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Roped Soloing Techniques


nzclimber

3-Mar-2009
4:27:47 PM

I'm sure there have been threads about this before, but I'll ask anyways.

Does anyone know of any techniques/articles/instruction on roped soloing?

It's something I've wanted to know more about for a while, especially when my climbing buddies were busy and had a hankerin to climb back in NZ.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

3-Mar-2009
4:31:06 PM

On 3/03/2009 nzclimber wrote:
>I'm sure there have been threads about this before,

You are right.

A search on key words would turn up others.

Some instruction can be found in 'How to rock climb*' series/publication books. Only certain chapters though. (The main Author is often John Long).

I get the impression that the content of such topic is kept somewhat generalised/vague in the books to encourage you to actually go out and trial (safely) what works and dial it to your system.

(*Here is a review of one that has a different author.)

bomber pro has started a thread on solo aiding that you might find useful.


NZclimber

3-Mar-2009
8:13:47 PM

Cheers, some good reading there.
Found a good site thats pretty much a dummies guide;

http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/turkia/climbing/

They are pretty keen on using the Petzl mini-traxion though, anyone have any other preferences? Would ya back it up with a prusik as well?

Scotty A

3-Mar-2009
8:50:48 PM

Just started the ol' top rope solo myself. Did some research and found the Petzl Micro-cender was the go. no sharp teeth to trash my rope and because of the way you attach it to the rope theres no way it can accidently become unattached. (see Petzl site for more info)

Obviously this method can only be done if you can get to the top anchors...
I just run the single rope down the route, rap down and place draws if the routes over hung.

Either tie your boots or just coil some of the rope at the bottom so it weights the rope abit. Then just crank laps till you cant move...


wallwombat

3-Mar-2009
9:36:35 PM

This happened last time someone brought up the subject of rope soloing - we heard about a hundred different methods of solo top-roping.

That's OK but solo top-roping is very, very different to roped soloing and can be done with many different devices , Shunt, Micro-Ascender, Ropeman I and 2, Mini-Traxion, Pro-Traxion, blah de blah de blah........

Get any of these devices and learn how to use it, get a good redundant anchor at the top and you are pretty much set to go. Not too much can go wrong. Bob's ya uncle.

And you will not be likely to be shitting bricks.

Roped soloing on the other hand, involves a hell of a lot more know how and care to prevent a clusterf#ck and an accident. Lots can go wrong. You don't know Bob.

And the bricks will be flying out.

If you get what I mean.

fish boy

3-Mar-2009
9:57:26 PM

...don't forget, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!!!!


muki

3-Mar-2009
10:20:52 PM

The post I made has some good tips for those who would like to try this style of climbing.
But I would recommend that you start with baby steps, and in company of a friend who can lend a
hand or rope to bail onto, or even a top rope back up to the system while you are practising.
I like this particular style of climbing, as you can seamlessly switch from free climbing (with zero drag)
to full blown aid in seconds, and the gri gri method offers you a self adjusting daisy when in aid mode.
The ease of back cleaning means 60 or 70 metre pitches if not traversing too much and you have
those lengths of rope, and the rack does not have to travel with you if you have a tag line.
This makes it excellent for new routing in remote areas, adventure climbing, & multi day sieges on
bigwalls, because you only haul half the water and gear needed for the attempted wall, eg Yosemite.
But the most important thing to remember (apart from a strong dynamic belay) is that you are SOLO
up there and if the bricks start flying as WW says, you are on your own as far as rescue goes !
Take care ! this is not a game for the average punter, it takes commitment, skill, and cahones.


wallwombat

3-Mar-2009
10:52:05 PM

My apologies.

The threads title "Roped Soloing Techniques" led me to believe that NZclimber was talking about 'roped soloing techniques' rather than top-rope soloing. There is a big difference.

When I just checked out the link that he found, I realised that he was after the latter, hence my initial post. I think M9 thought the same.

So, no worries. You should be fine with any of those devices. Just make sure you have a nice solid, redundant anchor at the top and you should be fine. When I was about 16, used to top rope solo with a couple of prussicks and I didn't die.


NZclimber

4-Mar-2009
8:09:46 AM

Yeah my bad aye, after reading into it more I was a bit vague with what I was talking about, I'm gonna suss a decent device and get into it.

>You should be fine with any of those devices. Just make
>sure you have a nice solid, redundant anchor at the top and you should
>be fine. When I was about 16, used to top rope solo with a couple of prussicks
>and I didn't die.

Sweet, I'm hoping not to die too


foreverabumbly

4-Mar-2009
9:27:38 AM

I set up two lines, I put a jumar or other similar device on one rope and a grigri on the other, 2 systems soothes my paranoid mind, and having the seperate grigri means the transition between climbing and rapping down is very easy. For me this is an easy way to run laps.

PDRM

4-Mar-2009
10:48:32 AM

On 4/03/2009 foreverabumbly wrote:
>I set up two lines, I put a jumar or other similar device on one rope and
>a grigri on the other, 2 systems soothes my paranoid mind, and having the
>seperate grigri means the transition between climbing and rapping down
>is very easy. For me this is an easy way to run laps.

You don't find the jumar a bit 'toothy' if you get any slack in the system?

