UKC

How would you rescue a soloist, no harness, neither they nor I can tie a Bow line.
Scenario 1
they are totally gripped and will not remove hand from the Jug of Life.

Scenario 2
pretty cool, just cannot go up or down.

Note to self learn to tie Bow line one handed.
Cheers sjc

In reply to sjc:

Knotted hand loop in end of rope maybe?

Probably easier than tying a bowline one handed on a crag, easier to put wrist through a loop

In reply to sjc:
If neither of you can tie a bowline then is the easiest thing for (2) to tie a figure of 8 on the bight, clip on a screwgate with a 120cm sling on it and lower it down. They can ten make a 'bodged sling harness'. For (1) I suggest putting your fingers in your ears and whistling loudly or finding a load of boulderers to pad the landing out with (or use their mats).

In reply to sjc:

Are they still hanging there or have they fallen off yet? Wonders of modern phones these days ay.

In reply to sjc:

Have been in that predicament twice at Harrisons.

First time I was with a group which came across a guy who was stuck utterly exhausted on the final move on Unclimbed Wall. We talked to him to calm him down and stood under ready to try and stop his head hitting the ground if/when he fell. One of the group raced up and dropped a rope with a loop in it down to him. He couldn't let go to grab it, so he tried to grab the rope with his teeth and came off. We managed to stop his head from grounding and he was unhurt apart from having pulled out half a dozen teeth, some of which were still embedded in the rope!

The second time was a guy on the final awkward move of Spout Crossing. We followed the same procedure, and again he couldn't let go to grab the rope. So the guy at the top tied himself to the belay sling and hung over the edge, with someone else holding his feet, so that he could just reach the stuck climber's head, but no lower to try and tie hime in. We were just setting up an abseil to try and reach him when the guy yelled "Grab my hair!" which the hanging guy did just as the soloist came off, leaving the would be rescuer holding a handful of hair. The now semi bald soloist fell but again fortunately suffered nothing more than severe bruising.

In reply to Trangia:

I dont think it counts as soloing if both times they fall off without injury

...though they sound like the most bizarre rescue attempts ive ever heard

In reply to Kemics:

I wouldn't describe losing half of one's teeth in a rope as being "without injury"!!

In reply to sjc:

Surely in scenario 2 you could just drop a figure of eight on a bight about the size of their waist or a stopper knot with a figure of eight so you can make a big loop and then pull it tight with out cutting them in half.

In reply to sjc:

I'd drop a wrist loop to begin with, it's very easy to hold. If there were a little more time/freedom to move a sling under the armpits is a bit more secure so long as the arms are kept low.

In scenario 1 you either have to go down to them (fine if you're kitted up) or talk them round. Scenario 2 is easy, send them a rope/sling and let them figure it out.

jk

In reply to sjc: Scenario 2, I would just throw down a length of rope(anchored) and he can just shimmy up or down the rope. That's what what I do on hard solos.
Scenario 1, I don't know get a video for YouTube

In reply to sjc: loop in the rope for a hand to go into. I'd probably opt for this over tying a bowline around my waist as it's much easier to do without the risk of falling off.

In reply to sjc:

don't do what I and a mate did in our early climbing days and repeatedly cacking-up throwing a rope up to a bloke Oedipus RYM. H looked on in increasingly disbelief and eventually escaped himself!

In reply to sjc:

Probably rope with hand loop (fig-8-bight) for starters, or rope with slightly larger loop they can put under shoulders.

Incidentally, Anchor yourself and/or rope before dropping rope to them however much they are screaming.

Having been in this situation I got very surprised when person in difficulty grabbed the descending rope like the salvation it admittedly was, and immediately put all their body weight on it.

In reply to John_Hat:
>

Yes, thats a greenhorn error I have made, and you really do have to control yourself in your haste to help.

MAKE YOURSELF SAFE, then lower rope.

In reply to EZ:

In some ways worse than a simple fractured limb, as you won't get them back...

Neil

In reply to sjc:

We should really all take note of the composure of the folk on that ice route collapse video recently. They handled that with exactly the right demeanor.

It depends.

How high is the climber? How far is the fall, and how bad? Broken ankle or death? Can it be padded out? Do you know the climber? Do they know how to jump fall/ land safely? How far within (or without) their usual grade is the route? Is it a wise idea to try to talk them round? What's the problem (quickly running out of strength or just don't want to commit the next move)? How many potential rescuers are there? Just you or half a dozen? How many spare ropes? And so many other questions...

If you could quickly and safely ab down to them, you can make a sling harness. However, as above, make sure you're prepared for the climber to launch themselves at you as soon as you're within range. I've never abseiled with 70kg suddenly attaching itself to me, so an extra braking crab might be useful.

A knotted/ looped rope thrown down first gives them some temporary relief while you sort the more complex rope work. And hopefully there are spotters and mats assembling themselves at the bottom.

In reply to Richard Alderton:


Well if you have mobile phone signal then maybe the whole of the local fire brigade could show up to hold the trampoline catchy thingy?

In reply to sjc:


Then neither he nor you should be on a crag and don't merit being saved... Leave him to his doom

In reply to EZ:

Indeed. Though the problem was easier to solve there as he was wearing a harness, thus just chucking down a top rope with a krab clipped to a fig 8 on the bight was easy enough to sort, he could then clip to his harness. Doesn't work for soloing, though, obviously

Neil

In reply to Bruce Hooker:

I had the embarrassment of requesting a top rope a little while back and when I tied on (one-handed) with a bowline there was a (good natured) ironic 'Ooooh, how old school is that?' from the rescuing party, so maybe the skill is more unusual than you think.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

It's how I tie in when climbing (through the harness obviously) pretty much all the time! Though I think I am in the minority.

Neil

In reply to sjc:

Would have thought a super large loop that they can step in to (no need to remove hands, just put one leg though. They can then sit in it. Wedgies, yes. Painfull g-string experience, yes. But seems like a safe alternative.

Only risk I can see is them peeling off while putting a leg through, which would most likely result in them spinning. Perhaps another leep above so they can put a bent arm through?