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basilisk
Mar 11, 2007, 12:19 AM
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in short, what are they? i did a search but it only came up with some nonsense from Flamer.
FOTH says:
This is a simpler technique, useful for short traverses. The leader takes tension from the belayer and then leans to the side and uses friction on small holds to work sideways.
can anyone offer a better description? i'm having a hard time visualizing this
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holdplease2
Mar 11, 2007, 12:27 AM
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Hi Basilisk:
Imagine a situation where you and your partner are at a belay, and the crack or system you are starting to climb really begins about 12 feet right of the belay, and maybe down a little.
If you didn't have any help from the rope, the moves look to be about 10a/b or whatever. The holds are slopey and kind of point to the side. No fun.
Now, if your belayer keeps the rope tight on your harness, you can kinda weight the rope and kinda scoot yourself to the right using the available footholds, which seem much more positive when you can pull on them sideways, with a little of your weight on the anchor, thanks to the belayer. Now the moves "feel" much safer and only really require the skill of a 5.7 climber.
You can do the same kind of thing up higher on a pitch. You place a piece of gear when you have to move to one side or the other. You climb down a few (5-6 feet below it) and call for tension. Now, with the help of the rope, you scoot over to the feature you are trying to attain. The belayer feeds you slack very carefully and slowly on demand to help you as you move across.
:)
-Kate.
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flamer
Mar 12, 2007, 7:02 PM
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basilisk wrote: in short, what are they? i did a search but it only came up with some nonsense from Flamer.
...hmmm so I was curious as to what you were refering as it seemed you started your post by being insulting to yours truly. So I also did the search....sure enough "nonsense " is how I would describe what came up as well!!
Those posts were part of a thread concerning 1 route in particuliar....which is the Reg. route on Half dome...The rest of the thread must have gotten nuked when the big change over happened...rendering what i said nonsense! But whatever you do don't jump!
josh
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basilisk
Mar 12, 2007, 11:39 PM
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haha, it wasn't meant to be an insult at all. glad you realized as such
thanks for the info Kate, that's much better than anything else i've found. i think i'll have to see someone else do it before i can truly understand it though
the reason i asked is because i read about the technique being used on the first ascent of a mixed climb at Lake Willoughby. it sounds even more sketch in that context!
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holdplease2
Mar 13, 2007, 3:33 PM
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Hey Basilisk:
It was probably noted as information on the "FA" because its not typically considered a free technique, because it involves the "Aid" of the rope.
Anyone encountering this section of climbing hoping to send it at the grade listed in the guidebook would likely find the moves harder than the listed grade if they didn't know about the tension traverse.
It also gives future ascentionists an opportunity to raise the bar even higher by attempting to free that section without weighting the rope.
All said, tension traversing isn't typically sketchy unless you swing back into a headwall or side of a dihedral if you fall. Or if the rope is stretched across something sharp. :)
-Kate.
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irregularpanda
Mar 13, 2007, 7:58 PM
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Thanks for the description, but I'm curious, what about the belayer? I suppose they could just jump and swing.....but uh?
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cracklover
Mar 13, 2007, 9:52 PM
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irregularpanda wrote: Thanks for the description, but I'm curious, what about the belayer? I suppose they could just jump and swing.....but uh?
The second, you mean? They'll probably lower off the high piece. Though, I suppose, if there's a piece at the other end of the traverse, they can do a tension traverse too, just with the tension coming from the other side.
GO
(This post was edited by cracklover on Mar 13, 2007, 9:52 PM)
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iamthewallress
Mar 13, 2007, 9:57 PM
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Most tension traverses that I've done have been 1. grabbing the rope near the anchor and leaning far off to the side, or 2. basically small and really slow penjis.
Sometimes a little back tension on a regular traverse can help you keep your balance while you reach for a placement or a hold too. In those cases, I haven't really been moving against tension the whole time though.
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flamer
Mar 13, 2007, 10:01 PM
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irregularpanda wrote: Thanks for the description, but I'm curious, what about the belayer? I suppose they could just jump and swing.....but uh?
...the belayer...whom I'm assuming has taken on the role of "cleaner" or "second"....will generally lower out from the tension point. There are a number of ways to do this, however tension traverse's aren't generally too long. Thus the "deucy" method is the way to go.
Start by mvoing your top jug over the tension point. Next I like to go to the knot on my harness and pull out several arm lengths of rope, creating a bight. Now pull the bight through the webbing/biner/lower out ring in the tension point. Pull this until you are holding your weight, with the rope, from your harness, and onto the tension point. Now remove your bottom jumar. Now slowly feed the rope with your hands so that you lower away from the tension point and into the plumb line of the rope. Once there slap your bottom jumar back on the line and pull the remaining rope through the tension point(remember it was a bight).
It's alittle confusing to describe, but actually quite simple.
josh
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johngo
Nov 5, 2007, 5:21 AM
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Check out the Huber brothers on the recent speed ascent of the Nose. They use a tension traverse to get past the King Swing in about 2 minutes!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RbT0ZySrTg4
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