Getting down from Big Walls is dangerous

Video #12 of 14
Leading may appear to be the riskiest part of climbing and give you the most adrenaline but rappelling potentially causes many more deaths. In mountaineering, how many times have you heard of people summiting only to die on the way down. When you get to the top, you are only half done. Also, if you don't practice after watching this big wall series, then you need the tools to bail off your route. You can't just rappel like normal climbing, you have a giant bag or two to get off the rock as well.
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Intro
00:08:29 Jeremiah - rappelling a fixed line (GRIGRI)
00:15:59 Jeremiah - rappelling your own ropes (ATC)
00:20:23 Ryan - Passing knots on a fixed line (GRIGRI)
00:32:33 Ryan - Rappelling on your own rope (ATC)
00:41:59 Ryan - Outside example
00:43:00 Why I Quit For Years
00:50:51 Using VT Prusik as rappel backup
00:53:34 - WHEN to bail
01:03:47 - Blooper

[@HowNOT2]

Check out our new store! hownot2.store/

[@TrackpadProductions]

Yeah... I learned the hard way that having enough gear to get up the wall is _not_ the same thing as having enough gear to get _down_ it. You only need to learn that lesson once.

[@Dan-gs3kg]

Did you type this with a Ouija board?

[@TrackpadProductions]

@@Dan-gs3kg Well... maybe not _the_ hard way. A relatively hard way.

[@ianlucht3121]

@@TrackpadProductions One that only involves a healthy dose of shit in pants and not blood on floor?

[@i-love-comountains3850]

@@TrackpadProductions This sounds like a hell of a story😳

[@christopherkidwell9817]

@@i-love-comountains3850 Probably realized that he didn't have enough kit after getting up the wall and realizing "Hmm... not safe to go down the same way I came up... don't have enough to get down THIS side... uh oh... ring ring Rescue!"

[@bonefishboards]

In 44 years of climbing, I probably have a half-dozen brain farts that could have easily cost me everything. Today, I actively double and triple check everything and make everything that can be made redundant, redundant. I can't believe how stupid and overconfident we were BITD.

[@BlastinRope]

Making rpia is confusing, try to avoid it because imidtuy

[@PatrickCookgeol]

@@BlastinRope Really? 😏

[@ImperiumLibertas]

@@BlastinRope I actually love this because it genuinely confused me. Id like to use this with my coworkers to help them understand why abbreviations are bad. Can you explain what each abbreviation means for reference?

[@familymade7495]

@@ImperiumLibertas it’s probably something like: making random phrases into abbreviations is confusing, try to avoid it, because it makes it difficult to understand you.

[@outisfound9956]

If I’m honest was kind of high and maybe on a beer or two back then

[@user-qo4xt7xp5w]

Great video and tips! At 16 minutes, using your own rope to double rope rappel. Before feeding your rope through the two rings, make sure your rope is connected to something so you do not drop your rope and become stranded. I always tie a knot in the rope about 4 feet from the end and clip it to my harness or haul bag rig. Then feed it through the rings, tie a knot at the end and then untie the safety do not drop the rope knot.

[@Govanification]

56:06 When to bail? Extrapolate. "It took you 3 hours to do an effing bolt ladder, and so if you're only 3 pitches up on a 30 pitch climb after the first day, you suck and you need to come down so you can live long enough to practice more and not suck. It's ok to realize you suck." Leave your ego at home, and you'll hopefully return home.

[@perplexedon9834]

I really liked hearing about the rope getting caught and how that situation progressed. Would you recommend always having your rope length in cordellete in your haul bag as backup to use as a pull cord with a biner block? You can get 2mm dyneema that would be only 100g for 70m. Obviously impractically thin for anything other than emergencies at that point, but could have saved you.

[@ModernGunCraft]

Oohh that’s a good point. Or what about the like 50m or more of that like 550 paracord?

[@squelchedotter]

Dyneema is basically impossible to hold onto, so I think paracord and the single rope carabiner trick sounds better

[@TsunauticusIV]

That’s scary. I’ve never climbed. I’ll probably never climb… but I love watching your vids. Hearing your story was scary af tho. Glad you guys made it out safely.

