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June 2023

Plus Clipping: How to Manage Risk in Multi-pitch Climbing

June 23, 2023 fmg-adminFundamentals Fridays Guides' Tech Tips Rock Climbing

A factor 2 fall is a concern unique to multi-pitch climbing and is discussed during our Rock 401 course. This situation is present when the leader leaves the anchor and falls before placing gear. The scenario creates the highest possible forces an anchor can see and can lead to a host of problems. In this post we will discuss how to calculate fall factors and one solution to minimize high fall factors.

What is Fall Factor?

Fall factor is the ratio of distance fallen to amount of rope out. The largest possible fall factor is 2, which creates hazards for the team and the anchor due to amount of force generated. This would occur if the climber fell before placing any gear. Ex: A 10ft fall on 5ft of rope-10/5 is 2; we know that as a FF of 2.  Larger forces on less rope puts more resultant force onto the belayer. This is a concern when there is hard climbing right off the belay. It only takes 3-4 kN to displace a belayer; and at a cramped stance, that displacement can get violent - violent enough to cause them to lose control of the brake strand of rope (due to their displacement into the rock).

Solving for High Fall Factors

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