Between Pitching and Free Solo Climbing "Easier" Terrain, Part I: Thinking About Bringing a Rope

I think it's a false choice that we can either "climb quickly but with high risk by soloing" or "climb slowly but with low risk by using a rope" when we are on terrain that is well within our abilities. This is a start of a short series on some techniques that allow us to use a rope to mitigate risk on moderate terrain without burning through time the way fully-pitched climbing sometimes demands. Our first decision is if we should bring a rope along at all or if we should just "scramble" a route. Here is how I think about that decision.
A video can introduce concepts and even provide tutorials, but it cannot cover all of the variable situations and context of outdoor environments. Learn about something here, but then seek qualified instruction to master it.
You can find the entire "Technical Scrambling" series, here: kzbin.info/aero/PLQQbFscw1n0JBhZPWRlsHFNZwjhw0XI9h
For more information on this video, go to:
www.shortguysbetaworks.com/all-blogs/0148ropesforscrambling
0:00 Intro
0:08 Bumper
0:16 Scrambling or Free Soloing?
2:09 Mitigating the Downsides of Bringing a Rope
4:14 Considering the Weight of Our Rope and Gear
5:41 Deciding on Which Rope and What Gear to Bring
7:10 Outro
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[@radianttakanuva8388]

I just wanted to say thank you for this video series! I found it by chance and it feels like exactly what I'm wanting from climbing - I'm verging into scrambles and mountaineering from hiking, and have been learning climbing and purchasing equipment with the goal of more advanced terrain, not necessarily just a day on the rock. Short pitching and simul-climbing seem like they fill that gap, and will likely influence my needs as I move beyond top-rope and eventually sport climbing.

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

It used to be that everyone who got into technical climbing learned these skills because technical climbing was born from mountaineering and the need to get up difficult terrain on actual mountains. Now, may people have a story very similar to yours: have done hiking and have done roped climbing (in the gym or at local crags), and so that middle point of semi-technical terrain is just kind of passed over. I am glad you are finding it meets the need. Have fun out there! 🏔🏔🏔💪💪💪

[@jchuggin]

Really nice and clear explanation! Thanks for uploading!

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

Glad you liked it. More to come! 😁

[@atomkinder67]

As a pretty new scrambler I really appreciate the topics covered in this video and look forward to the subsequent entries.

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

Thanks! Hope they prove useful 🏔️🧗

[@aerialrescuesolutions3277]

I just found your channel, after searching for the S Africa repel technique. Do you have any advice or videos about Via Ferrata climbing? I will be watching your playlists now, thank you, Jim.

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

Jim, thanks for diving in! Hope some of it is helpful but also entertaining. No, I don't have any videos on via ferrata, as I have only done a couple and on rented equipment.

[@nobodyisbest]

If I am unsure of whether I need a rope I'll bring a 20 or 30 meter half rope. Those are light enough and will do me fine in 70 percent of cases. And if the climb exceeds the limits of one strand of half-rope, I'll turn around and return with a full rope or two half-ropes another day.

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

I often do the same, but lately have been liking the 40m Beal Opera (8.5mm single). Long enough to pitch it out in many instances but easy enough to coil for short pitching and simul-climbing.

[@Tristan_Brewer]

Colorado Question: A friend and I have been tossing around the idea of hitting Capitol in calendar winter next March (to minimize avalanche risk). Our plan is to do it as an overnight with a camp at Moon Lake. We've been told that it's a fairly easy although long mixed climb. We intend to bring a 60M alpine rope to rappel, and are unsure as to whether it would be ideal to use a running belay on the ridge (using natural protection) or to just solo it. Have you climbed Capitol in winter (if so, which strategy did you use)? Do you have any training advice / prerequisite climbs? The other big item on our agenda is Longs Via Cables in calendar winter and we're uncertain as to which of these is harder. For Longs, wind is the primary factor over avalanche threat.

[@Tristan_Brewer]

A little background: we're both comfortable with winter camping / the approach / high altitude etc. We intend to do a series of other 14ers, ice, and mixed climbs leading up to this.

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

I haven't climbed Capitol in calendar winter, but I've done harder ridges in mixed conditions around the world. I think your plan sounds like a good one. Be sure you are checking out slope angles (CalTopo is good for this) on the approach route and modify as necessary. March won't reduce avalanche risk, it's the height of avalanche season in CO, as our winter comes late. March and April are the snowiest months in CO, in a typical year. It's do-able, but make sure your route is very dialed in. I think the rope length is splitting the difference between having something long enough for rappels but not too long to create rope management issues on the ridge. I think if you shortened the 60m by doing Kiwi coils while on the ridge, proper, you'll be a lot happier. Sure, a 30m or 40m (still shortened) would be better on the ridge than a 60m, but... tradeoffs in all things. As far as Cables, I think it climbs a technically "harder" grade than Capitol will be, but Capitol will require creativity and rope managements skill, calling on different techniques like simul-climbing and short-pitching. Longs' technical step up the north face is fairly straight forward. Hope that helps!

[@Tristan_Brewer]

5:08 How old are your twins and how long have they been climbing? My twins are four, and one of them is very interested in climbing and has sent a V0 and a 5.5 single pitch (highest grades).

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

That's awesome! My boys will be 9 in a few weeks. I first put them in a rope just before they were two. They did their first outside climb just before three. First lead at 7. Same year they did their first multi-pitch (15 pitches or so). Projecting 5.12 inside and 5.10 outside right now.

[@Tristan_Brewer]

@@ShortGuysBetaWorks wow, incredible, so it seems that they really take off around the age of 7.

[@ShortGuysBetaWorks]

​@@Tristan_BrewerI am sure it depends on the kid, but it seems they get much more body aware at that age.