Escaping a Direct Belay
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- Escaping a Direct Belay
rockclimb.video
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Although "Rock Climb" will have more than 100 videos (7 hours+ of content), the program is designed to include maximum information in a concise way that is easy to understand and assimilate. For that reason most chapters are built on the knowledge acquired in previous ones (e.g., Rope Basics → Top-Roping → Lead Climbing → Sport Climbing → Trad. Climbing).
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Rock climbing is fun but there is an element of risk. In some situations if you are not careful, the chances of serious injury or death are very real. A safety oriented mindset is essential.
The right attitude includes not thinking that just by watching videos and reading articles you will become a safe and experienced climber. Experience comes with practice. Practice means making occasional mistakes and learning from them.
We believe qualified in-person training should be the main way of learning and progressing in rock climbing. A good mentor, guide or teacher will make learning as safe as it can be, by assessing your level and every situation.
Our videos are meant to inform and entertain. Although our videos can be very helpful, they are not meant to replace in-person teaching by a qualified professional, nor they are meant to replace reading and understanding the instructions and manuals of rock climbing equipment-which we strongly advise you to do. (Manufacturers recommendations occasionally change, and it is a good idea to stay updated by visiting their websites.)
Have fun and be safe out there!
This may be the most useful climbing video ever recorded. Everyone who puts on a harness should understand this procedure and practice it until you can do all the steps in order - in your sleep. And it’s the first of many procedures that must also be learned equally well..
Sure! gonna be equally important for gym climbers and big wallers!
This is not a self rescue video, this is self rescue ART. Amazing!
Crazy, that klemheist with a overhand know blew my mind!
Excellent tutorial. I woould still use a second carabiner opposed on the master point to rappel/rescue... just the sake of redundancy 😊
I’ve seen some really complicated and convoluted ways of doing this exact thing. This was probably the simplest way I’ve ever seen this done. And the KISS rule typically prevails when sh** hits the fan.
Thank you for this excellent video. I have practiced this a handful of times based on your techniques. I try to put it together with different gear every time to be flexible based on whatever gear I might be left with (I use my cord to make the anchor, for instance, so need to use slings to extend a klemheist.) This channel is absolute gold.
awesome use of the klemheist to attach to your partner, I've seen other demos where people girth their rappel extension and knot it halfway, and then use the back side of that 120cm sling to attach to the partner. the klemheist seems to give you more room and adjustability
Really good and simple video. We watched other videos and have a few books, but it is hard to compete with this super clear explanation.
Keeping the system on a counter balance is a big no-no when all you have is a friction knot (made even worse when you removed the friction knot). It's good for abseiling down but that's all. Very limiting and if you want to ascend the rope back up, it can bring all sort of problems.
Why you didn't secure the rope to the anchor when removing the belay device AND then use the other strand to abseil, really escapes me.
If you have enough rope for both of you to simul abseil, then might as well lower your partner to the ground straight away to start with, and then get back down yourself.
I can see the use of this technique, however, such as sea cliff climbing.
Roddy's reply:
Hi Miguel,
I'm afraid I don't understand your point. This is how it's taught in guide trainings here, and it works well. Where in the video are you suggesting that the friction knot backup was removed? At one point there are two friction hitches, and then one is removed-is this what you mean? A counterbalance rappel with a third hand on the brake strand is a standard part of PCGI and AMGA rescue drills.
Best,
Roddy
I can think of 2 scenarios where this would be very useful.
1. Climber is hurt and needs support while absailing.
2 your on a multi pitch and you can’t see/ hear the partner. If you just lower him you have no idea when the next absail point is arrived. Also useful when the climber first needs ( medical or physical ) help and than you want to get down. This way you don’t have to get up again to untie a knot. Might save some crucial time.
amazing video ! but dudes ... always check rapel before taking out your pas.
I wonder if the steps could be simplified. The procedure in the video involves 2 catastrophe knots that are done and then removed. Could it be done without? Tell me what you think of this variation. First variation @30s would be to attach a 3rd hand on the brake strand to the harness belay loop instead of the first catastrophe knot. We need that 3rd hand later anyway. Then we can go hands free and continue as shown @45s with kleimheist attached to load strand to anchor. Second variation is @2:40, we no longer need the catastrophe knot since we still have our 3rd hand. Then comes the more tricky part: @3:20, instead of removing the rappel device from the anchor, I would first redirect the load strand to a carabiner attached higher up the anchor (similar to LSD setup at this point), then remove the rappel device and move it (extended) to my harness. The question becomes, is it safe to hang (briefly for a couple of seconds) a life on 1 friction knot, a redirect, and another friction knot?
