When does a rope left hanging affect more (or less) other climbers
I was climbing in Pine Creek Canyon the past few days, enjoying the flow of technical onsighting. This area has notoriously blank granite faces, such as the famous arête called Ecstasy. These routes are intimidating and memorable. Likely due to that intimidation factor, they also seem to regularly have ropes hanging (aka “fixed lines”) for multiple days so that climbers can rehearse the routes on top rope before leading.
"Ecstacy" with a rope hanging off the anchor for multiple days
I love top rope rehearsal, but I do not believe this method of climbing necessitates ropes left hanging for more than your single session.
Redpoint ascents are often judged by the climber’s “style” to send this route - how many attempts, how many sessions of effort, and whether it was top roped first. But what about how many other climbers’ experiences were affected for an individual’s redpoint?
This is why we like to reflect on ascent style in the Affect Minimal Parties framework - how many other climbers did you affect or block for your individual ascent?
This has been a hot topic on big walls where ropes fixed across many pitches had been common. It feels like things are shifting for the better, with climbers treating others with respect and sharing the walls as a limited resource. Hence the “Parties” term in AMP, as it began in relation to other pairs of climbers on the wall.
Especially at the single-pitch crag, it is wise to hold a cautious assumption that there are other climbers (who we don’t even know of) who will be arriving to try the same route. Yes, some climbers do like to give ground-up onsight attempts! This means climbing with no beta and no draws prehanging - maybe they will fall, maybe they will get scared… but that is the challenge. If you watch climbing media oriented around projecting (Mellow Film Tour, for example), you may begin to forget that this normal ground-up climbing approach is still popular. And with global climbing abilities rising, even your crag test piece may get occasional onsight attempts.
The increasing popularity of top rope soloing has increased the frequency of fixed rope for convenient solo rehearsal. Yes, we love TRS and do publicly share the benefits. But, we are going to hold a firm line here, and repeat it once more: we do not believe this method of TRS rehearsal necessitates ropes left hanging for more than your single session.
Fixed Line Considerations:
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Always follow land management rules/laws.
- Our crag access is a privilege. Climbers are a heavy-use access group.
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If in doubt, don’t leave your rope up!
- There are MANY crags and routes where it is simply NOT APPROPRIATE to leave a rope fixed.
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Leave your rope hanging as short as possible
- Ideally, this means only as long as you are present and climbing on the route.
- More days hanging = more parties affected.
- A rope hanging for weeks can easily get a coreshot from wind and be unknowingly dangerous.
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Don’t leave directionals clipped down the route, as this blocks others from leading.
- This is a critical mistake which fully blocks the route!
- Fix the rope to the side. Then during your session, jug up, swing over, and add directionals on rappel as needed to top rope the pitch
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Leave a note with your contact info and date
- A rope hanging while you are at the crag allows you to communicate with others. But once you leave, the rope's duration and intentions are a mystery to others.
- A rope should not be abandoned on a route for "community use". Someone left the rope, and they should remain responsible for it.
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Use a dark earth-toned rope
- Visual impact matters
- If in doubt, don’t leave it up!
"Envy" with a fixed rope hanging with directionals down the route
Ways to Avoid Leaving a Rope Hanging For Multiple Days:
- Rehearsing a route on solo days? Stick clip up the route to give a few attempts. With good tactics, this can take as little as 15 minutes. Or, sometimes you can just scramble around the back of the crag.
- If you have a partner, you could use an on-route stick clip for a “moving top rope” to work the hardest sections.
- Give ground-up lead attempts, but bring a cheap bail biner to lower off if you can’t make it to the anchor (don’t leave steel quicklinks as a bail option, as these get in the way of future leads)
- Recruit a stronger partner to hang a top rope
- Pick a different route for now, and come back to this project after further climbing practice
It is worth a third repeat. Top rope soloing is NOT synonymous with fixed ropes hanging for multiple days. Let's all reflect on our fixed rope decisions through the lens of how many other climbers will be affected.
