Self Rescue?

This maybe a very basic question but I have yet to find a solid answer in any of the self rescue manuals that I have read. The situation is that you are belaying on a multi-pitch route, your lead climber is past half-rope, he/she takes a lead fall and is unresponsive. How do you move to the lead climber and after building your anchor above them, transfer their body weight off of the rope and onto the anchor? Additionally, you only have one rope, the lead climber is 215lbs and the follow-on climber is 150lbs. Any help will be much appreciated.

You go back down to the original anchor (if the lead climber is still weighting the rope you will need to prussik down) that you originally escaped and lower the climber until their weight is transferred to the new anchor.

It's probably covered in a lot of the books, but self rescue makes for pretty dry reading. Probably best to get outside and practice it for real.

Get this book. Your scenario is covered in it:

amazon.com/Self-Rescue-How-…

FrankPS wrote:Get this book. Your scenario is covered in it: amazon.com/Self-Rescue-How-…

I think there's a newer version
amazon.com/Self-Rescue-How-…

Just going to pipe up to say: actually performing this self-rescue sequence is risky. It's one of the worst-case scenarios. Not to say that you shouldn't practice - but consider a backup TR belay for both you and your partner.

Awesome, thanks for the responses…definitely helpful

To lower him back to the belay, you would need to ascend while the climber gets lowered. During that time, the only piece acting as your top-rope anchor is the highest piece. You don't know the position of it after it caught the fall. This is the biggest risk, even bigger if for some reason it's the only piece placed. Ascend to your climber, and either keep going until he's back to the belay and build a new anchor for yourself, or stop when you reach him. You may not be able to just lower him to the belay if your belay is not on some big ledge.

Ascend to your climber, build a solid anchor and attach yourselves to it. Transferring the weight of the climber can be tricky. I think if you build your anchor just a little lower than the climber, you could lower him onto the anchor by climbing a little above it, but then you need to maybe untie and come down while attached with your tethers. I'd have to think about that. Or, build your anchor when you reach the climber, use a radium release hitch or mariner's hitch attached to the climbers end to lower him onto the anchor, but you need to unweight your end of the rope first. Need to think about this also.

Untie yourselves from the rope and thread the rope through your new anchor and lower the climber, do a counterweight rappel, or do an assisted rappel back to the belay. Repeat the process if necessary.

You need to think about your course of action. Ascend, descend, or shelter in place? This scenario is discussed in "Mountaineers Book: Climbing Self Rescue" and the Falcon Guide "Self Rescue".

im assuming that folks that read this post have read up and practiced on all the basic self rescue techniques for the OPs scenario

the one thing that i have to add is that depending on the last piece the leader fell on, it might be prudent to build ascend the rope and build an anchor below the fallen leader, sacrificing 1-2 pieces or so to keep you safe if possible and if you can lower the leader to your new anchor

the other note is that if this is on a sustained traverse on a blank face or open air you are royally effed if theres no places for anchors below the fallen leader ... however if the leader trails a tag line on something structural (rated haul or gear loops anyone?) ... then you may be able to reel em in as you lower em off a diagonal traverse or overhang

practice this with backup fixed lines/TR at the crag for both climbers ... you can simulate it by chopping and old rope to 30m (its probably chopped anyways) or so on normal cragging climbs

Will AR's advice is solid. However if time is crucial, secure the victim to a solid anchor with a sling or cordelette using a releasable knot and cut the rope, don't waste time unweighting it.

The book makes a great supplement to a self-rescue course.

You will probably want to learn to deploy a block and tackle to raise the injured climber and transfer their weight onto the emergency anchor. This skill is essential if the leader fell during a traverse and/or is hanging below an overhang or roof, such that you cannot access their body directly. It can also be used to raise your 2nd belaying with an auto-block, if suppose they fell off the final moves of a roof section on an overhanging route and are unable to swing in, lower, or climb the rope.

