Fixed rope: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Technique in mountaineering}} |
{{Short description|Technique in mountaineering}} |
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{{confuse|Rope access}} |
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{{Multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=370 | header=Examples of fixed rope climbing |
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In [[climbing]] and [[mountaineering]], a '''fixed-rope''' (or '''fixed-line''') is the practice of installing networks of in-situ anchored [[Climbing rope#Static rope|static climbing rope]]s on [[climbing route]]s to assist any following climbers (and [[Porter (carrier)|porters]]) to ascend more rapidly—and with less effort—by using mechanical aid devices called [[Ascender (climbing)|ascenders]].<ref name=CEP/><ref name=MFH/> Fixed ropes also allow climbers (and porters) to descend rapidly using mechanical devices called [[Descender (climbing)|descenders]].<ref name=CEP/><ref name=MFH/> Fixed ropes also help to identify the line of the climbing route in periods of low visibility (e.g. a storm or white-out).<ref name=CEP/><ref name=MFH/> The act of ascending a fixed rope is also called '''jumaring''', which is the name of a type of ascender device,<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/skills/learn-this-how-to-rope-jug/ | title=Learn This: How to Jumar a Rope | date=6 May 2016 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | first=Julie | last=Ellison}}</ref> or also called '''jugging''' in the US.<ref name=CM10/> |
In [[climbing]] and [[mountaineering]], a '''fixed-rope''' (or '''fixed-line''') is the practice of installing networks of in-situ anchored [[Climbing rope#Static rope|static climbing rope]]s on [[climbing route]]s to assist any following climbers (and [[Porter (carrier)|porters]]) to ascend more rapidly—and with less effort—by using mechanical aid devices called [[Ascender (climbing)|ascenders]].<ref name=CEP/><ref name=MFH/> Fixed ropes also allow climbers (and porters) to descend rapidly using mechanical devices called [[Descender (climbing)|descenders]].<ref name=CEP/><ref name=MFH/> Fixed ropes also help to identify the line of the climbing route in periods of low visibility (e.g. a storm or white-out).<ref name=CEP/><ref name=MFH/> The act of ascending a fixed rope is also called '''jumaring''', which is the name of a type of ascender device,<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/skills/learn-this-how-to-rope-jug/ | title=Learn This: How to Jumar a Rope | date=6 May 2016 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | first=Julie | last=Ellison}}</ref> or also called '''jugging''' in the US.<ref name=CM10/> |
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Fixed ropes are put in place by the [[lead climbing|lead climbers]], and the ropes may or may not be removed as the climbers descend after completing the route.<ref name=KP/><ref name=NG3/> For popular Himalayan climbing routes, extensive networks of fixed ropes may be put in place to last the entire climbing season (e.g. the [[Khumbu |
Fixed ropes are put in place by the [[lead climbing|lead climbers]], and the ropes may or may not be removed as the climbers descend after completing the route.<ref name=KP/><ref name=NG3/> For popular Himalayan climbing routes, extensive networks of fixed ropes may be put in place to last the entire climbing season (e.g. the [[Khumbu Icefall]] on [[Mount Everest]]).<ref>{{cite web | magazine=Gripped Magazine | url=https://gripped.com/uncategorized/everest-season-begins-as-icefall-doctors-fix-ropes/ | date=3 March 2021 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | title=Everest Season Begins as Icefall Doctors Fix Ropes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | magazine=Gripped Magazine | url=https://gripped.com/news/progress-everest-halts-teams-wait-fixed-ropes/ | date=5 May 2016 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | title=Progress on Everest Halts with Rope-Fixing Confusion}}</ref> While storms can strip a mountain of fixed ropes that have been left behind, the existence of old—and often unreliable and dangerous—fixed ropes along popular climbing routes, is a concern in climbing.<ref name=KP>{{Cite web | newspaper=[[The Kathmandu Post]] | date=3 December 2022 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | first=Sangam | last=Prasain | url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2022/12/03/ropes-on-climbing-routes-litter-mount-everest | title=Ropes on climbing routes litter Mount Everest }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/people/out-on-a-ledge-tangled-confronting-the-knotty-issue-of-fixed-ropes/ | title=Out on a Ledge: Tangled. Confronting the knotty issue of fixed ropes | date=16 October 2019 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | first=Katie | last=Lambert}}</ref> On popular European, and latterly American, climbing routes, the fixed rope can be replaced by networks of permanently anchored metal cables, which are called '[[via ferrata]]' routes.<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Smithsonian Magazine]] | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/via-ferratas-are-finally-catching-on-in-the-united-states-180983855/ | title=Via Ferratas Are Finally Catching On in the United States | first=Shoshi | last=Parks | date=28 February 2024 | accessdate=10 May 2024}}</ref> |
