UKC

Hi all, I'm going climbing with a beginner who has never climbed outdoors before but is competent belaying bottom-ropes. I'm going to rig top-ropes instead of bottom-ropes as I only have one rope and don't have any static line to extend an anchor over the edge.

The crag is around 20m so I'm planning to incorporate some of my 60m rope into the belay (big trees set back from edge) and then throw down the rest. If I attach the midpoint of my rope to the power-point of the anchor using a fig-8 on a bight, would it be safe to abseil down on the single strand (obviously with prussic backup)?

This would save us from dismantling the belay for every abseil or having to walk round the crag. The other possibility is setting up some bottom-ropes using a 240cm sling (this would only work on climbs where appropriate trees are close to the edge).

Any advice appreciated, thanks

In reply to maxsmith:

Assuming the routes are less that one third of the rope length, and that seems to be the case for you, use the method given in the following link for making the main rope also the rigging rope. If the second knows what he/she is doing then they can lower the rigger down the route each time the anchor is moved.

http://people.bath.ac.uk/dac33/high/6TheBelay.htm#toprope

scroll down to the Pex Hill method.

In reply to maxsmith:

What you propose can be done relatively safely but I'm not quite clear why you would want to. As one of you will presumably be staying at the top anyway then the other can just be lowered back down or walk around (usually the safest option).

jk

In reply to David Coley:

Hi David, thanks for posting this - looks like a good rigging system. Unfortunately I don't think my rope will be long enough to be tripled (bearing in mind rope used as part of anchor). But I will bear it in mind for shorter crags, thanks again

In reply to jkarran:
Hi jkarran, because the second hasn't been climbing outdoors before I'm not sure they would be entirely comfortable lowering me. Sounds like the best plan is to walk around, thanks

In reply to maxsmith:
Me and the other half were climbing the other day by setting up an anchor and sitting her on the edge of rock, (I Have 60m rope).

She would be anchored to the trees/ rocks and the other end of the rope lobed off ready to belay, loaded her belay device ready as well. I then pulled up a chunk of rope tied a figure 8 and cliped it to the powerpoint and would abseil down.

once at the bottom I would tie in to the end of the rope and she would unclip the figure 8 and be ready to belay me back up. Once im at the top we swapped over. It was really efficient and saved loads of time as the scramble down was almost as bad as the climb up.

Steve

Edit: we had 60m rope for a 25m climb which left 35m at the top to build anchors and faff with.

In reply to maxsmith:



In your opening post you describe them as a competent bottom rope belayer, what do they normally do when the climber reaches the top?

In reply to Dell:

Hi Dell, I take your point but I think sitting on top of a crag lowering someone while clipped to an anchor for the first time is a bit different than bottom-roping in 'safe environment' indoors. I'm just trying to plan for all eventualities...

In reply to sbattams:

Hi Steve that sounds perfect - exactly what I am planning to do. So you both abseiled down rather than lowering each other?

In reply to maxsmith:

Yep, The OH isnt 100% confident she is set up perfectly so was simpler to load the belay device first and me check it so she is confident.

I trusted the powerpoint and would happily swing from it so would also be happy abseiling. At this point there is 30 meters of rope hanging from the end of her belay device ready to belay me up but im still at the top, and she is next to the powerpoint tied into it. I gab a piece of rope from below the belay device tie an 8 in it and clip it to the powerpoint and abseil down. MAKE SURE THE ROPE STILL REACHES THE GROUND.

was easy to swap over every time and move to other routes.

Steve

In reply to maxsmith:

One day I will be lading trad routes but for the meantime im happy with the bolt clipping and just setting up at the top of Trad routes.