[@CarsonDarling]

Thank you so much for these videos. Even as someone who has done a couple of walls, I will absolutely be watching again before my next one as a refresher. It's amazing how much of the training, practice, and knowledge can be forgotten in even a couple short years. I also appreciate that you don't preach that there is "one right way", everyone uses a little bit of a different system and it's all about adapting your strategy to the situation.

[@kyrg]

This is a great video, I've always dreaded rappelling. Though I've never big walled (I know my limits) and not as heavy as a haul bag, I have rappelled with a heavy backpack countless times. To avoid inverting, I'll girth hitch a long runner to a load bearing part of the backpack i.e. top handle or frame, route it over my shoulder and clip the other end to the locker of the rappel device. Properly adjusted for length, this forms a triangle of support and makes the ride down very manageable.

[@nathanwilson3185]

I will have to try that. I’ve been getting more into rappelling casually trying to get to cooler areas and am fighting the flip

[@Martin-zo7en]

As usual a very good video with tons of good information. I have some additional points though: 16:18 It is actually better if the bolts are not on the same height but pretty much on the same vertical line. Bolts on the same height lead to rope twist when pulling the rope. 18:22 How much the Prusik breaks also depends on the difference between the diameter of the Prusik rope and the rapelling rope. If the differenece is bigger, it breaks more. We usually use 6mm rope for Prusiks, but we are also often using half ropes that are 7.5 to 8mm for rapelling. The Prusikrope in the video seems to be too big to me, but probably that is fine with 3 wraps and bigger single ropes. 19:31 A very important point that was not mentioned, is that the Prusik must not be able to touch the ATC. This can lead to the Prusik not breaking at all and not catching a potential fall, because it can get shoved down the rope by the ATC. If your Prusik can touch the ATC then hang the ATC higher. I just saw that this is actually shown later in the video when he goes overhead while rappeling.

[@joshk4372]

Nice point about prussik size. My hollow block would not grab my 10mm rope, brand new and slippery (single strand). I had to use my 6mm loop.

[@shacklord]

My first big wall was in Zion. Moonlight Buttress. We walked off that one. The scariest rappel for me was Castleton tower. I enjoy your content. Thank you

[@lebulba]

Ryan I really appreciate the way you test for super good enough but are still very clear that this is all dangerous and life threatening to make mistakes at. I feel a lot of people get to laxidasical whenever it comes to basic processes and it ends up getting people injured or killed. I always appreciate the amount of effort you put into make everyone understand just how serious this stuff is. Thank you for making this all available.

[@denyscpoyner]

Climbing is inheritanly dangerous. Respect the rules, try hard not to make bad decisions. Know your gear and your own limits. My Uncle taught me how to rock climb. He had a bad winger once and bounced in a desert hardwood tree. Two weeks later his knee was really swollen. Turns out he had a 3" long by 1/2" dia. Splinter from the tree in his knee joint. Healed up just fine a month later. But accidents can happen no matter how careful you are.

[@grosebud4554]

I think I’ll stick to bouldering, the ropes and all the carabiners confuse the hell out of. I’d definitely make a mistake. Hell I forget the chalk bag regularly when gym climbing lol

[@HondoTrailside]

I do wonder about people who have to learn this stuff. In the past, you didn't do it if you couldn't figure it. The old gear was simpler, but not as capable. Today, if I could still do this stuff, I would need to "book learn" this stuff because it is now so complicated, with new complications all the time. Kiss is dead. And I am not saying that is all bad.

[@nickbell6435]

As an indoor sport climber and boulderer this is WAY beyond anything I'll ever use, but absolutely fascinating content - I've always wanted to know the ins and outs of multipitch and big wall climbing, so thanks for this incredible content that's understandable by the casual climber.

[@alertsquirrel]

Two stories both of them on ropes, neither on big walls, but to add to the rope safety conversation. Both of them I got a way with on pure luck, I consider myself very fortunate to have been completely unharmed. First situation was teaching how to lead belay on an ATC. First couple of falls went super well. The last one was bigger and my then gf got pulled up off of the ground. She had completely let go of the brake strand and we (at the time) didn't use any back up for that situation. She was freaking out, as I looked down we were both somehow staying put by friction in the system alone. Second was while canyoning. I was horizontal because my pack became filled with water then I was spun by the waterfall. I was using a Kong Oka and completely let go with my break hand to stop my face from hitting the wall. Thankfully my lizard brain kicked in and I watched my left hand reach across and grab the rope before I fell. Locked off and moved my bag to below my feet and continued on my merry way.

