Using 'Fixed Ropes'

Everest summit day - which rope do you clip?

Whether you love or loathe the idea, a lot of the big mountains usually have sections of what we call fixed ropes put in place to allow expedition members, Climbing Sherpas and High Altitude Porters to progress up, and down, the route safely.

It is usually easier to equip sections of the mountain with rope that is secured in place, than to have people climbing together either Alpine style or swinging leads. The Alpine approach is a very pure way to climb a peak - but if one person needs a bit longer to acclimatise then it can jeopardise the summit success of that team of 2 or 3 climbers.

Hence fixing ropes - which then allows individuals, or small teams, to move about the mountain and develop individual itineraries according to how folk are feeling, whether they want to rest, push ahead, team up with another person etc.

Arguably fixing ropes reduces the skill level of those people who are then going to attempt the peak - which then increases the need for ropes to be fixed! But nowadays these people are probably going to go there anyway and their lack of mountaineering experience makes them a liability not only to themselves, but to everyone else around them.

Then there are the Climbing Sherpas and HAPs to consider. They are the backbone of many expeditions and without them being able to ascend and descend quickly, and safely, your logistics and supply chain would quickly fall apart. And the chance of any rescue bid being mounted in the event of an accident, people having problems due to extreme altitude, a change in the weather or equipment failure would be an absolute non-starter.

When used properly they are a very safe way for people to protect themselves - when used improperly or when ignored then you can only imagine what the consequences might be.

There are a whole range of methods that you will come across for dealing with fixed ropes. If you ask 10 expedition leaders about using fixed ropes you'll probably get 10 different answers. They'll all agree on a few issues but opinions will differ and be divided on many matters and every method has its pros and cons (some methods only have cons and you will be amazed what you see people doing in the name of safety).

I have developed a system over the years that most people are able to comprehend and use and it works for every situation that you may come across. The key here is to keep the system simple and versatile. It can be picked up by even the most inexperienced novice but I would always advise that you already have a certain level of understanding about climbing and abseiling techniques. Learning skills is all very well, but putting them in to context has got to be better.

Equipment that you need:

o A harness

o A Figure of 8 (check out the Black Diamond Super 8 which is one of the best and lightest on the market).

o Also a belay device with big slots to ease rope threading and a big retaining loop to lessen the drop factor - Petzl Reversino, Reverso and Reverso3 as well as the Black Diamond ATC Guide are recommended.

o Cow's tails - I use a 4 metre section of 9mm dynamic rope.

o 5 x locking Karabiners. HMS / Pear Shaped Karabiners preferred due to ease of use with gloves on and wide gate opening (but NOT the DMM Boa - they don't fit through the holes in the jumar). 'Autolocking' style karabiners are NOT recommended.

o Ascenders (jumars): I highly recommend handled ascenders. You need to make sure that you can get a gloved mitt in to the handle area though so don't go overboard with the mitts. The best device is probably the Petzl Handled Jumar whereas the Black Diamond ones (Nforce Ascenders), with their extra moving parts, have been known to freeze up.

Some of the fixed ropes that you come across on these big mountains are quite thin so it is best to steer clear of the likes of Petzl Tiblocs. Also, the dropability of small devices like the Wild Country Ropeman makes them unsuitable too. And that's because you also need to have:

o A pair of thick gloves or mitts.

o An 8ft (120cm) sling and some prussiks.

GENERAL

To make your cowstails use a 3.5 to 4m section of 9mm dynamic rope to create a 'long' arm and a 'short' arm.

What you need to do - tie a figure of 8 on the bight, with a stopper knot, on each end of the rope. About 8 inches from one end tie an overhand on the bight (this side will become your short arm). Now clip a karabiner and a jumar in to what will become the short end and then clip the karabiner on the other end of the cowstail in to the top holes of the jumar (see Fig below). This then gives you your halfway mark - where you tie an overhand knot on the bight to allow you to larksfoot the cow's tail on to your harness thereby dispensing with the need for a karabiner (less weight) and you also know that once it's on it can't come undone.

