Hey people,

Looking at doing a bit of top rope aid climbing to gain faith/test my gear placements. Wht extra gear do I need for this? I have a full rack but don't have anything aid related, eg fifi hook, etriers. I guess I could loop some slings together or tie some webbing into loops.

Thanks

Jason

You can make etriers with a frost knot and a couple overhands. It isn't terribly complicated, and if you don't want to spend much money it works. Save your partner the trouble and belay yourself.

I don't know what a frost knot is, so I can't say if it'd be better or not, but I do know over-hands work fine for making aiders. 20' of webbing will make big 5-step ladders, so 15' of webbing will probably make nice short 4-steppers (I've only made 5-steps out of webbing).

Some camming hooks and a fifi will likely come in handy right off the bat, but just give it a shot with chocks and cams and such before you drop the dough. I wouldn't buy any gear till you know it's for you.

I got these as my first aiders. www.metoliusclimbing.com/pocket_aiders.html
They are pretty cheap and small. You can use them sport climbing too if you cant pull past a hard move and dont want to bail on a biner.

Thanks for the input people. I will make myself some etriers. Tristan, I like the look of those pocket aiders, could be handing in a multi-pitch senario when your pushing your grade.

Cheers

Found this video which is pretty cool.

www.itstactical.com/skillcom/knots/loops/knot-of-the-week-ho>>>

I've made my own daisy-chains using the following link. It works for aiders too, but i've never put the effort in.

Climbing Tech Tip - Making Your Own Webbing Aiders