Second Sunday Alpine Skill Builder Clinics: Multi pitch Efficiency

Activity Notes

• “Second Sunday” Alpine Skills Clinic: Multi Pitch Efficiency
• Sunday Dec 11
• 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
• Mazamas Mountaineering Center
• Mazamas members $20, non-members $30

On multi pitch climbing, being more efficient in your belay changeovers, when you're swapping leads going up, transitioning to a rappel when you get to the top, and rapping multi-pitch, can really save (or in many cases suck) a lot of time. Let's learn some ways to do it faster.

What you’ll learn:

• Faster belay changeovers: Swap belay devices with your partner
• Rope management: slip knots and a large carabiner
• Rope management: butterfly coils in a sling on the anchor rather than over your harness
• Backside clove hitch, transition to rappel
• How to quickly descend 2+ rope lengths of terrain that at least one person on your team can safely downclimb
• Ways to fix each strand of rope to speed up group rappels
• How to set up a “J loop” for safer and faster transitions when rapping multiple pitches
• How to build “descent anchors” to secure your team when rappelling

Gear needed: harness, a few carabiners, rappel device,a few slings/runners, friction hitch/prusik loop.

This will be "ground school", so no helmet or rock shoes are needed.

Recommended experience level: Mazamas Basic Climbing Education Program graduate is a minimum, Intermediate School or above recommended.

The links above go to articles (mostly) from my website Alpinesavvy that cover these topics. I highly recommend you read these before class, as it will make our in-person time be more effective.

Hope to see you,

John