By Nate Myers
Mar 2, 2009
| So, as I attempt to climb harder routes on lead, I am wondering what the best method (ie the one that sacrifices the least gear) is to bail on a route that is too difficult. Clip an old carabiner into a bolt I suppose, does anyone ever use screwlinks for this?
Just curious,
Thanks,
Nate | 
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By Daniel Trugman
From Los Alamos, NM / Stanford, CA
Mar 2, 2009
| Climbing with someone better than you is usually the best way, but obviously not always possible. Bringing a crappy biner with you is always good.
Also, consider trying to downclimb. It's great for your footwork, and you don't lose a thing! (except for your dignity of course). |
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By Christian
From Tucson, Az
Mar 2, 2009
| Screwlinks just create a pain in the ass for the next guy to deal with. |
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By Buff Johnson
Mar 2, 2009
| i dunno bout you guys, but I'm using a good biner. |
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By James Beissel
From Boulder, CO
Mar 2, 2009
| If you don't have a stronger partner to finish the route for you, bring a stick clip and use it to aid to the anchors. You don't lose any gear and you can climb the route on toprope if you so choose. |
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By Cota
From Bend OR
Mar 2, 2009
| Sorry James,
I know that it takes a lot to get out there and push your limits, but everyone I climb with makes tons of fun of the people we see aiding a route with a stick clip.
Nate, if you pick routes that you can redpoint (eventually), then you can usually get to the anchors. Fear is what normally holds us back. Dont say take, get up there and fall of, you will figure it out.
That said, just leave an old biner, you will find enough bail biners others have left that you will even out on the bootie. Dont leave a screw link, like Christian said, complete pain in the ass, and a good one doesnt cost to much less than an oval biner.
Oh, and I second "start drinkin'" |
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By David Aguasca!
From New York
Mar 2, 2009
| If the route isn't too steep, you can use Ye Olde Slynge Trycke.
Disclaimer, first: if you get hurt doing this, don't come crying to me. Also, there's definitely some risk of messing this up...so try it on the ground first...
1: clip in direct to the last clipped bolt. CLipping into the quickdraw works.
2: take a 2ft sling and double it through the bolt.
3: untie from the rope. oooh, i know, scary. you're hanging from a single bolt. Thread the rope through the sling;you'll be rapping off it soon. Don't drop the rope.
4. this is the tricky part....tie one end of the rope to one side of the sling. so, from the free end of the rope, touching the ground, the rope goes up and throgh the sling, back to the ground, then back up to where it's tied to the sling. make sure you tie it to the side of the sling with the bar tack.
5. rap from both strands. make sure they're the correct strands, i.e. not the one tied to the sling. make sure to note which strand is tied to the sling, though, or you could really fuck this all up.
6. When you reach the ground, you'll be pulling the second rappel strand...that is, NOT the one touching the ground as a free end, NOT the one tied to the sling...
7. Once pulled all the way through, the sling will come down as well.
and if you are on a route with those chunky 1/2" glue-ins, you can rap directly from the bolt...no sling necessary. |
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By Adam Stackhouse
Administrator
Mar 2, 2009
| Provided one has enough cord, David's explanation is indeed the skool method of getting down sans leaving a biner. |
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By PRRose
From Boulder
Mar 2, 2009
| David Aguasca wrote: If the route isn't too steep, you can use Ye Olde Slynge Trycke. Disclaimer, first: if you get hurt doing this, don't come crying to me. Also, there's definitely some risk of messing this up...so try it on the ground first... 1: clip in direct to the last clipped bolt. CLipping into the quickdraw works. 2: take a 2ft sling and double it through the bolt. 3: untie from the rope. oooh, i know, scary. you're hanging from a single bolt. Thread the rope through the sling;you'll be rapping off it soon. Don't drop the rope. 4. this is the tricky part....tie one end of the rope to one side of the sling. so, from the free end of the rope, touching the ground, the rope goes up and throgh the sling, back to the ground, then back up to where it's tied to the sling. make sure you tie it to the side of the sling with the bar tack. 5. rap from both strands. make sure they're the correct strands, i.e. not the one tied to the sling. make sure to note which strand is tied to the sling, though, or you could really fuck this all up. 6. When you reach the ground, you'll be pulling the second rappel strand...that is, NOT the one touching the ground as a free end, NOT the one tied to the sling... 7. Once pulled all the way through, the sling will come down as well.
Extra points if you use a shoelace instead of webbing. |
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By David Aguasca!
From New York
Mar 2, 2009
| PRRose wrote: Extra points if you use a shoelace instead of webbing.
DOUBLE points if it's underwear. YOUR underwear. |
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By Kevin McLaughlin
From Colorado Springs
Mar 2, 2009
| Do you consider your life worth the cost of a carabiner ? Get lowered GENTLY from a NEW 'biner. Don't get killed while you're just trying to get down safely . |
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By Evan S
From Erie, CO
Mar 2, 2009
| Davids method is preferable if you have time, but in a serious situation, like weather or injury, carrying a couple quick links on your harness and using one of those is the easiest. Tough nuggets for the next guy, he'll get over it. Edit: or she, as most women seem to be way better climbers than I'll ever be. |
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By Kat A
From Bart and Lisa Ville, CO
Mar 2, 2009
| If the route is bolted closely enough you could do aid through the crux by yarding on the draw, or stepping into a sling clipped to the bolt. Or as others mentioned you could do some form of downclimbing/downfalling to clean the gear - assuming the falls are safe. Otherwise a $5 biner is a small price to pay to get down. |
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By Kevin McLaughlin
From Colorado Springs
Mar 2, 2009
| johnL wrote: My favorite bail booty is that which I've grabbed while freesoloing. It's more of an ego boost than a blowjob.