MaraC wrote:Just going to pipe up to say: actually performing this self-rescue sequence is risky. It's one of the worst-case scenarios. Not to say that you shouldn't practice - but consider a backup TR belay for both you and your partner.

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agreed!

Yes Fasulo deals with that scenario but in much more general terms than most other procedures (which he usually describes in great detail). I suspect that this is because it is a worse-case scenario (which he clearly states, as well) involving some risks in certain circumstances. I assume that he only wants to give general pointers rather than a tutorial, expecting that those who would consider implementing this type of rescue on their own will understand the risks and be able to choose the option that is best suited to the specific situation (considering many more points than what the OP outlined) and to their own risk tolerance and will be able to come up with risk mitigation measures and back-ups for themselves.

Tyson and Loomis also deal with this but only in the Scenarios and Solutions Chapter, not in the previous technique descriptions chapters, and they only consider the option of escaping the belay, climbing/prusiking up to the victim, building an intermediate anchor, securing the victim to this anchor via a loose load-releasable tether, downclimbing/prusiking back to the belay and releasing the rope (loading the tether with the victim in the process), climbing/prusiking back up, tethering the rescuer to the intermediate anchor as well, and recovering the rope to set up a tandem rappel.

I always felt that this latter option took too long in the context of an unconscious leader at great risk from suspension trauma so, for those situations where, for any number of reasons, the counterbalanced climbing-lowering option is not feasible or acceptable, I tested various techniques aimed at making the whole process faster while keeping it safe (in the context of a test run or a real rescue on a sport climb), or at least, as safe as possible in the context of a real trad multipitch rescue. I am planning on starting another thread on this in the near future.

Regarding testing, I personally don’t like using TR belays as back-ups for the test victim and the rescuer when testing these types of procedures. My experience with this is that the back-ups create a lot of clusterf*** and make it more difficult to implement the rescue system, get it to work properly and understand what really happened if anything didn’t work quite as expected.

Some of the risks associated with implementing a real rescue in these circumstances are more specific to trad climbing: is the top, fall-catching pro and its sling and biners still solid? What about the other pros in the belay chain (position, spacing, apparent solidity, etc.)? So a first step to safe testing would be to do it on a sports climb, as I mentioned above. The top “fall-catching pro” can be set-up TR-style on the top anchor of the route and a bombproof intermediate anchor can be rigged by linking two successive progression bolts into a single anchor. Beyond that, personally, I prefer just using secondary back-up knots and extra tethers at every step of the procedure (as I would in a real situation) to adding two additional belaying systems over the top of my test procedure.

Of course, as mentioned several times, one should only test these procedures if 1) they’re already familiar with all the basic self-rescue techniques (ATC lock-off, belay escape, load transfers with releasable hitches, rope ascension, counterbalanced and tandem rappelling, etc.) and, I’ll add: 2) if they’ve taken pains to dissect all the steps needed and identified the various back-ups that can/must be installed at every step and 3) if they’ll have the test victim also act as an observer, double-checking each written-up step as the rescuer implements them.

"Just going to pipe up to say: actually performing this self-rescue sequence is risky. "

Practice does not need to be anymore risky than leading was in the first place.

Rehearse the steps on horizontal terrain.

Yes, use a backup TR on steeper terrain if that is all one can imagine or if available terrain dictates.

Pre-arrange to have the "top piece" be a bomber SRENE anchor.

Maybe go through the steps on terrain that you would be comfortable free solo'ing.

Take your time. And leave the unfinished scenario if staying safe through upcoming steps seems not possible. Come back to it another day after studying more or asking someone knowledgable how to make it safe.

etc.

On another note, don't worry about the possible combinations of variables. Decide on some set of scenario details and go for it. Choose the simplest set for starting out. And most will find almost all of the isolated techniques are transferable to other scenarios.

