Climbing a route with a stick clip?

On two separate occasions recently I have seen people climbing a route with a stick clip tied to their back. One was some 5.9 in penitente, another was a 5.12 or 5.11 in boulder canyon. On occasion they would clip to the bolt at their waist, sit back, and clip the next bolt. Both of these climbs were safe clip-ups. Is this some standard practice? Or is it just a good way to impale yourself?

Lead climbing is passe. Complex top roping is all the rage.

I have not seen that, creative way to top rope if you dont have a friend to lead and set the TR up for you.

i really like using my yellow-point-telescopic-clipstick!

just extend it the whole way up to the anchors, and CLIP.

it just makes the routes so safe, espically in boulder canyon!

sweet, i just yellow-pointed my proj!

Sounds 1-lame, and 2-dangerous... what if they swing and jam that thing into their neck or something? It's a sport route for chrissake--that's why the bolts are there in the first place. Having said that, the last time I was at the Gunks, I noticed that the guidebook recommended bringing a short stick clip for a pin at the crux of a certain route if you're short(otherwise the crux is 'R'); having seconded it, I think that's a fair assessment. I had never seen that as a recommended technique, though--seems weird to me.

They dont call em chicken sticks for nothing. A disturbing new fad if you ask me. If you dont have the cajones to make it to the next bolt bail and climb something easier.

Occasionally I like to bring a stick clip that's 6' tall, dark, and handsome. It's hard to carry this stick clip on my back (a little heavy) but fortunately the stick clip can self-propel up the route.

Grow a friggen sack.

SAL wrote:Grow a friggen sack.

I agree....or climb something easier

If you don't have a rope gun handy, stick clipping and utilizing the batman technique can be a great way to get a rope to the anchors of a climb. If you're not sure you can do the moves and you just want to suss it out on toprope, it leaves you with zero probability of bailing and leaving your own gear dangling on the bolts.

I probably wouldn't recommend actually climbing with the stick clip on your back, however.

I've been toying with converting the rpg to a more useful purpose by retrofitting a grappling hook.

You can just go right for the anchor on the sporties, the trouble I'm having is with the trad anchors. I'm thinking the device, after reaching the target area, should eject some sort of spidey strands, or tri-cams as they work anywhere; then incorporate some sort of 7mm rig to join the placements into a masterpoint with opposing biners and a tag strand to get the rope through.

Right now it just explodes like a big paintball.

Another issue is that the device is fairly loud; what I think I can do is muffle it and enhance the sound to some sort of screaming peregrine to match our environment.

(I swear the first time I hear of a stick clipper up someone's ... -- I don't know, just take as many pictures as you can)

Well, it's one way to get on harder routes than you can lead and up your climbing ability...if you're a complete pansy.

Or, you could simply grow a pair and do it the way climbers have been doing it for years...climb until you fall, climb again, repeat until you don't fall.

so buff, what you're sayin' is "don't knock it til you rocket"?

in all seriousness, as long as the guy doesn't drop it on my head, i can't bitch too much.

Buff Johnson wrote:I've been toying with converting the rpg to a more useful purpose by retrofitting a grappling hook. You can just go right for the anchor on the sporties, the trouble I'm having is with the trad anchors. I'm thinking the device, after reaching the target area, should eject some sort of spidey strands, or tri-cams as they work anywhere; then incorporate some sort of 7mm rig to join the placements into a masterpoint with opposing biners and a tag strand to get the rope through. Right now it just explodes like a big paintball. Another issue is that the device is fairly loud; what I think I can do is muffle it and enhance the sound to some sort of screaming peregrine to match our environment. (I swear the first time I hear of a stick clipper up someone's ... -- I don't know, just take as many pictures as you can)

you've got something here, Buff, but you're not seeing the full potential. why climb when you can shoot yourself up the wall? short rope to the hook/auto-dispersing-self-placing anchor tip, pull the trigger, and consider that project sent.

it may be good to include a parachute...just to mitigate any liability risk.

Crag Dweller wrote: you've got something here, Buff, but you're not seeing the full potential. why climb when you can shoot yourself up the wall? short rope to the hook/auto-dispersing-self-placing anchor tip, pull the trigger, and consider that project sent. it may be good to include a parachute...just to mitigate any liability risk.

I can see it now -- the ethical argument: Did you shoot it or chute it?

I've watched people around here haul a stick clip with them and clip bolt-to-bolt until they get above the part of the route they are working, or all the way to the anchor. Usually it's done on really difficult sport climbs that people are working to get the moves before going for a redpoint. If you're really pushing your limits trying to improve and don't care about doing an on-sight, why not?

Sounds like a perfectly legit way to reach the top of a climb and hang a rope on it. A lot of you are making it sound like it's more glorious to spend 20 minuets dogging up the thing just to get a toprope up. Once you weight the gear or rope it's all aiding anyways, so why not aid more efficiently?

Crag Dweller wrote:Well, it's one way to get on harder routes than you can lead and up your climbing ability...if you're a complete pansy. Or, you could simply grow a pair and do it the way climbers have been doing it for years...climb until you fall, climb again, repeat until you don't fall.

Your profile says that you lead 5.10b, but follow 5.11d... you must have an enormous pair of balls!

I follow 5.14c + with a stick clip.

What ever happened to WALKING to the top of the rock and SETTING a toprope.....for that matter its sport climbing and as always the draws are handholds.

I don't see anything wrong with using a stick clip on a sport climb. One would think after reading this thread that we're talking about a chisel instead of a Magic Wand ™.