How to second a "french free" / A0 move?
If the leader has had to resort to pulling on a piece of gear to make it through a crux on a pitch how can the second pass this point while also cleaning the piece that was used for aid. Assuming they are not a stronger climber than the leader.
quick glossary. "french free" and A0 are the same thing, both referring to pulling on a piece of climbing equipment attached to the rock when a climber is unable to pass a difficulty. Cleaning is removing equipment that the first climber has placed to prevent themselves falling to the ground in case of a fall. A crux is just the hardest part of a climb, it could take many physical forms. hope that helps. If not here is a more extensive glossary
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Assuming a vertical, as opposed to traversing, route that is not overhanging, you unclip the rope from the piece and then pull yourself up just like the leader did. Once you are high enough above the piece to account for rope stretch you have the leader take in the slack. The key is that after weighting the rope you want your hands to be at the same height they were after the french free move. You can then reach down to clean the piece. As all your weight is on the rope, getting back on should not be a problem.
On an overhanging route the leader hopefully thought about your protection. If not, prior to weighting the rope, you might need to place another piece to control the swing.
On a traverse, the leader better have thought about your protection. If not, you need a new partner. There is little worse as a second than unclipping the last piece before the crux on a traverse with no other piece in sight.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/13350. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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