Page 13 - 2000 AMA Summer

Lowering Off - are you safe?
C rags in much of Europe and increasingly large areas in the United Kingdom are “equipped” for climbing. To you and I that generally means that the route is bolted. Many of these
routes, especially at places like Boux, Volx, and Cima in France, Finale in Italy, or on our own native limestone crags involve climbing a single pitch of about 25 meters and then lowering off back to the floor. This is very much akin to the practice used on most indoor climbing walls. Flowever unlike climbing walls many of these routes do not have a large fixed karabiner at the top, instead there will be two bolts connected by a chain and a steel ring. If the route is poorly equipped this may be a single bolt, or the bolts may be linked by a rope!
By Major Paul Edwards
Over the past 10 years I have observed a variety of tactics being employed to allow lowering off without the requirement to leave a karabiner at the top. These have varied from excellent use of a recognized system to literally balancing untied on a tiny ledge whilst the rope is untied from the harness, threaded through the belay and then retied to the harness! More commonly I have observed climbers hanging from a single quickdraw whilst untying from the rope system. All of this is completely unneces­ sary; as long as the climber has at least one meter of slack and a screwgate karabiner the belay can be threaded without the leader exposing himself to unnecessary risk. This is clearly demonstrat­ ed in the cartoon series below. (Courtesy of MAMMUT).
Having reached the belay the climber initially clips in using
a quickdraw. The belayer then pays out some slack but DOES NOT take the leader off the belay.
The leader is now able to pull a bight of rope through the belay ring and tie a figure of eight in it.
Using a SCREWGATE karabiner the leader can now clip into his harness. (He is now effectively on a top rope through the top belay).
The belayer can now take the leader onto a TIGHT ROPE. This will allow the leader to undo the original knot from the harness and enable him
to recover his quickdraw. The leader can then be safely lowered to the ground.
Techniques
SRT... Ascending, descending, Big Wall, Pull Through + Rescue.
Who For
Cavers/climbers/Mountaineers/ Rope Access Workers
Previous Experience
Caving and Climbing experience
Non cavers with transferable skills can apply
How to apply:
Contact Administration Officer JSMTCW Ripon Civ: 01748874261 Mil: 947114261
urse
Ariny M«untaineer 11