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Lost Arrow Tyrolean

Original Post
Pete Nelson · · Santa Cruz, CA · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 27

Any suggestions or corrections to my plan below? 

  1. Rap in on two 60 meter ropes, tied together, from the bolt anchor on the rim.
  2. Lead pitch one with the tail of the tied-together ropes; follower jugs and cleans.
  3. Pull in some/most of the slack in the rope still anchored on one end to the rim and lead pitch two to the summit.
  4. Follower jugs and cleans to the top; pull up the slack.
  5. Tension the first rope through a Grigri (functions as a releasable progress capture device) clipped to the summit anchor. Might use a 2-to-1 to get things taut but not super tight. 
  6. Leader uses a progress capture device to attach to the tensioned rope, plus back-up locker, and crosses back to the rim using ascenders for the last half, towing one end of the second line. (Follower might lower leader off summit with extra rope if someone not stoked on zip-lining the "downhill" part.) 
  7. Follower unties the knot joining the two ropes, threads the end of the first rope through the summit chains, re-ties the two ropes together, and releases the tension on the first rope.  
  8. On the rim, the leader pulls in the slack from the second rope and tensions both ropes by pulling on the second rope, again using a Grigri as a progress capture device.
  9. Follower uses a progress capture device attached to the first rope (no knot to pass) plus a locker on both ropes to make the traverse from spire to rim.
  10. Both climbers back on the rim, release the tension on the ropes, untie the knots on the anchor end of the first rope and pull the ropes through the spire anchor chains.

I'm particularly curious about the optimum (or reasonable) tension sought in the ropes (#5) and the wisdom of pulling directly on the Grigri. I expect we'd back the Grigri up by tying a loop and clipping this to an anchor. Also, is it "reasonable" to reach that bolted anchor unroped below the usual juniper tree or do most humans find that sketchy/stupid and rap to the anchor? Last, I've never heard anyone talk about that first "downhill" part of the traverse: simply letting go and sliding down to the midpoint sounds terrifying but maybe I'm just a wuss. Do folks just lower themselves hand-over-hand? Thanks!

Brian Monetti · · Geneva, CH · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 322

Untying and retying sounds overly complicated? Why not use a biner block through the chains on top of the spire, and then once you are both back over you just pull the line through with the other end as if you were rapping. Worked great for me, and I did use a 3:1 to tension the rope across like you mention, and I think I used a 3:1 again after the traverse to give myself enough slack on the tensioned rope to untie the knot that was fixed to the anchor but I sort of forget. If you do something like this, then both people can be there when all the rigging stuff happens, like untying, fixing, threading, so you can check each other to make sure you don't mess up. 

Another thing to note is that jugging at an angle is total pain. There is a single bolt directly across from the spire tip that you will rap past that you can back up with a #3 or #4 to make an intermediate anchor, allowing you to make a straight across easy tyrolean, then switching your jumars to the vertical rope that will take you back to the rim. Last person across just takes this anchor apart after their jumars are on the line going to the rim.

You won't "drop" much on the tyrolean if it's tight. But have a jumar and an aider ready to assist your traverse, assuming you are using something like a microtrax on your belay loop as your primary progress capture.  

And a final note, those bolts that you rap from are in a pretty sketchy position to solo to. I think they are in that specific position because they just barely allow for a single rap with an 80 but I might be wrong. The tree might be better to rap from, or bring another short rope to rap from the tree to the bolts or something? 

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,100
Pete Nelson wrote:

Any suggestions or corrections to my plan below? 

  1. Rap in on two 60 meter ropes, tied together, from the bolt anchor on the rim.
  2. Lead pitch one with the tail of the tied-together ropes; follower jugs and cleans.

#2 ain't gonna work unless initially yer gonna do some short pitches which is not recommended.

  1. Two ropes tied together fixed on the rim.
  2. Rap to notch.
  3. Lead on third rope.
  4. Second follows with fixed rope pulling slack as needed.
  5. At the tip coil third lead rope - no longer needed*
  6. From the tip thread fixed line through anchors.
  7. Pull in rope from rim so single line to rim is tight.
  8. Traverse to rim with other end of fixed line.
  9. At this point one has a "horizontal" rappel set up from the tip to the rim.
  10. Release line on the tip side and pull both ends tight on rim side.
  11. Traverse to rim.
  12. Release one end on the rim and pull the other end as one would for a rappel.

At no time is there any need to untie the fixed line.

* Third lead rope is not needed but can be used as belay line for each while doing the traverse.

Brian Monetti wrote:

Another thing to note is that jugging at an angle is total pain.

True ... clip a biner into the end of ascender and the rope helps reduce the PITA.

Pete Nelson · · Santa Cruz, CA · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 27

Thanks Brian and Allen!

I did find instructions on the Petzl site for using a Grigri to tension a Tyrolean, so that seems to be okay.

I don't see how you can avoid untying and re-tying, though. To thread the end of the first rope (anchored at one end at the rim) through the chains on the summit, you've got to separate the two ropes. Am I missing something? 

I like the biner block method but worried I wouldn't be able to release the rope from the rim anchor under tension--Brian's method of using mechanical advantage on the rim to take the tension off while untying sounds good. 

Thanks again...

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,100
Pete Nelson wrote:

I don't see how you can avoid untying and re-tying, though. To thread the end of the first rope (anchored at one end at the rim) through the chains on the summit, you've got to separate the two ropes. Am I missing something? 

Yeah, you thread the other loose end. The end tied to the rim you pull "hand" tight, tie a figure eight and clip to the anchors. Then pull tighter using an ascender (or other) to hold the tension. The first person across takes the loose end threaded through anchors across. See picture. Once across release the tension and figure 8. Now tension on the rim side with both ends being tied off.

Alex Ghiggeri · · Denver, CO · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 110

You don't want alot of tension in the rope... in fact it's easier if you set it up like a "j" shape or like a check mark.  Have the follower lower you (redirect) into the bottom of the j then ascend up the other side.  Besure to have extra safety measures in place. The jumars will be at an angle so you have to be delicate in the beginning but once you get going it gets easier like a normal jugging.   Same with your follower once you flip the knot you wanna leave a little slack so the lines match.   Follower rapped to the bottom of the ropes then ascended.  

This all seemed to work smoothly for my partner and I. Maybe some of it will help you out

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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