Fixed line on Snake Dike Traverse

Went up Snake Dike this weekend and encountered a fixed line strung between the bolts at either end of the “crux” 5.7 traverse on p3.  This seemed to me and my partner like a huge bummer.  The loose line was in the way of the some of the foot placements, generally distracting, and quite ugly.  I get that this is a very popular route and is probably guided (officially or not) for lots of people with very little experience, but this seemed quite unnecessary and diminishes the overall experience of the climb.  Particularly considering that my partner basically hands free walked this traverse.

We considered removing this bit of tat, but didn’t feel like we had the valley cred to make a judgement call.  What say ye restless and cranky MP commenters (really looking for experienced valley folk opinions, not unfounded opinion or wild speculation, as entertaining as that is)?

Would have chopped.

Cut it.  I can’t imagine any good reason it might be there.  

muh project :(

Could have been from someone bailing or more likely with an inexperienced partner in over their head? I found this on Regular Route on Fairview. First a couple cams at a belay. Then a few more cams at the next. Then the very last pitch had a belay anchor, gear pieces every 10' and the lead rope clove hitched to them all the way up. There had been a freak ice storm a few days earlier and a team ended up rescued. (Yes, I did turn in the full rack of double cams and rope to YOSAR, they knew who the owner was.)

Next person should just cut it loose. 

It was a solo'er (i won't call people out here on mp). This is the difficult part of the LNT ethics, how people interpret it differently and when they can accept to leave gear, ect. Bummer it made your partner's experience at the crux uneventful. 

cdawg lion wrote: It was a solo'er 

I don't think that person knows what that means.

My partner and I were on snake dike on Saturday as well, the fixed line looked to be a hand line set up for a follower. Luckily, the party below us removed it on their way up!

E Hop wrote: I solo'ed (i.e. climbed alone) Snake Dike on Thursday morning and used a tethering system to cross the third pitch "crux."

Part of that system included two shiny new locking carabiners and two new quicklinks. 4 people behind me watched me set it up from a distance below, and I honestly figured they would just take the free gear (also requiring taking the tether) and consider it a win.

So I think the moral of the story, if you end up needing/wanting to leave gear for whatever reason, skip the shiny biners and just leave a $20 bill and a nice memo.  : )

Something like, "Sorry you had to look at my gear. Now don't spend it all in one place, ya hear?"

Moral of the story- if you're going to solo, solo. 

If this is even real, why didn't you clean up your mess?  There are plenty of ways to self-belay that don't involve leaving your "tether" on the route. 

E Hop wrote:  I honestly figured they would just take the free gear (also requiring taking the tether) and consider it a win.

I don't think all the venom is needed.

1. There shouldn't be fixed lines on Snake Dike. Feel free to booty.
2. If someone needs to fix a line because that's the best way they know how to keep safe 3 pitches up and 6 miles into the backcountry, they should do it. Life safety comes before LNT.
3. Better than #2...If you have enough foresight that you might need to aid a section of a climb that you're carrying gear on your solo, take the time in advance to learn / think through techniques to retrieve your gear.

I don't solo or aid (at least not intentionally), but it's interesting to think about what might have worked.

Maybe a rope block, self-belaying across with an assisted braking device and carrying the second strand to pull it after? https://www.climbing.com/skills/long-rappel-short-rope/

Interested to get advice or links from people with experience aiding between two traversing bolts without leaving gear. 

I rope soloed that route 35 years ago.  Did every pitch climb 3x - led, rapped and TR-ed.  9mm rope and a prussick (or two).  Car to car in 12 hours - slow and steady.  Certainly if some old run of the mill climber could do that then with today's gear, techniques and attitudes it shouldn't be hard to do better.  Leaving gear behind like that is a an epic failure.

In the future back looping might be a better option. Clip a biner to the bolt and climb out 20 ft on a doubled up short rope, basically a long tether. At the end of the rope untied one side and pull it through, leaving just a biner on the bolt. Next party can booty it (win for them) and no whining on the proj about the sanctimony of LNT on a route/rock that 800 people a day go up.

Glad you kept the solo safe for you. Sounds like a cool way to experience that route. 

Maybe he's not a troll (or he just trolls once a year):

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105740009/outside-corner

E Hop   Salt Lake City      5.7
Anyone recover a complete trad anchor on Saturday, June 2 (2018) in the afternoon? Gear includes BD cam #1, #.03, runners, locking biner; cams marked with aqua and white dots. Don't ask how this happened. : ) Jun 3, 2018

I would have scored free booty and saved an mp post

Eric Engberg wrote: I rope soloed that route 35 years ago.  Did every pitch climb 3x - led, rapped and TR-ed.  9mm rope and a prussick (or two).  Car to car in 12 hours - slow and steady.  Certainly if some old run of the mill climber could do that then with today's gear, techniques and attitudes it shouldn't be hard to do better.  Leaving gear behind like that is a an epic failure.

That’s an odd route to rope solo.  When leading it even with a partner the leader is essentially soloing or at least should have that mindset.  When you are 60’ out from the last bolt a fall would be at a minimum sever injury.   I’m sure you were thinking “I just should have siloed this instead of faffing around with all this rope”.  

Can you chop the fixed line on Royal Arches too?

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

That’s an odd route to rope solo.  When leading it even with a partner the leader is essentially soloing or at least should have that mindset.  When you are 60’ out from the last bolt a fall would be at a minimum sever injury.   I’m sure you were thinking “I just should have siloed this instead of faffing around with all this rope”.  

The deal was that the forecast was iffy and I wanted to take a substantial amount of raingear/extra clothes - but didn't want to "lead" with that pack.  So it would stay at the lower anchor and I would retrieve it after I rapped and then I would "second" with it.  I guess back in the day - climbing at the Meadows etc. - big runouts didn't seem as daunting.  It never even sprinkled on me that day.  Oh well.

Cory F wrote: Can you chop the fixed line on Royal Arches too?

Would definitely prevent a lot of rappelling epics. What other 5.10- routes are commonly done 5.7 A0?

A better technique might have been to pick another objective given the forecast and avoiding intentionally littering on the route?