Rope gets stuck belaying second; what’ya do?
I once heard the following story:
Two climbers were on a multi pitch alpine route. While the leader was belaying up their partner, the rope slithered into an Evil Crack and got stuck.
The leader couldn’t pull the rope up, and the climber couldn't ascend because they weren't really on belay anymore.
Yikes, problemo! What would you do in this situation?
Here’s one way you could handle it.
Having good verbal communication between partners is very helpful here!
Because the leader can’t pull up the rope, the second needs to self-belay to where the rope is stuck.
A simple way to do this: tie a series of bight knots as you climb, clipping them to a large HMS carabiner on your belay loop. (This is common practice in aid climbing when the second cleans the pitch.)
Yes, you might need two hands to tie the knots. Make yourself a tether, and clip it to gear to go hands-free when needed.
Another option is a friction hitch (prusik) that you slide up the rope as you climb. This need to be backed up with a bight knot of some kind.
When you get to the stuck rope, pull it out.
Then, with clear communication to your partner above, start removing your back up knots one at a time, while the leader takes in the slack rope.
When you’re back on a proper belay with your original tie in knot, continue climbing.