What are good ways to lower from a bolt hanger without leaving gear?

Question

It can get annoying to get stuck halfway up a bolted climb. What's a convenient (and safe) way to get back down without leaving gear on that bolt hanger?

I know what you're saying, garion b, but then sometimes other climbers have trouble taking them off because they have a tendency to rust. Who brings up a wrench while climbing?

In America, we call those things "bail biners"

Now that it's an established practice in the rock climbing community to put up stainless steel bolt anchors on sports climbs, maybe the next step is to have the bolt anchors include rings, which should make them appropriate for both quickdraws and ropes? What is the downside to using bolt hangers that have rings? The only reason why bail biners are being removed is because they rust.

Answer 1

Did you ever see those little steel screw gate things? They're about an inch or an inch and a half long. God what are they called? Anyway they cost about two euro, less on the conteninent. They're really handy. You can just clip it onto a bolt and put the rope straight through it and abseil off it, then pull the rope through and leave it behind. Job done, either that or carry an old crab with ya.

Well now I wouldn't go leaving them everywhere. It's just a good idea if you get stuck on a route and you've tried everything else like switching climbers or cheating and taking an easier close by route. I mean who's gonna give up and ab back down unless there's really nothing else they can do? Besides there's plenty of room for a quick draw on a bolt beside a belay biner. Unless there's a few of them, in which case I'd be happy enough to pass the rope through two or three of the old ones and ab off them.

Answer 2

Well, unless you want leave a more expensive biner, instead of a bail biner. If not you could try to find a big horn and just put your rope around it, once you're down try to flick it off. But I would just spend a few bucks and use some steel bail biners. Another idea, which is way more expensive, is to replace the bolt with a new bolt and ring or with a metolius rap hanger, which would be the more noble thing, since that is what you are getting at.

Answer 3

You can NEVER rapel or pull a rope through a bolt hanger and you shouldn't be replacing a hanger in the middle of a climb with anything else, so technically it can't be done.

My favorite way is to leave some gear and ask the next climbers to clean it for me on their way up the route. The obvious next question is: how can I get down leaving a minimum amount of gear?

If you really want to be lowered, you have to be lowered off of a biner or a rapel ring. The minimum amount of gear left behind for max safety would one locking biner (Al or Steel). I have seen people lower off of a webbing runner (knotted webbing, maybe 50c) and a single rapel ring ($1), but the hangar could cut through the webbing so there is danger.

If you are really cheap, I have also seen people clip to a single hanger (not my favorite idea), thread a webbing runner, go off belay and pull the rope up while pushing one side through the webbing, rapel down and then pull the rope through the webbing. This of course ruins the webbing and isn't the best thing for your rope. There are even more dangers here (webbing could get cut, and relying on a single piece of gear - bolt & webbing).

Good Luck and be safe!

Answer 4

Very true, those bail biners or "mallions" are tough to remove once rusted. I would say if you use those, you should endeavor to retrieve it, either that day or at a later date.

Sling is just a bad a idea.

I would suggest using an old biner that's already had a good life. Also, try not to bail so much!! LOL.

Answer 5

Price of admission.
It doesn't hurt so bad after a while, but I'm a penny picher and it just seems wrong (doesn't it?)
However, these things tend to balance out. I will not go on record saying you should use any of the gear you find while climbing (never know that they treat their stuff as well as you treat yours and all that), but you will find the gear of others who have been placed in the same predicament (if not on the same pitch, then some other time and place).
The double wammy of loosing gear and not solving the puzzle of the pitch. Maybe you could think of it as a motivational lesson. Next time you'll finish the pitch!