Rope drag seriously is the worst thing in trad leads im still learning how to minimize i t. Techniques for prevention will be appreciated

Extend gear placements when possible to prevent sharp bends/angles in the rope. Use runners on wandering routes.

Runners (especially under roofs), not z clipping, double ropes, fewer pieces of pro...

the alpine draw

Got alpine draws. Know about roofs extending corner pieces etc. That stuff is easily said than done. Just curious if anybody has particulars technical tips they use. I can't predict wandering of the route well yet. Gonna be practicing more double rope techniques too

A particular technical tip would be...extending your placements using alpine draws... ಠ_ಠ
If really concerned about rope-drag. It is not a bad idea to extend all cams (unless on splitters) with an additional quickdraw. You could also pick up one or two DMM Revolver carabiners, but they're kinda pricey and heavy. They're proven to reduce friction, but I still see them as sort of gimmicky.

Skinny ropes are pretty much the shit. And obviously extend more and Place less helps a lot. But if u r extending what you should and are still having bad issues with drag try using a skinny cord.

So I've used tricks like walking cams instead of frequent placing. I also back clean and back extend pieces finding clipping into extended piece right away may be sketchy so I clip into the cam biner then go back and extend the piece from higher stance. It seems like a lot if work and im not sure if anybody else does it. Sometimes running out easy sections lead me to more drag for some reason. Could be route navigation...Skinny ropes do help though. One more thing: the presence if wind creates a huge rope drag so its something to consider but not sure how to avoid it.

Double ropes. Or place less gear. Though it seems reasonable to place a ton of gear, it could be beneficial to place less.

I use double ropes crossing them is still a problem im working on but I can't place less gear honestly especially on sketchy lines

I will place safe pieces that are set primarily for rope drag management. If an additional piece can be set to pull the rope off the rock and into air it is always a good thing! I have discovered that a rope running through air has a lot less rope drag then if it runs over rock!! ha

Don't put gear near the base of a roof or the base of a ledge even though it may often be tempting.

If it's a particularly long and wandering pitch, such as one that is say... 180ft and begins with a traverse, consider breaking it up into two pitches. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's a pain in the ass and easier to deal with a little rope drag- especially if time is a factor.

Also, the more wandering the route, the longer slings you should use. If you're not using double ropes, and your placements are all over the place, you should probably be extending damn near every one with a 120cm (4ft) runner. The other tips mentioned above about not placing directly under roofs etc can be helpful, but aren't always feasible. Sometimes you'll find yourself a little run out or sketched or whatever (especially if you're relatively new at leading on gear), and there are often bomber placements where the roof meets the wall. With short roofs sometimes you can get a jug and a good stance, and look for a good placement on the lip of the roof as opposed to under it. This is preferable for both reducing rope drag, and potential falls.

Pay attention to where your rope is running. If you have to lengthen or shorten an extension to keep the rope out of a thin crack, or from running over something sharp, do it.

Reading a route correctly, knowing where your rope is, where it's coming from, where you want it to be in order to keep the straightest line possible, and finding obscure placements that don't necessarily jump out at you will take some time, but it will help dramatically once you become proficient at it. <--------Run-on sentence. Apologies.

With double ropes I've always found it pretty important to have a plan before heading up. Since you usually can get a glimpse of what you're in store for, decide from the belay ledge which rope you're going to use on each section. If there's a traverse I'll use just one of the doubles leading up to it, do the traverse and then completely switch over to the unused rope.

Sounds like practice and getting more comfortable up there with what you're doing up there will help you sort it out-


ex- getting comfortable enough to take the time to place the cam, clip an alpine draw on, and only clip into the end of the draw.


ex- crossing your double ropes


long runners on everything will also help.

If you do use quickdraws, do you know how to stack them properly into a draw chain so that when you're out of runners you will still have long options for connecting to the gear?

All my draws are Alpine runners threaded biner into biner to shorten it to a manageable draw size racked on both sides of my harness on loops I could bring more slings over shoulder if I needed to actually but for now 12 gets me up a pitch pretty much. I like the idea of double ropes but its something that I need to get used to for sure to keep them straight. I also noticed when I place above my head its easier to see if the ropes are crossed but that may not always be an option. Thank you for your input!

What Elena "will be" Jose means is bringing a cam(s) up with you as you ascend.

A.K.A. Shuffling

Usually done with two cams. May be called "euro-ing" also.

Dangerous thing is if one or both blow there is a BIG fall potential as your next piece is WAAAAAY down there.

"Walking cam" generally refers to a cam creeping backwards into a crack from up and down rope movement. Sling length can help prevent/minimize this.

I carry slings over the shoulder with one biner clipped to each one. I use these when extending cams that already have a racking biner. I find this helps me avoids the hassle of deploying an alpine draw, and makes it easier for me to carry enough runners to extend every placement (if necessary) without crowding my gear loops too badly. You also save the weight of one extra biner, and distribute the weight more evenly around your body. Downside is they can be tough to deploy from some stances... but then again, so can alpine draws.

I follow the rule that if there is not a straight and obstacle-free line between the piece I just placed, my last piece, and the spot I anticipate putting my next piece, extend. If followed rigidly, this gets me home with minimal drag most of the time.

+1 on not placing gear under roofs or above ledges. If you absolutely must, use a double-length runner.