Tech Tips - Multi-Pitch Climbing

It's common in the UK to swap leads on multi-pitch routes. It's something to do with our British sense of fairplay; we don't want to hog all the leading (especially when the next pitch looks a bit stiff!). However, it's worth experimenting with leading pitches in blocks i.e. on a six-pitch route I might lead the bottom pitches and my mate might lead the top three. There are a couple of key advantages:

1. There's no need to keep swapping the equipment over at each stance. The leader just takes the protection that the second's removed and is ready to go.

2. It can take a bit of time to 'get your eye in' with placing gear so you might find that you place better gear if you climb a few pitches together.

It's common to use double ropes on multi-pitch routes. They can help to reduce rope drag and also allow double-length abseils which is particularly handy if things don't go according to plan. Anyone who's climbed with double ropes will have spent some time on belay stances cursing the tangled mass of rope that's threatening to take over the whole of the stance. We can save ourselves a load of stress and hassle if we just think about things a bit. These basic principles might help:

1. The leader should figure out which way the route goes next before setting up a belay. If you're leading pitches in blocks (see above) and the route goes up and rightwards the leader should be on the right hand side of the stance. If you're swapping leads at this stance the second would come up and stand on the right. Easy.

2. If you're leading in blocks, the second should clip into the belay UNDER the leader's ropes. This allows the leader to exit without getting tangled.

Even if you're really slick with your double ropes, single ropes still rule on routes that are straight up and where you're not likely to have to abseil. They're light and straightforward to use.

When climbing on a single rope it's a good idea to carry a couple of extendable quickdraws that can be used either short or long. Using them long allows the rope to take a straighter line so you get less rope drag. To make an extendable quickdraw, make up a normal quickdraw using a 50 cm sling and two snapgate krabs. Pass one krab through the other and clip two strands.

We've now bought ourselves some time for something really useful...

The ability to assess the quality of an anchor is a critical multi-pitch climbing skill and something that you should look for opportunities to practice. Today I take far more care assessing belay anchors, abseil anchors and runner placements than I did ten years ago because accidents have happened in the meantime because people checked anchors but didn't check them thoroughly enough!

It's common to concentrate on learning slick rope techniques but simple rope systems tied to bomber anchors are the sign of a climber at the top of their game.

Get rid of all those non-load bearing krabs/clips that you use for racking and organising. One day someone who's not aware might abseil off them. Swap them for full-strength snapgate krabs that are easier to handle and can be used for protection when you're running out of gear.

Suppose you're half way up a multi-pitch trad route. You're leading and find yourself underneath the crux with twenty metres of rope out beneath you. The gear on this pitch so far has been excellent but runs out a couple of metres beneath the crux. You can see there's no decent gear until a few metres past the crux. Question is: do you build a belay beneath the crux or push on past it?

Got an opinion? Get on the forum and discuss it :-) See link below.

Discuss this story

Jules (Orion Mountaineering)

Thought I'd start a thread for comments, any other multi-pitch tips that you'd like to share, suggestions for future articles etc.

So what you going to do? Belay above or below the crux...and more importantly why!

Posted: 31/03/2006 at 09:53

The Doctor

Cara Lyn... Here we go!

Posted: 31/03/2006 at 10:54

Cara-Lyn: Stealth Sloth

Suppose you're half way up a multi-pitch trad route. You're leading and find yourself underneath the crux with twenty metres of rope out beneath you. The gear on this pitch so far has been excellent but runs out a couple of metres beneath the crux. You can see there's no decent gear until a few metres past the crux. Question is: do you build a belay beneath the crux or push on past it?

(copied so I can see what I'm replying to)

If you build a belay at the crux, I'm then assuming there is NO more gear until afterwards, so nowhere to get an early runner in for the next pitch? I'm also assuming I'd have to lead the crux whatever (i.e. be it the finish of this pitch or the start of the next) and am not with anyone leading much harder than me who would find it a doddle.

In which case I'd carry on. Otherwise a fall immediately after the belay would put immense strain on the belay itself. Falling on the crux (a few metres up, and no gear) would mean a large fall factor with not much rope to absorb the impact. Falling at the same point with good runners below, and well above the belay, would mean loads of rope out from the bottom belay and a lower fall factor.

It's one of those situations where the heart is saying "shiiit I don't like this, let's stop here" and the head calculating fall factors and realising it's wiser to move on.

Posted: 31/03/2006 at 11:13

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