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ha-ha
climber
location
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Aug 18, 2006 - 12:23am PT
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butterfly knot
kinda resembles something else in that photo...
how to tie one
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 18, 2006 - 04:20pm PT
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My method is "older" than PTPP's and entails the use of a "Solo-Aid" and a single Rap/Tag line. It served me well for over 15 years and 45 peaceful and successful Solo-Wall trips all over the world. Took some pretty nice 30-45' whipper's on it also! I never left any of my rack behind as I was afraid that it may get hung up on something especially on a "Roof" pitch. Please excuse the drawing. As far as the "Butterfly", took a 40' whipper on one and had to cut the cord. Clove is bad but can be worked loose after a long whipper as the Butterfly is impossible to uncease after major force has been exerted on it. That is why I will still use "Equalizing Fig 8".
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 18, 2006 - 05:14pm PT
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Yeah Baby....that is great "Whipper City" Anchor! Cmon!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 18, 2006 - 06:11pm PT
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Very very nice drawing, Ultrabiker - who are you, anyway? What's yer real name?
Be careful with your backups on the lead rope so as not to create an upward pull on the piece in the event of a fall - this would shorten the length of rope that catches your fall, and increases the Fall Factor.
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 18, 2006 - 07:30pm PT
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Good point. If possible, I try to place a secondary "Low" piece to my "Back-up" and clip it low which tightens the knot so as to reduce this from happening. I am surprised that you don't use a "Solo-Aid". Worked great for all my trips!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 18, 2006 - 07:34pm PT
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I used a Solo Aid for my first solo [Iron Hawk] but found it cumbersome to operate - you need two hands. I switched to an unmodified Grigri, and I love it. If you fall off, you can construct a 2:1 Body Hoist to regain your high point, and not worry if the piece rips since you're attached with a Grigri and not toothed cams.
What big walls have you soloed and where?
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 18, 2006 - 07:50pm PT
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I'm an engineer, so a draughting background - pencils or beer, either works.
However, when it comes to engineers, there are two kinds - the practical, and the academic. I am emphatically the latter. My ex-wife said that when it came to doing work around the house, I didn't know which end of the hammer to hold. She was correct. However you should see what I can do with a piton hammer..... It's all about the motivation, eh?
I graduated [barely] from the School of the Mechanically Declined. I graduated last [both by grade and alphabetically] thus proving arithmetically that I did no more work than I actually had to. To graduate with an A instead of a C- is indicative of time lost to studying instead of climbing or caving.
I can't work a Solo Aid. I don't like it. I'm a spaz. My Grigri does the job for me. I sold my Solo Aid to someone on this forum, with the usual caveats. I hope he likes it more than me. I don't know who, as I suffer from the debilitating illness CRS.
Regardless of what solo belay system you use, however - ALWAYS TIE A BACKUP KNOT!!!
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 18, 2006 - 09:55pm PT
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Never had to use two hands! It is an art form! Hell, this is "Aid" remember! I am not a speed freak and I go for the vertical pleasure cruises. Therefore, singlehanded draw on the Solo-Aid, simple. I also use a "STOP" for all my Solo Rap's. That thing is so smooth and easy and makes life so much easier on those long free raps. Done some on the "Stone", many out in various places of the Southwest Desert and many in my favorite place on this planet, Wadi Rum, Jordan. That is before all the Human's decided to start kiling each other and f*cked up my dream of retiring there. Oh well, now I do obscure stuff behind my backyard and wait for the freeze of Winter so I can climb my treasured vertical Ice.
And by all means folks, DO NOT USE THE OLD SKOOL CLOVE HITCH SYSTEM!!! One whipper and your trip is over as you will never undo that Clover that has melted onto your locker!
PS: Watch out for that Grigri, have heard of soloist's in Europe have had them malfunction on "Whipper's"! There Back-up saved there ass's!
After 1st "Solo Clean" of Deep Voodoo
Solo FAing out in the AZ "Stronghold"
Low on my seven day NAW solo trip...
(Edit Photo)
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yo
climber
I'm so over it
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Aug 18, 2006 - 11:04pm PT
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5.10 El Caps, check--very fine wall boot indeedy.
Dude, what kind of kneepads are those?
Some kind of squid tatoo? haha
I believe, since all the usual suspects are here (MikePeriod and Needs the Two Hands Pete), that I'll probably rereretell the story of my solo ascent of the Cap with a Soloaid attached with two (2) 5mm loops, 5 + 5 equaling 10mm which is better than 9mm, as recommended. I was moderately to severely snaileyed the whole way up.
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 19, 2006 - 12:04am PT
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That's funny, some kind of squid tatoo, if you only knew! VF-84 "JR's"! And the knee pads, well let's just say that when you have shattered both your knee caps, one needs all the protection they can get. Unfortunately the "El Caps" sucked! Went through five pairs on five walls. The toe rand had a terrible habit of delaming. But, I will give old Cole credit. Sent me a new pair each time, free of charge. That's right shipmate!
