|
|
|
|
eickers
May 17, 2012, 11:10 PM
Post #1 of 14
(6240 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 17, 2012
Posts: 2
|
So I just recently started climbing and fell in love with it, I sort of prematurely went out and bought a few ropes, harnesses, full set of new cams and quick draws, anchors, ect. I started doing my climbing out in Joshua Tree National Park in 29 Palms CA and a lot of the climbing I did at first was basically bouldering but after awhile I decided to step it up to an actual rock face. When I got to the top I had suddenly realized I had no idea how I was supposed to get safely down and retrieve my cams without having to just climb downward on the face so I ended up having my partner anchor in at the bottom and had to repel down it from my top cam and ending up having to leave it behind. So before I have to start leaving brand new cams behind every time I figured id ask for some help/advice... So I guess my question is, what is the most frequently used way to safely get back down from a face that you have just climbed?
|
|
|
|
|
potreroed
May 17, 2012, 11:22 PM
Post #2 of 14
(6229 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 30, 2001
Posts: 1454
|
Troll!
|
|
|
|
|
moose_droppings
May 18, 2012, 12:18 AM
Post #3 of 14
(6199 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 7, 2005
Posts: 3371
|
eickers wrote: So I just recently started climbing and fell in love with it, I sort of prematurely went out and bought a few ropes, harnesses, full set of new cams and quick draws, anchors, ect. I started doing my climbing out in Joshua Tree National Park in 29 Palms CA and a lot of the climbing I did at first was basically bouldering but after awhile I decided to step it up to an actual rock face. When I got to the top I had suddenly realized I had no idea how I was supposed to get safely down and retrieve my cams without having to just climb downward on the face so I ended up having my partner anchor in at the bottom and had to repel down it from my top cam and ending up having to leave it behind. So before I have to start leaving brand new cams behind every time I figured id ask for some help/advice... So I guess my question is, what is the most frequently used way to safely get back down from a face that you have just climbed? Never rap off of one point of protection if at all possible. As far as getting off the tops of climbs at JTree, find someone there and ask them to explain what they use and where its's located. Some times it's as simple as a walk off on the opposite side.
|
|
|
|
|
shockabuku
May 18, 2012, 12:29 AM
Post #4 of 14
(6189 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 20, 2006
Posts: 4868
|
What do you mean when you write that you bought anchors? By the way, you're an accident waiting to happen. Find someone to help you learn what you're doing - in person.
|
|
|
|
|
tsaruby
May 18, 2012, 12:38 AM
Post #5 of 14
(6183 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 16, 2012
Posts: 4
|
I don't know Joshua tree, but I was thinking along the lines of looking for natural things (tree's, boulders etc) you could use instead of the cam. I'm sure there would be a few suggestions if you searched for JT in the forums. Climb safe and securely.
|
|
|
|
|
Sin
May 18, 2012, 2:06 AM
Post #6 of 14
(6144 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 17, 2007
Posts: 236
|
Would you mind naming the routes, to see if there are suitable places to rappel off of...
|
|
|
|
|
eickers
May 18, 2012, 2:52 AM
Post #7 of 14
(6129 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 17, 2012
Posts: 2
|
Sorry for the delayed response but thanks to everyone that responded. I no longer live out if California, but I would frequent indian cove a lot. What seemed to be my problem was that I never climbed bolted routes seeing as the majority of them were a tad to vertical for my beginner level, I always kinda found my own routes with more of a gradual but still steep slope. I now live in Illinois and will be climbing in the Mississippi Palisades now that the weather is warming up. For my own future reference though, say I get to the top of a face and there's a top rope anchor, a tree, anything to make a hasty anchor point out of, if there isn't a route to just walk back down how would I go about safely coming back down without leaving gear behind? I've been perplexed by this for awhile and I cant seem to solve my problem with my own logic. Every time I think about how not to leave any gear behind it reminds me of the riddle of getting the wolf, chicken, and the sack of grain across the river one at a time and I can't solve it. I know there has to be a safer way than just reverse climbing and pulling my gear as I go, right?
|
|
|
|
|
surfstar
May 18, 2012, 6:00 AM
Post #8 of 14
(6085 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 31, 2011
Posts: 206
|
Sin wrote: Would you mind naming the routes, to see if there are suitable places to rappel off of... FAIL. Name the routes so we can booty the troll's gear.
|
|
|
|
|
JAB
May 18, 2012, 7:46 AM
Post #9 of 14
(6069 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 26, 2007
Posts: 373
|
Real answer: unless there happens to be * a possibility to walk down * a suitable not too thick tree very near the edge * an anchor already in place it most probably means that you will have to leave some gear behind. Most people in this situation would bring some webbing and a maillon, which is cheap enough to leave behind, and works as an anchor for later climbers. Note that webbing will deteriorate fast, so always check that it's safe before you commit to use in-situ webbing. In some places there might not be any places for gear or webbing at the top, meaning that the only way to get down is a somwhat risky downscrambling. This is true for many boulders. In this case a nice pad or two might be what you need.
|
|
|
|
|
viciado
May 18, 2012, 11:22 AM
Post #10 of 14
(6042 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2003
Posts: 429
|
Clearly, Darwin is on vacation.
|
|
|
|
|
Sin
May 18, 2012, 3:00 PM
Post #11 of 14
(5983 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 17, 2007
Posts: 236
|
I was just trying to help, jeez. Of course, if I found his abandoned gear I would gladly return it. Are you implying that I would take someones deserted gear, off a route and adopt it into my rack?
(This post was edited by Sin on May 18, 2012, 3:07 PM)
|
|
|
|
|
blueeyedclimber
May 18, 2012, 4:09 PM
Post #12 of 14
(5953 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 19, 2002
Posts: 4602
|
shockabuku wrote: By the way, you're an accident waiting to happen. Find someone to help you learn what you're doing - in person. Trolls are invincible. Josh
|
|
|
|
|
knubs
May 20, 2012, 7:59 AM
Post #13 of 14
(5796 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 2, 2011
Posts: 64
|
i wouldnt mind knowing the route the gear was left on. lol i've found a lot of gear out there but sadly (for me) i end up being able to find the owner most of the time; including 4 cams.. stamping initials in gear can help sometimes after all.
|
|
|
|
|
marc801
May 20, 2012, 3:03 PM
Post #14 of 14
(5762 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 1, 2005
Posts: 2806
|
eickers wrote: Sorry for the delayed response but thanks to everyone that responded. I no longer live out if California, but I would frequent indian cove a lot. What seemed to be my problem was that I never climbed bolted routes seeing as the majority of them were a tad to vertical for my beginner level, I always kinda found my own routes with more of a gradual but still steep slope. I now live in Illinois and will be climbing in the Mississippi Palisades now that the weather is warming up. For my own future reference though, say I get to the top of a face and there's a top rope anchor, a tree, anything to make a hasty anchor point out of, if there isn't a route to just walk back down how would I go about safely coming back down without leaving gear behind? I've been perplexed by this for awhile and I cant seem to solve my problem with my own logic. Every time I think about how not to leave any gear behind it reminds me of the riddle of getting the wolf, chicken, and the sack of grain across the river one at a time and I can't solve it. I know there has to be a safer way than just reverse climbing and pulling my gear as I go, right? All this is explained in detail in at least 20 good books on the subject. There's also a basic climbing FAQ on this site. Do some work on your own, then come back and ask about what you don't understand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|