Tech Tips: Rope Work - Tangled Up in Blue

“Damn it — I know what I'm doing, Bennett!” shouted my partner, Cedar Wright. “Uh, OK, Cedar, but you’re still kinda tangled up in the . . . never mind,” I said. I watched as Cedar — as solid on cracks as the day is long — ran out a sandy 5.10 offwidth in Canyonlands, the rope twisted around his leg. Even as I hoped for the best, I pictured the worst. Fall with the rope wrapped around your leg and it will flip you, bringing you noggin-first toward the rock.

I got schooled in this worst-case scenario a decade ago, after a 30-footer off a 5.10d dihedral splitter called Axis, in Yosemite. I was trying to milk a better placement for a No. 3 Camalot when my feet popped. With the rope barely over my heel, I felt myself pulled instantly backwards and headfirst — with just enough freefall time to ponder how nice a helmet would have been. The slight overhang meant I missed the rock . . . by inches, escaping with just a few visits to the chiropractor. That said, you can do a few simple things to safeguard against this.

Wear a Helmet
It amazes me how few rock climbers wear helmets. It’s prudent to don the helmet at all times — not just when climbers are above you or you expect loose rock. Routes that have ledges or jumbled features, or wander, are good candidates. (In the latter case, a traversing climb increases the chances your cord will sneak behind an ankle.) So get some pithy stickers for your brain bucket, wear it 24-7, and know that it loves you.

Speak Up
As the belayer, you’re half the team, so don’t be afraid to tell the leader her ropework’s lax — you both risk an epic if she pitches upside down. We can all get sloppy, especially when things get stressful, so agree on a “correct-the-rope” command in advance, especially for cases where the leader might be high off the belay, or when fi ghting wind noise, etc.

Avoid the Tangle
This is the crux: if the rope fondles your ankle, calf, or hamstring, teach it some manners. On straight-up splitters and sport routes, I like to keep my rope dangling straight between my legs. It’s also easier to pull clipping slack when I can quickly locate the rope there. When you deviate from the direttissima, the rope should come from the harness over and across the hip on the same side as your last piece (see below).

Rule of Opposites
On wandering climbs, follow this simple rule: left is right, and right is left. That is, trail the rope off your left side when heading rightward, and vice versa when heading leftward. Also, to avoid unclipping your fancy bent-gate carabiners in an arcing fall, point the rope-side biner’s gate away from your direction of travel.