You have now created two arms which means you have 2 attachment points which will allow you to jumar up and pass any knots and anchors (rebelays) along the way always attached with at least one point of contact. Later you can then use both arms for clipping in to the ropes with karabiners when descending.

On the short arm the additional loop (created by the overhand knot on the bight) is used for your abseil device when coming down steeper sections in addition to having the 2 karabiners at the ends of the arms clipped in as well.

Why not use the belay loop for abseiling you may well ask? Well there are 2 reasons - firstly is that with all that down clothing on it can get a bit busy and difficult to visually make sure that everything is attached correctly, whereas the loop you have created will keep the Fig 8 / belay device away from your waist and visible at all times. Secondly it means that if I want to back up the abseil with a prussik / autoblock then you have created a high attachment point and can then put the prussik on the belay loop rather than the leg loop.

Using the leg loop for the prussik / autoblock may well be fine in certain situations when cragging, but there is always the possibility that you may raise your leg sufficiently high to disengage the prussik against the belay device and start sliding. Particularly so with a big rucksack whilst wearing goggles negotiating down awkward steps at night when there would be more tendency for you to have to rotate to get a good view of the terrain.

GOING UP

Easy Ground - There are many sections where the angle may well be quite benign and only require the clipping of a karabiner (or two). If you can save 30 seconds here and 20 seconds there then, throughout the course of a day, you'll save an hour - and an hour by day becomes 2 hours by night. To that end there isn't a need, necessarily, to do the karabiners up.

  •  As long as you are using them both at the same time you can clip one up and the other down and immediately the gates are opposed - so you can't have the rope crossloading the gates and inadvertently unclip both of them in a fall situation.

Having said that, there may be times when you feel more comfortable with them being screwed up (ladders over yawning chasms for instance) - in which case doing them up may be prudent.

You can now approach the next anchor, make yourself comfortable and balanced, assess the terrain above you (any objective danger?), assess the anchor, assess the next section of rope, unclip one karabiner and immediately clip past the anchor, unclip the other karabiner and clip it on the rope in an opposed manner (i.e. one clipped up and the other clipped down) and continue along the ropes. Initially this may take a minute or longer (especially if you are undoing and relocking karabiners or with mitts on) but with practice this will take only a few seconds.

  •  If there are numerous ropes available to clip then select a few that look like they are suitably new and unworn.

  •  If it happens that you pop round the corner and some of the ropes you have clipped disappear in to the ice then just treat the situation as if it were a rebelay and unclip and reclip accordingly.

You can now make your way safely negotiating the terrain and clipping past the rebelays, one karabiner at a time.

  •  The cowstails have a tendency to get wound around each other after a while of unclipping and reclipping so every so often just unwind them.

  •  You also need to make sure that you don't pass the cowstail around the back of the previous rope and anchor when clipping on to the next rope - otherwise you'll only get 2ft and the ropes will come tight.

Steeper ground - when there is the potential that a slip will become a slide which may become a fall then it's time to deploy the jumar. Sliding down to the last anchor point, even with both karabiners attached and opposed, is not to be recommended.

So . at an appropriate juncture (usually the rebelay before the steep section) get yourself in to a balanced position and, if appropriate, make yourself safe by clipping the long cowstail karabiner in to a closed loop of rope or the anchor itself.

  •  It's very important to inspect the integrity of whatever you are going to be clipping in to because this will be your sole attachment point for the next few minutes. Make sure it is not just a 'loop' that is actually created because the rope is just stuck in the snow or by the end of a rope being tidied away behind a rock or the anchor itself.

You'll now need to deploy your jumar on to the short cowstail.

  •  This should be suitably adjusted back home, or at Base Camp, to be just short enough that the jumar will never be out of reach. Better slightly too short than slightly too long.

  •  It is imperative that you do up the locking karabiner attached to your jumar as this is now your main point of attachment to the ropes in the vertical environment.

Open the jumar up, snap it shut on to the rope, move it up as far as it will go and gently weight the rope to make sure that it seems to have integrity.

Once you have decided that you feel safe to commit to the rope then unclip your long cowstail karabiner from the anchor point and clip it in to the holes located at the top of the jumar.

