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alpinelynx
Dec 25, 2002, 7:46 PM
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gumby question, I see this phrase all the time in relationship to soloing. Please educate me as to what it means and how this works. the more detail the better.
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bradhill
Dec 25, 2002, 8:09 PM
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It's actually for climbing with a partner, but involves solo technique, too.
It's a speed climbing technique. You climb to a belay that's not at the end of the rope. After you pull the slack up, instead of putting your partner on belay, you fix the rope to the anchor. Then you start to lead out on the slack, roped solo style, while your partner jugs the fixed rope. When your partner gets to the belay, he puts you back on belay while you finish the pitch. This way, the leader is never standing still.
Obviously, it's important to have super bombproof multidirectional belay anchors to use this technique with any safety.
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passthepitonspete
Dec 26, 2002, 5:23 AM
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Short Fixing is probably the single invention that has most affected and improved speed climbing. I started using it a couple years ago [on those rare occasions I climb with a partner] and it is ETS! Short fixing involves leading in blocks because each partner in the team will lead a consecutive block of pitches best suited to his ability.
When short fixing and leading in blocks, it's important that you have your zipping properly sussed so that the gear can be sent up to the leader. [Zipping is an unanswered post entitled Ask Dr. Piton.... about how to move gear efficiently between leader and second (and/or third) which I will look after shortly]
Another really good idea is to set up a Far End Hauler on your pigs. This is a technique which allows the soloist to free his pig when it gets stuck beneath a roof. It allows you to actually haul the pig from the pig. You can click here to Ask Dr. Pins ... about Far End Hauling.
Note: When you are short fixing and leading in blocks, chances are one person will be hauling on his own. I discovered the importance of pre-rigging the Far End Hauler last spring while climbing with Tom on Excalibur. As Tom set out on his first-ever solo lead [hey, I believe in tossing onto the sharp end those I believe to be competent] I ended up hauling the pigs, one of which got hopelessly stuck.
I had to rappel down, and while dangling fifteen hundred feet off the deck somehow rig the Far End Hauler on the stuck bag. If I recall correctly, this involved sticking a jug on the second haul line, transferring the stuck pig from the first haul line onto the other [second] haul line and securing it with a load release knot, then rigging the Far End Hauler on the now-unweighted first haul line.
I can't help but think it would have been easier to have set up on the ground ahead of time.
I am Dr. Piton -
don't do as I do, do as I say
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alpinelynx
Dec 26, 2002, 5:37 AM
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a-ha. I see. Thanks Pete.
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