS) pitch containing a 4c move—which is the typical
grade of the hardest move on a VS;

• HS(4c) - a Hard Severe (HS) pitch with a hard (for HS), well protected, move; and

• HVS(4c) - an HVS with easier moves than is typical on an HVS, but either poor
protection, loose rock, or very continuous climbing.

The table lays out the typical combinations. Climbs below severe are not usually given a
technical grade, and a few climbs with more extreme combinations of technical and adjectival
grade, such as VS(5b) or VS(4a) do exist. The benchmark technical grade in each route is
indicated in bold—this is the technical grade most commonly associated with each adjectival
grade. One can see that between Severe and E2 there is a logical progression of one technical
grade increase for each increase in adjectival grade, and that most climbs are captured by
allowing three technical grades per adjectival grade. Unfortunately the simplicity of the system
starts to breakdown at around E3. This failure is for three reasons:

(i) As routes get harder they often get steeper, and as the technical grade only covers a
single move or short sequence, the adjectival grade needs to be increased if there is
a long sequence of stamina sapping moves.
(ii) The range of physical difficulty represented by a single technical grade seems to get
larger as one progresses up the grades faster than the adjectival grade (this point is
one reason why UK technical grades are no longer used by boulderers—above 6a
they simply don’t allow one to grade problems finely enough).
(iii) More contentiously, the potential of a ground or equivalent fall is possibly taken more
seriously on a harder route as it is more likely to happen.

For most of the routes that most people climb the system is a lot easier to work with than it at
first appears, namely: Look at the adjectival grade and ask, is the technical grade the
benchmark one?

• If it is then the route is probably on reasonable rock with typical levels of protection and moves
typical of the grade.
• If it is not, then if the technical grade is higher than typical the route’s crux is probably hard but
well protected, if it is lower then the route might be run out or have loose rock or be very
sustained.

The chart adds some detail taken from my (DC) analysis of 256 routes from guide books to the
Peak District (On Peak Rock) and North Devon. These are two very different areas, and the
chart shows the number of routes for each technical/adjectival grade combination. From this we
can see that there is clearly a benchmark technical grade associated with each adjectival grade,
and below E3 this increases by one grade for each increase in adjectival increase in grade.

A word of warning - according to this analysis, a route graded E1(6a) should be very safe.
However, whilst it is true the 6a crux is likely to be, it might have in addition a lot of 5a climbing
with no protection and on loose rock. Alternatively a two pitch route graded HVS(5a,4c) might
appear to be a benchmark HVS with the HVS pitch being the first, however in reality it might be
one pitch of VS(5a) followed by a pitch of HVS(4c) - I didn’t say it was going to be simple.

Graph: The number of climbs (vertical axis) in each combination o f adjectival and technical
grade combination for a selection of 256 UK routes.

Table: Typical spread of technical grades for each adjectival grade. Benchmark grades are
shown in bold.

Adjectival grade Abbreviation Typical Technical grade

Easy
Moderate M or Mod
Difficult D or Diff
Very Difficult VD or VDiff
Severe S 3c,4a,4b
Hard Severe HS 4a,4b,4c
Very Severe VS 4b,4c,5a
Hard Very Severe HVS 4c,5a,5b
Extremely Severe E1 5a,5b,5c
E2 5b,5c,6a
E3 5b,5c,6a,6b
E4 5c,6a,6b
E5 5c,6a,6b,6c
E6 6a,6b,6c

One interesting characteristic of the British system is that the adjectival grade is meant to be
given for an on-sight attempt, i.e. one without prior practice on a top rope or beta from another
climber. If the climb involves a complex sequence of moves or hidden holds (or protection) it will
most likely feel much harder to on-sight than it would after practice. This can make it difficult for
locals, who may have climbed a route many times, to accurately grade the route. Being that
these locals are precisely those most likely to be involved in grading the routes within a
guidebook there is plenty of potential for sandbagging visiting climbers.

Although there seems to be some debate over this, the technical grade is usually considered to
be the grade of the hardest section done correctly - i.e. by the easiest sequence - and
therefore not necessarily for an on-sight attempt where one is likely to climb in a more controlled
manner. Another thing worth bearing in mind is that there has been much debate over whether
the technical grade should only consider a single move or a longer sequence. Because it has
supposedly been taken as a single move (or very short sequence), most steep crack routes
should have relatively very low technical grades. Often they don’t: a 6m roof crack is likely to
have a harder technical grade than a 2m one.