  •  When you do this ensure that the karabiner is not only clipped in to the top of the jumar but that the rope is also captive within the karabiner as well (see photo).

Correct - the top karanbiner is through the holes in the jumar AND the rope is captive within the karabiner as well

Incorrect - the karabiner does not contain the rope as well as being clipped in to the top of the jumar

  •  If there are numerous ropes then the jumar can only be attached to one of them (the best one) - but the long cowstail karabiner can through the holes in the jumar and go around the other ropes.

You can now jumar (don't forget to rest when / if appropriate) up to the next rebelay. Make yourself comfortable and balanced, assess the terrain above you (any objective danger?), assess the anchor, unclip the top karabiner from the jumar and clip in to the anchor if appropriate.

Unclip the jumar from the lower rope, pop it on to the next section of rope, slide it up the rope, weight it, unclip from the anchor with your other long cowstail and pop the karabiner through the top holes of the jumar and continue on up. Sounds complicated but with a bit of practise it becomes an easy routine.

Even steeper terrain - it's time to deploy the second jumar. Contrary to what you may think the jumar on the long arm of the cowstail actually goes below the jumar on the short arm. Why? Because otherwise the jumar on the long arm will keep going out of reach and you'll waste extra effort to keep getting to it.

Once you have both jumars on the rope you need to pull down on both and then immediately move the upper one smoothly up the rope. You then rest on the short cowstail and move the lower jumar up the rope at leisure. Repeat as necessary.

  •  If you push in line with the rope it will slide a lot more easily than if you apply any sideways force.

  •  Avoid creating any slack rope. The classic situation is when people pull down on both jumars and then are precariously tensioned with bent arms.

  •  Pull down on both and then move the top jumar up all in one swift, smooth action.

  •  And then rest.

When you get to a rebelay and have made the usual checks (stable, checked for objective danger, checked the anchor and the next section of rope) then clip the bottom jumar (or its karabiner) on to the anchor (or next section of rope). Transfer the jumar on the short cowstail on to the next section of rope, weight it, transfer the other jumar so it's below the short cowstail (or if the angle has eased - stow the jumar and clip the karabiner on the long cowstail in to the top holes on the business jumar) and keep on going.

Enjoy the summit!

More to follow ...

GOING DOWN

Firstly I advocate always using both karabiners that are on the arms of your cows tails. You may well see other folk just clipped in with one karabiner, but this means that they will possibly have to compromise their safety at any rebelays or when passing anchors. I know that it only takes a moment to transfer the karabiner - but it only takes a moment to get hit on the head by a stone and lose control. What are the chances of that? Well put it this way, the chances of winning the lottery are 13,000,000 : 1 and you know what? Someone wins it almost every week.

There are a couple of ways that you may wish to descend but there is a delicate balance between speed and safety that needs to be considered. If you abseil every section of fixed ropes then you may well find it getting dark, which means that you will be more tired after a long day and you will become slower still. In the darkness you may find it more difficult to discern where the route goes and you are more likely to make errors. So whilst safety is paramount, speed does become a safety issue. 10 seconds here and 20 seconds there will soon become an hour. An hour by day will become 2 hours at night.

Bear in mind that you may have been on the go throughout the night, you're possibly looking at another few hours before you get to safety, you are undoubtedly slightly dehydrated and tired and possibly giving yourself a congratulatory slap on the back for making the summit so don't drop your guard or let your concentration slip.

So ...

1. When the angle is slight (and this depends on your threshold as to what you consider to be acceptably slight) and you can see the next anchor (or you can remember that the route doesn't suddenly get on to unexpectedly steeper terrain) you can simply use your cowstail karabiners and both hands (gloves a must). Clip past the anchor one karabiner at a time (one up, one down) and grip the rope. Depending on the angle you could have a one handed approach but you always have to have an eye on the terrain and think about the consequences of a slip. When it gets slightly steeper, or there is more chance of a stumble, then you need to sharpen up to the situation and grip the rope properly. This can be done in a variety of ways (both hands below you, both hands above and behind you or a combination of one up and one down) but essentially don't forget that you can keep changing from one to the other and back again. Don't be afraid to turn around as well - a short step, perhaps, may be a lot easier by going down backwards rather than forwards. In which case stop, turn around, alter your grip, carefully step down (looking over both shoulders and under your arms to keep an eye on your footing) in a controlled manner and then consider whether it is best to face down the slope again and continue your descent.

