Cleaning overhaning sport routes

This might be a very beginner question but what's the best way to clean a sport route with a very steep overhang? On lesser overhangs when being lowered off the anchors I would always clip a draw to my belay loop and then clip the other end around the rope to guide my down so I could pull my quickdraws off. However on a steep overhang like this one it doesn't seem to work. Gravity takes effect and I still end up getting lowered more or less straight down.

Thanks in Advance

you could climb it again on top rope.

All you have to do is have an attentive belayer stop lowering once you become level with the draw and you pull yourself in. Find a nearby handhold to take tension off of the draw and unclip. Keygate biners make things easier. Do keep yourself clipped into the lowering rope with another draw as you described.

dameeser wrote:you could climb it again on top rope.

+1

dameeser wrote:you could climb it again on top rope.

+2

Lower off, then have someone or yourself follow the climb on top rope and clean the draws while either of you climb up to the anchors

Mike Minson has the best solution. Following is a pain unless you will not fall off. When you fall following it is not always possible to get back on. Better to tram in and clean on the lower.

Eric Rhicard wrote:Mike Minson has the best solution. Following is a pain unless you will not fall off. When you fall following it is not always possible to get back on. Better to tram in and clean on the lower.

indeed, especially in the southeast where the routes tend to be excessively steep and you usually are gassed by the end of the day....or sometimes "way before" then..

To add to MM's post, if it is getting supersteep, flipping upside down and pulling yourself back in hand over hand is sometimes "helpful". It also can take a "team effort" between climber and belayer to "bump" the cleaner back in at critical moments and keep the slack from decking the climber at the first bolt....lots of variables to pay attention to...

"Anyone want to clean this for me?"

Agreed, tramming with an extra quickdraw usually works well.  Pull yourself in when you are about level with the draw to be removed.

I also have some advanced beta - when tramming, grab the draw to be removed and find a foothold for one foot.  Using your other hand, open the rope-side gate and use your other foot to push the rope out of the biner.  Then just unhook the draw from the bolt.

*Note: if you don't remove your tramming draw when removing the lowest draw, you and your belayer will probably both go for a nice swing.

Install perma-draws.

But yeah just tram in as you thought. The follow technique does not work if they fall off. If you do that make sure they take before the draw is removed.

How do you guys find these ancient threads?

Ted Pinson wrote: How do you guys find these ancient threads?

Ha, I didn't even look. I assume the search function.

Ted Pinson wrote: How do you guys find these ancient threads?

Life finds a way.

Having done the route you used as an example, many times. You can just do the quick draw into the down line and wait until you are even to the bolt and pull yourself in. Grab the draw, place your feet, unclip the rope and then unclip draw from hanger. That route has a bolt for the belayer to clip into, so you will never drag your belayer away from the base. But if on other routes, you need to unclip your quick draw from your harness before you clean the last bolt. If you don’t when you swing out you will take your belayer with you.

Obviously, cleaning on TR will work, but that takes a lot more time. When climbing in places like the RRG, this is the normal way to clean a route. Never try to do it on rappel. 

I agree that “tramming” the route is often the most efficient option, however, it can lead to dangerous situations where removing the tram adds excessive slack to the system. Especially on lower bolts where the route is very overhung or traversing, when the tram is most useful, you will realize that unclipping a bolt, or your tram, can introduce a lot of slack/swing to the rope you are hanging from. I personally have seen someone deck by opting to release their tram early, thinking they would save their belayer from a swing, without considering the repercussions.

Moreover, as the poster mentioned, roofs do not lend to tramming, and attempting to do so can get you in trouble. In this scenario, roofs should be perma-drawed. Otherwise, if things don’t seem right, just lower, then clean the route as if you were following a multi-pitch. Tie to the other end of the rope, pull the slack through, then re-climb on TR and you won’t be stuck in space if you fall.