Another issue is the reluctance to use the full potential of the system. If someone climbs a route
on very loose rock or with no protection they might conclude that it felt like, for example, E2. As
the route was dangerous they will select the technical grade one below the benchmark one,
which in this case would be 5c, so they would select 5b and declare the route to be E2(5b).
Whereas they should have selected the technical grade based on the true difficulty of the crux.
This might have only been 5a. But there is great resistance to giving a route a grade such as
E2(5a) as it would lie outside the norm. However there are lots of loose E2 routes which most
"E2” climbers would not go near - which is a contradiction. In essence, the problem with the UK
system is that it doesn’t have an X and an R, but just an R. i.e. the way it is used does not
distinguish between a climb with injury potential and death. The system as set up can deal with
such situations, but there is a resistance to use it to do so.

The reverse approach to grading can have a similar affect. Someone might accurately grade the
crux of a long unprotected route as 4c and as it is unprotected select the adjectival grade one
up from the benchmark to give HVS(4c). However in reality it might well be unwise for the
average HVS climber to attempt it on-sight, and if they do they are likely to have a full-on E1
experience. This suggests the grade of E1(4c) might have been more appropriate, however
there will be much resistance to using such a grade combination. This is despite the fact that
few HVS climbers would consider on-sight soloing a long 4c route.

Part of the problem might be one of history. It is possible that in the past climbers tended to be
brave individuals, which given the amount of protection they had might have been a compulsory
attribute. Now, with a skirt of cams many trad routes can be better protected than some sports
climbs. This has possibly led to less brave individuals (like David) being more heavily
represented in the climbing population. Given this there might be the need to expand the normal
range of three technical grades to each adjectival grade to five grades.

At the top end of the grade spectrum some climbers consider the UK system to be in something
of a crisis. Many of the hardest routes where put up after top rope practice and may never have
had an on-sight attempt. So it is hard to know if these routes have been graded correctly.
Unfortunately, few of us climb such grades so most of us don’t need to worry.

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.
Please use the following links to buy the book. It costs about $9, or £6 - less than a locking
carabiner

Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) / itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 13 April 2015

-fcckcLim binq.com
 .com

This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

Note: Many terms that single pitch climbers would be familiar with are not included.

Ab or abseil - see rap.

