Keeping hold of the lowering rope

[mikecotterill]

Just wondering what you guys do to keep hold of your rope? I'm still new to lowering, Did the following tree today put the pulley on the stem in the centre, or just left of centre of the pic on the big fork. This was the only one really due to a very narrow garden and house behind and for ease of use for groundie. But I was having trouble on the other stems that once I'd cut and they'd been lowered off was struggling to get the rope back to me again, normally he just flicks it and I can grab it but as i was quite a way from the pulley and not much height difference between me and the pulley we struggled a few times, once or twice I had to come part way down. Anyone got a tip or method they use? Have thought of putting a krab and some rope round it and tying it to me then I can pull it back up, if that makes sense? Cheers

[Johny Walker]

it,ll work but dont ty it to ty it to the tree ,so its not pulling on u ,

does that make sence:001_smile:

johny

[WeeDee]

Any photos, Mike?

[Stephen Blair]

get the groundie to clip it onto your climbing line, then you just pull it up

[Tom D]

get the groundie to clip it onto your climbing line, then you just pull it up

 

Ditto. Your groundie should know a marlin spike?

[WorcsWuss]

I just get a stick sent up to me to pull my rope back in!

I quite fancy one of those telescopic Stein retriever hooks....

 

I have thought about running a lightweight rope through the crab holding the pulley in a continuous loop round a pulley next to wherever I'm stuck, and hanging a short prussik and another crab off it which the lowering rope runs through. Pull the line in and the crab will bring the rope back to me, then pull the line back the other way to send the crab back to line up with the lowering pulley for the drop.

I'd need twice the distance plus half again of rope [probably 6mm?], 1 60cm ish prussik, 2 crabs, 1 small pulley plus a sling to fix the pulley to the tree.

 

A pinto might be better in place of the crab round the rope.... with one end on the becket and the other on the usual holes with the rope running through the sheave... keep it all nicely in line then...

 

Unfortunately I don't have that much gear to spare nor the patience to rig it so I'll just go with a stick for now....

[DrewB]

Get your groundie to tie the lowering rope around your climbing line using a big bowline. Groundie then just pulls the other end of the lowering line and it runs up to the climber

[felixthelogchopper]

get the groundie to clip it onto your climbing line, then you just pull it up

 

Same. If I can't guide the rope into a climber, I clip it on their climbing line the same way I send anything else up.

[treequip]

Take a biner and a short length of “any old line”, tie the biner into the end of the line and attach the other end into the tree near you with enough length so that it will reach the natural drop of the lowering line.

 

Run the “drop” of the lowering line through the biner and you can retrieve the lowering line whenever you need.

[Steve Bullman]

I often use the tail of my climbing line, but you have to be VERY careful to make sure everythings free running. Bit of action at about 1 minute [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNl4ViSl8Yc]Beechmoulton - YouTube[/ame]