Posts by AlanL
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 ...
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 ha...
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. An...
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...
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 perman...
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...
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 cli...
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...
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 ...
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 belaye...
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...
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. Handli...
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 ro...
