spiral climbing???

[kev7937]

Heard a couple of guys who looked in there 40s talking about a technique that they used to do called spiral climbing.

 

 

 

didnt catch much what they were saying about it but the bits that i herd were about climbing round the branches and the rope would grip if you fell and catch you.

 

 

 

as im young and just starting out in this industry i dont know anything about this but i know alot of you guys on here will.

 

 

 

can anyone clear this up and tell me about it ? , and im guessing the reason why no one does it now because it wasnt safe? but was it a good technique at the time?

 

 

I was told it was a method to use in an emergency if you had to rescue some one, but it relied on someone on the end of your rope to belay you if you fell rather than friction, you just ensured your rope was over a few branches rather than spiralling round and round which would create too much friction.

[born2trot]

I use this technique not on climbing but if i want to lower/Snatch straight poles which I feel are just a bit too big or too dodgy to handhold I'll wrap the tail of my flip line round the pole several times and put it over a crutch to catch the limb . The branch dangles there and you can release it safely . Don't think you'll find these techniques in manuals or at college though !

[openspaceman]

I was told it was a method to use in an emergency if you had to rescue some one, but it relied on someone on the end of your rope to belay you if you fell rather than friction, you just ensured your rope was over a few branches rather than spiralling round and round which would create too much friction.

 

This was the first improvement on free climbing as copied from rock climbers before rope advance system became de rigour. The branches simply replaced the running belays.

[Stephen Blair]

I have a big Sitka spruce in my head when thinking about this, usually I free climb as straight as I can up them, best I take a couple of detours from now on.

 

 

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