by CAMERON McPHERSON SMITH
copyright 1996
FIXED ROPE RIGGING AND USE
In alpine climbing there are a few times when fixed ropes may be useful or necessary. There may come a time when you'll employ the 'Yosemite Method', in which the leader climbs the pitch, fixes the rope, and the second ascends the rope, rather than climbing the pitch. This is sometimes done where speed is of the essence and ascending the line would be faster than climbing the pitch. Some consider this to be 'cheating', but it is entirely up to you to decide the ethic you want to pursue on any individual climb. Another - rather gloomier - instance in which you may need to fix a line is during a crevasse rescue (see section on Crevasses for more details). Finally, you may employ fixed lines in 'siege-climbing', in which you ascend and descend the ropes a number of times during a climb, ferrying loads up to higher camps, etc. In expedition-style climbing you may bring special rope for fixing (called static rope), which doesn't stretch as much as a normal climbing rope and must not be used as a lead rope. This type of climbing is beyond the realm of this book, though the principles are outlined here. After rappelling and descents, I view the use of fixed ropes as one of the greatest potentially dangerous tactics on alpine routes. After using a few fixed lines of your own, you may find that you agree. In all fixed rope situations remember the follwing: no sharp edges, bombproof (BERT-treated) anchors and self-protecting ascent and descent methods. These are detailed below. Fixing a Rope
Fixing a rope (or ropes) means securing one or both ends so that it can be used for support while ascending or descending. A rappel line is fixed, in a sense, because you use it to support your descent. However, you plan to retrieve the rope once you have finished the descent. A truly fixed rope is one that is tied off to anchors. Basically, to fix a rope, you place a number of anchors (see section on Anchors), as the situation demands, back up your anchors as far as hardware and common sense allow, test the anchors, and tie off the rope, preferably with a figure-eight on a bight (this will be the easiest knot to untie after it has been loaded). Viola, a the rope is fixed. Keep a few things in mind. First, the anchors should be at least as good as those for a belay, or better if you can manage it. Balance out bombproof anchors with a judicious and intelligent use of hardware, as described in the sections on Anchors. Second, the rope must not run over sharp rock or ice projections; as you will be placing your entire weight, and more, on the rope, it may easily fray or be cut. Before fixing a rope consider whether, when weight is applied, the rope will be cut on some part of the pitch lower down, beneath the fixing station. You may have to rappel down and pad the dangerous area. If it is impossible to avoid sharp projections, try to pad the rope with a mitten (doubled over), a spare sweater, a sleeping mat, or anything which will keep the rope from being cut when weight is applied. If you're leading and know you need to fix a rope when you reach the belay, try to pad these areas as you go up. This, of course, is more difficult in practice than in theory, but it is critical. A rope under body weight is very easy to cut, and may be badly damaged even if stressed 'only' over a rounded edge. Remember to somehow secure the padding so that rope movement won't push it aside, and if you're seconding and won't be using the fixed line again, remember to grab the padding (once you're above it !) and give it back to your partner. Sometimes you may need to fix a rope which, because of the terrain, can't drop straight from the anchor down to the previous belay. A traverse may be needed somewhere along the line. You need to anchor the rope such that there is, somewhere, a line leading down to the previous belay. The principle is illustrated in Figure XX. You cannot simply clip the fixing rope through the anchors at the joint, however. It must be tied off at the joint anchor. Although the ascending climber will be able to get up to the joint in safety, when they switch their ascender to the traverse ropes they'll weight the traverse line, pull the rope they've just ascended up through the joint anchors, and go for a tremendous pendulum, ending up hanging below the upper anchors. They may want a word with you. Prevent this chain of potential problems by tying off the rope at the joint. The principle is illustrated in Figure XX. If you're on the lead, and fixing the lead rope (e.g. not a spare line, as when climbing with a 100m single rope), you can't do this because you won't really be belayed after tying off the lead line. In this case the second will probably go for something of a pendulum, though you can lessen this with a piece of protection between the joint and your belay, as shown in Figure XX. Whatever the case, when you tie off the fixing rope to the joint anchors keep in mind that, if using mechanical ascenders, your partner will be in real danger as they cross the diagonal traverse line. If they have any wits, and a prussik or a sling to make a kreutzklem, they