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Tips and tricks

Original Post
Michael.T · · Saranac · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 0

Here's the place to share with the climbing community all of the tips and tricks you use to make your climbing experience a bit more enjoyable. Please share anything that you think could be of use to a fellow climber.

Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837

When using a cordelette in a trad anchor, clove hitch it to one of your pieces of gear, near the knot. This will keep the knot from sliding down to the masterpoint area when you go to "equalize" everything.

Rob Dillon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2002 · Points: 760

When loading packs at the truck, place the beer in your partner's pack.

KevinCO · · Loveland, CO · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 60

When climbing at an area with Chipmonks that get into your pack/food, use a protein powder container as a lunch container. Leave it outside your pack and the pack open so they don't chew up your pack.

Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837
Mostafa Noori · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 601

Carrying H2O: instead of doing a crappy tape job on your water bottle make a prucell prusik with a small cord.

Works great you can even put two smaller bottles. Can withstand a beating in chimneys and OWs and comes undone easy enough at the end of the day.

1 bottle

1 bottle

two bottle

two bottle

Ryan's trick is great too I use it often.
I need to start doing Rob's beer one.

Jan Tarculas · · Riverside, Ca · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 917
Ryan Nevius wrote:When using a cordelette in a trad anchor, clove hitch it to one of your pieces of gear, near the knot. This will keep the knot from sliding down to the masterpoint area when you go to "equalize" everything.
wow. such a simple idea but very usefull. I'm going to start doing this. No more knot bugging the crap out of me. thanks for the tip
mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41
Rob Dillon wrote:When loading packs at the truck, place the beer in your partner's pack.
If you find beer in your pack that you didn't put there, drink it all before your partner can.
Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880

If you're in bear country, always carry a knife for your partner's leg.

Brendan Blanchard · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 590
Jake Jones wrote:When you're setting up a rappel, put the backup hitch on first so that the hitch takes the weight of the rope. This will enable you to pull some slack through and easily feed your bight(s) of rope into your device with two hands- not having to struggle with the weight of the rope. Seems basic, but I've seen a hell of a lot of people fight with trying to feed the weight of 2 60m ropes into their belay device. Especially if they're wet.
I've done this a time or two, but if I'm not using a hitch/backup, I usually just pull up a few feet and hold it against the rock with my foot if I'm on a ledge, otherwise, the battle ensues.
wivanoff · · Northeast, USA · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 674

Have the ends of your cord and webbing cut and melted at an angle instead of straight across. Makes it much easier to thread when tying knots.

Tie your chalk bag around your waist with a loop of 6mm cord. I use a sheet bend to make the "belt". You'll always have some cord for Prussick, load releasable knot, rap tat, etc.

Tape a single edge razor blade inside your helmet.

Keep a keychain LED on or in your chalkbag

camhead · · Vandalia, Appalachia · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,240

Here's a cold-weather tip for keeping your fingers warm. It's called the Funky Penguin (tm).

Lock your elbows, extend your finger tips as much as you can, and bend your wrists backward. Basically, you are trying to make a completely right-angle "L" shape with your arms and hands. Now, move your shoulders up and down quickly. If you do it right, you will feel blood rush into your hands and fingertips. Works for warming up before a climb, and even de-pumping at rests. You're welcome.

  • May contribute to the Screaming Barfies if used improperly. Use at your own risk. If you are pregnant, depressed, or have a history of butthurt, the Funky Penguin (tm) may not be for you. Some people experienced erectile dysfunction after doing the Funky Penguin (tm). The Camhead Corporation, LLC, Inc., is not responsible for any psychological scars that may result. The Funky Penguin is not actually related to any real Antarctic Aquatic Avian species, nor to James Brown or George Clinton. Talk to your doctor before making any changes to your climbing warmup routine.
GMBurns · · The Fucking Moon, man, the… · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 470

Always pay the trick a tip. Just rude not to.

WDW4 Weatherford · · Houston · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 176

-An idea from user hikingdrew that I've used: rack DMM Torque Nuts from the top loop to eliminate clanging while on the harness. Alternatively, extend the sling, and then clip the short sling.

-Extend your rappels. Like This
Eliminates this problem

-If you can alternate leads on multipitch routes, use the rope in the anchor. If you can't, stick with the cordalette or double length sling.

-If you have rigid stem friends on your rack, throw a gunks tie off on those bad boys and rack them from that loop. If you also re-sling them from the base, sizes smaller than 3 will sit on your harness with the cam lobes facing upwards, making it easier to see which is which.

chuffnugget · · Bolder, CO · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 0

only climb at crags where you can immediately update your 8a.nu status

... and don't cut trees; it makes people very sad while sitting in their wooden houses sitting on their wooden chair looking at their computer on their wooden table.

Peter Franzen · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,730
WDW4 wrote:-If you can alternate leads on multipitch routes, use the rope in the anchor. If you can't, stick with the cordalette or double length sling.
I have all but eliminated slings from my mulitpitch anchors, especially when they are bolted. A little planning when the second arrives can make it easy for one person to lead every pitch and get off of the anchor easily.

An extra minute or two spent on rope management at the anchors is always worthwhile. Since belay stances are sometimes crowded or uncomfortable, I often find it helpful if the leader stops after placing one or two pieces (terrain permitting) so that the belayer can fine-tune their position and get comfortable.
Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837

Know how to rappel with a carabiner brake, in the event that a rappel device is dropped.

Daniel vH · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 0
Ryan Nevius wrote:Know how to rappel with a carabiner brake, in the event that a rappel device is dropped.
It's much easier to just use a munter hitch. Completely safe, and a lot harder to mess up.

Petsfed 00 · · Snohomish, WA · Joined Mar 2002 · Points: 989
Jake Jones wrote:When bailing or being lowered off of one piece, say like a 1-bolt anchor, tie a friction hitch around the belayer's side of the rope, and use a locker to connect it to your belay loop. If the top piece fails, the piece below you that you have not yet cleaned will catch you via the backup hitch. This can also be accomplished with and auto-assist device like a GriGri. This is really just an extra precaution, more than a trick/tip, but I employ it when I'm in this situation. It would suck to complete the route and then crater while you're being lowered- unlikely as that may be.
This seems both pointlessly fussy and needlessly dangerous. If the top piece fails *and* you're being lowered, then you just take the fall: now there's no risk of melting through a sling or damaging your rope's sheath because you couldn't trust your belayer not to drop you.

A lot of these are useful tips, but this one is predicated on doing something really stupid to begin with, namely letting somebody you don't trust belay you.
Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837
Daniel vH wrote: It's much easier to just use a munter hitch. Completely safe, and a lot harder to mess up.
Yep, also an option. But the carabiner brake is less likely to twist the heck out of your rope, in my experience. To each, his/her own.
Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837
Brian Scoggins wrote: This seems both pointlessly fussy and needlessly dangerous. If the top piece fails *and* you're being lowered, then you just take the fall: now there's no risk of melting through a sling or damaging your rope's sheath because you couldn't trust your belayer not to drop you. A lot of these are useful tips, but this one is predicated on doing something really stupid to begin with, namely letting somebody you don't trust belay you.
You're missing the point. This is common practice. See Petzl's diagram here:

Technique for lowering off of a single, fixed protection point (image from Petzl)
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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