Protect a fixed rope with a rebelay
If a fixed rope is loaded over an edge, it might get damaged. Here's a simple technique to save your rope, called the rebelay.
When rigging a fixed rope, it's very important to protect the rope from being loaded over any sharp or abrasive edge.
Repeatedly loading the rope (from rappelling, and especially ascending) could damage it. Ropes often get loaded over edges on big walls, because the belay is usually on top of a ledge and not beneath it.
One way to protect your rope: the rebelay.
Rebelays have long been used by cavers, who know how to take good care of fixed ropes. Rebelays can also be useful in some climbing applications, such as big walls, instructional settings, or rescues.
A rebelay is simply adding an additional anchor(s) below the potential abrasion point. This secondary anchor can be SOLID gear you place, or a bolt.
Tie a bight knot (a butterfly works great, because it's usually easy to untie after loading) and clip it to this rebelay point.
Now, the weighted rope is on the rebelay, and not the primary anchor. All of the rope above the rebelay is slack, so it can't be damaged if it runs over an edge. Nice!
Rebelay notes and tips . . .
A rebelay can make it easier to ascend past an obstacle, such as a roof.
With a rebelay, more than one climber can be ascending or descending a rope at the same time, which can increase efficiency. (Although, for descending, this can slow things down, because you’ll probably have to pass a knot.)
When you’re rigging a rebelay, leave a bit of slack to allow for the rope to shrink. Andy Kirkpatrick says a good rule of thumb is once the rebelay is tied you want to be able to lift up about 1 meter of rope, before it comes tight on the lower anchor. (Thanks Andy! Smart tip, I never would've thought of that!)
If you’re ascending the rope rigged like the photo at the top, here's how to get past the knot.
Simply unclip your ascenders, re-clip them above the rebelay, and continue up the rope. Maintain two points of connection to the rope at all times when you pass the knot, either with a tether or a backup knot tied to your harness.
Your bodyweight is now on the rope that’s going over the edge, but now it’s only on it for (hopefully) few moves instead of the entire rope length. Much better!
If you use a tether, you can clip your tether to the butterfly loop.
If you’re the last person, you can remove the carabiner from the rebelay anchor and untie the knot.
Here's a short YouTube video I made showing how this works.
Three ways to equalize crevasse rescue anchors
In crevasse rescue, you often build one anchor and transfer the load to it. Then (if needed) you may build a second anchor and try to equalize #1 and #2. Here are three methods to dial in this equalization.
While anchors for crevasse rescue operate on the same principles as other anchors, equalizing a loaded placement can require some different methods.
If you’re building a two piece snow anchor and want to equalize / share the load between them, you can treat it pretty much like a rock anchor. Place your two pickets, deadman, buried skis, whatever you‘re using, connect the protection with a cordelette, long sling, or your rigging of choice to make a master point, and there you go.
However, in crevasse rescue, this is often not the best approach. The above method can take a lot of time, digging, and packing down of snow. This is all happening while your unfortunate partner is in the hole, and hopefully your other teammate(s) on the rope are trying to keep them from slipping down any further.
So, for crevasse rescue, the typical approach is:
Get one anchor in fairly quickly. (If the snow is reasonably dense, this can be a vertical picket.)
Transfer the load to that, ideally with one team member sitting in the snow behind it to back it up.
Then, if you think it’s needed, a second anchor can be made and equalized with the first one.
Here's the tricky part: because there's already a load on anchor #1, it can be difficult to get the length of the sling or cord from anchor #2 JUST right to have proper load equalization / sharing.
Here are a few ways to fine-tune the connection between the anchors so you can get a decent load distribution.
In these examples, I'm using what I call a “crevasse cord”. It's basically a mini cordelette made from ultra-strong cord. My preference is about 10 feet / 3.5 m of Sterling VT-X cord. It's 5.4 mm, rated to 15 kN, and has a Dyneema core with a polyester sheath. This is carried “open”, or untied, not tied into a semi-permanent loop.
Because this cord is so strong, you can rig it “bunny ears” style, with a small overhand figure eight on a bight loop in one (or both) end(s). Rigged like this it’s still probably good for 8+ kN, which is a much higher load than you should ever experience in a crevasse rescue scenario.
The standard cordelette you might use for climbing, which is about 6 meters of 7 mm cord still works fine for crevasse rescue. But I find it heavy, bulky, and usually too long; I prefer a smaller length of the Sterling VT-X.
Method #1: Clove hitch or trucker’s hitch
Clove hitch: This is probably the easiest method and uses a knot you already know. Tie a bight knot in one end of your crevasse cord. Clip that knot to the carabiner on anchor #2. Tie a clove hitch and clip it to anchor #1. Feed cord through the clove to remove as much slack as you can in your crevasse cord.
Trucker’s hitch: The trucker’s hitch isn’t used very often in climbing, but it's a super handy knot to know for lots of other life applications. This also does a little better job than the clove hitch to actually share the load between the anchors. Just like above, tie a bight knot in one end of your crevasse cord, and clip that knot to the carabiner on anchor #2. Pass the other end of your cord through the carabiner on anchor one. Tie a trucker’s hitch to put tension on the crevasse cord.
Here's a video showing the trucker’s hitch method. It starts about 11:30.
Method #2: Alpine block and tackle
I'm putting this method last, because it uses a more standard 6mm or 7mm cordelette, which I don’t carry on a glacier. But for those who might have this longer cord available, this works pretty sweet.
Take your untied cordelette, tie a bight knot in the end, and clip it to anchor #2. Take the end of the cord and pass it back and forth a few times between anchor #2 and the master point carabiner.
This creates a bit of mechanical advantage. (And also a lot of friction, but in this case it’s manageable.) If you pull on the end of the cord, you can nicely equalize the load between anchors. Tie off the end of the cord with a mule knot.
Here's a more detailed article on the alpine block and tackle.
Here's a nice video showing this method. It starts about 2:20.
How do you rappel past a damaged section of rope?
You’re rappelling, and unexpectedly come to a damaged section of rope. How would you get past it? Here’s one method.
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
Photos and method in this post are from Walter Britschgi, @walterbritschgi, shared with permission.
Scenario: you’re rappelling down through some nasty loose rock.
During your rappel you kick some rocks loose.
One of them unfortunately hits your rope, damaging one strand.
Now, you need to finish your rappel, get past the damaged section of rope, and tie it off, so it's secure enough for you and your partner to continue going down.
