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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 28
Author
Tips, tricks & jiggery pokery in the climbing game

IdratherbeclimbingM9
22-Sep-2011
1:44:17 PM
Although Chockstone has its own Tech(nique) Tips section, I thought I'd start a thread, for others to contribute things they have learnt in the climbing game.

The postings need not be a 'how to' manual like the Tech Tips section; … though if they warrant it, they might end up migrated by the Site Author to that section? Anyway, we all gain experience every time we go climbing, and some of it, even the simple stuff, is worth sharing, in case others can benefit by it.

So to kick it off, here are some tips from a recent experience I had…








I took a fall while onsight trad climbing last weekend, and have thought about aspects of it since, as I like to try and learn from such incidents.

I was leading the second pitch and using double rope technique. I placed a high runner on the right hand rope strand on a different line, and downclimbed a bit before negotiating a short leftwards traverse, towards my intended climbing line which was a stacked blocks semi-detached pinnacle, to a short headwall topout.

The second (LH), rope strand was clipped to pro placed in a few locations while ascending the stacked blocks, however the short headwall appeared blank for protection when I got to the pinnacle top, so I draped a long sling over the top of the pinnacle, and then clipped both rope strands with their own krabs (to avoid sheath glazing if I fell), to it.

All good.

Or was it?

At this point I tried to envisage what would happen to my protection system thus far if I was to fall while on the headwall and had managed to finangle any higher protection, and decided that it would be a good idea to place an extra piece for upward loading, clipped to the pinnacle sling, to anchor it from being lifted off the pinnacle due to rope tension during any such fall.

Upon close inspection of the topout I was able to place good protection fairly deep in a slot created by a summit-boulder hanging over the short headwall, lengthened it with a runner to get the rope krab over the cliff edge, and clipped the RH strand to it.

I then managed to stuff up the topout mantle move, and took a 3, maybe four metre with rope stretch, fall. It was certainly long enough to give me time to think that the rope should be pulling me up before it actually did, and I ended up below the sling I had draped over the pinnacle, with the loaded system drum-tight.

I secretly thanked the link-cam that took the fall, and audibly thanked my belayer for the catch!

Hmm.
From this perspective I noticed how much higher my RH rope strand had ended up while under tension, and lower placement cams had rotated in their positions (which I had allowed for when placing same), but it was obvious to me that if I had not anchored down that pinnacle sling earlier, then during the fall it would have been lifted for sure; and if that top piece had then popped while trying to do it's job-
… It scares me a little to think of the next bounce I might have taken(!), but I take comfort that my reasoning and actions were vindicated.

Take home message?
Probably a few, but the reader may think differently.


Post edit:
Would I do it differently if I climbed it again?
As an onsight probably not, ... but now with benefit of hindsight, & if doing a repeat knowing about the pro opportunity at the top, I would not clip the RH strand of double ropes to that pinnacle sling, but instead simply clip it to the top piece, but I would still anchor down that pinnacle sling before taking on the headwall.

sbm
22-Sep-2011
7:34:06 PM
In hindsight do you reckon it wouldve been better to only clip the left rope to the slung pillar? It sounds like the right rope zigzagged a bit before you clipped it into the last piece.

What did you use for the oppositional piece and how did you rig it to the sling?

IdratherbeclimbingM9
22-Sep-2011
8:53:27 PM
On 22/09/2011 sbm wrote:
>In hindsight do you reckon it wouldve been better to only clip the left
>rope to the slung pillar?

Yes, kind of! (See post edit above, made prior your posted question).
At the time, I considered it a real possibility that I may fall while attempting the topout (especially if I had to hang around trying to place gear), which is why I ran both ropes through the last bit of protection. Up till that point I only had one piece on the right hand rope, but maybe four bits of pro on the left rope, in a lead out from the belay of about 20 metres.

>It sounds like the right rope zigzagged a bit
>before you clipped it into the last piece.
>
Not really, as the rope drag was only starting to become noticable on the right hand rope, and I wasn't far off topping out.
Having said that though, after the fall, I did unclip the right hand rope from the pinnacle sling, as I was feeling wasted and didn't want even that manageable amount of drag on the second shot, and by then I knew my top piece of pro was good!

>What did you use for the oppositional piece and how did you rig it to
>the sling?

