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solo multi pitch self belay

final fling

19-Mar-2010
10:31:03 AM

Well here goes.
This should be a nice Friday discussion or thought.

I have been solo self belaying climbing, top rope for some time and want to try some multi pitch stuff.

I am curious on the overall process.

I get the first pitch and how it would work with a device and back up etc but I am interested in peoples thoughts or experiences in setting up for multi pitch, cleaning the pitch and setting up for the second pitch.

Any ideas or experiences (with happy endings of course) would be pleasant to consider.

widewetandslippery

19-Mar-2010
10:45:09 AM

M9 is away so our helpful linker cannot help. Search Bomber Pros solo aid thread. It is very good, instructional book good. In fact for gri gri self belay and any other form of self belay situations I don't think I've ever read better.

ajfclark

19-Mar-2010
10:53:59 AM

*dons deputy linker hat*

This one? http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=1&MessageID=42709&Replies=1

also this one: http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=1&MessageID=68756&Replies=1

And here's another method: http://www.mountainz.co.nz/content/article/article.php?article=220406_ropesolo.php&direct=general

final fling

19-Mar-2010
11:00:44 AM

great stuff, this will make my weekend very eventful, reading and playing.

Awesome

pmonks

19-Mar-2010
2:46:33 PM

Anyone know if Hayden Brotchie is on here? He used to do quite a bit of that stuff, mostly in the Grose... ...and yes, he is still alive.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

1-Apr-2010
3:27:10 PM

On 19/03/2010 ajfclark wrote:
>*dons deputy linker hat*

Well done.
Good to see the system copes and carries on successfully, as none of us are indispensible!
~> ... final fling should be suitably impressed if he can get past the side issues in those threads!

final fling

1-Apr-2010
3:49:22 PM

I have adjusted my Gri Gri courtesy of the links sent and have done about 6 hours of easy grade solo roped, mostly 9-10 grade single pitch. looking forward to when everyone leave araps after easter and giving a few multi pitch runs a crack.

so far still alive and enjoying the moments of 'ahhh s#@t now what"

IdratherbeclimbingM9

1-Apr-2010
4:22:34 PM

>thoughts or experiences in setting up for multi pitch, cleaning the pitch and setting up for the second pitch.

In a nutshell.
* It is the same process as single pitch, but repeated.
* Cleaning can be done by self-belay-top-rope-free-climbing the route again, or jumaring the fixed lead-line.
* Additional gear needs to be carried to set up the subsequent belay station.
* It is most important that the belays on multipitch are good for all directions of loading (particularly upward and downward).
* Good rope management is crucial to avoid bad experiences, not only from sharp edges etc, but also annoying things like rope free-spooling out when not wanting it too, once you have climbed past the half way mark.

singersmith

1-Apr-2010
7:03:51 PM

It's not necessary to modify your grigri, although what's done is done. I wouldn't exactly classify it as dangerous, but it certainly has that potential. Flyin' Brian McCray sailed huge on the Surgeon General (if memory serves) when his grigri didn't catch and this modification was a potential contributor.

Pull up the lead line tight and clove hitch a bomber piece every fifteen meters or so lest the rope weight pulls extra slack through-especially if you've modified. I personally almost went from the first belay into the talus off the Shortest Straw after brain farting this detail once. A guy who was soloing next to me on the first pitch of the Zodiac, 25 feet away from me when I pitched, bailed immediately.

Good rope management is absolutely key. I stack the whole rope, clip it on the back of my harness and carry it.

There's no need to be a hero rope solo free climbing, not like you need to tick the redpoint, therefore is probably wisest to mountain climb with an unmodified device i.e. hang on a piece periodically if you don't have a stance and sort out the rope/slack.

Phil Box

1-Apr-2010
7:43:11 PM

Don't clove the lead rope. Use a long prussik loop and prussik the rope to the piece every 15 metres or so. This will ensure that the rope does the job it is designed to do. Cloving the piece may lift that piece out in a fall. The long prussik allows plenty of stretch through the piece.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

7-Apr-2010
2:08:09 PM

On 1/04/2010 Phil Box wrote:
>Don't clove the lead rope. Use a long prussik loop and prussik the rope
>to the piece every 15 metres or so. This will ensure that the rope does
>the job it is designed to do. Cloving the piece may lift that piece out
>in a fall. The long prussik allows plenty of stretch through the piece.

... ~> imo it is even better to do the prusik trick using low strength cord.
A shoe lace thickness is sufficient to hold rope-weight to stop back-feeding, but will likely break (a good thing), in the event of a fall, thus allowing the lead rope to do it's thing relatively unhindered.
On some climbs when using a Silent Partner, I do this with cotton shoelaces (less strong than nylon), and if there is any question of the piece I have attached it to being lifted out during a fall because of having this attachment, I place an equalised bit of pro for upward loading, to prevent that happening.

final fling

7-Apr-2010
2:58:10 PM

I have tried a few ways to manage the lead rope while climbing. from coiling on the ground (pretty silly lots of extra feeding to pull rope up) then in a small back pack. which was ok.

The idea of the prusik sounds good as I did have a bit of trouble with the rope sliding down to the anchore the higher I climbed and needed to keep feeding it back up to keepo tension.

Once at the top I tied off and set up a top rope anchore , rapped down pulling gear out and climbed again one rope in the gri gri and tying clove hitches into the other rope onto alternating biners.
slow process but learnt heaps and still got to climb.

One thing though@!!! I definatley know you need to make decisions as you go and if getting to a crux and not happy with Pro placements, down climbing becomes a wonderful thing, even if it is to pick another line or to rap of the last bit of gear. All of which I have experienced!
Especially climbing new routes that may not be graded or in new areas.

Still think its great training, had a rope coil as I was rapping down and needed to stop mid stream and tye off the rap to sort the coil. again lots to learn.

brendan

1-Jan-2011
7:08:00 PM

On 7/04/2010 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>On 1/04/2010 Phil Box wrote:
>>Don't clove the lead rope. Use a long prussik loop and prussik the rope
>>to the piece every 15 metres or so. This will ensure that the rope does
>>the job it is designed to do. Cloving the piece may lift that piece out
>>in a fall. The long prussik allows plenty of stretch through the piece.
>
>... ~> imo it is even better to do the prusik trick using low strength
>cord.
>A shoe lace thickness is sufficient to hold rope-weight to stop back-feeding,
>but will likely break (a good thing), in the event of a fall, thus allowing
>the lead rope to do it's thing relatively unhindered.
>On some climbs when using a Silent Partner, I do this with cotton shoelaces
>(less strong than nylon), and if there is any question of the piece I have
>attached it to being lifted out during a fall because of having this attachment,
>I place an equalised bit of pro for upward loading, to prevent that happening.

I have been using really long pussicks when solo aiding with some success, generally i would use 2/3 per pitch and using them stratigically e.g. on good gear below a roof/edge, so when your jumaring the pitch your weighted rope is hanging from the prussick and not running over the sharp edge above the prussick

dmnz

4-Jan-2011
9:28:18 PM

http://mountainz.co.nz/content/article/article.php?article=240906_tongariro.php&direct=nz

http://mountainz.co.nz/content/article/article.php?article=220406_ropesolo.php&direct=general

hargs

4-Jan-2011
9:50:39 PM

On 4/01/2011 dmnz wrote:
>http://mountainz.co.nz/content/article/article.php?article=220406_ropesolo.php&direct=general

Use shock-cord instead of a sling around your neck, much more comfortable.

There are 15 messages in this topic.