How can you do this?
(Yes, it's a very unlikely situation, but if it happens, you’ll need to deal with it.)
Bigger picture, it's good practice when rappelling to look DOWN and be aware of what’s below you. Is the rope stuck in a crack? Are the ends on the ground? Do you need to pendulum to reach the next anchor? Or, in the case below, is the rope damaged?
Here’s another scenario where someone had to deal with this. (From Instagram. Sorry I don’t have the original post to offer credit.)
Here’s one method to rappel past a damaged section of the rope.
Stop a short distance above the damaged rope strand.
Go hands-free on your rappel. Let your autoblock take your weight. Tie a hard back up/catastrophe knot a few meters below in both strands, and clip it to your belay loop with a locker.
Add a friction hitch above your rappel device. A single length 60 cm sling is a good length for this.
Clip the friction hitch to your belay loop with a locker. Feed a little rope through your device until your weight goes onto the friction hitch.
Key move: Slide only the damaged strand of rope through your device. Once it's above you, tie a bight knot (overhand is fine) to isolate the damaged part of the rope.
Now is where it can get a little physical. Pull the slack rope through your device so you can reload both strands equally. (If it's really steep, you may need to add a second friction hitch as a foot loop.)
Put your weight back on your device, remove the friction hitch, untie the hard backup knot, and continue your rappel.
YO! Practice this on a staircase before you ever try it for real outside!
Check out the photo sequence below, courtesy of Walter Britschgi. (Note: recommended hard backup knot isn’t shown.)
Image: @walterbritschgi
Image: @walterbritschgi
Image: @walterbritschgi
Image: @walterbritschgi
Image: @walterbritschgi
Questions, random ideas, FAQ about rappelling past a damaged section of rope. . .
Why not reach down below you, tie a knot, and then pass it?
Sure, you could do that. That technique is closely related to this one. However, that requires that you actually remove both strands of rope from your device and reattach it below the knot, which might slightly increase your risk and the chances of you dropping your device. With this method, you pass the damaged strand through your device and then tie the knot. This means both strands of rope stay in the device the entire time. Set up a controlled practice space to try both of these and see which one you like better!
Keep in mind, it’s extremely unusual for most recreational climbers to ever have to pass a knot.
This example is when you start down a rappel without the expectation of having to pass a knot. You can imagine how rare that would be!
A more typical case of passing a knot on a single strand rappel might be if for some reason you need to tie two ropes together to get down a long distance, fast, like an injury or accident, incoming thunderstorm, whatever. (And yes, you might leave the ropes behind.) Or, when you’re big wall climbing maybe you fix a couple of ropes to a high point and then rap back down to your bivy or the ground.
For these cases of rappelling on a single strand, there are other techniques.
If you’re doing a standard double strand rappel and have a knot in one of the strands, there's no need to pass that knot at all.
You can tie the rope off and have everybody except the last person rappel on the strand of rope that doesn’t have the knot.
What about the last person? They have a few options.
You can secure the strand with the knot at the bottom anchor and have the last person do a counterbalanced rappel, read more about that here.
If you have small hardware at the anchors, you could also do a knot or carabiner block, rappel single strand, and use the strand with the knot as a pull cord.
Passing an existing knot is tricky and time-consuming, so it's good to know a couple of methods to avoid it if at all possible. If you're rappelling two strands of rope, you should never have to do it at all.
Will Gadd: Keeping your hands warm, Part 2
Here are some winter-tested tips from Canadian ice climbing expert Will Gadd for keeping your hands (and feet) warm. This is part two of a series of three articles.
image: Will Gadd collection; Helmcken Falls, BC Canada - https://www.instagram.com/p/C7wtpfsRLNj/
Veteran Canadian ice climbing expert Will Gadd knows a few things about staying warm. This article is part 2 of a series of posts he made on Instagram. I’m sharing it here with Will’s permission.
Connect with Will on his website and Instagram, @realwillgadd
How to have warm hands: General Tips
Take your gloves off immediately if your hands start to sweat. Even at -20 you can walk or ski with bare hands, but if you get your gloves even a bit damp you will suffer. Same with your hat. Open the front zipper of your jacket. Take care with your gloves—drop them in the snow and they get wet, you get cold. They are precious. Cargo pockets on your pants or bibs can be a good place to stuff your gloves for temporary storage.
Keep the next pair of gloves you’re going to wear inside your jacket, preferably next to your skin. Putting them on will feel glorious!
The colder it is, the more you have to move. Below about -20c I just don’t multi-pitch. If it’s really cold go top-roping. Set a timer, each do 15 minutes of hard laps in your moving outfit, insulate up, repeat. Good to go even at -30!
If your hands are getting cold fix them NOW by moving. At belays I’ve done hundreds of squats, arm swings, leg lifts, jumping jacks, whatever it takes, but if you’re starting to get cold in your standing outfit the situation is not going to improve. Move. Even just doing stomach crunches in place is going to help. On lead that may mean doing 50 arm swings, or squats if the climbing is slow, or just moving fast if safe to get your core up.
Warm sugary liquids. I usually fill my water bottle or light thermos with hot water and some sort of sweet powdered stuff. This encourages drinking it, and also just feels nice. Like hot packs I’m not sure if they make a material difference to heat, but stress/not happy is a bad.
How to have warm hands: Tech Tricks
Wet anything = cold. It sucks, but change your shirt after the approach. The worst is to arrive wet, put on your standing outfit, and then lose all your heat drying out your shirt. It can literally ruin the day. A moment of pain is worth it! Dry = happy.
On colder days add more clothing to your legs. Slightly thicker long underwear, thicker pants = happiness. If it’s really cold, wet or windy I’ll wear Gore-Tex pants while climbing. That can make all the difference, but if it’s not cold/wet/windy then you will sweat out and be miserable. Be sure they are cut for climbing and not ski boots, loose legs are deadly with crampons. Tape if necessary.
Have loose wrist cuffs. Even elastic cuffs will noticeably impede the circulation to your wrists. Some gloves are heinous for this.
In cold temps or if you have poorer circulation run chemical “heat packs” on the inside of your wrists inside your gloves. This won’t keep your hands “warm,” but it seems to really help many people. It’s psychologically nice as well, and stress is a vasoconstrictor.
Gaps between your gloves and jacket suck. Some jackets are cut with T Rex arms, and they expose skin. The solution is not longer gloves, but a jacket that doesn’t gap.