[@i-love-comountains3850]

Yeeeeesh😳 glad you're here, friend.

[@alertsquirrel]

@@i-love-comountains3850 thanks mate! That makes two of us!

[@HondoTrailside]

I taught myself in '72. I noticed that almost everything in the smutty lowering demonstration was not a thing back then, and we made do with brake bars and so forth. When Mark Hudon got back into big walls, sometimes solo, I noticed that he dropped a Gri Gri and was in a situation where he no longer had a system for dropping back down to his belay on a single line, but he did have the requisite knowledge of how many biners to rig as bars to make that drop. There might be something to be said to have some knowledge about how it was done in the old days, just in case. Though some of those toy biners don't look like something I would be happy using in such a system.

[@chumdm3]

Info @1:00:00 is super duper important. NEVER rappel with a Haul bag or even a crag pack on your back. Always put it on rappel and clip In to that. I’ve bailed from el cap spire and the shield roof and countless other smaller walls. But def learned something. Thx!

[@TheS4ndm4n]

Wow, so I love the series anyway, but those near-epic stories really hit home. I haven't climbed enough in my life to even consider it a hobby, more of an interest, but about 20 years ago as a teenager I had what felt to me like one of those situations. I was messing around with some solo top-roping on this 60ft -ish wall. I was using an ascender much like the Beal Hold Up, but definitely by some other brand. Anyway, I kinda forgot how this one part worked and wanted to sit back on my 'belay' but for some reason it wouldn't catch. Luckily I was able to slide down the rope with my hands to the next ledge. Turns out my clunky twist-lock HMS beener had flipped up and jammed itself in the ascender, locking it in the open position. I could even replicate it on the ground. It was one of those with a kinda clover like cross-section at the top and that was why it got stuck. Granted, not as scary as those big wall situations, but on the other hand people have died falling shorter distances. Man, am I grateful kids these days have people like you who they can learn from, before they go out an kill themselves, like I could have done (note that I did much more stupid stuff than that as well).

[@tonypugh6166]

Even though I do not subscribe, I do have to compliment you on your videos. As a vertical caver, a practitioner of SRT, and a member on a couple of separate trips to rappel and ascend a single line on El Cap from the the diving board(?) to the base and back to the top, I would like to make a couple of observations. First: You Big Wall climbers have my utmost admiration. For us on SRT, the rock is in the way; we just need a place to hang the rope and a place to land. As I have rappelled and ascended that rope, I have seen bolts, anchors, and aids in places I could not see how they could possibly have gotten there. Amazing. Secondarily, as a vertical caver, I am well familiar with having to do rope work while tired, cold, hungry, and operating on “brain stem”. A good way to get hurt. Final observation: I find climber’s lack of fondness for rappelling to be an interesting perspective. Keep up the good work. T

[@HondoTrailside]

I love rappelling. It is anchors that ruin the fun. Also a nightmare back 50 years was almost all partners were useless. So you would have to figure whether to leave them on the top as you go down first to set up the next stage, and hear the rappelling equivalent of "so the rabbit comes out of the hole...?" Or to let them go first and just hope for the best.

[@SLOCLMBR]

Awesome discussion topic, in ALL forms of rope access. I've rappelled off the end of a rope coming out of a tree.. luckily, it was 3' from the ground. Doubled rope system as typical of treeple, but I had just retrieved a house cat and almost became the second victim. Knot in the end!

[@robertmisiuk7137]

Chest harness is a must if you keep bag on back. It is a ton of work to keep balanced.

[@alexanderSydneyOz]

Question: is connecting your descender to your belay loop, with an accessory cable, accepted practice? I wouldn't have guessed so, but the video certainly implies it is.

[@canadianfreerider13]

Really enjoy watching your how not to videos. I just want to add that the blue tie down has a flaw. On the farm I used the same pinch style tie down strap to hold up tractor parts while doing repairs and a couple times when I went to let something down a bit I had the strap break. Nothing overly heavy May want to drop tower test it??

