| Short roping is a range of techniques that cover the | | | | normally goes in front and the team move together |
| use of the rope to protect and give confidence to | | | | at a speed which keeps the rope off the ground, but |
| members of a party on scrambling terrain. The | | | | which does not restrict movement. It is vital that |
| techniques employed depend on the difficulty of the | | | | there is no slack in the system and that the hand |
| terrain and the competence and experience of the | | | | coils are locked off to prevent any slip becoming a |
| party. | | | | serious fall. |
| The techniques are an extension of those used in | | | | On more serious and difficult terrain where you want |
| alpine environments and provide climbers with a | | | | some protection or where both hands are needed to |
| compromise between pitching the route (safe, but | | | | make progress, but where all members of the team |
| slow) with the speed of moving un-roped (fast, but | | | | still feel confident that a fall is unlikely you need to |
| potentially dangerous). Short roping also has the | | | | use a different system. This involves dropping the |
| advantage that by dividing the route into smaller | | | | hand coils and climbing simultaneously, placing runners |
| sections there is better communication, less rope | | | | in the rock as well as weaving the rope around |
| drag and less danger of the rope knocking down | | | | natural spikes and blocks to give the team members |
| debris. | | | | protection. It is recommended to have at least three |
| Short roping involves shortening the rope by | | | | pieces of protection as running belays on the rope at |
| wrapping coils around the body and then tying them | | | | any one time and as the seconds remove a piece of |
| off so that between 2m and 20m of rope connects | | | | protection the leader places another one. Once again |
| the leader to the rest of the party. The amount of | | | | all the climbers should move at the same speed and |
| rope out depends on the terrain and the techniques | | | | avoid any slack building up in the system. |
| being adopted. At one extreme confidence roping on | | | | On more difficult sections where a fall is quite |
| exposed, but non serious terrain will only need 1m-2m | | | | possible then you will need to revert to pitching the |
| of rope out whilst at the other extreme hard, | | | | route until easier terrain arrives. It may be necessary |
| sustained sections of climbing may need up to 20m | | | | to extend the rope, but try not to have more than |
| of rope out in conjunction with belays and leader | | | | about 20-25m paid out between the climbers - treat |
| placed protection. | | | | these sections as mini-climbs by taking proper belays, |
| Short roping can be used in both ascent and descent | | | | placing runners as required and belaying as normal. |
| and is normally deployed on terrain that is exposed | | | | Once again try to keep the pitch lengths short and |
| and where the consequences of a slip are both | | | | utilise natural anchor points such as spikes and blocks |
| serious and possible. It is most often used where the | | | | - this will make communication easier, the rope will |
| route has ground that the party feel competent | | | | most likely run straighter and pitches can be done |
| climbing interspersed with short technical sections or | | | | quickly and efficiently |
| the odd hard step - the party staying roped-up along | | | | All these techniques require each climbing partner to |
| the whole route, but adjust the amount of rope out | | | | make judgments on the move and should be |
| and the protection techniques according to the | | | | practiced in a safe learning environment before being |
| relative difficulty of the terrain. | | | | used in the mountains for real. |
| Short roping requires constant re-evaluation and | | | | Rope Coils for Scrambling |
| needs good situational awareness and an ability to | | | | There are several ways to set up coils -- soft lock or |
| change techniques quickly and safely. This is quite a | | | | hard lock and high or low. |
| skill and the ability to make the judgments about | | | | Soft locked coils are easier/faster to adjust for |
| which technique to use and when only comes with | | | | length, but there is serious risk of the coils tightening |
| practice. It is all about correctly matching the team's | | | | under load -- this can be uncomfortable at best or |
| ability with the section of route at hand and choosing | | | | but has also been known to impede breathing. Thus it |
| an appropriate rope technique. | | | | is recommended to always use hard looked coils |
| On easier terrain take chest coils so that there is | | | | When short roping on glaciers high coils (sternum |
| 10-15m of rope between you and then take small, | | | | level) should be used as this high anchor point will help |
| neat hand coils so that there is 2-3m of rope free | | | | keep you upright if you fall into a crevasse, but in a |
| between members of the party. There should not be | | | | scrambling situation low coils are best as it is easier to |
| too much rope in your hands - a good guide is that if | | | | hold falls with the anchor point tied off low close to |
| you can not close your hand around the coil then you | | | | your waist. |
| are holding too much rope. The most capable climber | | | | |