Aid climbing - ascending the cliff by pulling and standing on the protection.
Alternating leads - see swinging leads.
Baby bouncer - keeping the middle climber of a team of three safe on a traverse by having both
the climber in front and behind him belay him on separate ropes.
Banshee belay - a belay built by connecting the pieces in the belay in series rather than in
parallel.Back cleaning - removing the pieces of protection lower down to use later on the
pitch.
Batman up a rope - climb the rope hand over hand with your feet on the rock. (Hopefully
another rope will be used to protect you.)
Beef it up - to make something stronger.
Bivi or bivvi - sleeping, or a place to sleep, on a route or at the top or bottom of a route.
Block leading - leading a set number of pitches, or for a set amount of time, before swapping
leader.
Carabiner factor - represents the friction of the rope or sling on a carabiner. This leads to the
load either side of the carabiner not being equal, or the arms of a sliding-X failing to load
share very well.
Chariot belay - hanging the belayer a long way belay the belay anchors with the belay being
used as a Jesus piece. Used to reduce the fall factor if there is hard unprotected climbing
 directly above the belay.
Cliff - another word for rock face.
Combo style - when the leader takes a Reverso-style device to directly belay the second with
and the second uses a Grigri to belay the leader. This means that both members of the team
are belayed on a device that proves some form of backup.
Cord - thin rope used for making prusiks etc.
Cordelette - a large sling made of webbing or nylon cord used to form belays.
Cordelette blindness - only looking for anchor pieces that are near enough to each other to be
connected by a cordelette, rather than looking for the best pieces.
Cordelette conundrum - that the more pieces you use in the belay the less cord you have to
connect them together, in part because the amount of cord used in the powerpoint increases
rapidly with the number of pieces. The solution is to either use the rope to form the belay, or
use slings to connect some of the pieces together before using the cordelette to connect this
smaller number of points.
Counter piece - a piece in a belay that counteracts forces in directions other than that where
the main strength of the anchor lies. For example, a low piece placed to stop a belayer being
lifted up and hitting a roof.
Cow’s tail - 120cm sling girth hitched (lark’s footed) to the harness with one or more overhand
knots in it. Used as a temporary daisy chain.
Crag - another word for cliff or rock face; normally applied to smaller faces.
Daisy chain, or daisy - long sling sewn so as to create a series of pockets. Used to attach you
to the belay without the use of the rope.
Double (half) ropes - a pair of ropes designed so that runners are clipped to one strand for part
of the climb then the other strand for another part of the route.
Down rope - the rope that is being pulled when pulling the ropes down on a rappel. Or a rope
that is travelling downwards - where the term is used to distinguish it from the up rope that is
travelling upwards.
DIL belay - see direct isolation loop belay.
Direct belay - hanging a suitable belay plate directly off the anchors to bring up a second.
Direct isolation loop belay - a way of tying off to the anchors using the rope that also creates a
powerpoint.
Dog bone - an extender with stitching running most of its length.
Draw - see extender.
Dyneema webbing - super strong and light webbing used to form slings. Difficult/impossible to
tie, therefore only really of use for sewn slings. (If tying it in an emergency to use as a rap
sling, use a triple fisherman’s.)
Equipped - a route equipped with in-situ belay stations and possibly in-situ protection (usually
bolts); or a rap route with in-situ rap points (these might be bolts, pegs or slings around
 trees).
Extender - sling (normally short) with a pair of carabiners usually clipped to a piece to reduce
the chances of the piece being pulled out, or used to clip the rope to a bolt during a pitch.
Also termed a draw.
Faff or faffing - spending too much time sorting out ropes and equipment, building belays, etc.
and generally wasting time.
Fifi - a hook used to attach yourself temporarily to a carabiner, sling or piece. Only used in aid
climbing.
Fixed line - A rap rope that will be left in place. For example when descending to the base of a
sea cliff.
Floating rap hitch - a clove hitch tied near the end of the rap rope and around a carabiner then
clipped to a gear loop. Forms a partial backup that you can’t forget to remove before you pull
the ropes.
Flying swap - a very quick method of changing leaders at a stance by pre-clipping the first bolt
on the next pitch.
Free climbing - climbing the cliff using the rock, rather than pulling and standing on the
protection (the opposite of aid climbing).
Frig or frigging - cheating by pulling on protection or the rope.
Gear - equipment, as in climbing gear.
Gravity-limited fall. A situation where the weight of the belayer helps to give a soft catch; only
used to compare the situation created by an inertia-limited fall.
Guide mode - using a Reverso or similar device as a direct belay to bring one or more seconds
up.
Half ropes - same as double ropes.
HMS - a large pear-shaped locking carabiner which is particularly useful for tying Munter
(Italian) hitches to, or if several ropes will be tied to the same carabiner.
Holster method - keeping the abseil ropes clipped in coils onto the gear loops using 60cm
slings and hoping they will self-feed as you descend. (An alternative is the stacked butterfly.)
Jumar or jug - ascend the rope using mechanical devices specifically designed for the job.
Jumar and jug are also used to indicate such mechanical devices.
In-situ - "in place”. Normally used to refer to anchors that have been placed and left for others,
for example bolts.
Indirect belay - belaying with the belay device clipped to the harness.
Inertia-limited fall. A situation where the weight of the belayer does not help to give a soft catch;
only used to compare the normally much better situation created by a gravity-limited fall.
Isolation loop - loop used as for the tie-in point in a DIL belay.
Kit - another word for equipment, as in climbing kit.
Lanyard - a separate short length of rope used like a daisy to attach the climber to the belay
 without the use of the main rope. Also a generic word for tails and daisies.
Locker - locking carabiner such as a screwgate or twist-lock.
Maillon - a carabiner-like item where the gate is formed by a screw thread. Smaller, cheaper
and more robust than a locking carabiner. Often left in-situ at rap stations.
Marginal runner - a poor runner that is likely to fail if loaded.
Micro’s - micro wires (micro nuts), for example, RP’s.
Nut tool, nut key, or cleaning tool - metal tool for removing stuck protection.
Oblige - a word used in France to indicate the maximum difficulty of the free climbing; anything
harder than this can be frigged by pulling on the protection.
Personal Anchor System - see PAS.
PAS or Personal Anchor System. Similar to but stronger than a daisy chain. Made from a series
of short sewn slings, therefore harder to mis-clip.
Piece - piece of protection, such as a cam or wire.
Rap or Rappel - descend the rope using a friction device. Same as ab or abseil.
Rap ring - an in-situ metal rig threaded through the webbing or cord at the rap station, or a
larger then normal link in the metal chain at the station.
Rap station - the place you rap from. Normally a set of in-situ bolts or pegs, or slings around a
tree or boulder.
Re-direct - passing the rope from the belayer upwards to a carabiner and then down to the
second.
Red pointing - climbing a route after practising all or part of it.
Retrievable abseil/rap - abseil where the rope is not tied to the anchors, but simply looped
through the anchors. This allows you to pull the rope down after you.
Run out - long section of climbing with little or no protection.
Runner - in this book this used in the British way. Meaning a piece, peg or bolt clipped mid­
pitch to the rope with a carabiner and used by the leader to protect herself. Short for running
belay - a term which has fallen out of use. (In North America the word runner is normally
used for a 60 or 120cm sling used to extend a piece.)
RP’s - micro wires (micro nuts).
Sack-block - using a backpack or haul bag as the blocking device in a single line rap. Possibly
a good way to get killed.
Screamer - an extender designed to limit the peak force of the fall by either ripping stitching or
by extending through an integral friction device.
Short pitching - walking the easier sections of a long alpine-like route carrying coils, then
stopping to belay short sections that need to be rock climbed. This can be faster than trying
to pitch the whole route, even if it means more pitches.
Simultaneous abseil/rap - a retrievable abseil with one climber on each line.
Sling draw - an extender tripled up to allow you to carry it on the harness and use it as a long or
short extender.
Slip-back - the length of rope a clutch (ratchet) lets slide back during each stroke of a haul.
Snap gate - a non-locking carabiner.
Spectra cord - super strong and lightweight cord. Must be tied with a triple fisherman’s knot.
Stacked butterfly - similar to the holster method of abseiling with the ropes and paying them out
as you go, but with the ropes in a series on butterfly coils with each coil jettisoned when
required.
Stance - the place where you stand, sit or hang to belay from.
Stripping the pitch - when all the runners on the pitch fail when the leader falls, or the act of the
second removing (cleaning) the runners as he ascends.
Swinging leads - changing the leader at the end of every pitch; also called alternating leads.
Tandem rap/abseil - a rap where both climbers hang from a single abseil device.
Tat - old piece of webbing or cord typically found at a rap station, or carried by the climbers to
build emergency rap stations from.
Tiger clip - a carabiner or other item inserted into the knot of the powerpoint to make it easier to
untie. This is a potentially dangerous practice. With two bolt belays it is much better to just
use an alpine butterfly.
Trading Plates - swapping belay device when alternating leader. When done correctly this is a
very fast and safe way to change leader without having to temporarily tie in.
Tramlining - lowering off a steep pitch with an extender clipped between your harness and the
up rope to keep you near the rock face.
Twin ropes - a pair of ropes that are used like a single rope most of the time, i.e. both strands
are clipped to each runner through a single carabiner.
Up rope - see down rope.
Wire - another term for a nut or stopper threaded on wire.
Yarding - see Batman.
Y-hang - using a sling or slings to simultaneously extend the abseil device away from you and
to hang the casualty from when descending.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

