Activity for AlanL‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: Avoiding tangles when leading on double ropes Definiely do not attempt to keep them separate on the route. Uncoil and stack them separately at the start, but thereafter handle them as one. Make sure that leader and second both tie the same rope on the same side so that they are not crossed over. I've never used a rope basket, but it doesn't se... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What Rope to purchase? I have a Mammut rope that looks identical to your Option 2 (Mammut Supernova) although it is sold in Europe under a different name. I am not all impressed with it and wouldn't buy one again. Handling deteriorated rather quickly under quite moderate usage. Mammut is a fine company and makes many exc... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the strength of an ATC belay device when used in a guide mode/multi-pitch setup? Aha! I knew I'd read something about this somewhere, and here it is. Scroll down to the test done by Jim Titt. First Fail Mode: The trapped rope escapes sideways from under the tensioned rope and gets trapped between the tensioned rope and the side of the slot.This is very difficult to fre... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the strength of an ATC belay device when used in a guide mode/multi-pitch setup? say if the belayer did not take in slack while the climber was climbing and took a large fall, how much force would be exerted on the ATC? I assume we're talking about a follower being belayed with ATC in guide/autoblocking mode? Then even the most determinedly incompetent/malicious belayer can... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Anchor without cordelette? Cordelettes are an American obsession. In the UK and Europe most people climb multipitch on double ropes. In this case, and if one is swapping leads, then an anchor with up to four pieces with the rope is trivially easy. Clove hitch to first piece, little loop of slack, clove hitch to second piece, t... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Placing protection efficiently when leading trad? In general it sounds you're not doing anything obviously stupid and you just need more practice. I generally rack some 'draws on both sides - sometimes it can be handy to avoid reaching across. And you can often avoid the 'draw falling into the crack by resting it on a hold, across your wrist or som... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What fall factor will cause me to hit the deck with a typical dynamic rope? I don't think the question is really answerable more precisely than you already have, because there are so many variables: the original stretchiness of the rope you happen to have - every rope has a different force/elongation curve the age of the rope - ropes get less stretchy as they age the relat... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Who places the anchors that rock climbers use? There are two distinct styles of free rock climbing (with, as always, some grey areas). In "trad" (= traditional) climbing, the team carries their own removable gear. The leader places protection points whilst climbing and the second climber removes them again. There might be the odd piece of perma... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it generally allowed to walk in German forests in the night? It's not only the danger from hunting, it's also a question of noisy humans, often with very bright headtorches these days, disturbing shy nocturnal animals. This is the reason why late evening climbing/bouldering is heavily frowned upon in some areas of the Frankenjura for example. (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Rappelling in the Rain I'm from the UK and have (therefore) rappelled in the rain lots ;-) The actual mechanics aren't that different. Being sprayed in the face with the wet grit that your device is squeegeeing out of your rope is one of the hazards - very unpleasant but not actually dangerous. Rather more serious might ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What's the best way to swap lead when climbing in a group of three using a pair of half ropes? Something we used to do in the UK bitd was use three half ropes tied in a triangle. A bit more weight, a bit more cluster potential, but allows leading through without any of the time-consuming and dangerous re-tying. (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should a carabiner ever be clipped to the tie-in loops and should anything other than a carabiner ever attach to the belay loop? I disagree with DavidR's answer to point 1. Girth hitching a sling to your belay loop to clip into the anchors whilst setting up a rappel is common practice and perfectly ok. Leaving a sling permanently girth hitched to the same spot on your belay loop and using it that way for years is a bad idea th... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the correct way to attach an autoblock to your harness for rappelling? I recently switched to the autoblock-on-belay-loop, ATC extended on a sling system. Partly because of the risk of an autoblock krab on a leg loop releasing the leg loop buckle, but mainly because I find the extended system generally more conventient and controllable. (more)	—	over 11 years ago