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Stuck Climber scenario 23-Apr-2009 At 9:19:13 PM Marssan

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Scenario. Inexperienced climber has rapped onto a fusterclucked mess of rope and is
unable to get their weight off the mess to clear it. (lets assume they are conscious 'cos
if not i'd be hauling their ass up pronto)

First i'd haul both strands up a metre or two, tie off the rope so it doesn't run freely
through the rap anchor then i'd haul a metre or two of only ONE strand of the rope. The
other would have the weight released off it and become lax. Tie the system off. Rap
down on the lax rope.
A possible spanner that i can foresee is that if the tangled mess your partner is sitting
on slips a bit then the slack in your rap rope can be suddenly taken up giving you an
unwanted fireman belay. You'd have to release yourself, prussik up and repeat.

If you can't get a rope to become lax then the only 2 options are what you canvassed
already, haul or down prussic.

Edit: On low angled rock, with climbing shoes on, if you're strong as an ox you can
hand-over-hand down the rope. Circumstances would have to be pretty extreme for me
to consider this but it's always an option.