v 7 October 2014

.com
This site presents the images from the ebook High: Advanced Multipitch Climbing, by David
Coley and Andy Kirkpatrick. In order to keep the cost of the book to a minimum most of these
were not included in the book. Although they work best when used in conjunction with the book,
most are self-explanatory.

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

Back to Other Chapters

This appendix lists all the references in the book together with a few other that make interesting
reading. For geeks like David, fighting your way through them will hopefully make for a pleasant
afternoon sitting in the rain in some cafe somewhere in the world.

Chapter 1
How hard can bears climb? (So put anything you leave at the base somewhere safe and bear
and rodent proof - squirrels are often the problem.) See:
http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo zoom.php?dpid=Oj4 NzYgliQgIg

Chapter 3 Multipitch Physics

For a model of rope dynamics see Richard Goldstone’s essay http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-
bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post attachment;postatt id=746%29).

For a discussion by the UIAA of how ropes age and other facts see
http://theuiaa.org/upload area/files/1/Conference on nylon and ropes.pdf and
http://theuiaa.org/upload area/files/1/About Ageing of Climbing Ropes.pdf.

See: http://www.petzl.com/files/all/product-experience/SPORT/R32-PE-CORDES-EN.pdf
For some real-world drop tests on ropes with different belay devices

Dynamic vs. static belaying and the change this makes to impact forces on the top runner.
http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/what-they-dont-teach-you-in-belay-school

See: http://www.theuiaa.org/upload area/files/1/Karabiners Be Awarel.pdf and

http://theuiaa.org/upload area/files/1/Attaching to rope by karabiner.pdf for a description of
several ways carabiners can fail).

