What's the longest route you'll lead on a single 60m rope?

What's the longest route you'll lead on a single 60m rope?

Longest single pitch would be 60 meters.

I guess you don't use any of that 60m or rope to tie in at each end and the belayer is hugging the rock, and you're content to run out the entire rope and set up a belay station at that point regardless of whether there's any anchorage.


The obvious answer is you climb until you get close to the amount of available rope (hopefully, your belayer is letting you know how much is left), and stop where a good 3-point belay anchor can be built.

I've been on many a route where the rope ran out and I or my partner had to start climbing before there was a belay.

That's simul-climbing (often caused by poor planning), but I don't think it's what the OP was asking about.

That's simul-climbing (often caused by poor planning),.

And often caused by good planning. I did a long slab route in the Cascades which has lots of 5.9 and below climbing so I simul-climbed a number of pitches in a row to save time.

For me, climbing (and life) is about taking my sweet time and smelling the roses.

Well, that's because you're a Navy swab. You probably do tactical rappelling, face first firing rounds on the way down.

I was unloading MRE's the last several days from Guard Blackhawks and those guys won't even shut down the engine. It's all hit and run.

For me, climbing (and life) is about taking my sweet time and smelling the roses.

If you do that then on some climbs you'll still be on the climb when it gets dark. Moving fast when necessary is part of safe climbing. Your claim that simul climbing is 'often casused by poor planning' shows your naivety.

Sorry, but starting a climb that you aren't sure you can finish before dark is poor planning in my book. You can start earlier or bring headlamps or a portaledge, or just be smart and put it off for another day.

Moving fast when an unexpected thunder storm moves in might be sensible, or moving fast when other such unpredictable events occur is part of safe mountaineering. But most "movin' fast" is a result of poor planning - in climbing, as in all things in life.

Sorry, but starting a climb that you aren't sure you can finish before dark is poor planning in my book.

You can start earlier

or bring headlamps

or a portaledge, or just be smart and put it off for another day.

But most "movin' fast" is a result of poor planning - in climbing, as in all things in life.

If you plan for the eventuality then its (sic) not poor planning is is?

Rescueman do you have any real world experience?

That depends on what the definition of "is" is.

But a blow job under the oval office desk is poor planning, no matter how much you think you've considered the eventualities.

I have far more "real world" experience in my nearly 60 years on the planet than most of you, but I live by choice in a different world: one in which getting to the end as quickly as possible is not the goal, in which case suicide is the most effective means of getting there.

Slow down and savor life. Live poor so that you can live free. Make plenty of time to help your neighbors. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

How do you manage to complete long climbs if you spend your time smelling the roses? Or don't you do long climbs?

How do you manage to complete long climbs if you spend your time smelling the roses? Or don't you do long climbs?

From the looks of things, he climbs about as much as majid.

Nothing more than six pitches, and nothing I can't complete before dark (with plans for a quick rap if a thunderstorm comes in).

But, if I were to do a longer climb, I would definitely bring my queen sized portaledge.

But RM makes prettier pictures