UKC

Rope soloing is simply the ability to climb alone, yet still have the safety of being attached to a rope (rather than free-soloing). It involves double the amount of work; all the work that your climbing partner would usually do for you in your team, whilst being a total loner as your climbing partner won't be there, so it's certainly not for everyone! However, I've found that preparing, climbing and completing a route or project under your own steam has produced some of the most rewarding and memorable days out climbing that I've had. You will probably know after just one pitch of climbing whether this is a style for you.

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In reply to UKC Articles:

"How to Rope Solo with Pete Whittaker"

Surely if you're with Pete Whittaker, then you're not soloing?

Sorry... Bored at work.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Such a great article, although it will probably lead me to spend hundreds of pounds on climbing kit I'll use once! C'est la vie...

In reply to UKC Articles:

When I read this and think of Pete doing it all the way up Freerider, I am totally flummoxed. Like someone building a matchstick battleship using their toes. Turbo-Faff. Wow. 

In reply to UKC Articles:

Looking at the photo of Pete actually climbing it would seem the final system he's using is:

1) Rope tied into bi-directional anchor then through the placed gear

2) Rope solo device attached to harness via 2 x locker (can't see if it's tie in loops or belay loop)

3) Light loop of rope then into a traxion, also connected to the tie in / belay loop via a locker

4) Blocker knots as the backup below the traxion (to be untied as they come close to it)

As the traxion will be oriented the wrong way around it can't act as a backup on its own (it's there to manage the light loop) but a blocker knot would jam against it and not go through, so as long as it's connected to the tie in / belay loop on the harness that should be safe (provided you've connected everything properly and triple checked it).

Does look like a huge amount of faff but there is a certain appeal in rocking up to a cliff on your own and getting to the top safely under your own steam without the full risk of soloing it...

In reply to UKC Articles:

Nice article Pete.. I am sure this will help a few people.. it has always been hard to find good rope solo info!

Backfeeding; I have used a ropeman to prevent before - this works quite well and (possibly depending on how new your rope is) I only tended to need to place one in a long pitch. The downside is that when you whip the rope below the ropeman is kept at tension but that was never much of an issue to release.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Also now Silent Partners are going to be in high demand.. and they aren't making them anymore I am get mine auctioned at Sothebys and look forward to retirement.

In reply to UKC Articles:

 

By "Feeling less safe", the rope will feed round the system and you'd take a huge whip until you are below pieces where both ropes are clipped into?

Great article, rope soloing definitely has some romantic appeal!

 

I tend to carry the rope on my back when free climbing (I don’t climb hard so there always seems to be loads of grabby sticky rope eating flakes about). 

If doing it this way I find an okay safety:faff ratio backup system is having the blocker knots tied along the rope in the pack and also staying tied into the far end of the rope. 

Backing up the gear loop mini-traxion over onto the belay loop sounds like a good idea in a last resort scenario, haven't tried it but doubt it would add much to the already mighty faff.

 

The film of Pete doing freerider is so good  

Now all we need is for UKC to give us a way to log roped solos differently from lead climbs...

In reply to UKC Articles:

Just had another re-read of the article. I understand Pete's comment that quickdraws are not needed to prevent rope drag.  But wouldn't this be dangerous in some scenarios? I.e if you took a rope solo lead fall using a single rope the extreme angles of the weighted rope could unzip lower pieces of pro (In a similar way to a belayer standing too far out of the base of the crag). Following picture kind of illustrates my thoughts: http://people.bath.ac.uk/dac33/high/2TheBasicMethod_files/image009.png 

Obviously this is not a problem if you are only clipping fixed pro for speed, which I'm guessing was the case during much of Pete's Freerider ascent. Or using double ropes very carefully to keep them straight (edit: I guess you can only use single due to self-belay device).

Interested to hear other views on this

In reply to Sam B:

But it's still a lead though. You could just put 'roped solo' in the comments.