UKC

Hello!

Sorry if this is a silly question. I'm a reasonably experienced climber, but most of my trad has been in Canada, where there are generally abseil bolts / lower-offs at the top of routes. 

My belayer is my girlfriend, and most (all) of the routes I climb she isn't able to. 

What's the best thing to do at the top? I climb the route, then setup an anchor, then abseil down to clean the route, then walk back up to retrieve my gear, then walk back down?

Thank you for your advice!

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

Climb a route that your girlfriend can climb?

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

I don't know about best thing but unless you drop your grade it's about the only thing you can do. Either that or bin the missy and get a new belayer!

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

Top rope ?  Solo ? Otherwise what you said.

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

Yup!

Also (and hopefully this is a given) acknowledge that you owe your girlfriend a tonne of favours in return for her spending her day belaying you.

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

The grit edges in the Peak will be fine with easy accessable walkoff opportunities.

There are a limited number of trad routes with lower offs on Peak limestone. Generally the quality of peak limestone is a bit variable though.

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1: 

If you're doing several neighbouring climbs why not just ab leaving anchor and krab at top (possibly with a note saying you're returning soon) and collect anchor after next climb thus avoiding the repeated walking up and down. This assumes you have enough rope to ab on double: if wanting to use a single you could trail a rope.

You can ab off trees directly without leaving any gear though this may damage the plant with repeated use. Occasionally there may be a safe rock spike to do the same but often the rope can jam.

There are ways of retrieving slings from trees when pulling down the rope  but they need to be absolutely safe especially as you may be bouncing around a bit while removing gear (Beal Escaper definitely not recommended and Macrame Ghosting sounds like an accident waiting to happen).

 

 

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

You don't say where you're based?

There are some trad crags where abseil descent is normal and there are anchors in place. Shorncliffe and Wyndcliffe for example.

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

Hi, thanks for all the replies.

My girlfriend does climb a bit, but mostly following on Vdiffs or some Severes, anything harder involves lots of swearing. We spend lots of time doing climbs for her, but it's harder stuff (that she won't attempt to follow) where we'll have an issue! (And we also do kayaking, which I don't really like but she loves). So it's nice and equal!

Sounds like getting down will be a bit of a faff if I have to go up and down 4 times, so I'll try and leave an anchor built somewhere while I do a few routes in a row.

Cheers!

In reply to Hooo:

Oh, and unfortunately I'm based in Sussex currently, so not near any trad climbing - but thinking of heading to the Peak District for the first time this weekend. I've climbed in the Wye Valley a few times, and Swanage as well, but those places generally have anchors in the top; and I've always been with other belayers, who can switch leads or follow etc

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

On most grit crags getting back to the top and back down isn't really that big a deal

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

I'm in Sussex too. Just head out to your local sandstone, none of that tedious messing around with gear

In reply to Hooo:

Haha we go to the sandstone frequently, but as it's a long weekend (and I've booked Tuesday off too), we're heading somewhere more exotic!

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

Good good! *g*

Where are you thinking of heading in the Peak? People might be able to rec crags that have particularly easy access to the top, and/or where abbing is easy/appropriate.

For example, abbing off is standard at New Mills Torr and if you're into the relevant grade range, there are some gems there.

In reply to slab_happy:

Thank you! I'm not sure - somewhere quietish would be great (basically just not heaving like Stanage probably will be). I have the rockfax eastern or western grit book - I don't remember which offhand! In terms of grade, I don't get to do trad much these days (spent a lot of time in Squamish in the past but these days it's mostly sport or southern sandstone) so would like to ease back in with some severes, but then mostly between HVS-E2. 

Ideally somewhere with some doffs/vdiffs for my girlfriend..

Any recommendations would be brilliant, thanks!

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

Might be a good idea to get a laminated 'sign' that you can leave attached to any gear you leave at the top of climbs between ascents - to prevent it going 'walkabout' or being picked up by someone thinking it has been left.

In reply to Route Adjuster:

That's a great idea, thanks!

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1: clogwyn y Grochan in Llanberis Pass has  number of excellent single pitch routes with fixed abseil (not lower off) points  Clogwyn y Grochan

 

In reply to oldie:

Just thought. If wanting to climb on one rope you could trail a second rope, leave that tied to an anchor, and use it for all neighbouring climbs while you are there. Or even trail a third ab rope on first climb if using doubles! Obviously if unwilling to trail a rope you could pull up an ab rope after pulling climbing rope through runners and chucking one end back down. 

In reply to oldie:

Its often hard to strip a route from an abseil that isn't straight down the line of the route, though.  It should be academic anyway - I mean how many routes are we realistically talking about here ? a walk round isn't a big deal.

In reply to GrahamD:

Thanks. My brain malfunction re your first point! I agree with second but OP wanted a solution....I suppose there are a few cliffs where repeated walk back up and downs would be a pain.

In reply to oldie:

I'd hope OP isn't going to subject his GF to belaying too many of those in a session, though.  Not if he wants any chance at all of getting a leg over 

In reply to GrahamD:

Well she'll be waiting at the bottom anyway - I'll climb up, build an anchor, ab down to clean the route, then walk back up to clean the anchor (if needed), then walk back down, then give her a chocolate bar. Then go find an easier route for her to try.

Repeat that a few times and find some activities she can get more involved in the next day!

Thanks for all the replies, if anyone has any other recommendations for suitable crags, it would be really appreciated!

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

I'm confused, if there are abseil bolts or lower offs then you can clean as the abseil, no need to walk back up?

In reply to springfall2008:

Because in the UK the majority of trad routes do not have bolts or lower offs.  You have to use your own gear.

In reply to GrahamD:

For the most part where I climb the lower offs are from trees, most have a tat and ring in place already. If not you tie cord around the tree and attach a small mallion to give you a retrivable abseil.

 

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

I have quite a similar situation to you; I often climb with my mum belaying me, and she doesn't climb. To clean, I'll abseil. To retrieve the rope, I'll either make the system retrievable, or on short crags, such as grit, I'll just go and get it afterwards. It can be an absolute pain in the arse, but it means I can get out onto rock with relative ease.

Alternatively, you could tow up a static line on your first route, and use that to abseil off and clean. Once you've done that, you climb your next route, and move the static line over. You could alternatively persuade your girlfriend to jumar up the rope behind you.

Beware, your belayer will likely get immensely bored.

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

Bamford is great, people tend not to head up there and there are some gems. If you fancy walking abit further then dovestones. Fairly hefty walk in but guarentee not loads of people!! Typically on a bank holiday avoid Stanage Popular, Froggat, Burbage North and maybe Curbar but if you walk far enough along Curbar you'll be ok! I'm around tonotomo with no partner so happy to come climb with you guys! 

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

Good call on Bamford!

Baslow will also be quiet (because it's always quiet, even on bank holidays) and it's generally easy to get from the top to the bottom of the crag again. It's all fairly short, though, so you have to not mind micro-routes. But if you don't mind them, there are some gems there.

In reply to Removed UserChrisclimbs1:

When I started out I used to climb with my husband, a non-climber, on gritstone crags in the peak district.
I'd lead the route and then set up a belay while he walked up to the top to tie into the belay. While he did that, I'd walk down, tie in and re-ascend the route to clean it. This way both of us were fully involved in the climb.
Occasionally I just set the top-belay in order to try routes harder than I could lead at the time.
We had a lot of fun and some grand days out.