For a detailed discussion of the forces experienced by a belayer, see:

http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/Simulation of Climbing and Rescue Belays.pdf.

A detailed analysis of the result of incorporating large angles into three-point powerpoints and of
the length of the arms in a powerpoint has been made by Marc Beverly and others
(http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/51/Multi-point%20pre-equal%20anchors.pdf).

Lots of useful stuff on various topics (in German):

http://www.jdav.de/chameleon//outbox//public/47/dav ausbilderhandbuch 2005 sicherung.pdf

Lots of useful equations are to found in here:

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/special-programs/sp-255-physics-of-rock-climbing-spring-2006/index.htm

A discussion about the UIAA and CE standards:

http://www.rockandice.com/gear-guide-tips/making-sense-of-the-uiaa-ce-and-3-sigma-
ratings?A=WebApp&CCID=14153&Page=9&Items=10

The following is a list of useful references to in-depth material on rope and fall dynamics
provided by rgold in a post (http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1073010/Fall-Force-calculator)
on SuperTopo:

Attaway, S. W., Rope Systems Analysis, International Technical Rescue Symposium,

Albuquerque, NM (1996), http://lamountaineers.org/xRopes.pdf

Attaway, The Mechanics of Friction in Rope Rescue, International Technical Rescue

Symposium, Fort Collins, CO (1999), http://www.jrre.org/att_frict.pdf

Attaway and Weber, C., Predicting rope impact forces using a non-linear force deflection.
International Technical Rescue Symposium, Denver, CO (2002),
http://web.mit.edu/sp255/www/reference_vault/second_order_rope_fit.pdf

Attaway and Beverly, J.M., Measurement of dynamic rope system stiffnes in a sequential failure
of lead climbing falls. http://www.amga.com/resources/various/Sequential_Failure_Paper.pdf

Bedogni, V., Computer mathematical models in belaying techniques. Nylon and Ropes for
Mountaineering and Caving, Torino, Italy, (2002)

Bramley, A., Philips, A., and Vogwell, J., Forces Generated in a Climbing Rope During a Fall,
The Engineering of Sport 6

Custer, D., An estimation of the load rate imparted to a climbing anchor during fall arrest.
Engineering of Sport, 6th International Conference, Vol I pp 45--50 (2006).

Powerpoint version, http://web.mit.edu/sp255/www/reference_vault/the_yowie_factor.pdf

Leonard, R.M., Wexler, A., Belaying the leader, Sierra Club Bulletin 31 (7) (1946)

Manin, L., Richard, M., Brabant, J.-D., and Bissuel, M., Modeling the climber fall arrest
dynamics, ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Information in
Engineering Conference, IDETC-IEC 2005, pp 1077--1084, Long Beach, CA (2005)

Manin, L., Richard, M., Brabant, J.-D., and Bissuel, M., Rock climbing belay device analysis,
experiments and modeling, The Engineering of Sport 6, Vol 1 pp 69--74, Springer (2006)

Pavier, M., Experimental and theoretical simulations of climbing falls, Sports Engineering 1 (2)
pp 79--91 (1998)

Pavier, Derivation of a rope behavior model for the analysis of forces developed during a rock
climbing leader fall, The Engineering of Sport 1. (1996)__________________________________
 Chapter 4 Equipment
Details of UIAA rope standards:
http://theuiaa.org/upload area/cert files/UIAA 101 ropes October 2013.pdf
and
http://www.hamradio.si/~s51kq/photo album/Climbing and Mountaineering/pdf climbing/UIAA/PictUIAA
101-EN892DynamicRopes.pdf

In this article: http://bealplanet.com/sport/anglais/facteurdechute.php

Beal confirm that there is a relationship between the impact force a rope places on the system
in the UIAA test (i.e. for a very harsh fall) and more common falls. This suggests that low impact
rated ropes do indeed offer advantages in common situations.

This article discusses the reason for various rope failures and concludes double/twin ropes
might a good idea in the mountains, but possibly not for the reason you might think:
http://personal.strath.ac.uk/andrew.mclaren/Turin2002/CD%20congresso/Rope%20Failures.pdf

When sports climbing, it’s common to use different snap gates for clipping the bolts and for
clipping the rope. In the past climbers also tended to have bent gates for clipping the rope, both
due to the ease of clipping, and as a fool proof way of keeping the ‘bolt clipping’ end away from
the rope. This is because small nicks in the running surface of a carabiner caused by falling on
square edged bolts can tear right through the rope’s sheath: see
http://dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/carabiners-and-potential-rope-damage/ for a graphic
illustration of this.

