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Bailing Snake Dike, Yosemite (200’ First Pitch)
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Hey, If someone has to bail from a long multi-pitch route, how would they do so? For example, the first pitch of Snake Dike in Yosemite is 200 feet tall. If you’re using half the rope to rapel then a 60m or 70m rope wouldn’t even come close to getting you off the wall. |
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2 ropes. |
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Or leave gear for anchors. |
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Bring a tagline and rap with 2 ropes. With only 1 rope, if there’s a bolt halfway on the pitch, I’d leave behind a locking carabiner and rappel off that. Otherwise I’d leave behind a couple pieces of gear, build an anchor and bail off that halfway down the pitch |
Mike Climberson wrote: Often easier said than done on a slab/friction climb....like the Snake Dike P1. |
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Beal Escaper |
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Call the fire department |
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There are a number of options. On a very popular route like that, people may well be coming up behind you. In a circumstance where you are having an unexpected medical issue, You can ask them if they would mind using their gear so you can fix your rope on top of the first pitch. You and your partner then rap the single line and they untie it and toss it. The disadvantage of this, as with any long rappel is that the rope gets snagged on something and you have to figure out how to get it. Another option, always, is to downclimb what you just upclimbed. The weaker partner gets lowered the whole length of the pitch, with the rack, placing gear as much as they can as they go and clipping the rope to it. They put the other climber on belay when they get to the ground or next belay station. The stronger partner then downclimbs the pitch, retrieving their pieces as they go. (I call this downleading, can't remember if I read that term somewhere or made it up.) Or, be prepared by trailing a second rope. It's not uncommon in alpine environments to have storms move in faster than expected. Or sometimes you just bit off more than you could climb, you can't do the moves and there is no way to aid it. Or there is a mishap and you need to self-rescue. If I'm planning a route where there is a possibility I may have to bail, I would take a second 1/2 rope. Tag line is fine too, there are advantages to either, do some research and form your own opinion. |
Marc801 C wrote: P1 more or less follows a crack feature, so not an issue to built a gear anchor if you need to get down. Higher up it might become more of an issue though... Another option is to use a biner block and cobble together enough draws/slings/clothing/etc. to make a pull cord of suitable length. canyoneeringusa.com/techtip… |
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Bail up |
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Most multi pitch I use 1/2 ropes so bailing is never a problem. Know the climb and bring the correct rope system for the day. |
Daniel Hermanns wrote: Daniel is correct, in this instance. OP, you used an interesting hypothetical, because the first 80ft of SD can literally be walked in running shoes. If you are with a sketched out partner, simply lower them all the way to the ground, then pull the rope back up, rap to the end, take a stance 2ft before the ends of the rope, undo one of the barrel knots, let the other barrel knot run into your belay device, and walk down to the start. You can literally walk down, facing the start, with no hands, from about 60-70ft above the start. Or, do what someone else did one day, sling the tree about 80 ft up, right before the traverse, and rap off that, leaving a couple of nice lockers for the next person to booty. Also, in vertical feet from the start, the first pitch of SD is only 155-160ft above the start |
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An alternative is to bring accessory cord, or even paracord, to rig a reepschnur. For rigging a reepschnur, it is also good to have an aluminum descending ring, or quicklink ,or even a single link of 3/8" chain with you. http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/FAQ_ReepschnurRappels.htm |
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Whatever you do. Let me know when you decide to go bail on gear up there! |
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A good ol'fashion tax-payers topout. dial the heli, forget your id, and bail. |
Last time I climbed Snake Dike, last April, there was a party at the p2 anchor. We were the last party of the day, having started late to try to avoid crowds. We gave them lots of time before we left the ground, but they weren't moving, so we started up. When my partner arrived they asked her if we'd like to pass. In chatting, turns out that they were planning to bail. It was the first multi-pitch climb for both of them, and only one of them had lead experience, mostly indoor. The other had also never rapelled before. The leader wasn't liking the look of p3 and was about to rap on his single 60m; the plan was to rap the plumb line 30m, hoping to make the ground, and then his partner, who'd never rapelled, would follow after him. They were both very very gripped. Rapping from there on a 60m would have been not good - 30m was going to leave their leader in the middle of the face - especially if they didn't have skills to reverse that mistake. My partner was gentle and kind and convinced them to let her lower them in turn, using their rope, which she then dropped to them. They were nice people, way over their heads, who would have been in trouble if there were no parties behind them. |
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Re what Sirius just described… Is this common these days (and on Snake Dike)? Is it “well, I climb 5.11 in the gym, how hard can this 5.7 possibly be?” Snake Dike has some pretty serious runouts so it’s not at all for the faint of heart. Trad climbs like this are more about the head/judgement/experience than about pure technical difficulty. Glad your team came along at just the right moment, Sirius. And, lots of good suggestions above on the options for bailing… worst case, rappel to the ground single strand (assuming it reaches safe terrain) and leave the rope. Even that is a small price to pay in exchange for your life. (Some MP nice person will likely get you your rope back anyway, right!?) |
Daniel Joder wrote: Add in the misguided belief that bolts = sport climbing, further bolstering idiotic decision making. |
Nick Goldsmith wrote: That is the best approach. Personally use 70m,8.5mm half ropes when on an adventure route where the exit is unknown, |
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I’ve done it when there was an approaching thunderstorm and upward travel seemed unwise. We left two carabiners behind on the anchor at the top of the first pitch and repelled to a tree, Climber‘s right I think. From the tree to the ground all with a 70 m rope. Once on the ground rain started to fall and once we started to hike lightning starting to crack so we knew we made the right decision. |