The step-by-step sequence written up and double-checked by another person is to ensure the safety of a test mimicking as closely as possible a real situation without the need for additional TR belays. I agree that just learning detailed self-rescue procedures by heart is not very useful. However, neither is just learning each individual self-rescue technique without working through different scenarios and figuring out how they can best be strung together into coherent strategies.

Maybe there's benefit to posing scenarios like this and gather the collective wisdom. Don't think I've seen much rescue discussion on MP. While actual practice is certainly ideal, I see no harm in discussing, critiquing, and training our brains while we're stuck at home. So despite what I said earlier about there being too many variables, I'll bite :)

First of all, reaching the leader seems like the key challenge. Once you get to him, there's multiple "right" ways to get him anchored using basic techniques like hitches, z-pulleys, munter-mules, etc.

So as for reaching him in the first place, here are the general ideas (I'm too lazy to write out the details and honestly haven't thought through it fully yet)...

If the leader is not far past the half point of the rope:
Option 1:
Lower him as far as possible.
That could open up opportunities to reach him in a safer manner.

Option 2:
Lead rope solo using your end of the rope.
Once you gotten as far as you can, set an intermediate anchor (for him and you).
Rap down to clean your bottom anchor.
Ascend to intermediate anchor.
Repeat until you've gotten high enough to lower the leader to you.

If the leader has gone the full length of the rope:
Option 1 (not really):
Since the leader is heavier than you, untether from your anchors and start running up as his weight pulls you up! You'll reach him in no time!

Option 2 (for those who like their lives):
Climb the route (top rope solo style, as opposed to jugging it) so you don't weight the rope.
Since he's way up there, there's probably a lot of intermediate pro and I might feel pretty comfortable even if I don't know how solid that top piece is.
Plug in extra gear to minimize risk of the whole thing zippering off.
At half point of the rope, set an anchor (for him and you).
Descend to clean bottom anchor.
Ascend to intermediate anchor.
Lower the leader to you.

I'm sure there are holes here, just putting something out there in case anyone wants to run with it.

The trouble is there are a lot of scenarios where "lower your injured partner to you" wouldn't work. For one, anytime the route isn't exactly straight up and down - if there is any traversing or overhang, and you lower your partner, they could easily end up at your height but out of reach. If the route is lower angle or has any ledges, trying to lower your partner could injure them further, they could get stuck on a ledge, or if you don't realize they are hung up on a ledge or feature and continue paying out slack, you could be setting them up for a dangerous additional fall. Lowering is rarely a good idea for an unresponsive partner.

Legion, I'm not taking issue here with anything you said ... just things to think about.

Legion wrote:... using basic techniques like hitches, z-pulleys, munter-mules, etc.

I'll confess, I haven't spent a lot of time on mechanical advantage systems. I think I could rig something. But I doubt I could effectively haul someone very far with what I usually have on a climb. I try to instead focus on going down with an unhelpful victim and working hard to not load anything that is not releasable under load. Failing that, a knife might factor in.

Legion wrote:If the leader is not far past the half point of the rope: Option 1: Lower him as far as possible. That could open up opportunities to reach him in a safer manner.

The biggest benefit in lowering an unconscious leader is to a point (ledge) where they are not hanging in their harness. Death by harness hang syndrome is real.

Only other thought I have is will I then be able to recover as much gear as possible that was placed on lead? I might need some of that for rap anchors on the way down.

Legion wrote:Option 2: Lead rope solo using your end of the rope. Once you gotten as far as you can, set an intermediate anchor (for him and you). Rap down to clean your bottom anchor. Ascend ...

Likely, a faster way is to just ascend the rope using hitches: prusik, klemheist, etc. with a backup attachment to the rope (i.e., tether to locker clipped to the rope). Of course, before that, escape the belay while fixing the rope to the anchor with a load releasable rig.

Legion wrote:If the leader has gone the full length of the rope: ... Option 2 (for those who like their lives): Climb the route (top rope solo style, as opposed to jugging it) so you don't weight the rope.

