Alpine savvy aid climbing.
Alpine savvy aid climbing The bar tacks cause the sling to open up a bit when it's hanging, making it easier to step into. A beak piton (a shortening of the broader term bird beak) is a very thin piton with a V-shaped downward hook at the end. It helps to actually put your foot in the sling and step (gently) on the bar tacks, to keep them in the right place and put a bit of tension on the sling as Dec 1, 2023 · Aideer Climbing is a one-man show, crafted by Olle Hjort in Stockholm Sweden. Despite access to solid weather forecasts, deciding to continue on a climb or bail is often a challenging and subjective decision. With modern tools like a progress capture pulley and micro ascenders, crevasse rescue is usually faster and simpler. More complicated techniques are needed to solo an overnight alpine route or aid-solo a big wall. Advocated by IFMGA Guides Marc Chavin and Rob Coppolillo (authors of the excellent book “The Mountain Guide Manual”) this method uses the climbing rope coming off of the leader’s connection to the anchor as the primary anchor point for the follower, as opposed to the second clipping Mar 25, 2019 · Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. Dec 12, 2024 · Rebelays have long been used by cavers, who know how to take good care of fixed ropes. k. Some older methods are cumbersome, slow to set up, and add unnecessary clutter. Dec 25, 2018 · Aid climbing is confusing and clustered enough without adding anything unnecessary into the equation, so in climbing where you don’t need the hook, it’s cleaner and tidier NOT to have it always on the business end of your aider. Put the sewn part on the “bottom” of one half of the sling. Apr 16, 2023 · When you arrive at a bolted anchor, and the stance is fairly small, a good first step is often to clip a quickdraw. You'll be repeating the same motion literally hundreds of times on your route, so attention to detail matters! Once you have it set up correctly: May 2, 2022 · Having simple, repeatable, and easy to check systems for different components of aid climbing is critical. Sep 20, 2018 · A techie climbing term you may come across is an “HMS” carabiner. After you know these two clever tips from big wall expert Chris Many alpine routes have sections that, in poor weather, may be impossible without using aid. ” If you don’t speak German, it’s a reasonable question. All climbers need proper training and equipment, and to take personal responsibility for their choices. Curated instructional videos. Feb 27, 2019 · Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. Some wider D shaped lockers may not fit. . Feb 2, 2025 · I once came across an anchor that another climbing party had set up with a sewn pocket daisy chain. if you're not using a girth hitch and using a double loop bowline tether, it's okay to tie it through your belay loop with any kind of material. Your setup for leading is definitely in this category. The plan is for you to lead the aid pitch, fix the rope, and have your partner ascend the fixed rope and clean the gear in standard aid climbing technique . Check it out Mar 9, 2022 · Aideer big wall gear, made in Sweden, carries on the tradition of a one-man shop making high-quality climbing gear, with impeccable attention to design and sewing, with fair prices and fast shipping. This translates to ultra-caution in all parts of your hauling system and interaction with bags, haul lines, docking cords, and pulleys. Jan 1, 2024 · Great for aid climbing, when you often have more than one carabiner clipped to another. Jun 21, 2019 · The climbing rangers at Mt. Poop in a bag, on your ledge. Kong has it in the “aid climbing” category on their website, but I think it’s better as a personal tether. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation. Dec 17, 2018 · On big wall climbs taking two or three days with a team of two, you can probably use a traditional 1:1 hauling system. Once you have it set up right: I once came across an anchor that another climbing party had set up with a sewn pocket daisy chain. Many of the tips here are appropriate only for those with prior experience. These skills are outside the scope of this article. Some people choose to use these, occasionally incorrectly, so let's learn about this gear and some of the drawbacks. Feb 21, 2020 · Warning: Climbing is dangerous. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of an experienced climber, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation. Jan 2, 2023 · There are many different approaches to crevasse rescue. Oct 26, 2022 · This clever device works much the same as the Petzl Adjust tethers, but costs a lot less, around $12. However, for climbs much longer than this, or a team of three, or when you or your teammate are significantly lighter than the bags, or if the hauling is on terrain less then vertical, or maybe when you simply want to suffer a lot less, you may well want to add some mechanical Apr 21, 2022 · Having simple, repeatable, and easy to check systems for different components of aid climbing is critical. Jul 27, 2024 · Here’s a DIY gear hack that’s handy when cleaning a traversing aid pitch, or maybe a overhanging sport route. Also, a knife is useful for cleaning up any rat nest of old sun-crusted cord and webbing you often find at alpine anchors. Generally, it's best practice to have all team members clip to a knot