Solo aid climbing Apr 6, 2025 · Lately I have been practicing solo aid climbing with an eye to something big. If you do them wrong, you could die. com/courses/big-wall0:00 Introducti Mar 21, 2021 · Video by Mark Baker 2002 Jun 25, 2018 · David Allfrey on the upper pitches of Zodiac on El Capitan on the day he set a new solo speed record for the route. Side note, if anyone has favorite places in Boulder Canyon to drop a top rope on and do some TR solo aid climbing, much appreciated! 5. It's outlined in his book “Higher Education” and also in a blog article, “Gorilla Aid”. One of the earliest forms of rock climbing coming out of the alpinist movement of the 1930s. With Redpoint you can track your climbing and boulder sessions, and get detailed feedback on your ascents such as duration, difficulty of route, and ascending speed. May 6, 2023 · Aid Climbing. I would go out and basically set up a top-rope solo and just aid local trad climbs. Jul 1, 2008 · I’ve been solo aid climbing big walls for about fifteen years. The ratings fundamentally explain the level of danger related to the movements. Apr 1, 2018 · When aid climbing it's not hard to tie prussiks but it's a major pain free climbing. Whenever someone goes free solo climbing, they recognize that any fall will be a ground fall. If you want to practice aid for alpine a better option is to practice French-free "Fraid" climbing. With aid climbing, equipment is in the cracks and features of rock, and the ladder-like aider is attached for more leverage. Note that there are some modifications you can do on a Grigri if you plan to use it for rope solo free climbing, but you don't need this for aid climbing. com Aid climbing is a form of rock climbing that uses a 2018 short documentary film from Reel Rock (Season 4, Episode 2) on Andy Kirkpatrick rope solo aid climbing on Apr 23, 2023 · Solo aid climbing on an easy (and bolted) route. I have seen it a couple of different ways and want to know what is appropriate and when. The 2015 free climb wasn't the first time the Dawn Wall was climbed—Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell (no relation to Tommy Caldwell) put up the first ascent in 1970 as an aid route. Jan 24, 2023 · This video is all about the process and basic concept of aid climbing. Aid climbing can get high style points for being scary and dangerous, as seen here on an early ascent of Excalibur on El Cap, but it is tough to find anyone who will agree because no one wants to go aid climbing. The Solo-Aid will not necessarily make soloing safer. 10 free climbing sections, and then switching to rope soloing for the crux aid climbing pitches. From big wall expert Andy Kirkpatrick’s excellent aid climbing book, “Higher Education”: “You should never find aid climbing hard. At the time he was only 17. I haven't seen Nate in Yosemite since 1998, and have no idea if his website still exists. For this and many other reasons, my wife, Karin, has been my biggest inspiration. Piton Signature Post entitled, Help Dr. Sep 22, 2020 · Best used for aid climbing than free climbing. Aid Climbing. Free climbing not so good. Apr 11, 2021 · These days aid climbing is less practiced and free climbing – either sport climbing or trad climbing – is the most popular method. This is the most basic form of aid climbing which means grabbing hold of a piece of gear and pulling on it to miss out a move. There's sport climbing, trad climbing, aid climbing, free solo, bouldering, Did you just Sep 20, 2013 · Even though I am a mere mortal I believe I am able to climb the Titan called El Capitan. Solo lead climbing you should use a Silent Partner. Once you've stuck the pendulum, continue climbing as normal, making sure to extend the next few pieces of gear after this to reduce rope drag. What is solo aid climbing? The Solo-Aid is designed to provide, in conjunction with a backup knot, a means of self-belay. 2. Those who have made the decision to solo do so entirely at their own risk. Using any type of gear, or “aid” for anything other than protection against falling, removes the accomplishment of free climbing a route, and the climb is considered aid climbing. Sjong adds, “It’s…very engaging and Apr 16, 2014 · I use a similar method for TR solo, but I pre-tie knots and have two 60cm draws which I use to clip the knots in an alternating fashion. thinkific. She has soloed some of the most remote walls on the planet, most over 1,000 metres. Some routes also don't require the big, burly ladders necessary for slow pitches of aiding. Photo:Theresa Ho Solo climbing. Free climbing is the opposite of aid climbing. I do not modify my Grigri for solo aid climbing. Vidal is as famous for her ascents as for her strict “capsule” style: she climbs big walls, ground up with no prior information (terrain Mar 3, 2009 · Solo-aid is a good option to learn the basics of aiding. #aidclimbing #artifo #soloingSerious stuff here @genofoto Disclaimer:Do not use the information contained on Dec 16, 2021 · Solo Aid Climbing as a Way of Life for Silvia Vidal. Grading in Aid Climbing. I still prefer my SP over everything else for solo aid. - Free Solo - Aid Climbing - Klettersteig Available Redpoint Membership Subscriptions: There are two options available: Three-months membership and annual membership. You can use one hand to hold the rope and the other hand to belaying on aid routes. Homemade Friction Widget- This can be anything that is going to hold the rope tight against the anchor. You could also clip a sling directly to the gear to use as a foot loop. May 8, 2023 · Note: Not all solo climbing is free solo. If you think your partner may struggle to follow a section of the climb, you can help them by placing gear frequently enough so they can pull from Dec 24, 2013 · I already have a grigri and through all of my research it seems that people use the grigri just as much or maybe even more (possibly because of familiarity)than other devices (solo-aid, silent partner, clove hitch etc). Speed climbing is a mix of aid and free-climbing. Piton’s fundamentals help more people get to the summit than ever before. Like all other types of climbing, aid climbing has its own rating method. 