[@Nothinglessthenbest]

Hey dude, not sure if you'll read this or not, but I love what you are doing. I guess I'm part of the newest generation of climbers as I am a millennial. I travel a lot for work, so I've never had the chance to have a climbing mentor. So all of my climbing knowledge I have has come from being self taught through KZbin and in books. I've been climbing now for about 6 years and now it's time for big walling. I am absolutely soaking in all the knowledge you two are putting out. Thank you for being a one-stop shop for this knowledge. I can absolutely appreciate all the effort you put into editing and filming these videos. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

[@jefffoy530]

Really appreciate the content, from the entire How-Not-To team! I love the gear breaks and tests, but I’m really loving the instructional stuff lately 🙏🤙

[@dsmw7483]

If you clip the haul bag to the outside of descender crab, upside down and gate facing in, can still escape system. This is a rope access technique. Grillion looks like a nice alternative option for thon ratchet thingy.. Good video though!

[@ole7282]

At first I was like 'oh no, everybody will flood bigwalls now with your great videos being out'. After skipping through the vid I'm like 'omg, I'll never bigwall' 😄 Great video though 👍

[@peterkapunkt6783]

What I've learned so far is that I'm not going to bigwall.

[@bbrb1000]

The personal stories were awesome. Thanks for sharing your ooh shaaat moments

[@jeremiahletourneau9951]

I should also note that a current update from the park service is that it is no longer acceptable to leave left over water at the top of climbs and or on route. It’s considered trash now and they suggest dumping it out and packing out the bottles.

[@SLOCLMBR]

I have a vendetta against disposable water bottles.. how many are there all capped off with precious water inside? It's water that is no longer part of our ecosystem.. interesting food for thought

[@SLOCLMBR]

Bend the cap and stuff it in the bottle, crush or stuff with other trash..

[@DeadlyPlatypus]

@@SLOCLMBR Remove cap, crush bottle, replace cap to prevent reinflation.

[@SLOCLMBR]

@DeadlyPlatypus yea, now you've sealed moisture in the bottle, and thus removed said moisture from the ecosystem..

[@DeadlyPlatypus]

@@SLOCLMBR Nevermind.

[@junuhunuproductions]

15:44 "I've learned to never take my hands off the brake line of the Gri-Gri"

[@Bane_Diesel]

The why you stopped big walling story I think should be its own video. That kind of story will stick with someone and can be a valuable lesson for someone else to learn about.

[@olddirtybooger]

I was going to ask how to poop. Thankfully, you have a video for that, and it was suggested at the end of this video.

[@armandmatossian2081]

I also got my rope stuck on a repel. It was only a two pitch rappel. After the first rappel, I went to pull the rope down but could not. We later found out that one end had looped a large knob and was totally stuck at the top anchor. Luckily we had a 70m rope and with one half of the rope we BARELY had enough to make it to the ground.

[@honeyforce996]

There was another rappelling death in Sep 2023 on El Cap (the deceased was described as a guide) I'm not a climber, I just find it interesting to see the repetition of such a seemingly simple, well-aware of, and preventable incident. Is it that hard to pull up a rope, and tie 2 knots in it? I have experienced, and can imagine the feelings of desperation, tiredness, fear, impatience, disinterest, panic, tunnel vision, etc. I'm just not comprehending why you wouldn't do it every time. Maybe it's a time thing, combined with darkness/temperature? Simple arrogance/disrespect of the situation? Absent mindedness? Multitasking? Distraction? It seems like climbing attracts some antisocial people, and people with odd decision making choices. Maybe that's part of it. It seems like driving to the mountains, and not taking the time to double check that your car's in park, the ebrake is set, and the wheels are curbed. No disrespect to any individual who has passed; every situation is unique. I'm interested in the rate in which it happens

[@honeyforce996]

It doesn't make sense to me, to put so much energy and attention into gear choice, gear testing, overkill on break points, etc. And then make yourself such a weak link.

[@frankmusgrove8498]

I once fell off el cap because i hadnt watched the big wall bible. Worst day ever.

[@Mike-oz4cv]

With half ropes you at least get a full length of 60m half rope if your rope end gets stuck at the anchor.

[@NimmiCat]

If possible the second rappeller can pre-rig their ATC before their partner leaves the anchor. SO helpful when people are tired/it's dark etc. to do partner checks. Two brains may only equal 1 when fatigued.

