Multi pitch rock climbing- The Essentials

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Flip Flop

Trad climber
Truckee, CA
Jul 10, 2014 - 03:06pm PT
Flip flops , sunnies, beanie, wind jacket w/hood, dope, pipe, lighter, belay bunny.
snowhazed

Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
Jul 10, 2014 - 03:29pm PT
a pen too, nothing worse than trying to spray in the summit register and theres no writing implement in the box...
thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Jul 10, 2014 - 03:41pm PT
The most elusive of my essentials: a sexy female with whom you can swap leads (even the hard ones) to jump your bones just before blasting off. Critical.
ruppell

climber
Jul 10, 2014 - 05:27pm PT
Pretty much what Flip Flop listed except tobacco rollies instead of weed.

I carry everything on my harness and absolutely hate wearing a pack. 1/2 liter of water, flip flops for the descent, and a windblock all clipped to my back loop. Beanie stuffed in a cargo pocket. No food.
Gilroy

Social climber
Bolderado
Jul 10, 2014 - 05:30pm PT
tbc - That's fkn hilarious!
rgold

Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
Jul 10, 2014 - 06:35pm PT
For every noob using a 60 liter pack with the 1200 essentials for single pitch toproping, there's some super tough guy light-is-right-until-it-isn't superhero climbing in a wifebeater and and a Schoeller jockstrap who'll be screamin' for the gendarmarie the second he gets totally hypothermic in a tiny summer thunderstorm.
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Jul 10, 2014 - 08:13pm PT
I used to bring pretty much nothing,
but a few years ago I read an accident report (Temple Crag)
where my friends needed a knife to free up rope trapped under
a block which came off. (They needed the rope to haul the block up off a partner).
So I carry a tiny knife on my harness now, on a tiny but full strength biner.
Mostly it has been used to remove tat from anchors,
or trim slings to leave in anchors.
Once I used it to cut off half our lead line when it hung up rapping
from South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos. This half lead line then also
ended up getting fixed at the lowest anchor so we could reach the glacier
without leaving our second rope behind.

The other stuff I bring varies, depending on what we are doing.
On new routes, often we have lots of heavy stuff in a pack (including
bolt kit and bolts, water, headlamps, warm clothing, food),
and I often jug with it, so weight is not a big factor.

The last multipitch I did was the East Buttress of Middle in 95 degree heat, and I brought:
 1 liter of water clipped to the back of my harness (ended up sharing it with my partner)
 a couple of junk bars in my chalk bag
 my camera (camera display works as an emergency headlamp)
No descent shoes or second rope, as we used the rap route.
No headlamp because I thought we'd be fast enough (was true).
No hat, because it was pretty hot out.
No prusiks, but the waist belt for my chalk bag is 5mm perlon, a perfect prusik.
Kalimon

Social climber
Ridgway, CO
Jul 10, 2014 - 08:28pm PT
lighter if wood available

I always bring my wood . . . lighter, not always as toking up late in the day, while semi-dehydrated is not necessarily a good thing. Wait for the beer in the cooler, then burn one down.
rgold

Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
Jul 10, 2014 - 08:41pm PT
The East Buttress of Middle on a hot summer day reminds me of my experience on that route in, I think, the late sixties (climbing with none other than the Duke of Earl...)

We got hit by a fast-moving and, I suppose, uncharacteristic summer storm. In a few minutes, the entire face was running with ice water several inches deep. I was belaying in a sort of vertical pod which filled with running ice water---I had to sort of crane my neck to keep my face out of it. I was tied in tight and giving the Duke tension as he was trying to climb up the floodwaters, so there was no escaping the soaking.

The result is that I was basically submerged in ice water for fifteen or twenty minutes. Every muscle in my body cramped; I was basically folded up into a tight and very painful ball.

Had the storm continued for any amount of time, I suspect I would have died. But it passed as quickly as it arrived. The rock was soaking wet, and I could barely force my limbs from their most contracted positions. We were pretty high up, so the Duke swung into action and aided up a few wet pitches and we got off. I followed, prying my hands open against the rock at every step so that I could move my improvised aiders and clean the next piton.

We couldn't have imagined something like the OR Helium II in those days; I might have still been using a Holubar 60/40 parka. Nowadays I don't climb anywhere that might have mountain weather without it, 'cause I'm not sure Mother Nature will be giving out second chances, and I've sure as hell used up the first one.
dave729

Trad climber
Western America
Jul 10, 2014 - 09:06pm PT
Got to be able to look the gf directly in the eyeballs
and make her believe the big lie by slipping in some truth:
we can't rap off because the ropes not long enough
but hey, nice the mosquitoes don't fly this high!
RyanD

climber
Squamish
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2014 - 11:13pm PT
Lol awesome stuff!



As mentioned in the opening post. The essentials I listed are the ones I use around here in the land of 35M pitches with bolted rappel anchors that you can piss on a tourist gondola from & the spatter will hit the highway.

These essentials do not apply everywhere. That's kind of why I asked all of you, to see what you bring. A lot of good perspectives.

I have made the mistake of approaching long routes in other places than Squamish with the same casual attitude as we are able to get away with around here & have definitely learned a few lessons through suffering as well.

Lol just remembered my friend Josh approaching north six shooter in flip flops.


n the mountains of course essentials are obviously a whole different ball game & it would be impossible to quantify what is essential in such a vast realm of variable objectives.

This is why I asked specifically about multipitch rock climbs, the classics that are hopefully done with aspirations of not being late for work, or a beer back at the car or bar before the sun goes down.

Lots of classic stuff here & great info, but yeah brave cowboy seems to have sh#t pretty figured out :-)

Even though i meant material items, one would still gain much wisdom from climbing with the warbler methinks.





drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
Jul 10, 2014 - 11:17pm PT
Ok, I didn't quit this stupid forum ;-)

before the sun goes down

I bring a headlamp no matter what.
Once was enough.
SeanH

Trad climber
SLC
Jul 11, 2014 - 01:38am PT
Harness, 8 lockers, 2 metolius PASs, Bolt kit
rgold

Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
Jul 11, 2014 - 10:16am PT
From someone who knows a thing or two about the subject...

http://www.highinfatuation.com/blog/light-is-right-tips-for-climbing-long-routes/
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 11, 2014 - 11:00am PT
I bring a headlamp no matter what.

LOL! I guided a dude on a FA in the N Cascades in September. That's not the LOL part.
Well, I guess it really is in that back then the Wonder headlight was about yer only option. Of
course,the name does derive from "It's a wonder that POS is allowed to be sold." Anyway, we
didn't make it off before beer-thirty as planned, miracle of miracles. It being September might
have had something to do with it. Naturally the Wonder failed to perform, or even work. But I
wasn't totally unprepared, I had a regular flashlight too! OK, maybe it was the client's. Anyway,
It was a lot of fun downclimbing with it in my big mouth, especially the part above the schrund
where I was inches below his crampons so I could shine the feeble beam on the holds and
guide his boots with my one free hand. This was only a pass/fail test, right?
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