Some of my thoughts on ‘Short Roping' - moving over more broken ground safely & efficiently.
Short roping is only designed to prevent a slip from turning into a fall.
These
thoughts are a guideline to ‘dynamic short roping’ – a technique used to short
rope a mixed ability team efficiently and safely over moderate broken ground in
summer conditions.
With a clear
initial briefing & good communication you’re able to manage the rope,
keeping the second person ‘lightly felt’ on the end of the rope at all times
& so in a position to arrest a slip if necessary.
Consolidating
this style of short roping as your main short roping technique for the summer
UK rock environment, will give you a solid platform and skill base to
successfully introduce other short roping techniques appropriate for both the
Scottish winter and Alpine environments at a later stage e.g. using locked off
coils on a uniform snow slope.
Short roping
is one of the most difficult skills to learn, it’s also when you’re at most
risk and exposed from a second person slipping or even worse falling.
Decisions on
where and when to move together depend upon your ability, the weather and the
terrain/conditions you find yourself on.
You must have
confidence in each other, if either person feels anxious then that will transmit
through the rope to each other.
In judging
the terrain ahead against the abilities of each other, you can make the
decision of whether to move together on not.
Give thought
to –
How many
people you have on a rope and the size of the second compared to yourself
leading the rope.
How good is
the team on their feet and their ability and overall experience?
Your route
choice, the weather, conditions under foot, time of day.
The bottom
line is - can you hold that person if they slip? If there is any doubt then run it out!
Drop your
hand coils and move up to a spike or some other feature. If the terrain
continues to be steep then drop the body coils and run the rope out even
further, use a sling and belay the second up.
Keep things
fluid and dynamic, trying to work one step ahead looking forward all the time.
Tie
the third person off to the end of the rope, using a figure of 8
If
managing 2 people, take one and a half arm spans of rope from the end and then
tie an overhand knot in the rope creating a large loop
Tie
another overhand Knot right next to the first
Now
with the loop pass it through the second persons harness and follow it back on
itself creating a re threaded overhand knot
The
first overhand knot can now be adjusted allowing the second a small amount of
movement and comfort while moving over small steps
The
rope from the second to you, depends very much on how much you can comfortably
carry plus one arm span
The
more coils you can carry the more flexibility in running the rope out over
spikes
So
take one arm span and from that point see how much you can comfortably carry in
that hand
Taking
coils and tying them off –
Tie
onto the end of the rope with a figure of 8
The
rope goes straight up the chest and around the back of the neck
With
your left palm facing down the rope goes across the palm and then lifted back around
the neck to make the coils.
Keep
them reasonably snug as if they are too long they fall apart and get in the way
and to short become uncomfortable if worn for any length of time.
Throw
the coils now over your right shoulder
With
your right hand grab the rope going to the second and pull it through the coils
You
should now have a bite of rope that you can tie off around the rope going to
the second with a stopper knot
Keep
the loop small and tight, now clip it to the belay loop
Dynamic
short roping (using two hands)
This
is without doubt the strongest way to short rope, using two hands so that the
arms are bent to absorb shocks.
Hold
the coils in one hand and control the rope in the other.
Moving
uphill, the rope to the second must come out of the bottom of the controlling
downhill hand - a firm grip is created by kinking the rope with that hand
On
easy broken ground you the leader, through good communication to the second
& third climber and a clear initial briefing can, move back and forth
keeping tension in the rope at all times, safe guarding the team by –
Allowing
the rope to ‘pay’ out from the coils in his/her hand and controlled by the
controlling downhill hand as you move uphill over small steps
The
rope can then be shortened again by the controlling hand keeping tension at all
times placing coils back into the hand holding them and then sliding the hand
back down the rope keeping the rope snug and taking in rope again as required.
Increased
security is also gained through a good solid stance with bent legs looking
ahead and reading the terrain
Security
can be increased again by using the terrain around you eg spikes and looping
the rope around these features
As
the ground steepens get the second to hold the rope around the spike safe guarding
themselves and you can then run the rope out to the next feature and so on.
If in doubt
run it out!
Remember
you have all the coils around you chest to use if you need them
Having
said that, try to keep the steps short to allow a good flow to your movement
and purpose to the day
The
less rope out the safer it is – less dynamic stretch in the rope making a slip
easier to hold.
Running
more than 4 arm spans out on a single person is when you should then be looking
at the terrain around you, to work the rope around a spike or something – If
the second or third person slips with too much rope out? then you have much
more dynamic stretch introduced into the system & a slip is much harder to
hold.
Other
factors that you need to give thought to –
Is
there 2 people on the rope and if so I may need to run it out on ground that I
could move together on if I only had one person.
Even
if I just have the 1 person – how heavy are they or how competent are they on
their feet, the weather or conditions of the terrain I’m moving over?
All
factors that you need to take into consideration when ‘short roping’
On
descent –
On
moderate broken ground where you can move together –
Keep
the rope snug against the second with the controlling downhill hand – you can
also use the snug rope to support yourself, giving you extra security and
balance while you also move downhill.
Keep
communicating to the second as to where he/she needs to go.
Don’t
be afraid to work them one way and go another, working the terrain and creating
natural features as security, also allowing you to see the way on and sometimes
giving you an easier and safer passage down.
Any
small steps wait for the second to step down by keeping a solid stance and
letting the rope to run slowly through the controlling hand
Get
the team to wait while you step down or to go slowly if the way on from there
is just easy walking and it’s unlikely the team will slip and hence pull you
off while you’re stepping down.
On
steeper ground, get the team to be proactive and look for rock spikes etc to
safeguard themselves while they wait and you down climb to them.
On
longer sections where more rope is paid out or on steeper short sections, you
will need to start working the rope around rock features as simple belays.
With
a team of 2 you will need to start using simple belays a lot earlier.
As
the ground steepens, the team becomes more tired, the ground becomes more
exposed or/and difficult to judge & you the leader will need to protect
each other more with belays, the second belaying you the leader down, lowering
the team, you the leader abseiling.....
Remember
-
Short roping has serious limitations and risks
You cannot manage the risk! – By the laws of physics..............You can
only minimise the risk!
Account of the 1st
ascent of the Matterhorn,
1865.
Only one man was
moving at a time; when he was firmly planted the next man advanced..…Michael
Croz stood below Hadow, placing the young climber's feet into the toeholds
afforded by the sheer rock wall. Then, Hadow slipped and fell against Croz,
knocking him off the cliff.
In another moment
Hudson was dragged from his steps, and Lord F. Douglas immediately after him.
All this was the work of a moment......
Scrambles
Among the Alps. Edward Whymper. 1871.
Franz
Rasp on the Watzman East Face
‘’.....Both
climbers were found dead, hanging on a rock outcrop, the rope correctly tied
for short-roping“...........One climber must have pulled the other one off.....Watzmann
East Face....had climbed it almost 300 times.....was well known as a very
careful guide.....If anyone was familiar with guiding techniques, including
short-roping, then it was.....Franz Rasp, the president of the IFMGA”
January
1988
Stay
safe this summer
Ade