[@dimalitvin1687]

At about 15:45 you first detach your adj.daisy, then you let go of the control/brake strand of the rope in order to detatch your personal anchor. In this instance your grigri could slip. Not with THAT rope ofcourse, but with a new skinny one. So back it up, or transfer your weight to the grigri before detaching your personal anchor. Or both. Stay safe. Thanks for the content! Cheers!

[@dimalitvin1687]

P.s.: what is a "Masturbiner"? xD

[@nikcezar2445]

48:25 god damn you really made me put a lot more tought into evrything

[@p07gbar]

I feel like potentially a stupid question but does the other end of the rope already have a stopper knot in it? Otherwise I could imagine a scenario where your midpoint is off or you rap unevenly for some reason and you end off the end of the strand before the other. Nothing stopping the rope running free at that point

[@Hyperbrain10]

You generally want to put a stopper in both ends so this doesn't happen

[@p07gbar]

@@Hyperbrain10 that makes sense, it was just strange it wasn't mentioned given how much time was spent on stoppers!

[@dolphincliffs8864]

Tie both ends together with a figure eight with a two foot tail. Good to go,why play games. KISS

[@Hyperbrain10]

@@dolphincliffs8864 use a flat overhand if anything. Not a flat figure eight. A flat figure eight rolls at 2-3kn which is not safe for life supporting situations. A flat overhand however rolls at 7-12kn depending on the rope

[@dolphincliffs8864]

@@Hyperbrain10 Thanks! Will do

[@staffansjostedt1740]

Yes, I hear you talk about the knot at the end of the rope. I see you making the knot. But I also see the two of you NOT putting a knot on the SECOND end when using a double rope. At least a text telling about this mistake would improve this otherwise very informative and fun-to-watch video.

[@Superfly816]

Zebralight is the best. Absolutely love them.

[@pentachronic]

From the Canoneering books I’ve read, they suggest looping the long side through the ‘biner [and through rap rings] and then having a pull cord (para cord) to pull the whole thing down (it’s tied into the ‘biner). They call this ghosting as you leave nothing behind.

[@pentachronic]

Alternatively never descend on one rope. Tie the ends together in a figure 8. You’ve always got a loop then and can pull. Just remember which side the pull side is!!!

[@pentachronic]

* Tie both ends of the rope (end of rappel end is a fig. 8).

[@nomiakasu5025]

In the spirit of this video I would be very interested to hear the decision making process to bail up when scared. I feel there would be a lot of valuable information in this sort of case study. Thanks for the great content!

[@carlswenson5403]

how on earth are people rapping without putting an overhand knot at the end of your rope?

[@knotkool1]

i grew up in the mountains above anchorage. the weather can change so fast up in those peaks. a hot and sunny climb on suicide south turned into ice coated hell one day and a 2 hour climb up became an 8 hour climb down. i was 12. i had a camp at rabbit lake and crawled into my bag and swore i'd never climb again.

[@christopherdagel5816]

I had a similar scare in Red Rocks on a multipitch route where our rope coiled over itself and slipped into an infinity crack some 300ft from the ground. Since it was our only rope, I had to watch my partner solo up the crack some 40ft to "see" if it could be released or unstuck with no backup option and no way I could make it safer. Luckily the rope came free and he was able to downclimb the crack while belaying with cams but was a horrifying experience.

[@Matthew-qd4mx]

Excellent video!!! I love how you cover the basics, the complex and also feed the trolls.

[@grant9450]