with a locking carabiner, rather than tying the rope through the harness. But what do you do with a single /60 cm or double / 120 cm runner to shorten it up for racking? Answer: the “alpine quickdraw”. Times when you may need to rope-solo include: - Climbing up to reach an injured leader after escaping the belay Sep 9, 2018 · Even if you’re climbing an aid route cleanly, meaning without a hammer, having a “beak” style piton can come in very handy. Warning: Climbing is dangerous. It's also quite expensive, and you definitely don't want to drop it. 3M makes them, so you know the adhesive is good stuff. It looks a lot like a bird head, hence some of the clever names: Toucan, Tomahawk, Pecker etc. Oct 24, 2018 · Taped biners are more useful than quick links since you can also use them for climbing, and they are less likely to be stolen by the next team. When you're jugging thousands of vertical feet and and cleaning hundreds of placements, you really want to have this dialed. Download GPS tracks for more than 70 routes in the Pacific Northwest. ” Let’s break Nov 2, 2022 · Pro tip: If you're doing an alpine start, rig your your rope with knots and coils the night before. If you want to gear up for a big wall adventure, Aideer is a fine place to start. This secondary anchor can be SOLID gear you place, or a bolt. With a girth hitch, the cam hook is ready to use fast when you need it, but is easily removed when you don't. Knowledge of aid techniques can also provide a way to safely move up or down a crag in an emergency. Jan 7, 2019 · Using the backside of the leader’s clove hitch is a great way to transition from climbing to descending. Skot sells some key gear to dial in your 2:1 hauling system , such as the perfect length of low stretch Zed cord, and a zero-stretch wire quickdraw. a. Mar 8, 2024 · Practice transitioning from aid climbing to free climbing. If you're using a rope style lanyard such as the Petzl Connect Adjust, follow Petzl’s recommendation and girth hitch it to your belay loop. Just a few aid moves may be all that is needed to reach a summit or a safer descent. Premium Members get even more. Feb 8, 2024 · Note: All climbing techniques, especially one as important as belaying a leader, are best learned under the guidance of a qualified instructor, ideally a credentialed mountain guide. Oct 19, 2018 · You’re taking a friend on Monkey Face at Smith Rock. Dec 15, 2020 · Aid climbing, they say, is a game of inches. High Mountain Gear is from Tacoma Washington. Feb 27, 2025 · Carry a knife, so you can cut up your cordage (or maybe even an end off your climbing rope) to make an anchor. Girth hitch an aid climbing fifi ihook to an adjustable tether. “ambition exceeding ability”), there can be lots of valid reasons to turn aro Sep 1, 2021 · Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. Jun 25, 2020 · Sewn pocket daisy chains are designed for aid climbing, have a strength of only about 3 kN between the pockets, and have some limitations for use as a lanyard and definitely in anchor systems. Works nicely as a top rope master point, using three snapgate ovals opposite and opposed. Aug 25, 2022 · A few words on hauling, from big wall expert Andy Kirkpatrick: “Hauling is potentially one of the most dangerous aspects of big wall climbing. if the stance is more marginal, you can tie a one handed clove hitch to attach yourself directly to one bolt. Inspiring mountain photography. Please seek out proper instruction if you want to learn this technique. If you do them wrong, you could die. Pop the fifi, ta Dec 1, 2023 · This makes many different aspects of aid climbing faster and more efficient, such as top stepping, cleaning traverses, and even leading without connections to your ladders. Not a PAS style with sewn loops, rated to 22+ kN, but one made for aid climbing, with sewn pockets that are rated around 2-4 kN. Aug 11, 2023 · A popular approach to crevasse rescue is to use a 2:1 “drop C” as the primary mechanical advantage system. Over 500 FREE tips and navigation resources for climbing and mountaineering. Jan 5, 2019 · Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you have a decent place to stand, you might only need to clip the rope to the draw. Be it challenging weather, poor conditions, route finding errors, or general loss of mojo (a. but you remember that from the anchor, the rope goes over a rather sharply angled edge before drops to your partner. Aug 27, 2020 · The Petzl Micro Traxion is an efficient, compact, progress capture pulley popular with many climbers and rigging professionals. ” Here’s a second article from Climbing magazine, where they advocate doing it. Functionally the same as two lockers, gives a nice smooth lower, and maybe puts the wear and tear on less expensive ovals instead of your more $$ locking carabiners. Practice vertical rope techniques with a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation. When leading, you can get extra reach out of each placement if you try to clip your aider as high on the gear as possible. A rebelay is simply adding an additional anchor(s) below the potential abrasion point. Several of their products cross over well to alpine climbing and ski mountaineering. Climb better, smarter, and safer with Alpinesavvy. It's one less thing to do at 0:dark:30 by headlamp when you're sleepy. After you know these two clever tips from big wall expert Chris