by CAMERON McPHERSON SMITH
copyright 1996
SIMUL-CLIMBING
At some time on your route you may find that the terrain is rather easy to climb and that you feel comfortable without a fixed belay. The method to employ here is simul-climbing. Properly employed, simul-climbing can keeping you moving and speeding your ascent considerably. Simul-climbing is a method of movement in which climbers are moving at the same time; the leader is placing protection and clipping the rope through it as usual, and the second is removing the protection when she arrives at the placement. There is no fixed 'belay' as such, as the second is not anchored to the rock and is climbing at the same time as the leader. However, if the leader were to fall (which should be extremely unlikely, as you must only simul-climb when the terrain is so easy that falling is a remote possibility) the protection between her and the second is called upon to catch the fall. The body-weight of the second is going to take some of the shock, though she will probably be jerked up and off of the rock anyway, and leader and second will likely end up hanging for a few moments (until they get straightened out) on the protection which caught the leader. This is the worst-case scenario, however. As mentioned, falling should be a remote possibility when simul-climbing. You must judge for yourself what you mean by 'easy' terrain. For one climber this may mean 5.10 rock, for another it may mean 5.5 rock; because of this potential disparity it is critical for the two climbers to agree that the terrain is 'easy'. Once you have agreed to simul-climb, it's a good idea to let the better climber (on the terrain in question) lead, reducing the chance of falling. This assumes that you and your partner have the guts to say 'Ok, I'll go first, I'm not as good as you are on rock/ice/whatever.'. If you can't handle this sort of confession, or are so competitive that you can't bear to 'give in', I suggest you drop climbing (at least alpine climbing) and think seriously about your life. Let's assume you're at a belay and, looking upwards (or downwards, as the case may be), you and your partner have decided to simul-climb. The ''stronger' climber (on this particular terrain) leads off. For starters, you may as well keep them on belay while they run out most of the rope. There's no reason not to do so, and a belay is always better than no belay. When you see that most of the rope is out, just take your anchors and start climbing. You have two choices with regards to the amount of slack between yourself and the leader. You may want to keep it rather taut, so that they are almost, but not quite, tugging you along. This is good when the terrain is more difficult (but still easy enough for simul-climbing); if the leader does slip the reduced slack will keep the impact on you as low as possible. On the other hand, you may find that you're more comfortable with a bit of slack trailing between your feet, so that when you stop to take out the protection your leader has placed you won't be instantly tugged upward by the leader continuing upward (remember, though: if you're on such difficult rock that a little tug can pull you off, it would probably be better to belay). The leader continues upward. They use natural or artificial protection as necessary. They must keep in mind that you are down below, having to stop occasionally to get out the gear they've placed. Therefore, it's best if they occasionally look back to see where you are in relation to the next piece. They should also take note of any particularly difficult sections, which may slow the second, and stop to belay off a nut or piton while you overcome that section. You then continue on as usual. When the leader is down to a few pieces of protection, they should stop, set up a few anchors and belay second as she comes up. When the second arrives she simply hands over the gear to the leader, the two decide whether the next section is 'simul-climbable', and then proceed as required. Depending on the seriousness of the consequences of a fall, you may wish to shorten the rope between the climbers. To do this, coil the rope as you would for glacier travel (see the section on Glacier Travel). Again, keep the rope taut. You will gather that the most important aspect of simul-climbing is a very close understanding of your partner's abilities and thinking. How will he cope with that steep bit ? Will that knifeblade be difficult to remove, and will he need extra time there ? Can I climb rock as well as she can ? After a few climbs with the same partner you'll begin to get a feel for how they climb. For simul-climbing this is often the most useful information you can have; for this reason, you might find it unnerving to simul-climb with a stranger (I won't do it), and I advise against it. However, because of the dangerous nature of alpine climbing I find that the 'turnover rate' of partners is pretty low compared to, say, sport-climbers. Hell, anyone (well, nearly anyone) can belay me as I claw up a super-protected sport route, but I'm not going on a two-day alpine ordeal with someone I don't know.
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