Two rope technique salvation?

My wife and belayer belays me with a GriGri and has saved my bacon so many times while adventure climbing. I'm just wondering if/how many who climb with double/twin ropes have had a rope cut but been caught by the second. On the other side, how many confirmed single rope failure accidents have been documented?

I have seen two cases reported here on MP. One at Seneca (last year?) and one on Yellow Spur in Eldo many (10-15?) years back. Both fatal. I also saw one of the "weekly falls" video from a climbing mag where one rope in a double rope system was cut.

There’s this video from the UK of a rope cut over an arete. 

There was that fatality on The Muir a few years ago when a block pulled and cut the lead line; although, of course, even routine users of half/double ropes for trad climbing would rarely be leading on anything other than a single in a wall scenario.

I recall climbing the Walker Spur about forty years ago. I think it was at our roping-up spot - ie right at the start - after a short introductory gully and a scree/snowslope that we managed to dislodge a large chunk of granite onto one of the ropes. Multiple core shots - not just down to the core but substantially into it. We still roped up with it but clipped everything with both ropes as if with twins, fully aware that the one was basically knackered; we still had to carry it with us - so might as well do it like that. Had we been climbing on a single - with or without a supplementary lightweight rap/tag line - we would have had to bail.

A friend had an unfortunate accident which might be described as a single rope cutting/failure - although he was actually climbing on doubles. The topography of the pitch - traversing to a crack and then climbing it - suggested just clipping one rope until he was far enough up the crack to start clipping the other rope at a point high enough that it would still protect his second on the traverse. He pulled off a flake and fell before reaching that point, the flake cut the rope that was clipped through the protection - and by then he was too high for the undamaged rope to stop him hitting the ground. Had this pitch been higher on the route - ie with more airspace below - the second rope would more likely have been able to arrest the fall.

Patrik wrote:

I have seen two cases reported here on MP. One at Seneca (last year?) and one on Yellow Spur in Eldo many (10-15?) years back. Both fatal. I also saw one of the "weekly falls" video from a climbing mag where one rope in a double rope system was cut.

I think I found that clip:

Weekend Whipper--Sharp Edge Cuts Rope

I had a friend (he's still alive, we've just lost touch) who had a party above him knock a rock down and cut his single rope clean through 20 feet into the pitch. He was able to downclimb back to his anchor and tie into the (new) end of the rope. He's a pretty big half rope advocate after that.

Patrik wrote:

I have seen two cases reported here on MP. One at Seneca (last year?) and one on Yellow Spur in Eldo many (10-15?) years back. Both fatal. I also saw one of the "weekly falls" video from a climbing mag where one rope in a double rope system was cut.

The Seneca one is what got me to finally buy double ropes and learn how to use them. It happened in August 2023 and is detailed in full in this article by the AAC

While it wasn't a cut rope situation in the normal sense where a sharp edge is involved, the freak accident type fall and carabiner/rope pinch resulted in a severed rope and the death of climber.

Cosmic Hotdog wrote:

The Seneca one is what got me to finally buy double ropes and learn how to use them. It happened in August 2023 and is detailed in full in this article by the AAC

While it wasn't a cut rope situation in the normal sense where a sharp edge is involved, the freak accident type fall and carabiner/rope pinch resulted in a severed rope and the death of climber.

I remember reading up on this accident and thinking to give double ropes a try. I still haven't bitten the bullet, mostly because my sweetheart prefers her grigri and because I haven't felt like dropping the coin, but I'm still considering the benefits.

Cannon, Moby Grape. 2020. Single rope severed by falling block. 

Branon Rochelle wrote:

I remember reading up on this accident and thinking to give double ropes a try. I still haven't bitten the bullet, mostly because my sweetheart prefers her grigri and because I haven't felt like dropping the coin, but I'm still considering the benefits.

There are several brake-assisted belay devices that work with double ropes. Most of them would only take 15mins of effort to learn if she's already good with a grigri. Having a set of doubles and the ability to use them is a great tool in the toolbox. 

Kevin DeWeese wrote:

Mason was not climbing on doubles. He was "caught" by his static haul line attached to his haul loop after his lead single line was cut by the block.

Hi Kevin. Yes; I'm aware of that and wasn't trying to suggest otherwise - but obviously failed to make myself sufficiently clear. In his final sentence the OP asked for documented examples of accidents involving single rope failure and I cited the Muir incident as one such. With it being a pretty well-known event it didn't occur to me to actually provide a link; I don't have one ready now, but googling 'El Capitan Muir Wall fatality' seems to bring it up. Bearing in mind the general theme of this thread - that there have been rope failure/cutting accidents wherein the use of double ropes might have mitigated the consequences - I then pointed out that the 'what if?' question didn't really apply in the Muir case because nobody, including trad double-rope devotees, was likely to consider leading on doubles on an aid wall; other than in a particular circumstance, which I realise I've done myself. Clearly trailing a static haul line isn't the same as leading on double ropes, and didn't help in the cited accident; it arrested the fall but didn't save the climber's life. 

I remember an accident that befell an American climber visiting the UK in the early 1970s. It didn't involve rope failure but is still relevant to the single-v-doubles consideration. He was unable to complete a lead so bailed by lowering off a single nut, stripping the gear below him as he descended. Sadly, what happened next was all too predictable; the single piece pulled and he hit the ground, with fatal consequences. It was highlighted at the time that, had he been using double ropes as was pretty much the default in the UK on that sort of route at the time (and for decades thereafter), he should have been able to protect himself in the process via the other rope through the gear below him and would likely have survived. Dave Custer makes this particular point in the 14th post of the current 'Why Two Ropes?' thread.