I rarely remember dreams. In fact, I rarely have any awareness that I dream at all. So, what could be so special about that I have remembered for decades? It is about my relationship with gravity. There is a very high bridge near my home. It crosses a navigable waterway and climbs high enough to clear ships. I dreamed I had the task of crossing the river along the side of the bridge. The bridge is supported by a great arch with horizontal steel beams that carry two five-lane roadways. There appears to be a small ledge at the lower edge of the beams. Setting foot on the ledge, it seemed just wide enough that I was stable when leaning against the side of a seventeen foot tall beam. The vehicles crossing at interstate speed, caused the structure to tremble, unnerving me. If I had a rope with me, there was nothing I could tie to. At times I would stop with my face against the dirty, grey painted steel. Now breathing with an open mouth, I could taste the grime. It was cold in the winds so high, and I was alarmed to realize fatigue was growing far faster than I had expected. I was no more than half way. I paused, cheek to vibrating metal, trying to reclaim my energies from a growing terror. My footing seemed to be getting slippery: it had begun to rain... Clinging to steel structure, seemed arm-chair easy compared to the people I was astonished to see on your channel. there on high lines with a vertigo-inducing backdrop. How could anybody do that? Setting aside the question of why. I kept coming back the channel to learn that how it was accomplished--by rational minds and careful attention to detail. Well, people jump out of airplanes. I live on the water and have given knots some study. I do climb, but not out on the yardarms of a square-rigger. Reluctantly, I must climb 45 foot steel pilings and do maintenance while on enameled steel roofs too steep to stand on unaided. I do not climb often enough to qualify even as armature. Nevertheless, I have acquired more equipment than I could carry at any one time. These days it is easy to watch how arborists earn a living in the face of gravity, to get online lessons by those who climb for joy and to see how linemen, rescue workers, construction specialists and the like put life on the line. When I work with others, even less knowledgeable than I, its belt and suspenders all the way. Moments where one of us is supported by a single means are approached deliberately and kept brief. Rigging for a second chance is routine, and it keeps my limbic system from making gravity into a monster. The methodical approach leaves fellow workers feeling as valuable as they are, and they return the favor, caring for me. Any magician will know that doing the impossible is just a matter of knowing how. I want to thank you for the favor of showing me how you do what is not otherwise be possible. Sharing your attention to details is precious. I noticed a video on KZbin that reminded me of my amazement seeing you finding fun on a rope stretched through the sky. You are likely familiar with the abilities of goats. The video showed them in action, goes on to describe their relatives and concludes by returning to goats for a discussion of technique. In the event that a footing gives way or in escaping predation, goats avoid a fall by jumping down the face of the wall. If they are unable to stick the landing, they just jump again. The jump gives them control of their attitude and avoids the disorganization and damage of sliding. They keep jumping down the hill until they again find their footing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKG7eIFsd7CHeLc

[@starfilmsanimation]

I don’t like that you can’t keep the rappel devices attached to you when you take them off the rope. Advantages of a bobbin or rack

[@guernica69]

Great stuff as always brother... I will say though, I bailed off leaning tower 20 years ago w/o leaving draws on the bolts by swinging with the haul bag the entire way down till I reached the lower anchors, then the second rapped/jugged to the new anchor 😅

[@beingaware8542]

So amazing video!! Thanks guys. This discussion is not seen enough online or in print. What is the "extra" gear for going down? Yates tether and maybe a small rigging plate?

[@johngo-jl3uz]

Yes, pretty much.

[@ngut5915]

37:29 missed an opportunity to say that it's very important to be able to get it up

[@Midnight_Lightning]

Gracias bien explicado ❤

[@richardsmith9918]

Holly Shit how did you correct the situation, that dude is a magician of rope systems, prusik has to jam it. Scary about the ledge hurting the rope during a long repel.on the load side might be different. Shoe laces. So I can accend on a atc with a prusik knot above the device

[@Christopher_-jp9ef]

Great video and RIP Brad Gobright….. Please everyone take ur time I know when we’re exhausted or in a hurry it’s tempting to take shortcuts and we can get a lil careless but those few seconds or minutes of time we’re trying to save aren’t worth ur life … Mistakes happen but they can be mitigated with proper attention to detail and the proper focus … the most mundane tasks can often times be the most dangerous … pay attention, if one of the greatest climbers can fall victim to complacency so can u …. Tie the knots at the end of ur ropes !!

[@cjwaasdorp2478]

Glad you demo'd how not to use the leg clip for a 3rd hand. If you're doing it in case you get hit with rock, you've got to make it inversion proof

[@Fabianwew]

That thing about learning you suck is relatable. Years ago I was scared on a bigwall, after that I want to comfortably lead a decent grade above the grading of a 10+ pitch route.

[@Seth25r]

I’m loving the puns and innuendos guys! Good job making serious life saving information super entertaining.

[@mr.sanchez2893]

You guys are awesome! Thanks for all this sharing! Salut from Portugal!

