Your worst nightmare has just become a reality. Nearing the top of the funky 5.9 block climbing on the third pitch of the Naked Edge, your partner suddenly peels, taking a 20-footer onto a ledge, breaking her ankle. You don’t have enough rope to lower her back to the belay, and darkness is approaching. What now? Your best option is self-rescue, the first step of which is escaping the belay.
Arm yourself properly. Never leave the ground without one or two 15-foot long, six- or seven-millimeter cordelettes. This versatile cord can be used to equalize anchors or tie friction hitches, and is a crucial part of transferring a load for escaping the belay. Coil it as you would a small rope for ease of access. Mules, Prusiks, and Munters. Escaping the belay requires a few simple knots. Master these before you need them.
Mule knot: This blocking slip knot can be used in conjunction with a Munter hitch or a belay device to tie off a weighted rope, allowing the belayer to free her hands. The knot can even be released under a load (knot A).
Prusik hitch: This friction hitch is an excellent way to hold tension on a rope while transferring a load (knot B). Munter hitch: This versatile hitch is used for holding tension on a weighted rope. Given the possibility of losing your belay device, belaying with a Munter is a skill that every climber should master. The only drawback to this knot is that it twists the hell out of your rope (knot C). Block the belay. Make a habit of building a bombproof, multi-directional anchor that can hold both upward and downward pulls. If you utilize one cordelette for equalizing this anchor, you should retain a second for self-rescue purposes. When belaying with a device, you’ll need to lock off the belay with your brake hand, pull a loop of brake strand through the locking carabiner securing your belay device to your harness, and tie a Mule knot on the loaded rope. If you’re belaying with a Munter hitch, lock off the belay and tie a Mule knot just above the Munter on the weighted rope. Both types of Mule knots should be snugged up against the Munter or belay device and backed up with an overhand knot. Take a load off. With your hands now free, tie a figure-eight-on-a-bight in one end of your cordelette, leaving a bight large enough to accommodate a prusik leading to your weighted rope. Using a Munter-Mule backed up with an overhand, attach the tail of a prusik to a locking carabiner on your anchor. Release the Mule on the weighted rope, transferring the load onto the cordelette. Unclip your belay from the system, retie a Munter-Mule with the climbing rope to a locking carabiner on the anchor, and transfer the load from the cordelette back onto the rope. Free of the belay and with the system tied off, you can assist your injured climber by ascending the rope and/or going for help.
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