Suicide Pact or what?

I was up on the 1st flatiron Friday, and along with several soloists who went climbing by were 2 climbers, in harnesses, with a 15 to 20 foot piece of 7 or 8 mm cord tied between them. It seemed to me and my partner that it was very unlikely that one could hold the other in a fall. So is there any advantage to what they were doing or is it as stupid as it seemed to us?

Not really a good idea with no gear in between. I've short roped someone thru a section before with no gear belay but I had a great stance and wasn't climbing myself. And that was just for slip protection, not a real fall. No way i'd simul climb regularly with no intermediate pro.

I've read about mountaineer's useing that technique while walking on a glacier with crampons and axes to hold a fall. But on rock that sounds like the absolute worst idea possible. I guess if you want to die with your partner it'll work :P

Unless the weight difference was great(think dad and toddler, in which case I'd be whapping you upside the head for being a bad parent) I'd say they were just looking to double the tragedy.

The only place I can see this offering an improbable but possible benefit is on the ridge run. If the climbers stayed on opposite sides of the ridge, one might counterweight the other in event of a fall.

This sounds stupid to me, but they get major props for partner trust.

Mutual. Assured. Destruction.

This is part of the reason I enjoy soloing more on the flatirons.

Was the rope tied around thier necks?

I have seen guides do this before with clients, but only in 3rd-4th class areas in which the guide could concievably react quick enough to prevent a slip from becoming a full-blown fall. I think it's also more of a mental trick; the client isn't actually going to fall on the super-easy terrain, but the rope gives them the added confidence to move quickly through it.

I would think that the First is too steep for this to really be effective. Did they have any gear? Maybe they were only putting in gear and simuling on "harder" terrain and simul-soloing on the easier ground, just not bothering to untie the rope. Who knows, it's not something I would ever try.

-Scott

IMHO, that is poor form for a guide. If the terrain is worth roping up for, it is worth doing correctly. Guides should be modeling best practices.

I have seen guides free-solo 3rd/4th terrain while dragging up a rope so they can put their client on belay, but that is different than simul-climbing without gear.

Scott Bennett wrote:Did they have any gear?

There are enough people on the 1st that if they fell their rope would probablly snag another party.

vertical limit? hopefully noone has to cut the rope on their dad as the cam tracks out of the crack...

SnoDale told me one of year's past in avy. Skiers line up on top for a chute, guy proclaims something to the effect: "Today we ski to die!" he dropped in and he was right

Jesse Davidson wrote:vertical limit? hopefully noone has to cut the rope on their dad as the cam tracks out of the crack...