For more information on shock absorbing extenders see:

http://www.rockclimbing.com/Articles/Gear and Reviews/Review The Yates Screamer 243.ht
mj and http://www.yatesgear.com/climbing/screamer/use.htm and
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/iournal/climb/all/qc-lab-to-screamer-or-not-to-
screamer).

For some reasons why screamers might not be as good as some people think:
http://www.rockclimbing. com/cgi-
bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2636388;sb=post latest reply;so=ASC;forum view=forum view collapsed;

For some comments on dyneema slings see: http://www.geir.com/mythbuster.html.

Cordelettes
See http://user.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/ for some comments.

Rap tat
Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=t01 OkBLTO64 to see a water (tape) knot failing when tied in
dyneema; and see http://dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/knotting-dyneema-vid/
for a table of the strengths on knots in dyneema slings.

On joining slings with a girth hitch

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/experience-story?cid=qc-lab-connecting-two-slings-together

Tails
It is important that the cow’s tail or daisy is never attached to the rope loop - you might untie the
rope whilst hanging from the daisy. This might well prove fatal. In addition this will cross-load
the knot, and even a figure of eight tie-in knot can be pulled apart if cross-loaded. (See
http://vimeo.com/40767916)
Drop test results (see http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/53/RiggingForRescue-
LanyardsPartII-2006.pdf) suggest that in FF1 to 1.5 falls, i.e. mimicking someone climbing
above the belay and slipping, a Purcell Prusik subjects the climber and the belay to much lower
forces.

It is important to understand that daisies and slings are not in general designed to anchor you to
the rock. They work fine if you just need to hang off things, but are not for falling on. Unlike the
rope, they have no dynamic properties, so a fall on one would be aggressive for the daisy, the
anchors and you (see: http://theuiaa.org/upload area/files/1/Beware of Quickdraws for Self­
Belay. pdf or http://www.geir.com/mythbuster.html). Beal have done some tests comparing rope-
based and tape-based daisies. Rope-based ones produce lower forces (see:
http://bealplanet.com/sport/anglais/longes-dynaclip.php).

It is important not to shorten a traditional daisy by back clipping it with the main locking
carabiner at the end, i.e. having more than one pocket clipped to the locker. There is a good
video on Black Diamond’s website showing what can happen if you do this and it looks like a
magic trick: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/qclab/qc-lab-daisy-
chain-dangers-en-glbl-en-us.

Grigri on Trad
For some tests by Geir Hundal on using a Grigri on trad see
http://www.geir.com/mythbuster.html.

For similar results see Beal’s site (look at the bar charts):
http://bealplanet.com/sport/anglais/facteurdechute.php

Or Petzl’s
http://www.petzl.com/files/all/product-experience/SPORT/R32-PE-CORDES-EN.pdf

Helmets
See Petzl’s website for some stories about helmets saving lives
http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/verticality/helmets-0/helmet-stories-edge)

Or this on standards
http://www.petzl.com/EPI/v2/epi-en/normes/norCasGb.swf

Rope Contamination
See http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/52/nh52.html for an example of failure due to
contamination.

Metal Bits
Dropped carabiners and belay plates are probably safe to use unless they have grooves that
could damage a rope or sling, or grooves more than 1mm deep which could reduce their
strength (see http://www.onrope1 .com/Myth1 .htm and http://www.geir.com/mythbuster.html),
however others disagree (see http://billheaner.blogspot.com/2007/11/aluminum-
carabiners.html). To see just what a sharp or worn edge on the surface of a carabiner can do to
a rope, see this video from DMM http://dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/carabiners-and-potential-
rope-damage/ and http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/blog/index/view/slug/qc-lab-
dangers-of-rope-worn-carabiners

A hooked-up carabiner can fail at of 10% of its rated strength

(http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/qc-lab-weakness-of-nosehooked-carabiners.html).

About placing bolts, and for British sea-cliff climbers, pull tests on abseil stakes:_____________
http://www.bolt-products.com/Glue-inBoltDesign.htm

Chapter 5 Leading and Seconding

For some more pictures of unsafe protection, see
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php7topic id=1691689&tn=0&mr=0&utm source=Su
perTopo+purchasers+and+forum+up+to+3.22.11&utm campaign=b63be099a7-
SuperTopo Climbing News May 26 20114 5 2011&utm medium=email.)

