Tips for moving fast on multi pitch climbs

x15x15 wrote:

Shhhh, quiet! You're just stirring the pot...

Stir it up.  With discourse comes growth.

Don't worry, if David K. gets his panties in a wad he'll just ignore you. 

i use the metolius loop sling all the time, and it is great for steep/roofs.  for me it is actually better than racking on my harness.  when you rack on your harness, if your left hand is in a jam and you need something on your rear left loop you have to reach around to get it. my shoulders are too blown out, i litterally can't do it.  half the time it hurts just to reach my rear loops with the best hand.  with the looped sling, either hand can pull the sling around and set the gear on your stomach and it is easy to see and grab a piece.  (with a non-looped sling, yeah the shit will keep sliding back around you).

Christian Hesch wrote:

Serious question, does anyone use a gear sling???

When I used to climb with more than quickdraws, always.

Probably already mentioned but shorter pitches are usually faster than linking. Better communication, less rope-drag, carry less gear. As a general rule after climbing 1/2 the rope, don’t pass up a good belay! If you can quickly construct a comfortable and bomber anchor, do it. Better than stretching the rope and faffing with whatever you’re left with. Consider even shorter on wandering pitches 

Anyone talk about rappelling yet?

Never pass your rope on rappel. The two ends and the pile should stay below you and in your control. If you pass the ends and a stopper knot (or section of rope) gets stuck way up above you, you then have to spend time getting it unstuck by whipping it, climbing back up or batmanning etc. and that can take a lot of time. Basically, just keep the rope by your sides and below you and always in your control.

Don't forget about saddle bags (although these can slow you down to let out, even if done right, sometimes it's better than a rope getting stuck on (un)known rope eaters.)

I find linking is quicker more often than not. If communication and/or rope drag are an issue then I don’t link but otherwise I’m usually looking for the best belay ledges, whether if ‘by the book’ pitches, rope stretchers, or even a little simulcliming at the end of the full length of rope  

For rappels 

• feed the end you’re pulling into the rings before you start pulling. One person is pulling the rope down from above while the other one feeds it thru the rings, so when the rope falls it goes past you and ends up ready for the next rap all in one fell swoop (if not a windy / rope snagging rappel where you keep the rope with you). 
• First person uses a third hand so they’re ‘on belay’ if they need to fix a tangled rope, or setup the next station. Second person gets a loose fireman’s belay. 

Jeff J wrote:

I used a metolius sling that attached in two places to keep it from sliding around.

Ah, interesting. That makes sense, I thought "gear sling" was just a regular old sling upon which one hangs gear, but I can see how that solves the problem.

Sems a bit odd to buy a separate piece of gear, but to each their own.

David K wrote:

Sems a bit odd to buy a separate piece of gear, but to each their own.

Does ending with a snarky subjective retort make you feel better about having to concede the point?

Yeah, and why waste money on a harness when you can use a bowline on the end of the rope. 

David K wrote:

Sems a bit odd to buy a separate piece of gear, but to each their own.

I know I shouldn't get in on this one, But have you ever bought a separate piece of gear? Just because it's better? Or just because? To experiment?

David K wrote:

Sems a bit odd to buy a separate piece of gear, but to each their own.

Just as weird as buying quickdraw instead of a sling and carbiners? 

Metolius sling is awesome, been using mine for 15+ yrs I think. Still the best solution I've found when I need to rack more than a single set of cams. Makes it way easy easier to reach pieces from both sides, pass off gear, and re-rack. It would be annoying not to have one. 

Ian Lauer wrote:

Just as weird as buying quickdraw instead of a sling and carbiners? 

Metolius sling is awesome, been using mine for 15+ yrs I think. Still the best solution I've found when I need to rack more than a single set of cams. Makes it way easy easier to reach pieces from both sides, pass off gear, and re-rack. It would be annoying not to have one. 

Yup.  And also you can hip scum effectively (a far more common occurrence than entirely horizontal roofs), switch sides for offwidth, don't have to feel around blindly for stuff that had to be put on the back harness loops for lack of space on the front two loops, pass the rack over easily when changing leads, have the rack ready to go at the beginning of the day and easy to put away at the end.

It is interesting to me how many climbers, loaded as almost all contemporary climbers are with all kinds of specialized gear, suddenly feel the need to proclaim something "extra."

David K wrote:

Sems a bit odd to buy a separate piece of gear, but to each their own.

  No need for specialized gear! Many climbers have a single-purpose multi-loop PAS hitched to their belay loop (or its vicinity). Instead of mounting the infamous PAS thong, throw the other end of the PAS over your shoulder and clip it to a rear gear loop (depending on which brand you have, you might need to extend it with a draw). Now you can double up the use of the PAS as a multi-loop gear sling to keep your rack tidy at all times. And when clipping the PAS to a bolt for rapping, it is super easy to clean up your gear while your buddy is busy rapping down.

Patrik wrote:

  No need for specialized gear! Many climbers have a single-purpose multi-loop PAS hitched to their belay loop (or its vicinity). Instead of mounting the infamous PAS thong, throw the other end of the PAS over your shoulder and clip it to a rear gear loop (depending on which brand you have, you might need to extend it with a draw). Now you can double up the use of the PAS as a multi-loop gear sling to keep your rack tidy at all times. And when clipping the PAS to a bolt for rapping, it is super easy to clean up your gear while your buddy is busy rapping down.

i'm gonna need a visual on this please. in action. on route. on rap. etc...

my head is spinning trying to visualize this as being functional. i'm trying not hate the PAS but...

jcs

Jeff J wrote:

Does ending with a snarky subjective retort make you feel better about having to concede the point?

1. No point was conceded. I mentioned a problem I've seen when people use a sling (a regular sling, not the gear sling you showed a picture of) and you were the first person to clarify what the hell you were talking about. There's no point to concede because we weren't disagreeing: we were talking about different kinds of slings. In fact, if you look back over the posts, you'll notice I was asking questions.
2. I can see how you would interpret what I said as snark, and for that I apologize. It wasn't intended to be snark. I don't have any experience with that kind of sling, so my initial reaction was not knowing why one would need it, as I've never found a need for it. But rgold and Ian Lauer mentioned a few reasons which do seem compelling.
3. As I said, no snark was intended, but if you are offended by snark, maybe start by confronting Not Hobo Greg: his "Probably with their hands." comment is snarkier than anything I said.

when I use a gear sling which is almost always for all my slings but also for gear if any kind of cimnying is involved I use one of the 4 or5 nylon old style runners i always have kicking around in the gear bin. I usually have at least two of them on my person... 

the best part about the gear sling is when you get to a no hands rest you can malmsteen the rack. quite satisfying.

David K wrote:

1. As I said, no snark was intended, but if you are offended by snark, maybe start by confronting Not Hobo Greg: his "Probably with their hands." comment is snarkier than anything I said.

If it's snarkier than your comment, isn't the implication that yours is still snarky?

Also, why so deflecting? We all know Not Hobo Greg's style. And, your comment was still snarky. I even enjoyed your comment. I just didn't agree with the content

slim wrote:

the best part about the gear sling is when you get to a no hands rest you can malmsteen the rack. quite satisfying.

LOL 'malmsteen'. Very well done.

After topping out you can Townsend it.

… and that is why we call it “‘sending” a route.

P.S. maybe apocryphal