one climber leading

hey guys,

looking to hear whats worked well for you for anchor setup if you are leading multiple pitches in a row (vs swapping leads).

normally when i lead multipitch routes i build my anchor with cord, so i never need to worry about my end of the rope being part of the anchor. seems to be the most common practice for big wall is to clove/figure8 a few horizontal bolts. obviously i could switch the anchor around once my partner jugs but that seems like a major time suck.

thanks for the advice.

I carry two cordelletes, one for each station.

Daniel H. Bryant wrote:I carry two cordelletes, one for each station.

Why wouldn't it work? It's the same as a 3piece anchor, plus you can build two master points if needed(hauling, ledge)

BigB wrote:Why wouldn't it work? It's the same as a 3piece anchor, plus you can build two master points if needed(hauling, ledge)

I carry two lockers to fix the jug line with a figure eight on bunny ears, then use a separate anchor to haul. Usually the haul anchor is a single bolt separate from the jug anchor that's been backed up. I've always pulled up the extra rope and fixed the jug line first so the follower can start getting everything broken down and the bag ready while I'm setting the haul. Once the haul has started their jugs are already fixed and ready to go. They get to the belay and anchor themselves in and clear the fixed line. While that's happening, you're grabbing gear (hopefully they have it all prepped on a sling for you) and flipping the rope over. While you scout and prep the next pitch the second clears their backup knots and flakes the lead line onto themselves so its ready to go.

This seems to work well for me, maybe its slower than other systems. I'll be interested to see what others do and how that works for leading blocks or having just one leader. Biggest thing for blocks I think is keeping the ropes managed so its not a cluster fuck to flip them around for the next lead. Use slings or whatever you got to keep the ropes neat (I was always told to clip above the haul device so you don't take a shockload on the sling if it breaks). I stack the haul line over a sling connected to the haul anchor and myself, then clip the carabineers together on top of the bag so that line is nice and neat. Hope this helps

I usually take two double length slings, each with 2-3 carabiners, at least one of which is a locker. That way I have one for each anchor and it's easy to clip the new anchor setup to the leader before they set off.

Keeping ropes strait is absolutely the number one thing to keep track of at the belay. So much time can be wasted with tangled ropes. A little care along the way can really pay off in the end. If leading in blocks I found it useful if I'm the 2nd, to stack the rope extra rope, before I jug, in a rope hook or sling that I clip to my side and clip backup knots along the way. When I get to the belay I usually keep the backups knots where they are on my belay loop so that as the leader heads up I undo knots as needed a have the slack that I need to feed out. The only caveat to this is that sometimes I'm so sick of having so much weight on me that if I'm at a big ledge I'll pull it all off and sort as we go. Sorry for the long ramble off topic, but having just finished The Nose, this was fresh on my mind.

Make quick draws with lockers on each end. The leader clips into the top lockers and when the second comes up he clips into the lower lockers. The second should always clip in under the leader's ropes.

With 3 modern 3/8" bolts, forget Master Points! When was the last time a bolt broke? When was the last time that two bolts broke? Stop worrying about it!