To see a comparison of the strength of girth and basket hitches on wires see the data and video
at: http://dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/improvisation-larks-foot-or-basket-hitch-vid/) . A basket o
girth hitch will reduce the strength of the sling, but this is unlikely to be a problem, and is better
than a carabiner over an edge (See https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-
us/journal/climb/all/qc-lab-extending-a-cam-sling-sling-on-sling-en-gb.)

Chapter 6 The Belay

Direct Belaying
Using two carabiners in a direct belay is unlikely to make the rope feed more easily (see:
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb//qc-lab-autoblock-misuse.

Belaying Off the Rope Loop or Belay Loop?

When using an indirect belay, some people attach the belay plate to their belay loop, others use
the loop of rope that that they are tied in with. (A discussion about this can be found on
ukclimbing.com http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1129.)

The Sliding-X
Tests with a small (100 kg) static load on an anchor with a small angle between two arms of
equal length possibly indicate that sliding system do not equalized better than non-sliding ones.
(See Self equalizing anchors: a myth? R. Owen and S. Naguran: http://www.whitewater-
rescue.com/support/pagepics/selfequalanchor.pdf) The main trouble with such experiments is
that, unlike in the real world, the angle of the force does not vary so the system never really gets
the chance to slide.)

Belaying with a Munter

For an in-depth discussion of direct belays and Munter’s see bersicht Standplatzbau (von Chris
Semmel - DAV-Sicherheitsforschung Zeichnungen Georg Sojer Stand: Juli 2009).____________

Chapter 10 Descent
The Hunt for the Perfect Rap Knot
Several sets of pull test results have been published, including this one from Black Diamond
(http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-glbl/journal/mountain/all/qc-lab-what-is-the-best-
rappel-knot-en-gb-en-eur), and this from Tom Moyer
(http://user.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/EDK.html).
For a long discussion of some rap knot pull tests including the difficulty of pulling various knots
over edges, see: http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/52/PreferredKnots.pdf and
http://www.bwrs.org.au/sites/default/inline-files/1%20main%20paper.pdf

There seems to be no consensus in the climbing literature on how to join the ropes if the
diameters are very different. Tom Moyer’s results indicate that a correctly tied overhand is fine
when one rope is 11mm and the other 8mm, which is encouraging. Tests by Edelrid2 on a 10.5
tied to an 8mm rope, also suggest the overhand knot when tied correctly seems fine (reported
at http://www.gudelius.de/spst.htm)._________________________________________________
Results in http://www.idav.de/chameleon//outbox//public/47/dav ausbilderhandbuch 2005 sicherung.pdf
also seem to imply the EDK works with very different rope diameters, but it is not clear to me
(DC) how the ropes were tied (an EDK with difference diameter ropes can be tied with the thin
rope on top or underneath the fat rope, and it is not clear if both ways are equally safe).

For pull tests on a big fat fish and a flat fish sandwich see: http://www.gudelius.de/spst.htm

On third hands
It would seem that the third hand’s carabiner can very occasionally release a leg buckle (see
http://ascenttraining.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/safety-alert-on-abseiling-with-prussik.html).
Care is also needed when attaching the third hand to harnesses that use a plastic clip buckle on
the leg loop. These have been reported as unclipping themselves, and in this case the whole
leg loop opens up (see http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=505204&v=1#x6871432).

Knotting Dyneema
DMM have tested the strength of various knots used to join dyneema webbing, see:
http://dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/knotting-dyneema-vid.)

Nylon against nylon

If a climber is lowered on a rope passing over a nylon cord or sling she is unlikely go far before
the cord or sling melts completely through — possibly only 3m (10ft) (see this article from the
UIAA:
http://theuiaa.org/upload area/files/1/Use of slings when lowering off and abseiling.pdf).

Put a knot in the end of the rope!

As this story shows, it is easy to rap off the end of the ropes because there is a good chance
you are thinking about something else:
http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13199903700/print

Chapter 11 Cheating
Lowering off a single bolt
See: http://www.petzl.com/files/all/en/activities/sport/Solutions-Sport-climbing Catalog-2011.pdf
For a way of backing yourself up if doing this.____________________________________

Chapter 12 Going Solo

Rope damage
Repeated falls onto a rope rigged for solo top roping is likely to damage the rope at any point it
is in contact with the rock, usually near the anchor. This is because although you might fall off at
varying points, the rubbing will always be on the same part of the anchor rope. It is surprisingly
easy to completely destroy the rope: see (http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/product-
experience/self-belay-solo-climbing/introduction). It is therefore a good idea to climb all the way
to the anchors occasionally to check the condition of the rope.