[@turdferguson2863]

Getting down is the easy part, gravity will help. Getting down in one piece... Now *THAT* is the trick.

[@iura0]

Huge thanks for all the personal stories

[@mlinder13655]

Me wanting to climb the wall then BASE jump off, ya know to feel like a true assassin 😂

[@julbo007]

49.30 - wouldnt the safest way would be to use the static rope for getting the dynamic one down, instead of shoelaces and shirts :)

[@magnetohidrodinamika]

no idea if that useful or dumb, but if you would use a vt prusik knot or a michochan or any kind in that category instead of the ascender would that solve some problems in the passing the knot situation? or is that a no-no in climbing ropes or bigwall scene (also gives more room to make mistakes to tie a knot?)

[@coryupton669]

This video puts into perspective how different big wall climbing is compared to single pitch.

[@therockstudio]

Awesome video and quite a terrifying story.

[@Underbottom.Sandydown]

I don't even climb, I was talking to my brother about harness gear for safely working on my roof and in my giant cottonwood tree. Now I'm learning how not 2 be dumb(ish)!

[@nosongman]

4:20 🦅😂 When the joke hits 3-5 seconds after

[@wolverinebear5357]

One them ladder things could be useful for arborist who are trimming an drop over a crotch it could help get back instead of the rope tricks to retrieve. Idk maybe prolly not practical the rope tricks are easier than rope walking back up through the crotch

[@fredm8621]

It would be great if Rocky Talkie was available in Europe, they look ace.

[@tacticalflannel8523]

Looks like a risk of dropping the grigri. Any alternatives to un clipping and clipping grigri?

[@betwixt3193]

Excellent info guys. I see that, when rapping with a bag that may weigh >50 kg, you use the same rapping configuration as I would use rapping without a bag (gri gri for single rope or atc on a single 'biner for double ropes). I would have thought you would need to add friction (with the atc at least). Or does it not feel that different?

[@mattradcliffe9279]

Was that demo on the top of Godzilla?

[@tylerjbellows]

How much kern can you rap on before it SNAPS? I've jugged a rope to find the sheath totally gone. Thought it would make a great slack snap.

[@jolenegebelt937]

I use a VT as my top ascender so that i can lower it down to re weight my rappel device.

[@robertmisiuk7137]

Would not clip an extra load into the belay loop. You want it to be part of your descending system and not part of your system.

[@willgivens]

I know you did a video on side loading carabiners over a sharp edge. How bad is it around a tree instead of a quick link?

[@JonnyRoket]

Watched this video in reverse to learn how to big wall climb up

[@JoePresto]

Great content, thank you. What's the cord on the end of the GriGri handle used for?

[@mikaelwerner1]

Absolutely ace, so good!

[@nandiroc4969]

Buenísimo vídeo gracias 🙏

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

Who maintains these fixed ropes.

[@CarsonDarling]

In general, the climbing community. There's no guarantee that a fixed rope will be there, or that it will be in good shape or safe. Consider replacing (i.e. donating your own rope, coming back with a replacement, etc) when a fixed rope that you're using or plan to use is in bad shape. For Yosemite in particular, the park service says fixed ropes "are not maintained or condoned by the National Park Service", so even ropes that are very frequently present like the ones down the east ledges may disappear without notice. It's important to have a backup plan if a fixed rope is missing or unusable.

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

@@CarsonDarling thanks

[@olivermitchell7526]

Would it be a good idea to bring a paracord or tagline just in case?

[@HowNOT2]

Depends on the wall, but I like having paracord for tagging gear up to a leader or to pull a knot block down during a rappel.

[@Mike-oz4cv]

What do you intend to do with it?

[@geot4647]

Just never taking up this strangely suicidal sport is a life-extender!

[@thefack149]

21 minutes in, if you clip the haul bag on spine side of the grigri biner, you can unhook from the grigri and haul system

[@applicablerobot]

What an intro. "I can't hold it in"

[@wyattlosee192]

What is the weight limit to rappel with a GriGri? Assuming a nice and thick wall rope, is there any issue with a 200lb climber with 100lb+ bags in between his legs? It would be scary if it turned into an ATC thing all of a sudden. Cheers!

[@HondoTrailside]

Never thought about that given that they can hold falls.

