UKC

A friend of mine has access to an old disused quarry with quite a few potential climbing routes and over the last few years we have talked about getting up on the rock and clearing it of loose stone, mud & vegetation so that it will be safe to climb, So yesterday we took a walk around to the top to set up an abseil, My friend set about descending down the face to start clearing the rubbish, whilst i waited at the bottom as a backup should his prussik let go (obviously i was at a safe distance from the falling debris)

Most of what needed clearing was pretty obvious, loose chunks of rock that could be literally swept away, as well as some larger chunks that were very mobile but held in place by gravity, which required a little bit of light leverage with an ice axe. But then there were several areas where there was a loose chunk around 8" to 10" cubed which was fairly well wedged in place or some large hollow sounding but relatively firm flakes, which we weren't too sure what to do with, for now we have left them in place, but would like some advice on how far to take it when developing an area for climbing? The type of rock is limestone and in a lot of places it is naturally quite fractured.

Any advice here would be great.

In reply to Ryan Parle:


Surely it's safer and just as easy if he clove hitches into the rope just under his prusik than having you standing in the firing line? Then you could theoretically be on another ab rope further along the crag and be cleaning at the same time he is.

Also is he sure the quarry is not an SSSI? If it is, you might not be allowed to clean it even with landowner's permission. Other than that - sounds fun and hopefully you open up some great routes

In reply to Ryan Parle:

Never done this sort of thing myself, it might be worth emailing the guy with the username 'Urgles' he seems to develop a lot of gungy quarries / crags.

If you're struggling to move a block though, you could always resort to one of those car scissor jack things if you can get one behind the block.

In reply to Ryan Parle:

Having spent a lot of my time around 10 years ago cleaning new routes in limestone quarries, my approach was to remove the big obvious stuff / shale / chippings (sometimes with a broom clipped to my harness!), and climb around the other stuff. The more you dig, the more you'll find further loose stuff. Climbing on questionable rock is part of the fun!

In reply to Ryan Parle:

For proper cleaning of loose rock. Rappel down with prusik (and tie a backup know underneath the prusik, Fig 8 on a bight clipped back to the harness). Coil rest of the rope up and tie it to the harness (or in a Ikea bag/whatever).

Dislodge loose stuff with crowbar and spud bar...

This is the kind of stuff that can come off with proper use of handspike...
http://jammi.net/kalliot/kustavi/pohjavuori/kuvat/deathblock.jpg

After dislodging all the loose rock... wait for the next heavy rain and after that come back and clean with a proper broom or brush... and remove more of said loose rock.

In reply to Ryan Parle:

Fix the rope at the top. If you have two ropes both of you could be cleaning two routes at the same time.
If it's a particularly dirty line with lots of stuff falling down your dead rope needs to be with you in a bag so any rocks don't fall onto it if it's dangling below you or on the ground.

Descend using a lockable device or also have something like a shunt / prussik which will lock you off while you clean a particular bit.

Clean from the top down because most of the crap will land on holds / ledges below you. These will obviously also need to be cleaned on the way down.

Loose stuff NEEDS to be got rid of. Use a crow bar or car jack if it's massive. Contrary to what JJ says - if you leave loose stuff on the route then climb a first ascent how would you feel if a complete stranger does the 2nd ascent and kills their belayer with an 8"x10" rock?

Have fun. It's hard but very satisfying work.

Wally

In reply to RyanOsborne:

Did someone call?

Here I am, the king of shitzen.

In reply to Ryan Parle:

Thanks guys, We did tie the rope off at the top and my friend abseiled down a fixed rope using his belay device and a prussik as a backup, It had been a while since either of us had used this method, this is why i was on the rope at the bottom to pull the rope tight should he have any problems, I set up a DMM revolver on a sling from a tree, this allowed me to be at a safe distance and protected from falling debris by a load of trees & bushes.

as we only had a couple of hours we only really went up there for a bit of a reccy, we also slightly overestimated the height and only took my 60m rope, turns out that it is just a little under 30m so next time we should be able to set up both of our 30m ropes and cover more area together.

we dont have much time over the next couple of weeks but hope to get back up there soon to clear some more.

In reply to Urgles:

You're addicted mate. I've said before, there's esoterica here in C Scotland I could point you at. It's kinda rubbish but better than some of the stuff you develop. And a few quality lines amongst it, even some good views.

In reply to Ryan Parle:

You've got to be quite brutal when cleaning in the quarries. If its dodgy the best policy is get it trundled! You need to encourage people on to these routes to keep them clean in future so any bit of dodgy rock is enough to put them off and the word can then spread. Unfortunately it's no so black and white. Obviously take a view on how the removal will effect the quality of the route. You'd be surprised how much force is required to remove so called 'loose' blocks. It's also important to take on the views of others but sometimes it is obvious when somebody is stipulating you clean 50ft of choss with a soft nylon brush they simply haven't got the trundling experience. Natural grit and ecologically sensitive areas are obviously a different matter and its likely the local climbing community has already established the 'rules'.

In reply to Ryan Parle:

This is how you do it: youtube.com/watch?v=afI58PRmTJ0&

In reply to Bogwalloper:


My point is that it's not always possible - there is often a bottomless pit of loose stuff. Trundling something reveals more, which reveals more, which...


Absolute personal indifference. Climbing is a personal choice, and it's up to the individual to assess routes - just because you put up the first ascent doesn't make you responsible for the safety of future climbers. It's also down to correct grading - there's a reason grades like XS 4b and VS 4a exist!

In reply to flaneur:

I like the way they clean up afterwards!

In reply to flaneur:


What amazing flying skill!

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Dream job

Wally

In reply to Ryan Parle:

For cleaning rock on a single rope I use a Prussik back up from the leg loop, but also put a Shunt on the rope above the belay device extended on a short sling from the harness loop. Keep moving the shunt down so the sling always has just a little slack in it.

In reply to Ryan Parle:

Avoid disturbing a nest of angry stingy things whilst locked off - it can cause unnecessary stress.

In reply to flaneur:

Best job in the world!