will secure themselves to the diagonal rope with these. They will also attach a carabiener to a mechanical ascender, as shown in Figure XX, to aid in keeping the device on the rope. Still, if they can't take these precautions for some reason (and remember, in alpine adventures the unexpected is the standard), you need to leave a little slack in the traversing line so they can get the mechanical ascender onto the rope at a safe angle. This may be difficult or impossible to arrange. Do your best. Whatever the case, anyone ascending a traversing line from a joint-anchor to the main anchors should - on arriving at the joint - clip into the traverse line with a locking carabiener (or doubled reversed carabieners) on a sling to their harness. This way if they come off of the rope, for whatever reason, they have a chance of being caught by the carabieners when they reach the joint anchors. See Figure XX. After clipping straight into the traverse line, the climber must remember to unclip the tie-in which they have (diligently, we hope) been tying in every 20' or so in the manner befitting a safe Fixed Line Climber. They must untie the knot so that it doesn't get snagged later. If a traversing fixed line with one or more joints is only being ascended once, and you plan to bring it up straight after it is ascended, the procedure for the second climber is a bit different. They will arrive at the joint and not clip a sling into the traversing line (it would be useless as they are going to remove the joint anchors). They will, however, stay tied into the rope with their 20' interval tie-in knot. They will now have the tricky job of getting onto the traversing line, past the joint anchors, and then removing the joint anchors without swinging wildly away. It would help to stand on a sky-hook or some other 'instant ledge', with the fixed line not weighted, while doing this. They can then disassemble the anchors, untie the joint knot and then get their weight back onto the traversing section of the fixed line. They'll still be going into a pendulum, but at least there won't be any knots below to snag when pulling up the rope. The principle is illustrated in Fig. XX, and will have to be modified according to the situation. Fixed ropes left for any period before returning to ascend them should be viewed with extreme caution. The anchors and/or the rope may have been damaged, perhaps by rockfall or rodents (rodents often chew on ropes and slings). Test the fixed line with a firm tug (watch out for falling debris), then body weight (be sure you're secured to anchors first) then with a few good bounces. Now hang on the line for a period be absolutely sure. How long you test the line will probably depend on how scared you are. If you ascend and come up to a section of damaged rope, get above it as fast as possible, collect your wits, and then pull up a few feet of rope and tie a knot in the rope so that the damaged section is no longer taking any weight. Remember such knots when hauling up the line for use later on; they can snag and cause major problems, but there's not much you can do except be careful. If you're fixing a rope with ice anchors (e.g. screws), remember that prolonged strain may melt the screws out of the ice. To prevent this, cover the screws with snow (or whatever is available) and inform your partner that moving quickly would be a good idea. Devices and Knots for Ascending Fixed Rope
You can ascend a fixed line with number of devices and methods. Basically, there are mechanical ascenders , ascending knots and improvised methods. These means are described below, and in Technique in Ascending a Fixed Rope their use is discussed. Mechanical Ascenders
These come in a variety of styles, though all work on the same principle. The ascender device is attached to the rope and a mechanism employed such that a downward pull on the ascender locks it fast to the rope, while an upward push unlocks the device and allows it to move freely on the rope. Figure XX illustrates the principle and a number of common ascending devices. It is probably unimportant which type you buy, though some hold better on icy, frozen ropes, which is what you will eventually encounter in alpine conditions. Select your (expensive) ascenders carefully. Mechanical ascenders are very easy to use, but they are heavy compared to prussiks or other ascender knots. Some models reduce weight by lacking a handle, which seems a good compromise for alpine climbing. I suggest you consider carrying one mechanical ascender and using it in conjunction with another method (see below) to keep weight down. It all depends on what you plan to do. If you plan to climb via the 'Yosemite Method' (see above), take a pair of ascenders. If you plan to use the ascenders only in emergency, such for crevasse rescue (as when crossing badly crevassed terrain), you might consider carrying just one mechanical ascender and one ascending knot cord per person (plus the appropriate glacier travel gear - see below). Most mechanical ascenders are rather dangerous to use on ropes which are angled from vertical. In such a case the ascender may twist off the rope, and you will go with it. Figure XX illustrates the principle, and the use of a carabiener to clip the bottom of the device to the rope, which may help to prevent this. For this reason, ascending knots are safer when you're anticipating an angled rope. If you're ascending and see that the rope is angled above, consider an ascender knot as a backup, or to completely replace the mechanical ascender as you pass the angled section. This occurs often when you are following overhanging pitches or fixed ropes which are taut between anchors which are diagonal from one another. See the section on Ascending : Seconding for the appropriate notes and illustrations. Ascending Knots