[@armandmatossian2081]

Aw man, the debate in the end is interesting. Guy in orange shirt clearly clearly does not have the experience to understand how things can go wrong.

[@ShadyNasties]

why prusik instead of french prusik?

[@ml.2770]

4:15 processing... processing... low on resources... processing...

[@folgerjim]

Thank you for wearing a helmet with a light. I now always climb with a helmet with a light.

[@johtso1]

Just thinking about the stuck rope situation.. I wonder if you could have used a lead rope solo approach instead of belaying them with the static line. I guess a problem is you couldn't just keep a grigri below your jugs as the rope is tensioned.. possibly a friction hitch of some sort? What progress capture device compatible with tensioned lines are the least bad to take a factor 2 whip on? I guess you could always have the static line as a backup but at least if everything goes wrong in the right way (?) you're on the dynamic rope.. Edit: This is the approach suggested by alpinesavvy. Tension the line and fix it at the bottom, ascend line with a prusik on the rope to catch you if the rope detaches from the anchor.

[@1on1adventures48]

No ways would I trust a single prussik to catch a big whipper. It’s going to slide and melt! Ryan pls test this theory on the drop tower!! My plan is to have my partner put me on belay at the bottom. Then instead of tying in, install my gri gri the wrong way round - ascend the rope like gri gri lead solo and place lead pro like normal if possible. Maybe use some finger tape to keep the carib from cross loading. Def don’t wanna fall factor 2 on a cross loaded beaner.

[@fabianpoels2728]

Remarks regarding rappelling with an ATC: - always start with installing the prussik. This allows you to pull up slack through the prussik, avoiding the weight of the dangling ropes to interfere with installing your abseil device on the ropes (a likely cause of dropped abseil devices for sure) - always extend your abseil device and put the prussik on the belay loop, NOT on the leg loop. One huge argument in favor of this method: with your abseil device extended (in case of an ATC or Reverso), you can switch to ascend mode with just one action (connecting a biner between your belay loop and the eye of the abseil device). - when abseiling with your haulbags and using a prusik, you should also try to put the prusik biner on the rigging plate - obviously then extending the abseil device slightly - and not on your own harness. Connecting it to your harness makes it way harder to 'escape' the system, should you need to do so.

[@btudrus]

Is there a "Rockie Talkie" certified for the EU?

[@Aidandenniston]

Since when does Tony Hinchcliffe climb

[@cesarchavez735]

Ryan looks like Tony Hinchcliffe Change my Mind

[@eddiekytia]

HAPPY BIRD-DAY!!! So I just came across your channel and I did subscribe. I noticed how much you know about ropes and hoping you can help me. I bought a 30meter 8mm "CLIMBING ROPE" for 30 dollars, NOT FOR CLIMBING,just to practice knots,but its so bad..... it kinks and twists its so bad, so I'd love to know if there's a rope that exists with what I'm looking for. I'd love a rope thats 9mm or smaller thats soft and pliable for knot practice that doesn't twist and kink with multiple loops as I'm working with it,and strong enough if I HAD TO CLIMB A TREE OR DESCEND DOWN A STEEP HILL. I'm not talking about hanging over a 300ft cliff to Descend off just more of a safety rope that could hold my weight incase of a slip. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.....

[@SeanTheEvans]

You'd want an actual climbing rope. If it needs to be able to keep you from falling out of a tree, it would also keep you from falling 300ft off a cliff. If it wouldn't hold you falling off the cliff, I doubt it would hold you falling off a tree. Holding your weight is about the force put onto the rope when you fall, there's more than just weight involved. There are videos about falls and the intense forces put on the gear that catches you, which is why climbing rope is more expensive than just "rope" which would likely snap under the conditions you're talking about. You can save money buying a shorter climbing rope, like 40m, if that helps. But again, it's a question of "do you want it to hold if you fall?", the distance below you is irrelevant in the matter, unless you plan on the rope failing.

[@kevinkc3onohelijeepworld953]

Wish there was big walls on the east coast 🤔

[@beingaware8542]

Cannon mtn. N.H. and also Quebec. and also Baffin...

[@kevinkc3onohelijeepworld953]

@@beingaware8542 thank you now to get my body back in shape it was 5 yrs ago ☺️