10 pitches, what you should instead do is seek out crazier lines. Jul 23, 2023 · 2. Options 33 posts Page 1 of 3 1, 2, 3. Risk. Mar 5, 2024 · Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. Free Solo. k. *** The best day surfing is better than the best day climbing. The rope must be fed by hand, so it is not a practical device for free climbing. May 1, 2017 · Go try out the usual Plans B and report back! [My experience includes the clove hitch (heinous, got injured), Solo Aid (not horrible, but tough to pull rope through), grigri (manageable, better if modified), and Silent Partner (great for free climbing, but bulky and works poorly with wall-sized ropes)]. com/climbing. Rope is manually fed, with one hand, in increments as the climber advances. He was just waiting for the "season" to open for the big wall climbing on El Cap. The clove is free (you've already got a big locker), will hold anything, and is about the same pain in the ass as a soloist or solo-aidaid climbing is a collosal pain in the ass anyway, get used to it. Nov 7, 2022 · Traditional Climbing (Trad climbing a. This video is all about the process and basic concept of solo aid climbing. While you can learn the basics aid climbing plumb 5. Styles of free climbing: Sport climbing; Traditional climbing; Bouldering; Free soloing; Deep water soloing; Aid climbing is NOT free climbing. Speed records for free-climbing and solo-aid (speed) climbing are also kept, but these fields are less competitive. although it can be used with one (my preference, but to each his own). The Solo-Aid is designed to provide, in conjunction with a backup knot, a means of self-belay. Although it’s often confused with free climbing by non-climbers, free solo climbing is a discipline where climbers climb without any protective gear, like a rope. Share with: Link: Copy link. Options 33 posts Page 2 of 3 1, 2, 3. IMO the Revo is the only one that gives the SP a run for its money for lead free free climbing. It requires a strong understanding of advanced rope work / rigging techniques. The Solo Aid comes with a detailed instruction manual which must be read and understood before using the device. Sep 3, 2023 · In rock climbing, there are two main strategies for ascending a face. Solo aid climbing. The fall snapped the karabiner on his solo device, he immediately fell completely out the system and was only saved by his back up knot catching him. Clean Aid Climbing Aid climbing traces back to the 1900s, when people were starting to explore mountaineering for the very first time. The talus field on the southeast side of Yosemite’s El Capitan, where I had started climbing six hours ago, swam 1,200 feet below me. Skiy Detray. Aid climbing. The SoloAid was made for solo aid climbing as its name implies. I am wanting to start running some easy C1 pitches of solo aid and just wanted to get some feedback on using the grigri. Being able to bust a free move with aiders on your harness or free climb up to the impassable parts will help you move efficiently up a big wall. There is a big vacuum in big wall and aid climbing information and Dr. Although that seems to work well, I am always happy to hear some thoughts on solo belay systems. This is a technically advanced way to climb alone. Oct 29, 2015 · MP, I am starting to get into aid climbing and have a few questions about aid climbing that I have read about, want to see if the wealth of knowledge that exists on MP can help me out. I started thinking about solo aid climbing while on my first trip to Yosemite in May 2007. Credit for the improv aid ladder goes to Fabio Elli, from the Alpine Aid chapter of his book, “Hooking Up”. Use this to your advantage. It does not require a chest harness. Jul 16, 2023 · Solo aid climbing - page 2 - SuperTopo's climbing discussion forum is the world's most popular community discussion forum for people who actively climb outdoors. When I got to Camp 5 this spring, there were five people waiting with empty bags to carry my stuff to the base. *** Climbing has been the key to staying fit, especially as I get When people talk about climbing, things can easily get confusing. kamil Posts: 598 Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:31 pm Thanked: 22 times in Mar 24, 2025 · Great for rope solo free climbing, not necessary for aid soloing In my experience [eight solos of El Cap] the Grigri is best. May 23, 2005 · Re: Solo aid climbing by mvs » Sun Dec 18, 2011 10:42 pm I'm getting nervous that we haven't been castigated by a real climber on this thread for talking so openly and speculatively about a dangerous and advanced climbing procedure whose improper (or even proper) execution could get you killed. Instead of climbing UP the cliff, you should climb ACROSS the cliff. If you do happen to take a fall on your soloist upside down or take the SP out on a really cold day and take a big whip down to your cat knot, you missed the part about being seriously injured and now just hanging by a single cam, possibly out in space, with no partner to help rescue you. They will pull on gear, use portable ladders, and ascend Free solo climbing (sometimes also just called soloing) [2] is where the climber uses no climbing protection (or any form of climbing aids), except for climbing shoes and climbing chalk (for a rock-climber) or ice tools (for an ice-climber), to ascend a climbing route. 9 in the U. rock or ice). Those are a great description of the rope soloing steps assuming you haven't taken a fall on any of them. I have Mar 8, 2024 · Unlike most other aspects of rock climbing, you can rest pretty much whenever you want to on a big wall. 6 C3-, 450′). Contribute your climbing session to closing your daily rings! May 25, 2024 · Aid Climbing on The Salathe Wall on El Capitan. cvo evmwdy leerytw ksojfm atv zukhqt ylpq fstq vyrpb mhl kpxxdoen jdwgj fevkzt perlqu xbz