Tips for moving fast on multi pitch climbs

Kyle Tarry wrote:

Mikey, do you feel that the micro offers a big advantage over a tiblock for simuling?  Perhaps spring-loading the "ratchet" against the rope reduces the probability of rope destruction in a fall?  I have used both for this purpose but have not fallen on either, so would be interested in your thoughts.

Also, the fact that you guys consider AI5 "moderately difficult" and consider simuling it is awesome.  I call AI5 "really f'ing hard, let's bail."

I've absolutely shredded a sheath  with a tibloc, just jugging on a fixed line for a few meters. new-ish rope too. wouldn't want to fall on it. those things are scary!

Nick Thomas wrote:

Other than just getting better and being able to climb faster at a certain grade, what are some tips/techniques you use to be faster and more efficient when it matters?  

Crush through the crux, then gush. Or you can Super Alle Venga.

Marc801 C wrote:

It's just that there are so many classics that are in the 1000' - 1500' range (and more than 8 pitches) that are easily doable in a day - including a daylight descent - but only if you're efficient. As someone way up-thread noted, there's a difference between moving efficiently, which implies a certain swiftness, and "racing".

That's a bit of an outlier, doncha think?

My reaction to you, silently, would have been the thought: "Really, dude? You're that addicted that you can't wait till we top out?"

I think I get your drift. 

I'm curious why people say leading in blocks is faster than swapping leads. I always found it faster  to swap leads because the follower basically just grabs the rest of the gear and then keeps going up... but I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.

Ronald B wrote:

I'm curious why people say leading in blocks is faster than swapping leads. I always found it faster  to swap leads because the follower basically just grabs the rest of the gear and then keeps going up... but I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.

Momentum is part of it. The leader stays in lead mode for awhile at a time. This gives psychological momentum. The leader also gets a little breather right before each lead while belaying the second, rather than seconding the pitch then jumping right into the lead. Then, after your block, you get to relax and just be the second for awhile. Those two things seem to combine and sum to more efficient movement on longer climbs. I find it's also a really fun way to climb because of this momentum factor, the distribution of mental and physical effort and rest is subtly but significantly different. 

Also, another move fast notion - the second's role. That is, first priority is work hard to keep the party moving. This means  throwing yourself up the pitch when seconding focusing on moving fast during the climbing itself since you can readily take the risk of low consequence falls on to the TR rather than being dainty about it or savoring the climbing and you get a rest right at the belay right after you're done; carrying the pack or heavier pack; being the leader's bitch at all times especially during belay transitions. The latter means you do what you need to do to serve the leader, feed them, make sure they are drinking, handle the rack, various logistics, whatever to keep them physically and mentally focused on moving upwards. 

Fast leading in blocks relies on being quick at changeovers - rope management, agreement on how to clean and rack gear as a second so the leader can re-rack quickly, clear roles at the belays, etc. can make these changeovers pretty quick too.  

Ronald B wrote:

I'm curious why people say leading in blocks is faster than swapping leads. I always found it faster  to swap leads because the follower basically just grabs the rest of the gear and then keeps going up... but I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.

I prefer to swing leads only on easy ground, because the belay changeovers are slightly faster. But when it comes to real climbing, leading in blocks has several benefits:

-Psychological. As already mentioned, the two roles are different and it's nice to get into one mindset for a while.

-Physical. When swinging, the climber essentially links two pitches into one with little rest between. On a recent alpine ascent, I swapped lead blocks with my partner between two .11a pitches. Without a chance to recover at the belay, the second of the two pitches (my first lead) felt a bit desperate!

-Body temp. When swinging leads, each person belays their partner for two pitches at a time, which causes them to cool down quite a bit. Besides being uncomfortably cold belaying, this makes it harder to get moving again when it's time to climb. On colder ascents it can be critical to keep each person climbing more frequently.

Super awesome advice so far. Thanks to everyone. I agree with all the points on leading in blocks, mentally and physically makes sense even if transitions are slightly slower and less clean. I also agree with Kevin that on easier ground swinging leads is a better plan. 300ft of 5.7 is a little easier than 300ft of 5.11 (2 150ft pitches back to back) 

One rope management question I have is how to best lead in blocks with twin ropes. I have only done it on about 20 pitches but couldn't quite find the best way to stack/flake the ropes. It was always a pain. Any suggestions? maybe I just need more experience with the twin ropes, but what have people found to be the least frustrating? thanks 

TKrosbakken wrote:

One rope management question I have is how to best lead in blocks with twin ropes. I have only done it on about 20 pitches but couldn't quite find the best way to stack/flake the ropes. It was always a pain. Any suggestions? maybe I just need more experience with the twin ropes, but what have people found to be the least frustrating? thanks 

I do a lot of climbing on half ropes, which should be about the same.

In a party of 2, I just stack the ropes (neatly) together like you would one rope.  For ice and alpine (where I frequently use the halves), this often means a butterfly coil over my tie-in.

For a party of 3, I have found that stacking the ropes together causes a cluster, because the climbers move at different speeds.  So, I stack into two piles (if on a good ledge) or butterfly coil separately on my tie-in.

You could also use the party-of-3 technique for a party of 2 to be super safe.

For leading in blocks, when the follower shows up and ties in, they then re-flake (either into a new pile or over their tie-in) the ropes from their end, or flip it if you did a neat job stacking.

Some strategies for moving faster.

