Rock Climbing. Pete Hill

with extreme caution – or rejected altogether.

GEAR RACK

      Rack of gear laid out on the ground

      I have outlined a list of kit below that would be a really good rack for starting out. As far as possible I have put them in the order in which they should be purchased: buying a rope will probably be more important than getting hold of a couple of prusik loops, for example. This gear list will be ideal for routes up to VS (and probably higher).

      Bear in mind that some rock types will predispose themselves to accepting different types of gear. For instance, if you are climbing on sandstone regularly you may wish to increase the number of camming devices. Conversely if you are climbing on limestone a good range of wires will possibly be of more use.

       Harness

       Helmet

       Rock boots

       Belay device

       Rope (50m × 10.5mm)

       HMS screwgate karabiners × 3

       4ft (60cm) sling × 2

       8ft (120cm) sling × 2

       16ft (240cm) sling × 1

       D-shape screwgates × 3

       Curved wires 1–10 × 2 sets

       Rockcentrics 6, 7, 8, 9

       Nut key and small carrying karabiner × 1

       Camming devices, flexible stem, 1, 2, 3

       Extenders × 6

       Snapgate karabiners: 2 for carrying wires, 4 for carrying hex’s, 12 for extenders, 4 for 4ft (60cm) slings, 3 for camming devices. Total = 25

       Prusik loops × 2

       Chalk bag

      3 KNOTS

      If there is one subject that is likely to send shivers down the spine of anyone starting out in climbing, this is it! There is a plethora of books available extolling the virtues of this one or that, often resulting in general confusion. Luckily you only need to learn a few in order to get started, and you could even get away with just a figure of eight (in all its forms) and a clove hitch. The following knots, however, are worth learning.

      Figure of eight rewoven

      This very important knot is the standard way of attaching yourself to your harness. It looks like an ‘8’ and so is easily recognised on both you and your partner. It should be tied so that the loop created is no bigger than the abseil loop on the front of your harness; if any larger it will be awkward to use when belaying and tying onto anchors. Once the knot is tied it should be finished off with half a double fisherman’s (see below) as a stopper knot, pushed up snug to the eight. The resulting tail should be no more than 3–10cm long.

      FIGURE OF EIGHT REWOVEN

      STEP 1 Starting a figure of eight rewoven

      STEP 2 Completing a figure of eight rewoven

      STEP 3 The finished article, complete with stopper knot

      Figure of eight on a bight

      This variation of the figure of eight is very useful for attaching yourself to a belay anchor. It ends up looking just like the figure of eight on your harness, but is tied in a slightly different manner. It has the advantage of being quick to tie, does not require the use of any gear (such as a karabiner), and will tighten during loading, an important property when trying to reduce the loading at the anchor.

      (Left) Figure of eight on a bight

      (Right) Figure of eight on the bight on the end of the rope

      Another variation of this knot can be tied into the end of the rope. This is most likely to be used when clipping into the end, rather than tying in, when bottom- or top-roping (although many will still prefer to tie in for security). As with the original, it should be finished off with half a double fisherman’s as a stopper knot.

      Double bowline

      Some people prefer to use this knot for tying into the harness, as it can be undone easily after loading. However, most climbers still like to tie on using the figure of eight rewoven as it is instantly recognisable, and it is possible to tie the bowline incorrectly.

      DOUBLE BOWLINE

      STEP 1 Starting a double bowline

      STEP 2 Basic double bowline shape

      STEP 3 Completed double bowline with a stopper knot

      It is essential that half a double fisherman’s is tied as a stopper knot, butted snugly up against the main knot, otherwise the bowline could undo in some situations. One of its main uses is to tie an abseil rope to an anchor, as it can be loaded repeatedly but then undone quite easily at the end of the day.

      Italian hitch

      This very handy knot – also known as the ‘Munter’ hitch – can be used for both belaying and abseiling. It can be utilised in a variety of roles as a belaying knot, not least when you have accidentally dropped your belay device down the crag and are left holding just the karabiner! For abseiling, we could put forward a similar scenario. It does tend to twist the rope after a lot of use, but this can be solved by simply shaking the rope out and unwrapping any kinks.

      ITALIAN HITCH

      STEP 1 Starting an Italian hitch with hands crossed

      STEP 2 Uncross your hands to make two loops

      STEP 3 Put your palms together to finish it

      STEP 4 Completed Italian hitch

      Note

      It is very important that the Italian hitch is clipped into an HMS karabiner and not a D-shape one. The hitch needs to rotate easily around the end of the karabiner, an important property when belaying as the rope may be taken in and paid out and the hitch will need to swivel freely. If a D-shape is used the hitch could get jammed at the tight bend at the end of the back bar.

      Clove hitch

      This is an important knot, and very valuable when used to secure yourself to an anchor when belaying. It is quick to tie, easily adjustable and locks off when loaded. It is best if the clove hitch is clipped into an HMS karabiner, as this will allow it to sit in the correct fashion, whereas a D-shape may cause it to ride up over itself. If you do have to use a D-shape check that the knot is sitting correctly.

      CLOVE HITCH

      STEP 1 Starting a clove hitch with hands crossed

      STEP 2 Uncross your hands

      STEP 3 Place one hand behind the other

      STEP 4 Completed clove hitch

      Note

      Make sure that you cross your hands in the correct manner, otherwise you will end up with just a couple of loose loops and not a clove hitch. With a little practice, you will be able to tie this knot quickly and without thinking about it too hard.

      French prusik

      Tied with a prusik loop, this is a very useful little knot, particularly as it can be used as a safety back-up