Lead with your belay jacket and gloves in a pack, especially if swapping leads. Put it on immediately at the belay. If you can’t climb the pitch with a down jacket on your back then don’t.
Eat fat and protein early in the morning, sugar during the day. The difference a Mars bar can make is awesome. Low energy = less movement = cold. Most nutritionists are idiots when it comes to staying warm.
I personally love spicy food and think it helps with the cold, but I have no real evidence for this. Some people swear by ginger, cayenne pepper, etc, try it out. Meds for Raynaud’s may help too.
Don’t smoke/vape. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor.
Caffeine helps blood flow in your fingers. Drink Red Bull.
Will Gadd: Keeping your hands warm, Part 1
Canadian ice climbing expert Will Gadd shares some of his top tips for keeping your hands (and feet) warm. This is part one of a series of three articles.
photo: Will Gadd collection
Will Gadd, Canadian ice climbing expert, knows a few things about staying warm. This article is from a series of posts he made on Instagram. I’m sharing it here with Will’s permission.
Connect with Will on his website and Instagram, @realwillgadd
How to have warm hands - Gloves
Cold hands suck the fun out of ice climbing. It’s a huge topic, and there is no “one” solution. I’ll come at the problem from a few different angles, hopefully one or two resonate with you.
Tip 1: Don’t wear big gloves. Big gloves are for belaying only, they will make your hands cold if worn for activity. Sounds backwards, you need big gloves to stay warm, right? Nah. What happens with big gloves is that your hands will sweat in them as you move. Once the interior of your big gloves has even a tiny film of water in them you are doomed to have cold hands.
To test this theory, stick your hands outside while dry. Now do the same thing with wet hands. The moisture on your hands makes it feel way, way colder, and that’s what happens when you have even slightly wet fingers: you get cold hands unless you’re operating at very, very high heart rates. Even then you may be sweating and have frozen hands. Only use big gloves when you are standing around and NOT sweating.
Big gloves also don’t dry fast if there’s a tiny sheen of sweat on your hands, because there isn’t a big enough temperature gradient to drive the moisture up through the fabric to the outside. So they get wet, and stay wet inside, and you are miserable.
Big gloves also require more force to constrict around your ice tools, which means you’re squeezing harder, which means less blood flow, which means cold hands . . .
So, for moving you need “disposable” gloves as your hands will sweat in even thin gloves. That’s OK if you’re Nordic skiing and giving it, but for climbing we’re going to stop moving. At that point a slightly damp thin glove has served its purpose, and is tossed into the bottom of the pack, dry your hands, belay gloves on . . . I bring up to one pair of gloves per pitch if I think it’s going to be wet.
If it’s very cold and you still have to use your hands, try mitts and a very thin liner glove for standing around. Having all your fingers together helps them stay warm, and the thin layer also really helps them stay warm in the brief intervals you bring them out. But thick gloves don’t work as well because you end up taking them off to do anything. Misery sucks.
Get flexible gloves that aren’t tight. A little larger is better if they are flexible, but stiff and tight will make you hang on too tight and constrict circulation, which equals total misery. This is why heated gloves generally don’t work too well; too stiff to climb or easily open carabiners.
How to have warm hands: Layering is BS.
I have watched kids play bare-handed, physical outdoor games at -20, not because they’re Canadian but because that’s how our bodies work: If your body temperature is warm enough then your hands will be too, pretty much regardless of gloves or air temperature. What really matters is the temperature inside your body.
When that drops, your body gives up on keeping your hands warm and focuses on your core. Less blood goes through your hands. You have to use this knowledge to balance your clothing, your furnace (your muscles etc.) and the temperature. If any one of these three systems is out of whack then you will suffer cold hands or worse relatively soon. How to balance them? Dress for where you’ll be, not where you are. If you’re skiing and hot you’ll only get hotter. Strip down.
Layering is nonsense, most of the time we are either moving or standing, not adjusting a thin layer while prancing along. If moving and heating up, strip down until you are warm to slightly cool but no longer sweating (if possible). When you stop put on enough clothes that you can stand there comfortably for as long as you need to plus 20 minutes or so.
If you stop moving and wait to feel cold before putting on clothes you’ve missed the temperature cues and will suffer cold hands. I routinely belay in my down pants and huge down jacket. Together they weigh very little, but I could almost bivy in them if I had to, even in -20. My hands will be warm if my gloves are dry (see last post). Before I start climbing again I’ll strip down to my moving layer, switch to smaller dry gloves, and be a tad chilly (but my core isn’t yet dropping so my hands are still warm) before moving again.
With minor variations, I have a “moving” outfit, and a “standing” outfit. That’s it.
Layers are for onions and fashion victims, no one can calibrate their heat output that precisely. I have never see anyone de-layer on the fly other than adventure racers, and that’s another topic.
So, strip early, strip lots, dress early and more than you think you need.
How to have warm hands - General Tips
The big goal is to develop systems that work for you, and not just accept misery and winter climbing/sports as the same thing. The following tips are kinda climbing specific, but also relate to skiing, sledding, outdoor work or whatever. Cold hands are also a real safety issue to me, not just comfort!
Loosen your grip regularly to push blood through your hands before they get cold! I climb with a loose grip almost always - you hang off ice tools, not squeeze onto them, and if you can train your technique to do this then you’ll have much, much warmer hands. If your feet blow and your hands are cold you may fall. Keep them warm!
Opening your hands also really helps prevent screaming barfies. Same goes for ski poles, sled, whatever, open the grip up regularly! Windmills if you have to also, cold hands are likely to get worse unless you actively fight back.
Screaming barfies (“ischemic reperfusion" in doctor-speak) happen when blood flows back into your hands after they get cold. It sucks. To prevent this have thin dry gloves, good moving/stand systems, and spend time outside. The more time you spend outside the less they happen. Usually it only happen once a day. I go full seasons of not getting them, but sometimes it happens when you don’t keep your core temp up and squeeze your tools/poles too hard. I routinely do arm windmills mid-pitch when it’s cold or I’ve stupidly gotten wet gloves. (Windmills rule, 50 per side.)
Load transfer: The stirrup hoist
Do you have a big load that you need to move a short distance? Here's one crafty way to do it: the stirrup hoist. This may not be the most efficient method, but it's quick and simple.
This is part of a series of articles that cover methods to move a large load a short distance, typically to unweight an anchor.
In some unusual climbing situations, you may need to lift a very large load a very small distance.