Petzl have tested what happens when a mini-traxion is subjected to a fall factor one fall: the
rope was severely damaged (http://www.petzl.com/files/all/product-experience/SPORT/PE-
minitraxion-P07-EN.pdf); this is why a minitraxion should never be used to belay a second up as
it is less easy to ensure slack does not accumulate.

Soloing on a Reverso
When roped soloing device that sits somewhere between the categories of "possible general
method” and "for emergency use only / you’re going to die method” is the Reverso. Personally
because of a lack of test drop data, and because the manufacturers don’t recommend it, I (DC)
would only use it in an emergency. However Andrew Young and others have made extensive
use of it (see
http://www.mountainz.co.nz/content/article/article.php?article=220406 ropesolo.php&direct=gen
eral). See some more comments on the soloing webpage/pdf.

Two Minitraxions
Some climbers use a pair of mini-traxions attached in series to add redundancy and the use of
two devices was the recommendation from Petzl (http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/product-
experience/self-belay-solo-climbing/introduction). The first is clipped to the belay loop with an
oval locking carabiner as usual; the second is attached via an extender to a maillon through the
tie in points. An elastic cord around the neck is then used to keep the upper mini-traxion in
place (See http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/self-belay-solo-climbing/solution2-two-ascenders
for various possibilities).

Petzl have since had a change of mind based probably of the observation that using a similar
device for the backup means that if the climber messed up with the first trax, for example
attached it upside down, they will mess up in exactly the same way with the second trax. They
now recommend using a different device for the backup, for example a Basic ascender as
shown in http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/product-experience/self-belay-solo-
climbing/introduction-us____________________________________________________________

Chapter 13 Self Rescue

Strength of Prusik knots
A discussion of the strength of various Prusik knots and mechanical ascending devices can be
found at http://www.trescue.com/uploadfiles/RopeTest48.pdf

Harness hanging syndrome

According to Tyson and Loomis, harness hanging syndrome (where blood trapped by the
harness reduces flow to the brain) can onset rapidly (see
http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/45/nh45.html for a discussion of the subject). So there
is the need to get to the victim as quickly as possible and to encourage him to move, even
slightly.

Difficult prusik situations

What to do if you need to prusik up the rope but you don’t have a Reverso or any slings on you,
or if you need to escape the system without using a sling or length of cord:
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/prussiking-without-any-slings-or-cords/108353040

Chapter 14 Tactics
An example of why there are good reasons to keep it simple, and not to try new ways of doing
things on the fly, without first practising in a safe place:
http://climbing.ilooove.it/story/climbing-my-way-back-up________________________________

Knots Appendix

On the strength of knots: http://efclimbers.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Knot-and-cord-

strength.pdf
And http://www.paci.com.au/downloads public/knots/03 Cordage Institute Tests.pdf

Interesting pull tests results by Tom Moyer on various things (including a Munter and a belay
plate): http://user.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/pull tests 11 98.html__________________
More fun tests from Tom Moyer: http://user.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/pull tests 7-00.html

On why cord fails: http://knotcyphers.pbworks.com/w/page/8216878/Knot%20Strength%20-

%20or%20Weakness

On the strength of a half-double fisherman’s:

http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/46/doitie.html

Localization of breakage points in knotted strings (major geek warning):

http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/3/1/310/fulltext/

In some sandstone areas knots are used for protection, instead of cams/wires. Here are some
tests on cord used in this way: http://www.joergbrutscher.homepage.t-online.de/knotene.htm

A little on why some knots might be stronger than others:

http://personal.strath.ac.uk/andrew.mclaren/Alasdair Brown 2008.pdf

Cordelette pull tests by Tom Moyer and others:

http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nh/49/cthsc/cthsc.html

Tests on prusik knots of various types:

http://www.rockclimbing.com/Articles/General/A scientific study of common friction knots. 2
73.html

One way to tie into the middle of a rope (bowline on a bight step through):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzIP4IUnqvI&feature=player embedded

More than anyone needs to know about bowlines (serious geek warning):
http://www.paci.com.au/downloads public/knots/Bowlines Analysis.pdf

Please use the following links to buy the book: Amazon USA (kindle) / Amazon UK (kindle) /
itunes / kobo

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