UKC

If you're seconding a hard line, would you rather:

Pull on the gear
Sit on the rope
Abandon difficult gear and just not pump out

What are the logbook complications and ethics?

In reply to zimpara:

Who's gear is it?

In reply to zimpara:
Does the gear belong to me or the leader?
edit: beaten

In reply to zimpara:

I would rather climb it clean but have resorted to all of the above

In reply to zimpara:

A good second climbs at a pace that ensures they finish the pitch just in time to resume bunny duties with the leader having recovered! . Makes me think of the Simpsons box car episode and being "essentially ballast" I've never been concerned with style when seconding

I'd rather "cheat" my way to getting some gear out especially in a situation where ending up off the line takes work to get back on it. I can think of a large number of times there was no way to get gear out as easily as it went it and often requiring two hands and a tight rope. I'd much rather come back and have a non onsight lead of it on another day and "go do something else more interesting instead" than waste time and energy on it that day.

In reply to zimpara:

If single pitch, not traversing and not a roof, then unclip, then instead of topping out get lowered and remove gear on your way down as you would on a sport route.

Alternatively climb in trainers pull on gear, sit on rope, jumar. Record it as 2nd, leave the style blank, but add a note: "in trainers"; don't mention anything else.

In reply to zimpara:

I'd definitely abandon your gear mate. Probably sit on the rope aswell to add insult to injury (and scuff it a little).

In reply to zimpara:
I'd do whatever was required to get the gear out and log it a "2nd dog".

Options when seconding for me are 2nd, 2nd dog or 2nd repeat (If I've done it before). I don't bother with O/S or flash as I'm on second.

(Cue some finds me having logged something as 2nd O/S - if I did, it was probably from when I thought it mattered!)

In reply to zimpara:

Basically the only purpose of the second is to belay your heroic arse and get you gear out. If they fail on the latter then they are toast.

As such not getting gear out is not an option and don't even think about claiming second onsight unless you belayed blindfolded.

In reply to Removed User:

I shall add a blindfold to my rack then

*some f*cking hilarious comments in this thread!

In reply to zimpara:

Seriously ? Unless its a special case the second should try and get the gear out whilst climbing over seconding the line clean and needing to retrieve the gear afterwards.

In reply to zimpara:

The cost of a full climbing rack? ~£500. The cost of climbing a route clean without resting so you can please the handful of people that look at your climbing logbook on UKC? Priceless.

In reply to zimpara:

Clip into cams for a rest as you go. Unlike nuts they shouldn't get stuck and the leader need never know!

In reply to zimpara:

I'd rather cheat a bit to get the gear out but if my brothers leading it most of the gear has already fallen out by the time I start climbing anyway.its too much faff being lowered back down to get gear for me.p.s log whatever you want, who will ever know

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:


No, much cheaper than that due to the crag swag from people who take the "Abandon difficult gear" option