There are a number of types of ascending knots, though the two most common are the prussik and the kreutzklem. The prussik (named after it's inventor, the European doctor-climber Hans Prussik) is a loop of cord wrapped around the fixed rope, then through itself, and clipped with a carabiener. This is much easier to understand in a picture - refer to Fig. XX, and practice at home before you need to use it (this goes for all knots). A pair of prussiks can take you up a rope very nicely, even if the rope is wet, but when it is frozen or icy, there is a major problem: in the short time that you spend hanging on one prussik and loosening and pushing up the other, snow or ice can freeze on the weighted knot, making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to push up the rope. There are two solutions and a preventative to this problem. The preventative is to wrap the prussik around both a carabiener and the rope (for clarity see Fig. XX), producing a Bachmann ascender. This puts a gap between the rope and some of the prussik cord, and if they are frozen together you can work the carabiener back and forth to break the ice and make it easier to move the knot. One alternative to the prussik is the kreutzklem knot, which, I find, is much better than the prussik. Once when trying to get out of a crevasse I used a prussik and a kreutzklem together. The prussik, to my despair, froze and locked each time I weighted it and pushed the kreutzklem up the rope. However, even though it was snowing and there was a cascade of snow being dumped on me - and the knots- every time I moved, the kreutzklem never froze and I was able to loosen it and slide it up the rope very easily each time. When I heaved myself out of the crevasse, exhausted and with numb hands (I had to remove my shell gloves to work the prussik, but not the kreutzklem) I vowed that I would never again use the prussik in icy, wet conditions. The kreutzklem (or kreutzklem) is very simple to tie. Using a loop of webbing (or cord, though webbing will not freeze as easily) wrap it around the rope as shown in Fig. XX. Clip in with a sling. You're ready to go. I will not try to describe this in words - it is much easier to understand in a picture, and I urge you to practice it at home. There is not much to add here. Experiment at home, on rock, and in a crevasse. You'll soon decide what system you like best. Improvised Methods for Ascending a Fixed Rope
This section may as well be titled 'Desperate Measures'. In short, if you find yourself without slings, prussiks, ascending devices, and in need of ascending (or descending) a fixed rope, the first thing to do is to put on your thinking cap. What bit of equipment can you modify to make progress ? One thing you can do is improvise a belay device (preferably a Sticht plate) to be used, as illustrated in Fig. XX, as an ascender. If you're really desperate, you may try the old James Bond trick of using your boot-laces as prussiks. If you only have one ascender knot or device, you can still get up the rope by attaching it to your harness and chest-sling, hanging on it, then tying a foot-loop in the rope below, standing in it (thus removing weight from the ascender knot or device), and then pushing the ascender/knot up, and repeating the procedure. Figure XX illustrates the principle. Remember to untie the foot-loop knots when you switch so that they don't get snagged when you finally want to pull up the rope. Also remember to tie in to the rope at 20' intervals, following the procedures described earlier. You can use the foot-loop method if there's some rope hanging below you before you begin, but if you're hanging on the end of the rope obviously there will be precious little slack to make the first foot-loop after you've pushed the ascender up for the first time. Do not give up hope. Look for any feature of the terrain on which you might be able to use as support as you go up, or at least get started. Often when ascending a fixed line it's easy to forget all about the ice or snow or whatever underfoot and rely on the rope alone, but this need not be the case. Check out every possibility. You may be able to save some energy by hanging on an ice tool, or kicking in a crampon for a moment (be careful, using ice tools, not to chop the rope you're hanging from !). If you're totally wiped out and can do nothing, you may be in big trouble (as was Joe Simpson in Touching The Void, an excellent read and very instructive). Your partner may have to set up a haul system to pull you up (see the section on Crevasse Rescue). If you find yourself in a situation where you have only prussiks and no spare carabieners to make a Bachmann knot, and the knots are freezing to the rope, you can at least thaw them out with a puff of hot air before trying to work them free. I've had to do this, and it does work; but I could have avoided it entirely if I just had another sling, or a spare carabiener... If you've used your only two slings to make the ascender knots, and need to get your feet onto slings attached to them, you might use your ice axes, particularly if they have leashes. Figure XX illustrates the principle. Technique for Ascending Fixed Rope