Maybe on a big wall, where you rigged your bags old school style (sheesh, use a docking cord, will ya!?) and you need to lift them a tiny bit to unclip the carabiner.
Maybe in a rescue scenario, when you have an unconscious person hanging off of a loaded anchor, and you need to lift them just enough to unclip them.
In either case, it's often better to use your bodyweight to try to do the lifting rather than your muscles. Work smart, not hard!
Don't make a habit out of this. It's almost always better to use some sort of releasable knot or hitch to anchor your load when you can. But for those cases when you didn't do that for some reason, the stirrup hoist might come in handy!
Here's a way to set that up, called the stirrup hoist.
This is not the most efficient method, but it's pretty fast and uses minimal gear, so it's a good one to have in the toolbox.
You might want to try this first and see if it solves your problem, before you try more elaborate systems, such as the alpine block and tackle, or the 2:1 redirected haul.
Clip a long (120 cm) sling onto the load. Slippery Dyneema would be a good choice, to minimize friction.
Pass the sling through a carabiner on the anchor, and let the sling hang down below the anchor. If you happen to have a pulley, run the sling through that to minimize friction. (In the photo below, I’m not using a pulley.)
Step into this “stirrup”. Your body weight, along with lifting the load with your arms, should hopefully be enough to move it up a bit to solve your problem.
To give a little extra boost, you might try bouncing on the sling ,which will apply more force to the load than your static body weight.
Like with most things and climbing, it's a better show than a tell.
The "Swiss cheese" model of risk mitigation
The “Swiss cheese” model is a metaphor for how risk can be reduced through overlapping and redundant safety systems.
The Swiss Cheese model is a metaphor used in safety science. It illustrates how accidents typically occur due to multiple, overlapping failures rather than a single cause.
Each "slice" of cheese represents a layer of defense (such as safety measures or procedures) within a system.
Each “hole” in the cheese symbolizes a potential weakness or failure.
If a hole in one slice of cheese is covered by a solid part of the next slice, you have a partial problem but is not (yet) a catastrophe.
Even if a slice of cheese is only 5% holes, there’s still a small chance that two holes could align, and that's when you could have a serious problem.
How does the Swiss Cheese model apply to climbing?
This is why we have overlapping and redundant systems / safety checks for critical climbing aspects, such as:
The standard partner check before every pitch - knot tied correctly, harness buckled properly, rope threaded the right way in the belay device, all carabiners locked.
You rig your rappel, and then get a safety check from your partner. (If you pre-rig, then even the last person can get a safety check.)
If you’re top roping and reach the top of the route, check the anchor before you lean back and commit to it.
You and your partner each start the trip with a fully charged phone, GPX track file for the route loaded on your preferred navigation app, auxiliary battery and charging cable. At least one of you carries a printed PDF map of the route, and maybe a compass.
In each case, if there’s a failure in the first “slice of cheese”, it should be caught by the second safety check or redundant system.
Overlapping safety systems are a key way to reduce risk in dangerous activities. Don't neglect the partner safety checks, no matter how experienced you are.
What's in my pack: big wall gear by Brent Barghahn
Pro climber Brent Barghahn has some impressive free climbing ascents of El Capitan, and definitely knows a thing or two about what to bring on a big wall. Here's a link to his checklist from a helpful blog article he wrote.
Brent on a crux section of El Corazon, El Capitan. Image: https://www.brentbarghahn.com/climbing-blog/el-corazon-ground-up-2022crux
Brent Barghahn, professional climber and humble bad-ass, knows a thing or two about big walls.
He has some very impressive free ascents on El Capitan, such as El Corazon, El Nino, and Golden Gate.
He’s also an innovator of climbing gear, much of it for lead rope solo and top rope solo. Check out his company, Avant Climbing.
You can read some detailed stories of his climbing adventures on his blog.
One of his blog posts is a collection of general big wall tips, with a link to a detailed gear checklist.
The big wall tips are excellent. Many of them you'll find on the Alpinsavvy big wall section, such as":
using a tagline, among others.
In addition to the expert tips is Brent’s schweeeeet gear checklist. Attention to detail is crucial on a big wall, and a solid checklist like this will help you bring most everything you need.
Yes, it's mostly focused on free climbing, which is beyond the skill level for most of us plodders, but it's still is useful for aid climbing.
(If his blog ever goes away, here’s a link to a copy of the gear checklist.)
Want to get to know Brent?
Here’s a longform interview and demonstration with him from my pal Ryan Jenks at HowNOT2, discussing lead rope solo techniques.
Head scratcher: Can you solve this rappel problem?
Think you're good at solving climbing problems on the fly? See if you can figure out this one!
This noggin-scratcher was solved in real life by Albin Thunander. Albin is a Swedish IFMGA Guide Candidate, and he shared with me the details of how he dealt with this. You can usually find him in the mountains around Chamonix. Connect with Albin on Instagram: @albinthunander.
I first heard of this trick from @tiffany_hensley, thanks Tiffany!
Think you're good at solving climbing problems on the fly? See if you can figure out this one!
Here's the scenario:
You're at the top of a 100 meter cliff.
There are only two anchors: one at the top and one at 50 meters.
You have one 80 meter rope.
There's no way of making other anchors and you can't walk down.
All you have is basic gear, like a harness, belay device, prusik cord and a couple of slings and carabiners. You don't have a Beal escaper, a tagline, or 25 meters of shoelaces or any other fancy gear.
How do you get safely to the ground?
There's no trick answer; no parachute, bouncing, rope stretching etc. It's actually doable and relatively low-risk, without any death techniques using self-releasing knots or taped-open-carabiner-fifi-hook Ninja trickery.
Treat this as more of a math problem, and not a climbing skills problem.
After you think about it, scroll down for a hint. After you read the hint, scroll farther for the answer.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
Hint: You have a knife.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Answer:
Measure 25 meters of rope. Cut it. (If you don't have a knife, you can cut it on a sharp rock, or run a sling back-and-forth through the rope for a few seconds.)
Tie a bight knot at both ends. Clip one end of the 25 meter rope to the top anchor.
Toss the other end of the 25 meter section of rope. (This effectively makes a new “anchor” 25 meters below the top.)
Rap down this 25 meter single strand with the rest of the rope.
Put the remaining 55 meter length of rope through the bight knot loop like a normal rappel.
Get on rappel, pass the knot, and continue down to the anchor at 50 meters. (You have a 25 meter rappel with a 55 meter rope, no problem.)
