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General Climbing Discussion

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Rope Managment .... off to the Bungles! 23-Jan-2006 At 6:15:30 PM tokyo bill

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We used 60m doubles for everything, including FotP, during our Bungles visit in November. Obviously stacking on ledges is ideal, if possible. My recollection, however, is that at least two of the spots where I ended up building anchors on FotP were semi-hanging. I suspect it may not be possible to arrange ledges for all of your belays on that route.

At semi-hanging belays, when using doubles, I tend to tie in to the power point of the anchor with both ropes, using either clove hitches or (more often) an eight-on-a-bight tied with both ropes. Then I coil the rope over the resulting taut leash as my partner comes up.

I've read in various books about how it's possible to avoid tangles in this situation by starting with longer coils, and then getting gradually shorter and shorter. I'm sure this system works well for smarter, more coordinated people, but sadly I've never been able to manage it. It seems especially difficult with doubles, where you may at times have to take in several times as much rope on one strand as the other, only to later have the balance swing the other way.

My solution is to use short coils from beginning to end. Specifically, I use coils short enough that I can reach down to the hanging end of the coil with my free hand while belaying and manually untangle it if necessary. As my partner heads up the next pitch, I then pay pretty close attention to the upcoming coils in the rope, using my free hand to ensure that any tangles (comfortably in reach thanks to the short coils) are cleared before they can create a cluster-&%#!

Inelegant, but it works for me. Never had a problem in all the pitches climbed during our recent trip (or numerous other trips).