how to setup this anchor?

similar setup to this lizard basking aquarium platform.. 

two bolts on deck with ledge About 2ft from sheer wall/slight overhang. one safety bolt about 20ft back.

HOW can i

-top down belay setup

-rap off of these two bolts

ive done lots of hanging belay setups which is convenient because of the counterbalance.. but here.. how do you TOP up belay when the anchor is literally at the belayers feet?

i thought maybe munter the climbers rope to the anchor to absorb some of the weight/so belayer doesnt get sucked into ground, then route to belayer like I've seen in ice climbing.. but this just pinched the rope between the biner and the rock resulting in getting stuck.

is there like a protocol for rapping off something so close to an edge? theres basically no way to gear check/test on PAS before bailing because its all or nothing YOLO..and with a third hand this results in a pretty big shock load it feels janky.. maybe belly slide? lol

im REALLY curious how to set this up for belay from the top?

https://www.rockexotica.com/pages/vortex
... no... but in all seriousness...

What is the ground situation? I would imagine this is just a situation where you can walk or scramble up to set up a top rope, then go back down, TR to your hearts content with climber and belayer starting on the ground, then afterwards, someone walks or scrambles up again to remove everything and walks or scrambles down again.

You can rap off things like that, its akward to start, but people do it all the time. Gotta worry about pinching device, rope, hands, backup is important, etc... Top belaying in situations like that can be annoying. Generally people bolting such routes understand this and intend for you to not do this.

Edge rapping techniques, examples... substitute your rope setup and device, etc...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFfSB96VaIM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BkCUjz8ujY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0jaL3aFCrs
You can find numerous examples, particularly in the rope access community.

I would sit on the edge, feet dangling, clip the rope to the bolts in series and belay my follower in guide mode from the bolt closest to the edge. This seems obvious to me, maybe I misunderstand the question?

thanks for replying! i will check those videos when reception improves. 

yes toprope/scramble is possible but for the sake of learning/problem solving.

1. rockexotica.com/pages/vorte…;

^lool

mike, guide mode seems like a possibility ..and i did try. im definitely still learning so maybe you can clarify what i did wrong when i attempted a guide mode setup here. the angle was wrong the way i set it up since belayer was basically above the atc 

 theres a lot of rope drag without extending anchor over the edge so in order for that to work the master point has to be extended..if youre sitting on edge, presumably for guide mode, master point would have to be right at the corner, any lower and you're out of reach, any higher and the rope drags badly? does that issue make sense?

Yeah, it's definitely gonna be a little awkward to pull rope through with an anchor like that, which isn't intended for belaying from.

Judging from your drawing, your atc is way too low. It should be on the bolt, like in my picture. And the bolts connected in series, you shouldn't make a traditional, equalized, sling anchor in this situation.

If I'm belaying from above I usually don't bother extending the master point because whenever I pull the rope up it's unloaded so I'm never dragging it against the edge in a way that is dangerous or will cause drag. Extending the master point is only useful for top roping or if the follower wants to get lowered a lot, and in either case I prefer to belay from below if the rope length allows.

If you are trying to belay off the anchor in guide mode, you may consider having the master point higher / further back than the edge, and dropped over a spacer to keep the device from touching the rock. The spacer could be like a backpack with stuff in it that isn't going to get crushed. Don't try to use your leg as the spacer.

I hope my drawing is sufficient to explain what I'm trying to describe:

Is this what you are talking about? The anchor is behind me in this photo out of the frame.

1. Walk over to the anchor on top of formation after leading route.

2. Put a locker on each hanger

3. Run the rope through the lockers and then back to the edge to where you will have a comfy belay seat and can see your climber. (see photo)

4. Grab both end of the rope and walk yourself back to the anchor hand over hand on the rope so you don’t loose the length you just measured.

5. Once at the anchor tie a figure 8 on a bight on your side and a clove hitch on the climber side,

6. Make sure the lockers are locked

7. Go back to said comfy belay seat area, attach your belay device in guide mode to the climber side of the rope using another clove hitch with a locker. Make sure this where you can easily belay from the comfy belay seat.

8. Pull up excess rope

9. Put rope in belay device 

10. Belay partner up while just chilling looking at the view.

11. Take cool pictures of your friends climbing the route

I’ve heard this called “belaying off the rope”, I use this method a lot in the Voo where you have to build anchors far back from the edge of the route.

thanks all for such fantastic contributions and diagrams. it seems like the solution is a combination of what youre all saying

-the rope drag wont be as much of an issue with this setup, as opposed to top rope- since belayer up top pulling mitigates it 

-using a spacer like a backpack, or routing rope over my crotch to elevate will help with drag

cory, is what youre describing basically a joshua tree anchor? a way of using climbing rope to get close to edge then tie a bhk or 8 for an extended master?

thanks again all

I think the advice to NOT use your leg as a spacer includes Not using your crotch as a spacer, no matter how perfectly sized it seems.