2. When the angle becomes steeper (again this depends on your threshold as to what is steep) and you can see the next anchor (or you can remember that the route doesn't suddenly get unexpectedly steeper) you can use your cowstail karabiners and an arm wrap (again - gloves a must). Photos to follow.

3. When it becomes steeper still then we might use a prussik and the cowstails to back up the arm wrap (this is a very grey area and must be approached with caution. The prussik IS NOT for you to abseil with. It is there being kept open by one hand and is there as a back up if things get a little out of control). This is my absolute least favourite method of descent because it is so easy to get it wrong. The only reason I include it is because occasionally the ropes may have been set too tight from one anchor to another (or twists have gradually tightened it) and there's not enough slack for you to thread a Fig of 8. In which case this is the only way that you can protect yourself on a tight rope. But remember that the prussik IS NOT USED FOR ABSEILING WITH. If you use the prussik in the same way as you'd use a Fig 8 / belay device it will melt through in seconds. PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION. Photos to follow.

4. Lastly - we are in to full on abseiling mode (either with or without a prussik as a back up depending upon your ability, whether you can see where the route goes, whether it is dark, whether there are other people around or if there is a danger of rock fall or you accidentally losing control of the rope). A belay plate is great BUT they do tend to kink the ropes and since the ropes are usually(!) attached at the bottom end this means that a great messy snake can develop towards the bottom anchor when descending or abseiling.

A better alternative (addition) is the good old Figure of 8. The unfortunate thing with a Fig 8 is the dropability factor especially when wearing big gloves or mitts. Contrary to what you have probaly done previously you start with the LARGE hole hooked on to your abseiling karabiner. So it can be used as follows:

Approach the rebelay, get yourself in to a position where you are then BELOW the anchor and, as usual, make sure you are comfortably balanced and in a stable place. Assess above you and assess the anchor. You may want to clip in to the anchor with one of your cowstails but, as long as the rope you have descended is attached to the anchor point, you are already in a closed loop of rope. Assess which rope you are going to use if there is more than one.

  •  It is possible to thread two ropes in to a Fig 8 / belay plate BUT only do this if you can see that both of the ropes go to the next anchor. You don't want to have 2 ropes in your Fig 8 only to discover that one of them disappears in to the ice half way down the pitch. Not the best scenario to have to start working out how to solve half way down a pitch.

  •  Try pulling the rope up and if there is resistance then it is probably attached at the bottom. Having said that the resistance may be because the rope has been buried in the snow if it's been blowing a bit. If you can't see the bottom of the rope then keep a very wary eye on proceedings. There have been a numer of accidents over the years that can only be attributed to user error (incorrectly threaded Fig 8) or abseiling off the end of a length of rope. DO NOT BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC.

Thread the rope through the large hole and over the top of the Fig 8. You can then remove the Fig 8 from your abseil karabiner safe in the knowledge that the Fig 8 it is now safely attached to the rope. Invert the Fig 8 and clip the small hole back in to the karabiner.

Now you need to test the Fig 8 / belay device by pulling some rope through it and sliding it UP towards the anchor so that you lift yourself towards the anchor and release the tension on your cowstails. Make sure that in doing this you don't cause the Fig 8 to get get kinked in the karabiner and twisted against the gate (photo to follow). Lock off (does it hold?), release a bit of rope through (does it slide?), lock it off again and then transfer you cowstails. I generally put my cowstails below the Fig 8 or they can end up sliding over the top of the 8 and potentially interfering with its smooth operation.

  •  This is where you need to make sure that the abseil loop you have created is not too close to the end of the cowstail or there won't be enough slack for you to clip your karabiner on and off the rope.

To be continued...