McNamara, it's a LOT easier. Each TEAR-AID® Repair Patch is made from an exceptionally tough, matte finish, abrasion resistant, elastomer that resists puncture and tearing. Is this standard practice? Absolutely not! May 15, 2024 · If you're big wall / aid climbing, the tie in points are usually better, because that gets your waist a bit closer to the gear you're clipped to. Check out these great diagrams from Petzl on how to do it, and learn some ways to practice before you get on the real stone. Let's look at some techniques and video from pr May 27, 2019 · When aid climbing, the transition from your nice comfy aider steps into free climbing a few 5. Your setup for seconding and cleaning is definitely in this category. Jul 30, 2018 · Steri-Strips, a cross between a band-aid and a suture, are narrow strips of super strong first aid tape that really stick to skin and are used to close cuts in place of a suture. Having a metal point on the anchor prevents the ropes from sawing and damaging it, and makes the ropes easier to pull. This website offers information and ideas (not advice) intended to reduce your risk when climbing. Mar 8, 2024 · Practice transitioning from aid climbing to free climbing. Is this standard practice? Absolutely not! Feb 7, 2023 · Stay sharp and practice your anchor skills! If you have a simple training board like this, you can rig up just about anything you can imagine: top rope anchors, rappel transitions, multipitch, and more. Mar 5, 2024 · Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. Rainier National Park made a clever decision matrix to help remove some emotion from this important choice. Every inch helps! And . Good rule of thumb, if you add cord to improve an existing anchor, remove the oldest piece(s) and take it with you. Good news: there’s a “stealth” built-in spot to thread a thin keeper cord. While the classic two ladder, two tether set up is going to be more efficient for multiple aid pitches, sometimes you may need to improvise with minimal gear. Mar 1, 2023 · from the Tear-Aid website: “TEAR-AID® Repair Patches provide a simple and easy method of patching holes and tears, as well as an excellent protective film solution. And when you're free climbing, you have to keep them tidy and out-of-the-way, but instantly accessible to transition back to aid. Cost is about $5 in materials, and five minutes of your time with basic hand tools. . Now you can easily transfer your weight on to the gear, which lets you unclip your quickdraw and/or the rope. 6 moves can be surprisingly terrifying. Feb 27, 2019 · Aid ladders always seem to be trying to trip you up. Jul 30, 2018 · A good rule of thumb in climbing is to never let anything hang below your knees. Founder Kyle Willis designs and sews small batch made-in-USA products for alpine and big wall climbing, much of it from re-purposed fabrics. or, pretty straightforward if you have the proper gear and technique. When aid climbing, the transition from your nice comfy aider steps into free climbing a few 5. Mar 18, 2020 · A few words on hauling, from the excellent big wall climbing book, “Higher Education”, by Andy Kirkpatrick (Buy it here): “Hauling is potentially one of the most dangerous aspects of big wall climbing. Sep 9, 2018 · Using a designated lower out cord like this can be especially helpful when climbing with folks relatively new to aid climbing, who may not have the more advanced following / cleaning skills. It’s actually an acronym for “Halbmastwurf sicherung”, which loosely translates as “Munter hitch belay carabiner. Apr 10, 2020 · 1 - Start with a 120 cm sling. Set up your ledge on a real cliff and spend a night in it, not just in a backyard tree. Note: Not all carabiners fit in the Kong Slyde. Feb 17, 2020 · Aid climbing through a roof can be insanely awkward and strenuous . Do “aid bouldering” close to the ground, placing all manner of tiny stoppers, marginal hooks and micro cams until you really know how far you can push them before Feb 20, 2020 · If you're girth hitching a tether (or adjustable daisy for aid climbing) with a wider nylon sling, either the tie in points or the belay loop should be fine. Learn some of the advantages of the drop C over the 3:1 Z drag, some easy hacks to make it work even better, and how to overcome a couple of potential problems. Here's a great technique to do just that, from expert climber Libby Sauter. It was a top rope, where the loads were going to be low. Rebelays can also be useful in some climbing applications, such as big walls, instructional settings, or rescues. The cord I like is a simply 5 or 6 mm cord, about 15 feet / 5 meters. Olle makes soft good for aid climbing, big walls and some industrial use. What ‘da heck does this mean? (Hint, it’s not “Her Majesty’s Ship. Only the basic technique is described here. Nov 26, 2018 · Warning: Climbing is dangerous. Do “aid bouldering” close to the ground, placing all manner of tiny stoppers, marginal hooks and micro cams until you really know how far you can push them before Apr 13, 2022 · Credit for the improv aid ladder goes to Fabio Elli, from the Alpine Aid chapter of his book, “Hooking Up”. A simple trick is this method, best described with a photo. May 24, 2019 · Warning: Climbing is dangerous. With a cam, this usually means the thumb loop. edklyxr uxlyh khont azcujhh kljcoh auxu esjtx rakrd ztdh cqiqgwib irglu gjdz fgoscf ogcan imwbwu