Multi pitch stance change over.

How to switch leaders on a multi pitch belay when swinging leads with your partner. paying attention to general stance management & belay plate orientation.

[@humanrightsanddrugs]

I love Willow the cat assistant. Thank you for doing these videos! They are fantastic and very well explained.

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

Thanks very much for the comment. 😃Have been told never to mix children and animals with filming but as my husband is often considered a big kid we thought we might as well include the cat (that thinks it’s a dog). Have never known a cat to wag its tail! 😃

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

Willow has a doppelgänger called Sylvie, hoping she will be staring too. The hard thing will be getting the, both in the same shot as they are not best pals!

[@MilestoneOutdoors]

Both your assistants are great. Really like the commentary between the instructions, encouraging the climber😅

[@laukwan9093]

I love this video that focus on some details. I remember when I learn climbing my partner is left hander and very tall guys and I am right hander and short guys. It is very difficult for using his belay point for belay.

[@jimcross730]

Another great instructional video delivered in a lighthearted manner. Keep it up.

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

jim cross ever been photo bombed by next doors cat before! It totally thinks it’s a dog though, did you see how it wags it’s tail! I don’t know any other cat that does that🤣

[@jimcross730]

Yeah I saw that, crazy cat. You just cant work with kids or animals 😂😂.

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

jim cross lots of people say my husband is a big kid🙄

[@matthewlloyd2055]

Great video and cool technique for changing the orientation of the belay plate. One thing i've realised on multi pitch is that until the first bit of gear the break strand on the belay should be held up above your waist instead of below. if you hold it downwards then in a fall both the live and the dead rope will be parallel with each other and there will be zero mech advantage from the plate in a high ff. Once the first gear in the plate can be belayed normally. I'd be interested to get your take on this. Great videos!

[@jeremyballard7461]

😃another useful one Sam. Thanks very much

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

Jeremy Ballard had fun with the feline extra 😃🐱just can’t get the staff these days🙄😹

[@largeformatlandscape]

Great video - I'd be interested in also seeing how to lead in blocks as on some harder routes I'd be picking the ones for me to do that my wife might not want to and these probably won't match an alternating pattern.

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

Tim Parkin thank you glad you enjoyed it. That’s a really good idea for another video, we will add it to the list. When you are doing block leads you basically have two options for belay change overs. One is to build the belay utilising large slings so you can equalise it all to a central power point which you clip into with a clove hitch. This way when your wife arrives she can clip into the same power point and you can both then swap the rack, back stack the rope, your wife puts you on belay and away you go. Second option is for you build the belay conventionally with the rope. When you wife arrives she duplicates what you have done with her rope, clipping into her own crabs on the protection. Then once she is tied in your back to sorting the rack, rope and belay. As far as the climbing safety chain goes it is generally better to use the rope to connect to belays, we do use slings and for you this would definitely simplify things on change overs. Just need to be really careful to make sure that each part of the belay is actually under load. Hope that helps and I am not teaching you to suck eggs? We will definitely add that video to the ‘coming soon’ list though. Thanks very much.

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

Tim Parkin thank you glad you enjoyed it. That’s a really good idea for another video, we will add it to the list. When you are doing block leads you basically have two options for belay change overs. One is to build the belay utilising large slings so you can equalise it all to a central power point which you clip into with a clove hitch. This way when your wife arrives she can clip into the same power point and you can both then swap the rack, back stack the rope, your wife puts you on belay and away you go. Second option is for you build the belay conventionally with the rope. When you wife arrives she duplicates what you have done with her rope, clipping into her own crabs on the protection. Then once she is tied in your back to sorting the rack, rope and belay. As far as the climbing safety chain goes it is generally better to use the rope to connect to belays, we do use slings and for you this would definitely simplify things on change overs. Just need to be really careful to make sure that each part of the belay is actually under load. Hope that helps and I am not teaching you to suck eggs? We will definitely add that video to the ‘coming soon’ list though. Thanks very much.

[@largeformatlandscape]

@@LeadingEdgeMountain Yep, those are the two I've thought of. It's always the little details that are nice to see in a video (who clips in above/below, what order, when do you reverse, best to reflake or tip the pile etc). thanks!!!

[@StevenSugref]

Really good video, thanks for sharing. Just a questions on belaying if you don't mind; Would you always choose to belay using guide mode if you can, or do you tent to belay the traditional way more often than not? I know this set up might be different because you have used out of reach anchors. which you

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

S Fergus thank you, really pleased you like it. If I am climbing for myself I will tie in with the rope to anchors (in or out of reach) and belay in normal mode off my rope loop. This is the default setting for trad climbing as the rope provides that shock absorption for the gear placed. I only tend to use guide mode if I am working and have two clients climbing at the same time, more generally when we are providing a guided experience for people. Sometimes I might do this if I am climbing as a three with friends too. Hope that helps?

[@StevenSugref]

@@LeadingEdgeMountain That definitely helps, thanks again for taking the time to reply. I have two other questions if you don't mind (don't feel like you need to reply). 1. When using in-reach anchors with 3 pieces of gear, do you just clove hitch from the first bit of gear straight to the 2nd then 3rd piece with a slight bit of slack between the pieces of gear? Then from the third piece back to a carabiner on your rope loop? That way you have all three equalised but would have a slightly drop on the rope should of them fail. 2. If your taking a client up and leading every pitch, how do you manage the rope when using it to build anchor? Do you secure yourselves onto the anchor and swap tie in points or would you tend you use a sling to build the anchor to make the changeover more efficient?

[@StevenSugref]

Just seen you already gave an answers to questions 2 to Tim Parkin, who asked the same question. Thanks for that!

[@LeadingEdgeMountain]

S Fergus it is critical with anchors that you are individually attached to each piece of gear and that must be under tension to you too. So with your scenario the middle bit of gear you are not actually loading it directly (you need to be). To solve that then try clipping the furthest away piece of gear and then tie a clove hitch back to your harness. From there go back up and tie a clove hitch into the next two bits of gear (with a bit slack between). Then take the rope down from the final clove hitch and secure this rope with another clove hitch on your harness. This ensures there a tight (independent) arm of rope between you and each anchor point. This is another video we are hoping to put out soon! Hope that makes sense🥴

[@StevenSugref]

Perfect sense and a great explanation, thank you. When picturing it in my head I totally forgot the middle piece wouldn't be attached to me which would be no use! Thanks again.