Pitch linking do's and don'ts?

I tend as a general rule to use the "standard" belay locations when I do a climb. But I do see a lot of mentions on here of linking pitches together, both for speed and occasionally because a belay might be uncomfortable. I'm thinking about doing a bit more linking to get more pitches in, but I feel like (maybe) I don't have a great sense of when to do it and when not to.

My thoughts:

Good for linking:
-communication easy
-climbing easy
-pitches will link in a straight line

Not so good for linking:
-High likelihood of fall for second bottom of first pitch (rope stretch)
-big ledges between pitches
-big traverses
-need for a close belay due to hard climbing or obstacles below
-communication hard due to roofs or whatever
-want to carry a light rack or each pitch will require a lot of gear

Do these sound about right? What'd I miss?

Good for linking:

Fun, long pitch

Advantageous, time-wise, if you are slow building anchors

Bad for linking:

Everything else you mentioned.

I'm thinking specifically of my experience on the Flatirons, in the Gunks, and on alpine terrain, all places where I have linked pitches. Linking pitches is often a good strategy for passing other slower parties on large swaths of rock, or places were route options are plentiful.

Good for linking:

• Next belay is within rope length
• Second feels comfortable simuling terrain that would allow leader to get to next belay.
• Slower party on route is passable.
• Route is wandering, but gear options are limited or terrain is well below leader's limit.
• Speed is important for overall completion of the route in a safe manner. (IE: alpine, weather bearing down)
• A particular belay is crowded (just go to the next one).

Bad for linking:

• Simul to next belay would put second at crux within a number grade of their limit.
• Simul to next belay would put leader at crux close to their limit on the simul.
• Other parties are on route who are either not cooperative or not safe to pass.

One note on linking pitches, is get 1 or 2 roller-bearing carabiners. These help when you have a traverse at the beginning or end of a pitch. Also, plan to bring 1-2 double length slings, and try to keep your rope line as straight as possible, back-clean if necessary.

percious wrote:* Route is wandering, but gear options are limited or terrain is well below leader's limit.

A wandering pitch normally means more rope drag. Absolutely not suitable.

I link pitches quite regularly. Normally it is on terrain well below my limit. Though plenty of times I plan to link pitches but due to the corners/lips/edges in the terrain it is impossible.

Linking is a good Idea in almost any scenario. When multiple traverses will be present or you can't keep the rope from running over/through death blocks might be the only times I would not suggest linking. Most books will caution climbers about linking problems on most routs.

Most routs are on the shorter side because of common rope lengths at the time of FA, 50m. As the years have gone on, ropes have gone from 50mX11mm to 70/80mX9.2mm, getting lighter and longer.

Protecting the pitch and not the move would be the most critical thing to keep in mind when linking pitches and eliminating rope drag. If you are confident in your leading skills and can use extendable's appropriately and not placing in the crux, even routs that traverse will usually not be a problem

You need to be comfortable with running it out and extending every piece long

Otherwise yr rope drag will be pretty bad

Basically a piece every 20-30 ft or more, perhaps a bit closer at the crux

;)

My thoughts on linking pitches is that it can be faster because you skip building and breaking down a belay station. Typically the climbing is not any faster.

If you are linking pitches just to go faster there is a good chance that you'll gain more speed by working on a faster transitions at belays. Linking pitches tends to mean carrying more gear, longer leads, rope drag, and lack of communication, all of which typically leads to slower overall climbing.

Of course, linking pitches to avoid hanging belays can be very useful and make for a more enjoyable overall climb, so I find that worthwhile.

I'd say it is like many other things in climbing and is largely situational. Sometimes it is a good idea to link, other times it is a bad idea. Having it in your toolbox as an option is a good thing, but knowing when it is the correct decision is most important.

Ryan hill is absolutely right. Its best to stand under the route and picture what linking it is going to be like. Walk through all the climbing in your mind, from the leader and the seconds perspectives. The criteria mentioned are good to have in mind when doing this, but most helpful is imagining what the lead and follow will look like when linked

In general,when I pass up an awesome belay ledge with super easy pro so that I can link pitches, I usually regret it. Would have been faster to go with the easy belay and start over.

^^^ I've had the same experience. I don't think I'm a pitch linking master.

Thanks for the thoughts guys/gals...

The day I posted my original question we went out and linked a bunch of pitches on a bunch of very easy routes and were really happy with the results. Got 16 pitches in 7.5 hours. As people have said, it's not always appropriate, but it sure seemed to make a significant difference on the climbs we did. We carried just slightly more pro, but did take 6 to 8 extra alpine draws and were glad to have them. You really have to runner the hell out of everything for it to work well.