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Fixed ropes are not used in '[[alpine style]]' mountaineering as they are considered akin to a form of [[aid climbing]].<ref name=CEP>{{cite book | title=Climbing: Expedition Planning | date=June 2003 | first1= Clyde |last1=Soles |first2=Phil |last2=Powers | publisher=[[Mountaineers Books]] | isbn=978-0898867701 | pages= |
Fixed ropes are not used in '[[alpine style]]' mountaineering as they are considered akin to a form of [[aid climbing]].<ref name=CEP>{{cite book | title=Climbing: Expedition Planning | date=June 2003 | first1= Clyde |last1=Soles |first2=Phil |last2=Powers | publisher=[[Mountaineers Books]] | isbn=978-0898867701 | pages=25–31 | chapter=A Matter of Style: Expedition, Capsule, Alpine, Extreme Alpine, and Combined | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kHlA-R9klR8C&q=%22expedition%22+%22Alpine+style%22 | accessdate=10 May 2024}}</ref><ref name=MFH>{{cite book | date=2018 | title=[[Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills]] | edition=9th | isbn=978-1846892622 | publisher=Quiller Publishing | author=[[The Mountaineers (club)|The Mountaineers]] | chapter=Chapter 21: Expedition Climbing | pages=456–469}}</ref><ref name=NG3>{{cite web | magazine=[[National Geographic Magazine]] | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/150409-Everest-climbing-sherpas-mountaineering-Nepal-Himalayas-north-face-new-route | first=Mark | last=Synott | date=9 April 2015 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | title=Elite Climbers to Blaze New Route up Everest: Climbing without bottled oxygen or Sherpa support, team tackles unclimbed line on Northeast Face}}</ref> Fixed ropes are commonly used on [[big wall climbing]] routes where it is common for the non-lead climber(s) to jumar up on fixed ropes to save time and conserve effort;<ref name=CM10>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/skills/how-to-climb-a-big-wall/ | title=Everything You Need to Know for Your First Big Wall | first=Mark | last=Synott | date=23 February 2022 | accessdate=10 May 2024}}</ref> the [[re-belay]] technique is often used on big walls to reduce wear on fixed ropes.<ref>{{cite web | website=VDiff Climbing | url=https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/big-wall-fixing-pitches/ | title=How To Climb a Big Wall – Fixing Pitches | date=2024 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | first=Neil |last=Chelton}}</ref> Guided [[Expedition climbing|climbing expeditions]] to Himalayan peaks such as the easier [[eight-thousander]]s, often set up extensive networks of fixed ropes on steep or icy sections of the climbing route to help their less experienced clients, and to allow their porters and sherpas move quickly along the route.<ref name=NG/><ref name=NG2/> For example, on the [[Hillary Step]] of [[Mount Everest|Everest]], networks of fixed ropes improve client safety, but then cause bottlenecks at altitudes in the [[death zone]].<ref name=NG>{{cite web | magazine=[[National Geographic Magazine]] | date=29 May 2019 | accessdate=10 May 2024 | first=Freddie | last=Wilkinsom | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/everest-season-deaths-controversy-crowding-perpetual-planet | title=Traffic jams are just one of the problems facing climbers on Everest}}</ref><ref name=NG2>{{cite web | magazine=[[National Geographic Magazine]] | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/everest-fixed-lines-or-fair-means | title=The Everest Moral Dilemma | first=Mark | last=Synott | date=21 April 2015 | accessdate=10 May 2024}}</ref> The ethics on the use of extensive fixed rope networks by commercial adventure companies facilitating access to dangerous eight-thousander summits for weaker climbers is a source of debate in mountaineering.<ref name=NG/><ref name=NG2/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Expedition climbing]] |
*[[Expedition climbing]] |
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*[[Self rescue (climbing)]] |
*[[Self rescue (climbing)]] |
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*[[Tyrolean traverse]] |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Latest revision as of 14:06, 20 October 2024
