UKH

Dear UKC Moderators,

Could you possibly add a 'Simul-Climbed' (aka Moving Together) option to the ascent styles? It's especially useful for logging Alpine routes, or easy trad routes, where it's often favourable to move fast, roped together, placing occasional pieces of gear, over easier ground. It's currently impossible to accurately log this, as it's neither a solo, nor a lead. Many thanks.

Seconded.

No - simul climbed

While you are at it. ... what about bare foot climbing. 

It's a lead if you're in front, or a second if you're behind, surely? Just because your belayer is moving isn't changing the action of the leader placing the gear, the second removing it, and the second's weight acting as the safety counterweight.

But the second has to be more competent. Falling off isn't an option.

It's quite a bit more serious than a traditional seconding where you are essentially top roping, in this instance if you fall you'd probably pull the leader off 

Modern practice is to put a rope clamp , eg ropeman or micro traxion on a good runner to prevent the leader being weighed if the second falls.

That does sound serious. I'm not sure I'd be happy with having to pull the leader off if I fell.

I've never done this but have heard of others doing this before.  Do people carry multiple clamps and lots of gear and go for ages without changing over or just the one?

When I’ve used them we’ve just had two micro-traxions (one from each climber -crevasse rescue gear) and saved them for using on the first bit of gear above a hard move/section. That way if the second falls off on the hard bit they just dangle on a short bit of rope (not much rope out to stretch) and the weight doesn’t come on to the leader.

It works really well for upping the safety margin on easy ground with occasional hard sequences, without slowing things down by stopping to pitch them. I guess if the difficulties were really sustained you’d want more than two microtraxs, but I’d be pitching it by then anyway! 

While we are at it, it'd be great if there was "1 point of aid" option.

Or indeed a fully aided option for those few routes it's acceptable on

Dogged. With the excuses in the comment.

Honnold and Caldwell seem to do this on the nose speed record. They seem to rack 3 or 4 micro traxions

Doesn't this only really work on fixed gear such (pegs and bolts) since leader placed stuff will tend to just lift out? I've only used it a bit on alpine rock climbs with fixed gear. On more traditional alpine terrain where climbers typically move together, I'm not sure it would work. Apart from on ridges, I suspect quite a lot of moving together is really done just to avoid the time and faff spent unroping and roping between pitched sections.

I use this technique all the time and have never had gear lift out. The friction through something like a tibloc is not great enough that the upwards motion of the leader would lift the gear out. I am infamous among partners for seating nuts quite well though.

It works fine, you just need a multidirectional piece such as a bomber cam or two opposing wires. I always extend the trax on a 60cm sling so it can't mess with the gear too much.

When doing this I take 2-3 microtraxions depending on planned pitch length and tend to climb on a triple rated skinny single with tagline and plenty of extenders, unless half ropes are absolutely necessary. 

Last year in Sardinia we used this technique to climb Via dell'Amicizia (VII) (700m) in 5 hours and 6 overall pitches, cutting 2 hours off the guidebook minimum time. Our longest pitch was 150m. 

It's worth noting that this technique works best when you are within your comfort zone and can safely tolerate bigger runouts and only place gear where you actually need it. We had plenty of margin on this route and so in some places really ran it out where the rock was solid. We used a rack of 15 quickdraws, 7 cams, set of wires, 3 microtraxions and the usual assortment of belay/slings etc, plus a 60m 8.7mm single. I took one fall low down whilst seconding due to a foothold crumbling and it was a very relaxed experience. A brief bounce on the rope which was springy enough to propel me straight back onto the rock and onto good holds again. 

As a general note it's always nice to have 1-2 rope capture devices with you on big winding multipitches because if you link pitches and end up with loads of rope drag at the top, you can easily set up a z-rig with 1-2 microtrax and a guide plate which means you can safely and easily pull up slack and belay your partner(s) without knackering yourself in the process or leaving unknown amounts of slack in the system. 

I was using a forerunner to the microtraxion (its name eludes me!) 18 years ago. Maybe it didn't work as well for this - I might dig it out.

That would be the mini traxion.

I have one with exploded cheek plates after an eight metre lob ( don't ask ) onto it.

Did its job despite being well outside the user instructions, its used for light duties only now.