rope drag is a drag

Rope drag seriously is the worst thing in trad leads im still learning how to minimize i t. Techniques for prevention will be appreciated

Extend gear placements when possible to prevent sharp bends/angles in the rope. Use runners on wandering routes.

Runners (especially under roofs), not z clipping, double ropes, fewer pieces of pro...

the alpine draw

Got alpine draws. Know about roofs extending corner pieces etc. That stuff is easily said than done. Just curious if anybody has particulars technical tips they use. I can't predict wandering of the route well yet. Gonna be practicing more double rope techniques too

A particular technical tip would be...extending your placements using alpine draws... ಠ_ಠ
If really concerned about rope-drag. It is not a bad idea to extend all cams (unless on splitters) with an additional quickdraw. You could also pick up one or two DMM Revolver carabiners, but they're kinda pricey and heavy. They're proven to reduce friction, but I still see them as sort of gimmicky.

Skinny ropes are pretty much the shit. And obviously extend more and Place less helps a lot. But if u r extending what you should and are still having bad issues with drag try using a skinny cord.

So I've used tricks like walking cams instead of frequent placing. I also back clean and back extend pieces finding clipping into extended piece right away may be sketchy so I clip into the cam biner then go back and extend the piece from higher stance. It seems like a lot if work and im not sure if anybody else does it. Sometimes running out easy sections lead me to more drag for some reason. Could be route navigation...Skinny ropes do help though. One more thing: the presence if wind creates a huge rope drag so its something to consider but not sure how to avoid it.

Double ropes. Or place less gear. Though it seems reasonable to place a ton of gear, it could be beneficial to place less.

I use double ropes crossing them is still a problem im working on but I can't place less gear honestly especially on sketchy lines

Elena Sera Jose wrote:So I've used tricks like walking cams instead of frequent placing. I also back clean and back extend pieces finding clipping into extended piece right away may be sketchy so I clip into the cam biner then go back and extend the piece from higher stance. It seems like a lot if work and im not sure if anybody else does it. Sometimes running out easy sections lead me to more drag for some reason. Could be route navigation...Skinny ropes do help though. One more thing: the presence if wind creates a huge rope drag so its something to consider but not sure how to avoid it.

The additional length you may fall clipped into a gear biner versus into the extension is very minimal. I try to set the extension of my placement to so as to minimize the rope drag. The solidity of the gear placement is what will catch me in a fall. To mess with it twice is less efficient. Clipping directly into a gear biner typically shifts the piece more so I rarely do this.
I would continue working on setting extensions to the length you want them the first time.
It is fun to look down on the rope line after a lead and see what you did or what you could have done better to make the rope drag better.

I will place safe pieces that are set primarily for rope drag management. If an additional piece can be set to pull the rope off the rock and into air it is always a good thing! I have discovered that a rope running through air has a lot less rope drag then if it runs over rock!! ha

Don't put gear near the base of a roof or the base of a ledge even though it may often be tempting.

Elena Sera Jose wrote:I use double ropes crossing them is still a problem im working on but I can't place less gear honestly especially on sketchy lines

There is nothing wrong with placing alot of gear. Over protect routes until you gain confidence in both your placements quality and your climbing skill. Efficiency is a serious consideration especially on long routes.

With double ropes I've always found it pretty important to have a plan before heading up. Since you usually can get a glimpse of what you're in store for, decide from the belay ledge which rope you're going to use on each section. If there's a traverse I'll use just one of the doubles leading up to it, do the traverse and then completely switch over to the unused rope.

Sounds like practice and getting more comfortable up there with what you're doing up there will help you sort it out-

ex- getting comfortable enough to take the time to place the cam, clip an alpine draw on, and only clip into the end of the draw.

ex- crossing your double ropes

long runners on everything will also help.

If you do use quickdraws, do you know how to stack them properly into a draw chain so that when you're out of runners you will still have long options for connecting to the gear?

All my draws are Alpine runners threaded biner into biner to shorten it to a manageable draw size racked on both sides of my harness on loops I could bring more slings over shoulder if I needed to actually but for now 12 gets me up a pitch pretty much. I like the idea of double ropes but its something that I need to get used to for sure to keep them straight. I also noticed when I place above my head its easier to see if the ropes are crossed but that may not always be an option. Thank you for your input!

Elena Sera Jose wrote:So I've used tricks like walking cams instead of frequent placing.

????? huh

SendaGorilla wrote: ????? huh

Sport climbers need not reply

muttonface wrote:...Reading a route correctly, knowing where your rope is, where it's coming from, where you want it to be in order to keep the straightest line possible, and finding obscure placements that don't necessarily jump out at you will take some time, but it will help dramatically once you become proficient at it. <--------Run-on sentence. Apologies.

I don't think you needed to apologize. Ellenor wouldn't recognize a run-on sentence if she typed one.

Crag Dweller wrote: I don't think you needed to apologize. Ellenor wouldn't recognize a run-on sentence if she typed one.

Again...sport climbers go focus on grammar. Mutton is the s**t !