.M


foreverabumbly

4-Mar-2009
11:05:03 AM

On 4/03/2009 .Macca wrote:
>
>You don't find the jumar a bit 'toothy' if you get any slack in the system?
>
>.M

yeah, not the best, shat myself a few times looking down and seeing a pile of slack
but at the moment its all I have, Im careful to keep slack out of the system and I use a chest harness to set it up higher, which reduces the slack if I fall or sit on the route


IdratherbeclimbingM9

4-Mar-2009
11:37:32 AM

On 3/03/2009 wallwombat wrote:
>The threads title "Roped Soloing Techniques" led me to believe that NZclimber
>was talking about 'roped soloing techniques' rather than top-rope soloing.
>There is a big difference.

Yes.

>When I just checked out the link that he found, I realised that he was
>after the latter, hence my initial post. I think M9 thought the same.

Yes.

>When I was about 16, used to top rope solo with a couple of prussicks and I didn't die.

Yes, but we all see from your posts the lasting effect* it had on you!

(* ... says me with an uncontrollable twitchtwitchtwitch ... ).

bomber pro wrote:
>This makes it excellent for new routing in remote areas, adventure climbing, & multi day sieges on bigwalls, because you only haul half the water and gear needed for the attempted wall, (snip).

How do you get away with only half the water once you have left abseilable distance to the ground from your high point? (I call that dehydration in my experience!) ... You need to patent it mate!

devlin66

4-Mar-2009
12:01:13 PM

On 4/03/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>You need to patent it mate!

Why does he have to be all shiny?

For top rope soloing I have played around with the SUM and it seems to have some real pluses for it. I don't like them for belaying but may add one to my arsenal of devices.


dougal

4-Mar-2009
12:03:31 PM

On 3/03/2009 NZclimber wrote:
>Cheers, some good reading there.
>Found a good site thats pretty much a dummies guide;
>
>http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/turkia/climbing/
>
Appologies - I'm at work and haven't read all posts but I noticed in the above link that the climber is rapping of a single line. It'd be wiser to rap off both just in case you make a mistake and get on the wrong side (ie the strand tied to the pack) Cheers


IdratherbeclimbingM9

4-Mar-2009
12:19:28 PM

devlin66 wrote:
>Why does he have to be all shiny?

Am not suggesting that at all. Was suggesting that to hauling-tired but not wanting to be thirst-starved wallers it would be worth money!

dougal wrote:
>rapping of a single line. It'd be wiser to rap off both just in case you make a mistake and get on the wrong side (ie the strand tied to the pack)

The linky may be meant to be read like a Ewbank description?, ie it does have the following explanations between the pics
>• Attach the weight (e.g. your backpack) to the free end of the rope, so that it pulls the rope tight. The weight should not touch the floor at any time. You should use a better knot than in the image. If you don't have a weight, you will have to pull the slack out yourself for at least the first 10 meters, which will make climbing difficult, as you need a free hand to do it.
&
>• Note that you must attach the belay device to the weighted half of the rope, not the bottom-anchored half. Do not accidentally attach it to the bottom-anchored half of the toprope. If you do, you will fall.
>• Check and recheck that the belay device is correctly installed. Take care not to drop the belay device when attaching it: you need it to get down. You might want to tie it up somehow, or keep an extra belay device with you.

As an aside: abseiling the weighted rope (even if just one strand of two), could prove awkward as well?


NZclimber

4-Mar-2009
12:27:12 PM

I was thinking about that too, I'd either rap off both (as long as it didn't pull me into the rock face) or put the single line through my ATC with the rope left below the ascension device before taking it off.
Would just be a habit worth getting into, especially if you can't see your bottom anchor.


dougal

4-Mar-2009
2:06:32 PM

If you're dim witted like me the pictures stick in the mind so I rap off both.


Capt_mulch

4-Mar-2009
2:45:11 PM

Grigri self belaying mod, a la Bomber's directions:

Note removal of plastic which exposes the void (a Stanley knife works well) - then use a 3mm drill bit and drill a hole to allow some 3mm chord to be inserted - tie an overhand stopper knot, flame it, then pull it into the void.

Note the removal of a triangle of the blue aluminium cover (I used a round backed flat file). This allows the rope to flow more freely as you move up.

Bomber has accomplished this mod solely with his Leatherman tool.

This should be used with a D shaped mallion attaching the grigri to your harness, a biner then goes through the loop in the cord and attaches to a chest sling to hold it upright. Tie off to something solid on the ground, flake the rope into a pack on your back or a pile on the ground, put the rope over your shoulder and through the device, place pro and climb.

Note: nothing in this posted should be attempted by anyone. You are much better off sitting in your shed, reading old climbing mags and drinking goon.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

4-Mar-2009
2:49:10 PM

On 4/03/2009 NZclimber wrote:
>I was thinking about that too, I'd either rap off both (as long as it didn't
>pull me into the rock face) or put the single line through my ATC with
>the rope left below the ascension device before taking it off.
>Would just be a habit worth getting into, especially if you can't see
>your bottom anchor.

From all the bricks down there?

Seriously. I agree that your idea is a good habit to get into for the system you are using.

For lead roped solo using such devices as a Silent Partner, where both live and tail ends of the rope come out of the one device, ... one needs to double-check (visually etc), that one has the correct rope end if re-organising their system at pitch end.

Capt_mulch wrote;
>allow some 3mm chord to be inserted - tie an overhand stopper knot, flame it, then pull it into the void.

Might help to mention to tie another end knot in the cord within the 'void', to stop it pulling out easily ...?

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