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Re: [ladyscarlett] question about catching high FF lead falls:
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clintcummins
Feb 25, 2009, 1:57 AM
Views: 7939
Registered: Nov 1, 2002
Posts: 135
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If there is a high risk of a fall before getting the first gear in the next pitch, or if the gear is not good, the belayer can hang say 20' below the belay anchor, tethered by their rope. Then the leader clips the belay anchor as their first protection (they can use a "screamer" type load-absorbing runner when they clip the anchor also). This avoids the problems of a factor 2 fall.
Kelly Rich leading Exodus p2 (Middle Cathedral Rock, Yosemite), with his belayer hanging on a tether well below the anchor
[edit to add:]
1. This method does not change the forces on the anchor significantly if the leader falls with no pro holding above the anchor (and does not hit the belayer directly). So it does not solve that particular problem of a factor 2 fall (F2F).
2. It increases your chances of holding a F2F with an ATC, because the ATC is loaded in the expected direction and your brake hand can work effectively.
3. The tether give you freedom to swing left or right, to avoid the falling leader (or other objects) hitting you (Tahquitz 2008 example). This has many advantages.
4. The tether decreases the chances of your being pulled up into the rock/anchor by a hard fall - people have been injured this way (Red Rocks example). You might get lifted a longer distance with a tether, and could still be injured, though.
5. The tether decreases the amount of rope available for the next lead. However, you can move back up to the anchor and free up this rope. In some situations (steep/overhanging rock), it might be hard to climb back up the tether to the anchor (batman the rope; 2 strands of rope makes batmanning easier; prusiks also work but are slower)
6. If your anchor is not strong enough to take a F2F and such a fall is "reasonably likely", you should be retreating, or at least moving the belay down to a better anchor. I suppose in theory, there might be situations where retreat is even more risky, but usually partial or full retreat is possible.
(This post was edited by clintcummins on Feb 26, 2009, 10:23 PM)
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Edit Log:
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Post edited by clintcummins
() on Feb 25, 2009, 8:42 PM: add photo example
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Post edited by clintcummins
() on Feb 25, 2009, 8:43 PM
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Post edited by clintcummins
() on Feb 26, 2009, 10:16 PM
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Post edited by clintcummins
() on Feb 26, 2009, 10:16 PM
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Post edited by clintcummins
() on Feb 26, 2009, 10:22 PM
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Post edited by clintcummins
() on Feb 26, 2009, 10:23 PM
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