UKC

Having just watched Jack tie a figure of 8..he threaded the rope through his harness from top to bottom..now that is just wrong!!!....he's backward!!! (in a climbing sense).its always bottom to top!!!!
I reckon he's the sort of climber that has his quickdraws with both crab gates facing the same way...its also backwards..its wrong!!!!
we all need to standardise...so the BMC/PYB and all instructors can have a symposium on the matter..produce a mandate...and we can all climb together happy.
Only like if your normal and not "backwards"..and maybe left handed?
Cheers
Nick B

In reply to astley007:

A thread title that could so easily be misconstrued...

In reply to astley007:

I'm bottom to top on the basis that if I forget to finish the knot it's more likely to fall away.

Al

In reply to GridNorth:

that fine Al..your normal so far...but what about your quickdraws??
Nick B

In reply to astley007:
Gate out and facing the same way, less likely to catch on a rock protusion that way.

In reply to FactorXXX:

As a concerned climber I'm trying to be pc!!!!!

In reply to astley007:

Top to bottom, as it's safer; if you accidentally only thread one loop then you don't invert if you fall.

In reply to astley007:

Bottom to top?

If your nose runs and your feet smell you were built upside down.

In reply to fraserbarrett:

I've never seen anyone only thread the leg loops but I've lost count of the number of times I've seen people not finish the knot and some of those resulted in accidents.

Al

Bottom to top out of habit but I feel the reverse is probably safer, waist loop alone would probably hold you. More than once have I missed threading the top tie-in point and only noticed on a final check.

In reply to astley007:

I was taught bottom to top, because it's easy to see if you've only managed to thread one. And with quickdraws i have them facing opposite ways; I almost always use my right hand* to clip the draw to the gear or bolt, then the same hand to clip the rope.

*unless I'm more stable hanging on with my right, but the point stands that it's always the same hand so it makes sense to have them facing opposite ways.

In reply to astley007:

bottom to top is just easier to thread - for me at least

In reply to Lornajkelly:

your cool!!..not backward!!!..happy to share my quickdraws with you any day of the week..but can you use left handed scissors?
note how many backwards people are too embarrassed to respond!!

In reply to astley007:

Bottom to top
QuickDraw crab gates face the same way
Rack QDs on my harness with the gates facing in.
Clip bolts with the gates facing away from the direction of travel

In reply to astley007:

Bottom to top, single bowline with stopper knot, gates facing opposite directions. I start climbing at the bottom, on rare occasions, I reach the top.

In reply to astley007:

Bottom to top.

Because I always have done

It's not a good idea to change a tried and trusted procedure.

In reply to astley007:
Bottom to top because it's easier to see the bottom loop when there isn't a rope in the way.

Quickdraw krabs generally facing in different directions but usually have a few facing the same way.

In reply to astley007:

Top to bottom, because if you miss one tie in loop it will be the bottom one, which is not a disaster, whereas the other way round might be.

Gates face the same way so that it's easy to make sure the gate faces the way you want it to, and a peg clipped in a corner will need the gates both facing the same way.

In reply to nniff:

Dead right. Yours can be "The Last Post" as there's nothing more to be said.

In reply to nniff:



And if you forget to finish tying your knott? Certainly a bigger diaster that inverting (which I have done once). I agree on gates face same way.

In reply to GridNorth:


I thread top to bottom, and I have once set off up a climb with only the waist belt threaded. When, half way up the route, I noticed what I'd done, I was glad of the habit that my Glenmore Lodge instructor had instilled in me (along with always checking the knot).

In reply to astley007:

Reading this thread I can only conclude bottom to top is better since more folk do that

In reply to astley007:

Bottom to top too but you are wrong on quick draws I'm afraid.

In reply to nniff:

Gates the same way for sport climbing. Important if you're moving to one side of the bolt. You have the rope krab with the gate facing away from you; if the bolt krab is the other way round then its gate is being pulled towards the hanger with a risk of a nose hang-up or cross loading on the gate.

In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

Surely there is less of an angular torque when the QDs have their gates opening in opposite directions as opposed to those opening in the same direction. This may have a role to play if this piece of gear is weighted in a fall such that the gear may be more inclined to dislodge, whereas with opposite gates the pull of the force is in a more direct downward direction. Of course I may be wrong as some may argue.

In reply to astley007:

Im bottom to top just through habit but when my sister (climbed a bit but not much) joined awesome stockport she ticked the 'i can belay' and 'I can tie on'. They then asked her to name 2 diffrrent belay devices.... no problems on all those.

They then asked her this question. .. should you thread the belay top to bottom or viceversa. She had no idea. They told her top to bottom as if she losses concentration she will at least have threaded the waist loop. She came back to me feeling inept for not knowing and asked me. Id not even ever thought about it

In reply to AlanLittle:

+1, although I always considered it the other way round: For a given placement at the bolt or pro placement, one should clip in such a way that the rope is pulled to the spine of the karabiner rather than the gate.

Top to bottom, double bowline.

CB

In reply to astley007:

I was taught bottom to top.

I find this better as it means I get the bit where I am fiddling about near my testicles out of the way as quickly as possible when in public. Once I have the bottom threaded, I can relax and thread the top in comfort.

In reply to astley007:

The problem with gates facing in opposite directions on the QD is, I find, that there seems to be more likely-hood of one of the gates facing and potentially opening against the rock. I always thought that the opposite gates method was to ensure that the any load was directed along the spines of both krabs but I wouldn't have thought that this was an issue with modern gear.

Al

In reply to astley007:

Leg loops first by deeply ingrained habit now but also because it's easier. That same habit has me checking I got both loops and finished the knot a few seconds later so I'm pretty relaxed about the risk of cocking it up.

Quickdraw krabs at random, I really don't care and make do with what comes off my harness.
jk

In reply to veteye:


It was a while back but there was a thread all about it. I can't remember all the arguments but I was persuaded to switch all mine over from opposite facing to same and haven't been tempted to go back.