I will answer my own question. No the last manoeuvrer would not be safe because if the prusik on the climber side fails, the belayer would be pulled up and the third hand might reach the carabiner holding the climber weight and this could disengage the friction given by the third hand. So, best to have a catastrophe knot at that point. However it seems my first simplification icoukd still be a good idea.
@ 2:40 , for the backup knot just behind the first kleimheist, i woould prefer to do a munter hitch + mule knot instead of the overhand on a bite.
at least I can release it if needed if the kleimheist fail
Roddy's reply:
Hi Curvenut,
Yes, a releasable backup might be nice in that scenario. I use the overhand here because it's much quicker and uses much less rope, but if I thought there were a significant chance of the primary system failing, I'd use a releasable backup as you suggest. Thanks for the comment!
Best,
Roddy
Thanks for the clear and simple explanation. I've seen very similar approaches in many videos and the bridge/ratchet is always a cordalette, I don't generally carry a cord instead using many dynema slings as alpine draws and therefore anchor material. If I was to use a sling for the friction hitch then use some of the excess rope from the brake side for the MMO do you see any issues?
Great video! Question: What size cordelette are you using?
hi, thanks a lot for this video and suler useful explantions !
i have 2 questions, why not use a brusik? and how can bigger weight differences be taken care of with this method?
Please see Roddy's reply:
A Prusik works fine! I find the Klemheist to be a bit easier to work with, that's all. The Prusik binds up sometimes, while the Klemheist is easier to release when I want to move it. Regarding the weight difference, unless you are on very steep terrain it should be manageable. There is enough friction in most top-rope systems that a small person can lean back and handle the weight of a larger person just like when a small person lowers a larger person on a top-rope belay.
Your klemheist is backward when you reach your partner. Is that ok?
I’d never go intentionally hands-free on a backed up reppel without a catastrophe Knot or tie-off
You could have left the catastrophe (“oh no”) knot in until you were ready to rap.k x
Here is Roddy's reply:
Nothing wrong with being extra careful, but this is a very common practice, and it is safe if you are using your third hand properly. Note that Seth never allows the 'victim' (me), who is hanging on the rope, to be dependent on only a friction hitch-he ties two different backup knots at different points in the scenario to make sure that I am always backed up. On the other hand for the person standing on a ledge setting up the systems, a backed-up rappel is sufficient. To develop confidence in the tool, I suggest that you practice with your third hand to make sure you are using the correct number of wraps, such that it bites effectively on your rope. Your third hand should not slip, even under full body weight. Even with a poorly sized third hand that does slip, you'll find that it slips very slowly, such that if you 1. suddenly start tumbling down the slab from your comfortable stance and 2. find that your third hand is slipping, it still isn't a big problem-you'll slowly start sliding, and have plenty of time to grab the brakes and re-set your third hand. For further practice with this type of tool, try ascending a rope using two Prusik or Klemheist hitches. This is how it was done on big walls, before the invention of the Jumar! Again, nothing wrong with being extra careful-but learning to use (and trust) your tools will make you a better and more efficient climber.
@@videoracles
Thanks for taking the time to respond :).
As experienced, comfortable and confident as I am with friction hitches; There’s only so much trust that an old and worn piece of 5 or 6mm wrapped around a rope deserves and as Seth said “prussics do weird things” and they do have their failure modes.
NO HATE but I don’t think we should intentionally go hands free on a prussic backed up rappel (without a tie-off or catastrophe knot), in the same vein as not going hands free with a grigri. Grigri’s are fantastic but their biggest trap is that people “develop [too much] confidence in the tool”
Unless there’s something i missed @6:15 there are no hands on the break rope and the whole system is relying on that one prussic.
the entire transition was REALLY SLICK though but the “oh no knot” could’ve stayed in the Rope to the point that Seth left the stance (no longer needing to be hands-free) and it wouldn’t have cost any time.k x