Pull the 55 meter rope down. Now you have 55 meters of rope and 50 meters to the ground.
Tie or clip the rope to the anchor, and rappel on the single strand.
Give yourself a high five!
You have 25 meters hanging from the top anchor and the remaining 55 hanging from the middle anchor. Yes, you left your rope behind, but you’re safely on the ground and pretty darn clever!
#CraftyRopeTrick for sure!
When you're on the ground looking back up, you should see this:
How to safely shorten your tether
Need to shorten your connection to the anchor when using a tether? It's common to unclip and reclip your locking carabiner, but this can increase the chances of clipping it incorrectly. Here's a simple and more secure method.
At a busy anchor, especially with distractions, it's quite easy to clip your rappel tether / PAS incorrectly.
I’ve done this myself, and fortunately realized my mistake very soon after, yikes!
The main cause of this problem is often when changing the length of your tether.
A common way to do this is to completely unclip the carabiner from one loop, and then clip it into another.
When you do this, you introduce the chance of clipping it wrong.
Here are two recent accidents where this seemed to be a direct cause. (Both of these reports are from the American Alpine Club’s website called The Prescription, which offers a monthly blog and archive of North American climbing accidents.)
Here's the analysis of one accident from the American Alpine Club:
Laycock’s accident was eerily similar to another recent incident, suffered by a climber in Arizona. Both fallen climbers had tied overhand knots in a 120cm length loop of 20mm sewn webbing to create adjustment pockets for a home-made PAS. This is a common practice. In both cases, it appears that the tether was not clipped correctly with the carabiner, but instead the knot caught in the bottom, non-gated end of the tether carabiner.
Wow, that photo is scary! You can see that clipped like this the knot MAY jam into the carabiner temporarily, even under light bodyweight. This could easily fool you that you are properly connected, when in fact you're absolutely not!
Here's a simple way to pretty much eliminate this problem: keep a locking carabiner as your primary connection to the anchor, always on the end of your tether. To shorten your tether, don't move that carabiner at all. Instead add a second one and use that to adjust the length of your connection.
Clip a locking carabiner to the end of your PAS. (I like a double action twist lock carabiner such as Petzl Sm’D. Once you let go of the gate, you know it's locked.)
Clip the locker to the anchor.
Clip a small carabiner to the sewn loop closest to your harness. Here I'm using a non-locker, but if you prefer a locker, go for it. (The more scared I might be, the more I might want to use a second locker. =^
To shorten the tether, simply clip the non-locker to any other loop, or to the locker that’s on the anchor. Boom, you’re now closer to the anchor without ever opening the primary locker.
A few general notes on tethers . . .
This method does not apply if you are using a Petzl Connect Adjust or similar adjustable tether.
This method applies if you're using a sewn sling with maybe a few overhand knots tied in it, or a sewn loop style PAS (Personal Anchor System).
Here I'm using the term “PAS” in a general way to cover sewn loop tethers made by many different manufacturers. I'm pretty sure Metolius was the first, and they might have a trademark on the name.
It's good practice to NOT keep any sort of tether permanently attached to your harness. You probably only need it when you’re rappelling, so keep it on the rear gear loop until it's time to head down.
Many climbers prefer to use a 120 cm sewn sling as a rappel tether. This works just fine and is useful for lots of other things. If you tie knots in your sling to give multiple clip in points, this same method works.
Old school aid climbers have been using this technique for a long time with sewn pocket daisy chains, which you’re hopefully NOT using for a tether. These are designed for aid climbing, bodyweight only, not as a rappel tether.
Are sewn loops PAS’s . . . passe? I'm not gonna get into that argument here; some people love ‘em, some people don’t. No matter what tether system you use, this method of adjusting your position with a second carabiner can pretty much eliminate the problems described in the above accident reports.
Worldwide climbing accident reports
Starting in 1948, the American Alpine Club has published an annual report of climbing related accidents in the US and Canada. What other countries do the same? Here is a summary. If you can add to it, let me know!
Accidents in North American Climbing 2023, from the American Alpine Club
Reading about climbing accidents is not fun.
However, it’s an important way to learn, and hopefully reduce risk and avoid future accidents.
Starting in 1948, the American Alpine Club (AAC) has published an annual summary of reported climbing related accidents in the US and Canada, titled “Accidents in North American Climbing” AAC members get this for free.
(The AAC also publish a monthly accident report “sampler” on their website, called “The Prescription”. This is free, offers an archive of recent accident reports, and is a good representation of what you’ll find in the complete publication.)
I was curious: what other countries publish a similar report?
I made a post asking about this on my Instagram. Many helpful people offered info and links about accident reports from different countries.
(Many of the reports are of course in the native language of that country. The Translate function on your web browser can get you started.)
Here’s list of climbing related accident reports from around the world.
If a link is broken and you know a better one, please let me know.
If you know a resource for a country that's not listed here, please let me know and I’ll add it.
Australia - Australian Climbing Accident Register, “a volunteer-only project to promote open discussion of incidents and near miss events in recreational climbing in Australia.”
Britain - the British mountaineering Council (BMC) publishes accident reports.
Chile - Annual review of accidents from escalando.org. Also: Book about accidents in Chile by Rodrigo Fica
France - SERAC, database of accident and incident reports
France - Understanding Mountain Sports accidents, from the Petzl Foundation
France - ANENA - National Association for the Study of Snow and Avalanches, avalanche related accidents
Germany - indoor climbing and outdoor climbing reports; (links are at bottom of page)
Spain - Spanish Mountain Federation
Switzerland - Free PDF downloads for the last 10 years or so of accident reports, in French
Turkey - Mountain accidents report, in Turkish.
How to rappel on marginal anchors
Someday, you'll find yourself at a rappel anchor that is Less Than Ideal. Here are some tips to hopefully get you and your partner down in one piece.
image credit: Silas Rossi, @silasrossi
At some point in your alpine climbing, you’ll be staring down a rappel anchor that’s as sketchy as Donald Trump’s tax returns. Here are some ways to hopefully get you and your partner down in one piece.
Improve the anchor. Is it a strand or two of sun crusted, rock rodent chewed ancient webbing? Get out your cordelette or a sling(s) and leave those behind. Old, weathered webbing can be as weak as 3-ish kN! (See some test results below.) Yes, people have died from this type of anchor failure, don't be the next one. You do have a knife, right?