Assuming the circumstances are that the leader is weighting the rope ... In theory, my weighting the rope doesn't add much load to the top piece since the rope has to continue to hold the leader anyways (counterbalance). And the load will likely be less than what the top piece saw during the fall itself.

Anyway, if it is ever necessary for me to get up to the leader, I'm hoping my partner is conscious enough and close enough to tell me what he/she thinks of the top piece. And if conscious, maybe he/she can make a good anchor and tether to that while I'm getting ready to come up.

Legion wrote:At half point of the rope, set an anchor (for him and you). Descend to clean bottom anchor. Ascend to intermediate anchor. Lower the leader to you. I'm sure there are holes here, just putting something out there in case anyone wants to run with it.

For some reason, I've tended to think in terms of getting as close as possible to the incapacitated leader before building an anchor below. I get to recover more gear in the process. The injured leader gets lowered as little as possible by themselves (i.e., unassisted). But sometimes what you suggest might be the way to go ... especially if I'm worried about keeping the best gear that was placed on lead above me.

Grab the tyson/loomis book....

AND HIRE A CERTIFIED GUIDE!

s/he will be very, very helpful in applying the techniques outlined in the book....

drop me a line if you need help finding somebody, or go to amga.com ( amga.com/hire-a-guide/) to get a comprehensive list of certified guides...

good luck and good on ya for figuring this stuff out. it's really amazing the number of people who go climbing without even basic self-rescue knowledge....good job!

RC

once folks start practicing self rescue under realistic conditions

they will realize how utterly shiety it is, and how even the smallest error or mistep in a sequence can have serious consequences

theres always alot of theoretical discussion, and perhaps some "practice" in the yard ...

but once you actually try it on vertical/steep rock, in the rain (youll be climbing on sunny days), or in the dark ... things go very different from you thought they would when typing out these posts (including mine!!!) from the warm safety of that internet cafe

when most folks practice self rescue, they just do the basics like the easiest belay escape (off autoblock), tandem raps, ascending the rope with proper prusiks, with tons of extra gear that you realistically wont have

not many folks practice the "full" scenarios ... like the OPs question, or a leader falling past the belay, etc ...

i personally think that self rescue as folks do it is intrinsically flawed in that

- most folks claim some theoretical knowledge but dont practice it

- many folks took a 1-2 day course but dont practice it

- many that do practice it do it maybe a day or two a year

- when they do practice it they only go through the most basic skills off the easiest problems with unrealistic amounts of gear, as practicing one a year is only enough to maintain the most basic skills if that

- even folks who do practice it more often limit themselves to very simple scenarios ... a complex scenario requires a combination of those simple skills in the proper sequence

- and even then they use unrealistic amounts of gear ... all the folks claiming to be climbing multi fast wont have that gear

- many dont practice it under realistic conditions ... having to deal with a 200 lb partner on vertical/steep rock with rope drag and the gear in when yr 100 lbs is much different from doing it in the park or even a 20 foot top rope with no drag or traverses ... never mind rain, darkness, wind and cold temps

theres nothing wrong with looking at a scenario and developing a plan

but its a all fun and mind games till you actually go out and practice it on the rock

and then it really sucks !!!

Yep. So keep offering to organize / conduct self-rescue sessions for the more complex scenarios. Some will attend and learn something. The ones who do not will be reminded how much they don't know. And perhaps others will pick up the torch themselves. :-)

Quick, but risky and if the lower is unobstructed:

Tie off belay with mule knot and slowly climb route you will utilize your partner as a counter balance belay at the same time you are lowering them. When you reach anchor. Back it up use tail to anchor and then rappel down to partner. You re now both on ground. I know there's a weight difference but it should be relatively smooth with the friction from the carabiner(s) and pro placements. The major risk is climbing / lowering at same time through single piece, but it is similar to load of hanging leader and ascending the line. This saves ascending up, backing up, transferring load, anchoring off, descending, disassemble belay, ascend again , perform lowering and then descend.