My guess is you don't get much or many of either . |
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By jarthur
From Westminster, CO
Mar 2, 2009
| Kateri Aren't wrote: If the route is bolted closely enough you could do aid through the crux by yarding on the draw, or stepping into a sling clipped to the bolt.
This crap only works in Colorado. This would never work in the Southeast b/c the FA's didn't like the idea of someone aiding one of their routes. Porter Jarrad and Doug Reed at the New River and Red River Gorge made you work for every single clip.
This isn't the case at every crag in CO I've been to, but Shelf, CCC, and BC is definitely the case. |
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By Joseph Stover
From Santa Barbara, CA
Mar 2, 2009
| I usually like to pull out a file and make the hanger nice and sharp and then rap directly off of that.
(totally kidding of course)
Have some cheap biners available or examine top rop access first. Scary traverses with potential pendulums are always a good adrenaline rush too(to get to other anchors). |
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By Kat A
From Bart and Lisa Ville, CO
Mar 2, 2009
| jarthur wrote: This crap only works in Colorado.
So perhaps you've never (?) pulled on a draw or stepped in a sling before jarthur, but it's obviously an effective way of getting through a crux move for sport, trad and alpine lines. Personally, I don't think it's a big deal when other people do it. |
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By Sergio P
From Idaho Springs, CO
Mar 2, 2009
| After you leave a biner or rapid link don't forget to wait a few weeks and then post about someone stealing your gear of a route. We just don't get enough of those conversations around here. |
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By Trent Bradford
From San Antonio, TX
Mar 2, 2009
| I always carry a screw link. I used one to retreat once, but I was able to recover it 30 minutes later. I generally climb in more secluded areas, and I rarely see climbers not in my own party. I never even thought about not being able to recover it and someone else having to deal with it. Of course, it wasn't difficult at all to clip a draw through the bolt above the link.
If you're one of those "every milli-ounce counts" climbers, consider that a cheap aluminum 0 biner will be lighter to lug around. |
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By Greg D
From Here
Mar 3, 2009
| David Aguasca wrote: If the route isn't too steep, you can use Ye Olde Slynge Trycke. Disclaimer, first: if you get hurt doing this, don't come crying to me. Also, there's definitely some risk of messing this up...so try it on the ground first... 1: clip in direct to the last clipped bolt. CLipping into the quickdraw works. 2: take a 2ft sling and double it through the bolt. 3: untie from the rope. oooh, i know, scary. you're hanging from a single bolt. Thread the rope through the sling;you'll be rapping off it soon. Don't drop the rope. 4. this is the tricky part....tie one end of the rope to one side of the sling. so, from the free end of the rope, touching the ground, the rope goes up and throgh the sling, back to the ground, then back up to where it's tied to the sling. make sure you tie it to the side of the sling with the bar tack. 5. rap from both strands. make sure they're the correct strands, i.e. not the one tied to the sling. make sure to note which strand is tied to the sling, though, or you could really fuck this all up. 6. When you reach the ground, you'll be pulling the second rappel strand...that is, NOT the one touching the ground as a free end, NOT the one tied to the sling... 7. Once pulled all the way through, the sling will come down as well. and if you are on a route with those chunky 1/2" glue-ins, you can rap directly from the bolt...no sling necessary.
That's a lot of work to save a $7 biner. Ironcially, you just trashed an $8 sling by burning it. I'm all for pushing one's limits but anyone doing this on a regular basis may need a reality check on what routes to attempt.
Mark Nelson wrote: i dunno bout you guys, but I'm using a good biner.
What he said. |
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By jarthur
From Westminster, CO
Mar 3, 2009
| Kateri Aren't wrote: So perhaps you've never (?) pulled on a draw or stepped in a sling before jarthur, but it's obviously an effective way of getting through a crux move for sport, trad and alpine lines. Personally, I don't think it's a big deal when other people do it.
Oh I'm guilty as charged. Although I've never stepped into a sling on a sport route (see sport route topic), but I have aided a route with a stick clip from time to time. But yarding on a bolt only works at some crags here in CO, but will not work at places like Smith Rock, NRG, and RRG(excluding Muir Valley what freaking joke) where the distance between bolts is pretty sparse. The only sport climbing area I've been to in CO that had pretty airy bolt spacing is Dinosaur Mtn just South of the Flatirons (I'm sure there might be others, but not where I've been). These routes were bolted back in the 80's. Which I highly recommend b/c a lot of the 60 to 70-ft routes there on avg have only 3-4 bolts. |
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By David Aguasca!
From New York
Mar 3, 2009
| Adam Stackhouse wrote: Provided one has enough cord, David's explanation is indeed the skool method of getting down sans leaving a biner.
Yeah. I've only used it at Rumney...everyone knows we have short routes. : (
Greg D wrote: That's a lot of work to save a $7 biner. Ironcially, you just trashed an $8 sling by burning it. I'm all for pushing one's limits but anyone doing this on a regular basis may need a reality check on what routes to attempt.
Well, no, you don't trash it...i've done it multiple times...on the same sling. No burn marks. |
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By Jay Knower
Administrator
From Plymouth, NH
Mar 3, 2009
| jarthur wrote: Which I highly recommend b/c a lot of the 60 to 70-ft routes there on avg have only 3-4 bolts.
Are you saying that the fewer bolts a climb has, the better it is? |
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By Mike Lane
From Centennial, CO
Mar 3, 2009
| Jay, dude is laid up right now and I think he wants company. Check out the profile pic: "you're not taking more than 3 draws on that, are you? ARE YOU!!!!????" |
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By Pete Elliott
From Co Spgs CO
Mar 3, 2009
| Biner fo sho. Especially one of my partner's biners. |
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