If the anchor looks like the rat’s nest in the above photo, do everybody a favor: cut away the garbage and leave only the best two or three bits of cord.
Are you arriving at an anchor from a rappel? Stay on rappel and bounce test the anchor. While secure on the rappel ropes, clip your tether into the masterpoint, and give it a few good bounces. A good bounce on a static tether puts about 3x your body weight onto the anchor. If it holds, good. If it doesn't, you're still backed up on your rappel rope.
Backup the anchor if it all possible with other gear. Send the first and heaviest person down first so the backup can do its job if the primary anchor fails. (Obviously this rule was made by heavy people.) If the anchor holds for the big person, it's likely gonna hold for everybody else, and the last person can remove the backup. If the last person is still sketched, they have the right to leave behind ANY gear they want as a backup. Yep, including that $90 cam, your life is worth it. See video at bottom of page for an example.
Bounce test. Ideally, when you’re backed up to something solid, load the rope and give it a solid bounce. Be sure that the backup is unweighted and doesn’t take any load during this test. As mentioned above, a decent bounce is about 3x your bodyweight, way more force than actually rappelling.
Rappel slowly and smoothly, not like some Special Forces cowboy.
If the anchor is truly marginal, the first person down can place gear and clip one strand of the rope to it. If the top anchor fails, this might save the day.
Old sun-crusted webbing is shockingly weak!
As in, not much more than bodyweight weak, like 3-ish kN!
bottom image: HowNOT2.com
Introducing some edge friction can significantly reduce force on the anchor. This usually means, if possible, rigging the anchor low to run over the edge of the ledge you’re on. You can try to (carefully) downclimb a bit before below the ledge before you fully load the rope, if the terrain lets you do that.
Check out these diagrams. (Assume a rappel load of 100 kg.)
When the rope takes a sharp 90° or so bend over the edge of the cliff, the anchor load can be reduced by about 2/3.
With a milder 45° angle or so, the load on the anchor is reduced by about half.
The frugal climber’s stick clip
Do you enjoy ankle breaking ground fall potential with the crux just before the first bolt? (Smith Rock Oregon, I'm looking at you!) Cool, neither do I. Enter the frugal climber’s stick clip. All you need is a stick, some tape, and a rock.
If your personal ethics allow it (and mine definitely do), stick clips are great.
Sure, those super long extendable fiberglass poles with some fancy carabiner-grabber-thingie on the end work sweeeet, especially for really high bolts.
However, for the frugal climber, there's the time-honored dirtbag method.
All you need is some a small rock and a stick. Tape or a rubber band are nice, but optional.
Left photo: tape method. This is my preference, it's a bit more reliable. Tip, tape the middle part of the carabiner as shown here, keeps it more stable. A sturdy rubber band or two works pretty much the same way. (Note that depending on the quality of your tape, this might leave some sticky stuff on your carabiner, which is not so great.)
Right photo: forked stick method. This is a bit more finicky, and you usually have to pull some downward tension on the rope to keep the top carabiner from flopping around. (Yes, in the photo it’s hard to see a stick there, but trust me, there is. =^)
It's a better show than tell. Below is my Instagram video, that will hopefully cooperate with your computer. If it doesn't, here's a direct link.
Can (or should) you resling cams yourself?
The webbing on your cam slings has a lifespan of about 10 years. What do you do then? Ideally, send it to the manufacturer for replacement, but that's not always possible. Here are some DIY options, and a list of all known places you can get replacement cam slings.
image: HowNOT2, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M19taMAZHp4
The generally accepted maximum lifespan of soft goods like nylon, Dyneema, and yes, slings on your cams, is around 10 years. If you use them heavily, it could be a lot less than that.
Reslinging a cam is not a money-making venture by the manufacturer or pretty much anybody else. Also, a manufacturer will almost always only resling their own cams.
If you live in the US, and a few places in Europe, getting this done by the factory is a possibility. But, if you’re outside this area (or if you live in Europe, and have cams made by Black Diamond) sending them directly to the manufacturer for sling replacement is probably not be cost effective.
So, what about replacing those cam slings yourself?
Here are some break test results of various DIY cam sling replacement options tested my friend Ryan Jenks, the mad scientist gear-breaking founder of HowNOT2.
(Disclaimer, these were tested on a limited number, your mileage may vary, if you want to be certain it's done right, then send ‘em back to the factory.)
Summary:
A 30 cm Dyneema sling doubled with a basket hitch is probably going to be your best bet. Be sure and clip both strands! Broke at 17.2 kN.
A 30 cm Dyneema sling tied in a double bowline on a bight also works. Broke between 10 and 13 kN, based on sling width. (Interestingly, the 8 mm sling tested stronger than the 11 mm sling.)
Avoid a girth hitch! Broke at 9 kN, and will probably mess up your cam. (Interestingly, it broke at 9-ish kN both on the slow pull and in the drop tower.)
Or, if you want to skip it entirely, cut off the sling and clip a short quick draw to it, good to go.
Cam reslinging companies
This information is current as of 2024. Of course, policies can change, so check before you mail anything.
If you know anyone who reslings cams who is not on this list, please email me so I can add them, thanks!
Gear companies:
Other companies
Yates (Yates is the US authorized service center for re-slinging cams for Wild Country and DMM.)
Here's a detailed video of your options, from Ryan at HowNOt2.
Time stamps:
Basket hitch, 9:02
Girth hitch, 9:30
Bowline on a bight, 13:20
De-cluster your anchor with the ”revolving door”
Sometimes at a busy anchor, you may have a rope on top of another one, and those two ropes need to trade places. Here's an elegant way to do this: the "revolving door" technique.
At a busy anchor (maybe with several people, or a big wall) it's very common to have one rope/cord/sling under another one.
For whatever reason, sometimes those ropes need to “trade places”, as in, the top rope needs to be on the bottom, or vice versa. How can you (easily) do this?
You might be tempted to try the “anchor limbo” by physically shimmying underneath the rope, or maybe even untying completely to move the rope above or below the other one. I’ve done both, and they both suck.
But there’s a much simpler (and elegant) method: the “revolving door”.
It's deceptively simple, and to my eye, looked like a bit of a magic trick the first few times I did it. Once you learn it, you might laugh at how easy it is!
To do this, you need two things: 1) the rope that you need to move above or below needs to be clipped to a carabiner, and 2) the rope needs to NOT have a giant load on it.
Brief description: say you have a rope on the top, and it needs to be on the bottom/under of what we’ll call the “fixed” rope.