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DixieGal
Trad climber
NC
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Aug 19, 2006 - 12:53am PT
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I use the Silent Partner. It feeds out rope nicely, and can be
great in case there are some free sections. The only problem
with it is the clusterf**k on my harness caused by attaching
the Silent Partner with two lockers directly to the harness. The instructions to the Silent Partner explicitly instruct not
to attach the device to the belay loop, but to attach it to the
waist belt and leg loops. I have found that taking off the
Silent Partner after each lead takes time/work since the whole
mess is so tight.
Does anyone else here use the Silent Partner
and how do you attach it to your harness? I also use a chest
harness, but don't connect the Silent Partner to the chest
harness.
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 19, 2006 - 10:10am PT
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Solo Aid/Walling rules! No whining partner's, no sharing of the goodies and you got the double ledge all to yourself. Just you and the Wall. Some of my best "Wall Trips" were alone!
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fareastclimber
Trad climber
Hong Kong & Wales
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Aug 19, 2006 - 10:11am PT
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Ultrabiker - was your NAW solo some time around May/June last year?
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Kevster
Trad climber
Evergreen, CO
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Aug 19, 2006 - 11:36am PT
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Hey Dixie,
I use a Silent Partner as well, mostly because I like to go fast and mostly free, so the SP seems the best bet for me. To help things stay unclustered I only use 4 big locking D's, 2 on the SP and one on my belay loop which I clove my backup into, and one on my anchor. I only use 1 backup knot that I reset 3-4 times per pitch, and I always leave the free end hanging so it doesn't catch on things. Having 3-4 loops hanging off your harness like the SP manual shows is sure to lead to clusterfkage. I like the Petzl Am'D biners because they are big and keylocks, and I usually keep the 2 for the SP through my harness and leg loops all the time ( both oriented the same direction) and just remove the SP at anchors.
As for anchors I try to keep mine simple and with 1 multi directional piece, 1 upward and one downward. Re-equalizing your anchor after every pitch is sure to slow you down. Unless I am going to counterweight haul I always tie the lead rope end to the haul line and stack both ropes in one bucket. That way I am only pulling up the weight of 1 rope most of the time. The thing I love the most about rope soloing is the freedom from rope drag at the end of a rope stretching pitch.
As a disclaimer, I have yet to solo the Captain(sucessfully), mostly just up to grade V's (Yellow Wall, Journey Home, The Prow, etc.)and mostly in a day and without haulbags. So If you are looking for advice on vertical camping refer to the masters advice above.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 19, 2006 - 05:25pm PT
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Regarding the butterfly knot link above, I'm not sure I like the way that butterfly is tied. I lay it across my hand, and then take the two strands wrapped in parallel, but crossing the first strand, so that it forms a "do not equal sign" on your hand.
You'll never find an eight-on-a-bight on my big wall systems, and rarely clove hitches. Butterflies are everywhere. The exception to this would be if you could tie that off-centred 8-on-a-bight that Werner once posted a picture of. Hell, even an overhand-on-a-bight is better than an 8.
Debating knots is for Big Wall Theorists. Better just to go out and climb something.
Here's another shot of my Solo Tag Rack in action when I soloed The Shortest Straw. The prusik rebelay beneath is foreshortened and is longer than it appears, however it should probably be lengthened. You can see the slippery overhand knots in the lead rope above the tag rack.
The photo is a link to itself, so you can click it for more information on solo systems, and links to other stuff.
You can click here for [url="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photo/photo_list.php?filter_user_id=passthepitonspete&album_id=79&period=None"]more technical and teaching photos.[/url] The second or third one explains the Solo Tag Rack.
Cheers,
Dr. Piton
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 19, 2006 - 06:37pm PT
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So Dr. P, why the distaste for the "Equalizing Figure "8""? Been using it for over 30 years, have taken numerous whipper's on them and they were easy as pie to untie.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 19, 2006 - 06:44pm PT
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I don't know what an "equalizing" 8 is. Is that the same as an 8-on-a-bight?
Maybe I have over-maligned the 8. I just love the butterfly!
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 19, 2006 - 07:56pm PT
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Ah-ha!!! You may just learn something. This knot rocks!!! Been using it for years and years!!!
Make an "8" on a bight then return the Loop back through with 8-10" of tail and whalla! What is nice about it is that if the piece blows that one of the loops is attached to, the Biner locks off the loop at the knot. There of course will be some slippage but the knot remains intact and doesn't cease like a regular "8" on a bight or of course a Clove Hitch!
May I add that this knot is also great for "Single Rope" anchor attachment with two or three piece anchor's.
1)
2)
3)
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Ultrabiker
Ice climber
Eastside
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Aug 19, 2006 - 08:18pm PT
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A simpler Diagram of how I do it...
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!