belayer can't see or hear climber

[cracked]

When I can't see or hear my I know it's time to bail.

[Alpinfox]

I climb with this ole dude sometimes. <p>He can never seem to hear me at all. I wonder how his vision is these days.. <p>Anyway he always knows when to start climbing though.. I just wonder if he could catch me if I ever fell Dont ask me how he knows when to start climbing. Maybe he gets the clue when i start trying to z pulley his ass up

 

 

[Stretch75]

I also have had good results using radios. One change I made, however, is I spent the few xtra bucks and bought the ear piece/mic setup. Switching the radio to voice activation makes the whole setup hands free. Just talk or listen.

--Stretch

[Alpinfox]

 

Add some hand jammies, a battery-heated jacket, shoe-mounted LEDs for nighttime climbing, sticky rubber knee sleeves, EPIRB, cell phone, backcountry espresso maker, plexiglass face shield, a few more random things that go beep, 114 item first aid kit, Z-pulley setup, and the kitchen sink and you gotcherself a climbin' rack!

[Stretch75]

Add some hand jammies, a battery-heated jacket, shoe-mounted LEDs for nighttime climbing, sticky rubber knee sleeves, EPIRB, cell phone, backcountry espresso maker, plexiglass face shield, a few more random things that go beep, 114 item first aid kit, Z-pulley setup, and the kitchen sink and you gotcherself a climbin' rack!

 

lol

[PaulB]

rope tugs-- five is good so it can't be messed up w/some other fiddling w/the rope.

A couple of my friends once agreed to use three tugs. This proved unwise when one of them was at an awkward crux, trying to clip into a piece he had just placed. With the rope in his teeth, he yarded up for the third time to get enough slack to make the clip, only to hear his partner yell "belay off"!

 

I don't think they used the tug system anymore after that.

 

When climbing with regular partners, you develop a good sense of their movement while climbing and how they handle the rope at belays. While its best to use verbal signals whenever possible (which makes radios a good choice) accumulated experience often tells you what needs to be done.

[EWolfe]

I learned the three-two-one method.

 

Three quick tugs means the leader is off belay

Three quick tugs by belayer means "belay off"

 

Slack taken up

 

Two pulls by follower means 'that's me"

Two tugs by leader means "on belay"

 

One long tug by leader verifies belay on.

 

 

Doesn't work with severe rope drag.

[chris]

NOLS teaches an excellent communication method that I think they spell out in "Wilderness Mountaineering." Check it out. I learned it back in 1999 and I still use it and teach much of it to my friends. It's a chuckle to hear everyone say "Thank you" in response to "On belay." If I have more time later today, I'll try to write more.

[Alpinfox]

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

Yeah, it's pretty easy to pick out the NOLSy people at the crag. However, we are talking about NON-VERBAL communication systems here.

 

[minx]

Add some hand jammies, a battery-heated jacket, shoe-mounted LEDs for nighttime climbing, sticky rubber knee sleeves, EPIRB, cell phone, backcountry espresso maker, plexiglass face shield, a few more random things that go beep, 114 item first aid kit, Z-pulley setup, and the kitchen sink and you gotcherself a climbin' rack!

 

i'm sorry mr. fox, i just would never be able to climb w/you. you're downright dangerous...you forgot at least one of the 382 essentials in your list. how can you possibly go anywhere w/o your portable blender????? good grief! how do you expect to have frapped beverages w/o it???

[chris]

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

Yeah, it's pretty easy to pick out the NOLSy people at the crag. However, we are talking about NON-VERBAL communication systems here.

 

Yep, that right - but there's more to it than that.

Whenever I'm stepping onto a climb that is multipitch, a rope stretcher, on a windy day, or does funky things like wraps around an arete, I try to remember to discuss things with my partner before hand.

First, no chit-chat once the leader passes the first piece of first bolt. That way there is only limited number of things that could be said, and it lowers the chance for miscommunication. Miscommunication causes more accidents than no communication.

If we do end up unable to communicate, its important to still call out the signals - often one person can be heard and the other can't.

Second, we simply agree that if the rope is completely out, that the belayer can take the leader off belay, and after a few moment, when the rope comes tight the second can start climbing. If the leader reaches the anchor, ties off, calls out "off belay", and doesn't hear a response, then they know to be quick about the belay immediately after pulling in all the excess rope. Its a super-simple system that is only effective when its discussed in advance.

[catbirdseat]

I may be stating the obvious, but whatever system you use, remember to talk about what it is before the leader sets out on the first pitch. It's really easy to get all excited and forget to talk about the system you are going to use.

 

As for myself, I like Matt's system of three "huge" tugs only when the follower is on belay. That way, there can be no mistake wherein the leader is taken off belay prematurely. He is on belay the entire time he is building the anchor.

[lummox]

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

"Thank you"

Yeah, it's pretty easy to pick out the NOLSy people at the crag. However, we are talking about NON-VERBAL communication systems here.

 

that 'thank you' courtesy aint fukin nols mutha fuka.

and btw fuk nols. some of them fukheads retrobolted some backcountry routes of mine.

[iain]

[Alpinfox]

Add some hand jammies, a battery-heated jacket, shoe-mounted LEDs for nighttime climbing, sticky rubber knee sleeves, EPIRB, cell phone, backcountry espresso maker, plexiglass face shield, a few more random things that go beep, 114 item first aid kit, Z-pulley setup, and the kitchen sink and you gotcherself a climbin' rack!

 

i'm sorry mr. fox, i just would never be able to climb w/you. you're downright dangerous...you forgot at least one of the 382 essentials in your list. how can you possibly go anywhere w/o your portable blender????? good grief! how do you expect to have frapped beverages w/o it???

 

Do portable blenders go beep?

[chucK]

I like the "thank you" aknowledgment (didn't know it was a NOLS thing). It's very often quite useful to let your partner know that you understood his/her communication. For example, so they don't keep screaming "belay on" while you are working to tear down the anchor.

 

Replying, or ever using, "OK" for any communication can easily be misunderstood since it can mean just about anything. Misunderstandings are usually things you do NOT want in communications between partners on a climb.

[EWolfe]

 

 

Nice one, Iaxx!

[Dru]

if you don't have that good climber telepathy with your partner they probably wouldn't let you spoon with them at the unplanned bivi, or split the last GU half way on the 5th day of your two day trip, either. so you should ditch your non-telepathic partner in favor of one you can actually trust and understand even when you can only hear unintelligible shouts, or nothing at all.

[chris]

3 tugs = on belay

2 tugs = off belay

1 tug = falling