The pinnacle top is a shattered block with a small crack near its base on the top of an undulation; think of say, a small crack on top of the corner of your table. It was the obvious easiest placement and perfect size for a small hybrid alien placed with stem sticking straight up, with its draw clipped straight to the 'pulled down taught' pinnacle sling.

There were other options for upward loaded gear lower down that could have been extended with a longer runner.







Post edit: (general tip).

Depending on the bit of rock being tied off, slings can be girth hitched to them as well.
Sometimes this is the only option and one has to 'make do', however, often sufficient as this is, it is not as robust (multidirectional), as a connected upward-loading piece to the same sling would be.

Be aware of any sharp rock edges that may cut the sling if loaded. These can sometimes be 'padded out' by judicious placement of a chockstone.

If a girth hitched sling is used, then arrange the girth location so that it tightens when the rope connected to it is loaded in the anticipated direction the load will come from...
White Trash
30-Sep-2011
12:45:26 PM
Learn the backup method of belaying with a munter hitch.
If you ever drop your belay device your still likely to have a biner on the rack that you can improvise the munter with, though the widemouth style are best for the purpose.
widewetandslippery
30-Sep-2011
12:47:23 PM
learn the right way to orient a wire gate biner when using a munter

benjenga
30-Sep-2011
2:46:34 PM
Allways take a head torch, even if your just having a nice Arvo sport climbing.

wallwombat
30-Sep-2011
2:54:10 PM
Put the beer in your partner's pack when they aren't looking.
tinman
30-Sep-2011
3:45:52 PM
be careful when you use a drop knee. your knee cap might dislodge.
widewetandslippery
30-Sep-2011
4:07:04 PM
Who did you pull that one with wombat, wasn't me the packs normally full?

wallwombat
1-Oct-2011
2:08:54 AM
No, there not much point in trying to sneak beer into a pack that is already full of beer.

skegly
3-Oct-2011
10:23:08 PM
Green oil

shortman
3-Oct-2011
10:27:33 PM
On 3/10/2011 Beryllium wrote:
>What are people using for their hands? I'm using Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour
>Cream. It's a rich emolient originally developed for use on horse hooves.
>It has a nice softening effect but it's quite heavy so I tend to wear it
>at night only. I understand that some things in life have to give when
>you're trying to improve on your climbing but just interested to know what
>others are using.

Chalk....I could direct you to some really awesome products.
rockranga
4-Oct-2011
9:48:35 AM
after you and your buddy have topped out don't throw him the shoes he plans to use for the walk down, if he don't catch them there's a good chance they're going over the edge of that three pitch climb you just finished
widewetandslippery
4-Oct-2011
10:13:44 AM
Dont take approach shoes on 3 pitch routes, suck up and walk down in your climbing shoes or bare feet.
mikllaw
4-Oct-2011
11:16:23 AM
On multipitch I don't like falling onto a belay-
When I lead up to a belay; if it looks at all tricky to leave the belay, I continue climbing till I can clip good gear, then climb back down to the belay.

If we are swinging leads and the other climber is climbing through,I belay them through the new top piece, which becomes a toprope for them after they pass the belay.

If I am leading on, I tie the rope through the top piece into myself. When I start to lead I have a toprope up to it.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
4-Oct-2011
11:23:53 AM
On 4/10/2011 mikllaw wrote:
>If I am leading on, I tie the rope through the top piece into myself.
>When I start to lead I have a toprope up to it.

You swap rope ends, or back-flake the rope through the top piece?
maxdacat
4-Oct-2011
1:43:59 PM
Cowboy clip, mid route from a kneebar.
mikllaw
4-Oct-2011
1:45:03 PM
On leading past the bely initially I clip the belay as a runner, then clip the good top piece,then climb back down. Tie a fig 8 in the rope (which is running through the belay/runner) running the top piece to me as part of the belay.

Don't swap ends, but you do have to back-flake the rope. Get on belay, undo the knot and you're on toprope.

Sorry, I'm in china on weird computer- otherwise I could make a confusing sketch
widewetandslippery
4-Oct-2011
1:56:46 PM
confusion says...
maxdacat
4-Oct-2011
4:05:00 PM
On 4/10/2011 widewetandslippery wrote:
>confusion says...

pay that!

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