Using fixed-rope ascenders (mechanical or knotted) is straight-forward. See Fig. XX for an illustration of the principles. Place the ascenders on the rope. Clip into the upper ascender with your main harness carabiener. Always improvise a chest harness, clipped to the upper ascender, to keep your upper body from toppling back wards and forwards. This will save you from great misery and preserve strength (try ascending a rope some day without a chest harness, and you'll see what I mean; you end up spending far too much energy on your biceps and abdominals). Now, hanging on the upper ascender, you slide the lower ascender (which you are clipped to with two slings - one to your harness, one to your boot) up the rope to within an inch or so of the upper ascender. You now weight the lower ascender (normally by standing in the loop attached to it; you may want to make this big enough for two feet), then slide the upper one up the rope as you stand, transfer you weight to the upper ascender and then repeat the process. Every 20' or so, tie into the rope hanging below you so that if you come off the ascenders, you don't go all the way to the end of the rope. All of this is rather simpler than it may seem, as you'll find out in practice. If it's light, you may want to keep your backpack on and just get up the rope. If it's too heavy and causing problems, though, just take if off (careful - don't drop it) and clip it to your harness or the loop of rope below you, as shown in Figure XX. As you ascend, do not forget to tie into the rope every 20'. This will prevent you from taking a long fall in the event that you somehow come off of your ascenders. If your clip-in carabiener gets pressed up against a hard surface it is possible for your clip-in sling to twist or work it's way out of the carabiener; remember, keep both ascenders clipped to your harness one way or another, and tie in at intervals. When tying in, you simply tie a figure-eight knot and clip it to your central harness carabiener(s). Then and only then do you remove the previous knot rope tie-in knot from the central harness carabiener, untie it (so it won't snag when you pull up the rope), and proceed. If you unclip from the rope tie-in knot first, and then clip in the new knot, you end up spending a few seconds unprotected, which is an unnecessary risk. See Fig. XX for a clear illustration of the principles here. Descending Fixed Rope
For rappelling, see the appropriate sections on Descending: Rock/Ice/Snow. There are a few situations in which you may find yourself descending a fixed line, but not rappelling it. Basically, this means either down-climbing the terrain while being attached to the rope or using ascenders 'backwards' to go down, rather than up, the rope. If you're down-climbing there are a number of things to consider. How are you to the fixed rope ? Perhaps the best way is with the prussik or the kreutzklem. With one of these secured to the rope, and attached by a sling to your harness, you can make your way down the terrain with one hand on rock (or axe on ice or snow) and one hand on the rope, sliding the knot down with you. If you slip, the knot will lock (hopefully), and you will be caught. If possible, your partner, above, may as well belay you with a spare rope as you go down; this super-safe and you'll appreciate it. When you've reached the end of the rope, anchor yourself and belay your partner, as they down-climb, with the spare rope you were belayed on (you may have even placed a few pieces of protection as you descended, effectively 'leading' downwards, though this may be time-consuming overkill if the terrain is easy enough to down-climb; do as the terrain and safety dictate). If you're not being belayed, remember to occasionally pull up 20' of rope and tie in, then drop the loop and down climb. Once you reach the end of the loop, tie in a new knot and then unclip and untie the first knot. Essentially your are doing the same thing as when tying in at intervals when ascending a fixed rope: protecting yourself from a longer fall should you come loose from your ascent/safety device (see section above on Ascending and Fig. XX). However you descend, stay alert to the possibility of dislodging rocks or other debris which may hit your partner and/or the rope and anchors below. All of these principles are illustrated in Fig. XX, which is, again, very useful in combination with the text.
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