In climbing and mountaineering, a fixed-rope (or fixed-line) is the practice of installing networks of in-situ anchored static climbing ropes on climbing routes to assist any following climbers (and porters) to ascend more rapidly—and with less effort—by using mechanical aid devices called ascenders.[1][2] Fixed ropes also allow climbers (and porters) to descend rapidly using mechanical devices called descenders.[1][2] Fixed ropes also help to identify the line of the climbing route in periods of low visibility (e.g. a storm or white-out).[1][2] The act of ascending a fixed rope is also called jumaring, which is the name of a type of ascender device,[3] or also called jugging in the US.[4]
Fixed ropes are put in place by the lead climbers, and the ropes may or may not be removed as the climbers descend after completing the route.[5][6] For popular Himalayan climbing routes, extensive networks of fixed ropes may be put in place to last the entire climbing season (e.g. the Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest).[7][8] While storms can strip a mountain of fixed ropes that have been left behind, the existence of old—and often unreliable and dangerous—fixed ropes along popular climbing routes, is a concern in climbing.[5][9] On popular European, and latterly American, climbing routes, the fixed rope can be replaced by networks of permanently anchored metal cables, which are called 'via ferrata' routes.[10]
Fixed ropes are not used in 'alpine style' mountaineering as they are considered akin to a form of aid climbing.[1][2][6] Fixed ropes are commonly used on big wall climbing routes where it is common for the non-lead climber(s) to jumar up on fixed ropes to save time and conserve effort;[4] the re-belay technique is often used on big walls to reduce wear on fixed ropes.[11] Guided climbing expeditions to Himalayan peaks such as the easier eight-thousanders, often set up extensive networks of fixed ropes on steep or icy sections of the climbing route to help their less experienced clients, and to allow their porters and sherpas move quickly along the route.[12][13] For example, on the Hillary Step of Everest, networks of fixed ropes improve client safety, but then cause bottlenecks at altitudes in the death zone.[12][13] The ethics on the use of extensive fixed rope networks by commercial adventure companies facilitating access to dangerous eight-thousander summits for weaker climbers is a source of debate in mountaineering.[12][13]
See also
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fixed rope ascending.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Soles, Clyde; Powers, Phil (June 2003). "A Matter of Style: Expedition, Capsule, Alpine, Extreme Alpine, and Combined". Climbing: Expedition Planning. Mountaineers Books. pp. 25–31. ISBN 978-0898867701. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d The Mountaineers (2018). "Chapter 21: Expedition Climbing". Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (9th ed.). Quiller Publishing. pp. 456–469. ISBN 978-1846892622.
- ^ Ellison, Julie (6 May 2016). "Learn This: How to Jumar a Rope". Climbing. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b Synott, Mark (23 February 2022). "Everything You Need to Know for Your First Big Wall". Climbing. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b Prasain, Sangam (3 December 2022). "Ropes on climbing routes litter Mount Everest". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b Synott, Mark (9 April 2015). "Elite Climbers to Blaze New Route up Everest: Climbing without bottled oxygen or Sherpa support, team tackles unclimbed line on Northeast Face". National Geographic Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Everest Season Begins as Icefall Doctors Fix Ropes". Gripped Magazine. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Progress on Everest Halts with Rope-Fixing Confusion". Gripped Magazine. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Katie (16 October 2019). "Out on a Ledge: Tangled. Confronting the knotty issue of fixed ropes". Climbing. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ Parks, Shoshi (28 February 2024). "Via Ferratas Are Finally Catching On in the United States". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ Chelton, Neil (2024). "How To Climb a Big Wall – Fixing Pitches". VDiff Climbing. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Wilkinsom, Freddie (29 May 2019). "Traffic jams are just one of the problems facing climbers on Everest". National Geographic Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Synott, Mark (21 April 2015). "The Everest Moral Dilemma". National Geographic Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Soles, Clyde; Powers, Phil (June 2003). Climbing: Expedition Planning. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0898867701.
- The Mountaineers (2018). Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (9th ed.). Quiller Publishing. ISBN 978-1846892622.
External links
[edit]- Using fixed ropes, Andy Kirkpatrick (December 2008)
- Newcomers’ Guide: Fixed Ropes in Himalayan Climbing, ExplorersWeb (March 2022)