Go to the carabiner that's clipped to the fixed rope. The gate on this carabiner needs to be facing up.
Open the carabiner.
Clip the “top” rope into the carabiner.
Here's the key move: Spin (aka “revolve”) the carabiner 180°.
Now, the gate on the carabiner should be facing down. Open the carabiner, and unclip the bottom rope. Schweeeet, the “top” rope is now UNDER the fixed rope.
Schweeeet! The “top” rope is now UNDER the fixed rope! Give yourself a high five for being so clever. =^)
You probably will want to revolve the carabiner back again to its original position, with the gate up. If it was a locker, relock it.
Like I said, kind of magical! Definitely a #CraftyRopeTrick!
Like most things in climbing, it's a better show than a tell. Here's an Instagram video clip from IFMGA Guide Karsten Delap showing how it's done.
(If the embedded video below doesn't work, here's a direct link.)
Load transfer - The 2:1 redirected haul
Do you have a big load that you need to move a short distance? Here's one crafty way to do it: the big waller's trick of the "far end haul". aka 2:1 redirected haul. (I learned this from big wall expert Mark Hudon, thanks Mark!)
This is part of a series of articles that cover methods to move a large load a short distance, typically to unweight an anchor.
I learned this trick from big wall expert Mark Hudon, thanks Mark!
You may find yourself in a climbing situation where you need to transfer a BIG load from one anchor point to another.
Beginner big wall climbers, you know what I'm talking about; you clipped the haul bag in the wrong spot and it needs to get moved, whoops! (I’m an expert on this particular mistake; I probably did it five times on my first wall . . .)
Maybe a rescue situation (which you’re hopefully never in) where you need to lift the weight of your uncooperative partner off of the anchor to continue rappelling.
How can you do this the SMART way?
Brute force powerlifting is probably not going to cut it. It's much smarter to use a little mechanical advantage to make this happen. Work smart, not hard!
Here's one method: a redirected 2:1 haul with a progress capture pulley. In the big wall world this is known as the “far end haul”; here's an article on that.
The steps here might appear complicated when you see them the first time, but as soon as you give it a try you'll learn how easy it is.
Look through the step-by-step photos below and then watch a how-to video at the bottom.
You have a big load on the right anchor, and you need to move it to the left anchor. How do you do this the smart way?
Clip some cord or rope to the anchor.
Clip your progress capture pulley such as a Petzl Traxion, onto the rope is shown. (Remember to clip it “teeth to tail”, so the “teeth” on the device point to the “tail” side that you’re going to pull.)
Clip the Traxion onto the load.
Add a redirect to the anchor. A pulley is good here if you have it. In this example, I’m using the excellent Petzl Rollclip.
Now you're ready to pull.
Put the rope or cord through a Grigri or a Munter hitch on your harness.
Pull DOWN with your body weight.
As you do this, you’re raising the load with a 2:1 mechanical advantage, and the Traxion pulley captures your progress. Nice!
With the high-efficiency Traxion on the load and the Rollclip/pulley on the redirect, your loss of pulling force due to friction is minimized.
Pull until the sling attaching the load to the anchor is slack. The load is now being held by the orange cord and Traxion.
Unclip the load from the old anchor and clip it to the new anchor.
Now, you need to remove the load from the orange cord and transfer it to the sling. Here's how you do this.
Pull down with your body weight until you’re holding the load.
Disengage the cam on the Traxion.
Feed slack through your Grigri or Munter hitch until all the load is on the new anchor. This is where the Grigri/Munter comes into play, because you can lower the load slowly and under control.
NICE WORK, you’re done! The load is now transferred on to the new anchor. Remove the cord, your carabiners, and the Traxion.
It’s a better show than a tell. Here's a short video about the method.
Rope anchors: the Alex Honnold anchor
Here's a fast and simple method to build an anchor using the rope, typically on two good bolts. (Alex says it's his favorite, so that's what I'm calling it. =^)
Did you realize halfway up the pitch that you left your long anchor sling with your partner down below? Whoops! Better have a Plan B. This is an easy one, use the rope.
Did Alex invent this anchor style? No, climbers have been using this for decades. But, Alex said in an interview that this is his favorite style of anchor for roped multipitch climbing, so that's what I'm calling it. =^)
This anchor is a fine choice when you have a pair of decent bolts.
Note that the belayer is not on the equalized portion of the anchor. They’re clipped directly to one bolt, and indirectly attached to both. The belayer has redundancy, but not equalization.
With properly placed bolts that can each hold well over 20 kN, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Benefits of building an anchor with the rope:
Typically uses the minimal amount of gear. No need for extra slings, cords, or untying slings with knots when you’re done.
Uses the strong and stretchy rope, which you always have. Strong and stretchy are good things to have in an anchor! (Even if you prefer making anchors with a sling or cord, you might not always have those, and it's good to have some alternatives.)
Downsides to building an anchor with the rope:
It works best if you’re swinging leads on a multipitch climb. If one person is doing all the leading (aka block leading), or if this is the last anchor at the top of a climb and you’re transitioning to rappel, it may be better to craft an anchor from a sling or cordelette so you have both ends of the rope to work with. (Even if you plan on swinging leads, your partner might decide they don't want to take their turn and you might have to go again, so keep that in mind.)
Rope anchors can make many self-rescue techniques more challenging, because the end of the rope is a component of the anchor. Yes the belayer can can simply untie and they're out of the system, but then they may have a harder time using the rope for anything useful.
If the next (or previous) pitch is a real rope stretcher and you might need every bit of it, this may not be the best choice. (Rare, but it can happen.)
When the leader pulls up the rope on the second, the rope pull comes tight first onto the anchor and not directly onto the second climber. This can create a few meters of potentially unwanted slack when the second breaks down the anchor. The second can clip to one bolt or piece of solid gear with a tether before they remove the anchor, as a possible solution.
The Alex Honnold anchor, step-by-step
Leader arrives at the two bolt anchor. Leader clips a locker onto each bolt and clove hitches to one locker.
Alex Honnold anchor, step 1
Maybe 6-8 inches inches on the “backside” of this clove hitch, tie a bight knot. Here I tied a butterfly knot, but it could be an overhand or figure 8 on a bight. I prefer the butterfly because it's easier to untie after being loaded.
Alex Honnold anchor, step 2
Next, clove hitch the rope to the second bolt. Adjust the clove as needed to more or less center the bight knot.