I. Protection skills.

A. Leader:

1. Get the right piece on the first try.

2. Avoid placements that are hard to remove.

3. As much as possible, protect in locations that allow for good gear and are easy to stop at. Avoid running it out and then struggling to place gear at cruxes.

4. Be vigilant about avoiding rope drag.

B. Second.

1. Know strategies for recalcitrant pieces.

2. Be equipped to work on stuck gear hands-free as much as possible without aid from belayer.

3. Clean onto a single sling and  partially organize the gear for efficient re-racking.

4. If not taking over the lead, make sure ropes are ready to go while leader is re-racking (possible re-piling or flipping a flaked stack).

II. Climbing skills.

A. Develop skills in reading the rock to eliminate hesitations and up-and-down attempts.

B. Consider “french free” rather than spending a lot of time on a crux.

C. On easier ground, strive to never have both feet at the same level, i.e. each step should be a step up.

III. Anchor skills.

A. Use rope or cordelette/sling anchors optimally depending on which is best for the circumstances.

B. Choose most effective belay method for the circumstances, harness belay or guide belay.

C. Make sure stance is totally organized, over or under clipping done correctly, anchor lengths correct without having to make multiple adjustments, belayer positioned for best communication.

D. Make sure ropes are properly flaked (or piled if stance in on a ledge).

IV. Coordination skills.

A. Whenever possible, second breaks their anchor down to one good piece while leader is building the next anchor (meaning the leader goes off belay after getting in one good piece).  Ideal is for the second to be totally ready to go and begin climbing as soon as the leader is on belay.

V. General.

A. The party is inefficient whenever one person isn’t doing anything.  Strive to always  have both party members simultaneously working on important tasks.

If you're slow at bailing, get into canyoneering. Ups your GTFO game bigtime.

Hi TacoDelRio...... how are you doing??

Guy Keesee wrote:

Hi TacoDelRio...... how are you doing??

Cruising. Rode my bike with a trailer full o gear up the east side into Yosemite and climbed a few things. Lotta smoke, lotta biting flies, lotta sweating. Riding up the coast next week. Hope you're doin well.

TacoDelRio wrote:

Cruising. Rode my bike with a trailer full o gear up the east side into Yosemite and climbed a few things. Lotta smoke, lotta biting flies, lotta sweating. Riding up the coast next week. Hope you're doin well.

Good to know.... keep the fun meter pegged. I am having a blast- getting my leg to work again and going out climbing. Hopefully see you back on AF hwy soon.

There's already a ton of ideas here.  Here's just one habit I've picked up.  When I follow and clean gear I'll harness rack as I go, with the draw connected directly to the harness, gate out. If there is only a draw connected to a piece, normally a wire, tri-cam or tcu, i.e. no extra 'biner, I rack the draw with the gate facing out and the piece hanging on the outside of the draw, outside being the key.  That way when I arrive at the belay I don't have to touch the draw, its in the ready position for the next pitch.  I unclip the wire or tcu just by pressing the gate and re-rack it on the 'biner it was on previously. It kills me to watch someone take draws off their harness to rebuild the rack.  That's a lot of wasted motion.  Speaking of rebuilding the rack, don't obsess over having things in some specific order.  It usually doesn't matter.  Your rack should be small enough and you should know it well enough that you can use it in any order. 

Bring more cams (if the route can take them):

 - allows longer pitches

 - saves time on gear rationing decisions

 - one climbs faster when the last piece is closer

 - more options for quick anchors

 - less time spent fiddling with nuts

 - less time spent debating anchor quality with partner

6-8 small/medium cams with light carabiners is 1% of body weight.

ddriver wrote:

Speaking of rebuilding the rack, don't obsess over having things in some specific order.  It usually doesn't matter.  Your rack should be small enough and you should know it well enough that you can use it in any order. 

This might pay off with your own rack, but I'm not sure. It definitely doesn't make sense if you're climbing with someone else's rack, or a mixed rack, as is usually the case.

Speed at the changeover is important, but I'd rather sort at the changeover than fiddle around comparing cam heads mid-route when I'm trying to get a piece in.

i agree with david - it is much better to take a minute to make sure things are sorted than jack around with it when you are pumped and things aren't going well.  whenever i try to cheat and not do this it goes poorly.

A lot of amazing technical advice here but I think only Chris Owen touched on this subject that first came to mind when I thought of responding to this. 

I really enjoy and feel fortunate to be able to climb with the same people often. I think that you are able to develop a trust and rapport with your regular partners that allows one to feel comfortable and confident.  Also, you both are accustomed to working with each other and have a developed system. These things combined really speeds things up vs. when climbing with a "stranger". 

Over the years, I've climbed with the same people and we have slowly advanced to the point where we can hike six miles up Glacier Gorge, put down a tough route on the Spearhead and casually hike out. I attribute a lot of the ability to feel "casual" to the trust and confidence that I have in my partners. 

And not talking??!!! Hahaaa!!! I've had some of the best conversations and banter while climbing a route in the park or scaling The Black Canyon. 

Pre-rig rappels. Not just for guides, it saves tons of time.

Once threaded to the middle mark, both climbers rig their rap device and autoblock simultaneously (time saved). Once the first person unweights the rope, the second can start rapping while the first comes off rap (time saved). For a lot of consecutive raps this is a big time saver. Not to mention its added safety (4 eyes on each setup before committing).

You and your partner should learn how to "speed" clean.  And teach your follower how you rack your gear.  Will make gear transitions at the belay much faster.