Alex Honnold anchor, step 3
Clip a plaquette style belay device to the butterfly, pull up slack rope, put your partner on belay.
Done! You’re connected to both bolts, and you have an equalized master point. You hopefully set this up fast, and used a minimum amount of gear.
Alex Honnold anchor, step 4
How strong is a “stabbed” rope?
Plodding along on a glacier climb, you get a little careless and CHUNK, your crampon spike goes straight through the middle of the rope in front of you. Does this dangerously compromise the strength of your rope? I tested it with HowNOT2, here are the results.
Scenarios for a “stabbed” rope . . .
Top rope ice climbing, you carelessly swing your tool, and CHUNK, you drive your pick straight into the rope. Whoops!
Walking in a rope team on a glacier. A careless step and you stab the rope with your crampon. Whoops!
If you do either of these, does it completely compromise the strength of your rope?
I've always wondered about this. So, on my latest visit to see my friend Ryan Jenks, the gear-breaking mad scientist genius from HowNOT2.com, we tested it.
The rope we tested was a Beal Opera 8.5 mm, common for glacier travel.
Disclaimer, yes, results will probably be different depending on rope diameter, size of the spike, type of sheath used in the rope, etc. We had a small sample size. This is what we got, don't take it as gospel.
Test 1: Crampon stab through the rope?!
Broke at 11.9 kN. It broke in the knot, and NOT in the “stabbed” part of the rope.
That's close to full strength of the rope.
Click image below to see the short video.
Test 2, pounding a nail multiple times through the rope?!
Broke at 11.1 kN
It broke in the knot, again at pretty much full strength.
Click image below to see the short video.
Test 3: Ridiculously beating on the rope like a manic woodpecker in the same spot with an ice tool ?!
Absurd in real life and would never happen, but sadistically fun to do in the test lab. We do this, so you hopefully never have to.
Broke at 7.6 kN.
Results were yes, majorly compromised but not too catastrophic.
Click image below to see the short video.
Summary: don't make a habit of it, but if you happen to step on your rope with the crampon or spike it once with an axe, it's probably gonna be okay for the rest of your climb. (After that? I'm not gonna make a call on that, the choice is up to you. =^)
Can you girth hitch a Dyneema sling to a picket?
If you want to save a carabiner, can you tie a sling directly to a picket hole? Is it going to be strong enough to catch a fall or use as a anchor in crevasse rescue? I did the testing, and have a broken picket to prove it.
If you’re trying to shave weight on an alpine climb, you might wonder if it's okay to girth hitch a sling directly to a picket.
(Yeah I know, cool Euro climbers don't use pickets and make an anchor out of their buried ice axe, cigarette pack, or whatever, but that's a different topic.)
Does this dangerously weaken the sling?
Is the sling gonna get cut on the sharper bend radius of the picket hole?
Should I use the sling full strength (about 22 kN) and clip it with a carabiner like normal?
All good questions! I was curious about them as well. So I took a visit to the gear breaking lab of mad scientist Ryan Jenks, aka Mr. HowNOT2, to find out.
We used older Dyneema slings hitched through the middle hole on an older style MSR Coyote picket.
The girth hitch tested at a bit over 10 kN.
(Yes, with a limited sample size of 1.) For me, that's acceptable for a crevasse rescue anchor, because your picket is going to pull out of the snow before you approach that much force.
Not that you should ever be generating a load like that in a standard crevasse rescue to begin with . . .
But hey, if you want to use the sling full strength at 22+ kN, then clip it to the picket with a carabiner, your choice!
Next we tried a basket hitch. As expected, that was a bit stronger, around 16 kN.
After that, just for fun, we doubled the sling through the hole; a double basket hitch. (Yes, we kept using the same picket for every test, so it might've been a weakened after the first two .)
Here's what happened. The sling it was fine. The picket broke 18.4 kN!
Here's a link to a YouTube short showing the entire test.
Apparently that was good enough to earn a spot on Ryan’s gear-buster Wall of Fame.
This makes me very happy =^)
Here’s another option - bowline on a bight tied directly through the picket hole.
If you keep the loop fairly small, you don't lose much material, and it works fine with a 120 cm sling. Because the material is doubled up through the hole, and there's no sharp bend radius in the sling, and I’m sure this would test quite a bit stronger than the girth hitch.
We did not test this rigging, but maybe next time! If you want to take one less carabiner and have more strength, this might be a good way to go.
Here's an article where I show you how to tie this, step-by-step.
Adjustable tether + Fifi hook for tricky cleaning
Here’s a DIY gear hack that’s handy when cleaning a traversing aid pitch, or maybe a overhanging sport route. Girth hitch an aid climbing fifi ihook to an adjustable tether. Now you can easily transfer your weight on to the gear, which lets you unclip your quickdraw and/or the rope. Pop the fifi, take an (exciting!) swing, repeat as necessary.
Need to clean a steeply traversing aid pitch?
How about a sport route that's severely overhanging and/or traversing?
The challenge you have in both cases is the gear you're trying to clean is being tensioned by the rope under your bodyweight, and that's usually a pretty big problem.
Here’s a simple way to solve it: an adjustable tether with an aid climbing fifi hook attached. I‘ve used this on the infamously traversing bolt ladder on Monkey Face at Smith Rock Oregon, and it works perfecto.
Be sure your fifi has a “release cord” loop tied into the top hole as we see here. This is key to be able to release this under load.
They usually don't come this way from the store, you have to add it yourself. I'm simply using parachute cord.
Notes . . .
It’s pretty much the same procedure for cleaning quickdraws from a steep sport climbing route, but that's a bit easier than this.
Yes, there are several methods you can use to accomplish this, but after you try this you may not wanna do the others. Give different techniques a try and see which works best for you.
What's sweet about this for aid climbing is that it uses gear that you already have on your harness. Typically you would only use a fifi when leading, but in this case, you remove it from your harness and put it on your tether when needed for cleaning.
Here's an example for aid climbing. Let's assume we’re cleaning gear from a traversing bolt ladder.
Slide your top ascender and ladder up to the piece you want to clean. Stop about 6 inches / 15 cm inches away from the gear.
Take your tether+fifi, extend the tether, and clip the fifi into the gear. You can clip this pretty much to whatever is most convenient.
Pull in on your adjustable tether. This transfers your bodyweight ON the gear, and OFF the rope.
Unclip the (now unweighted) rope from the gear.
If you have a tether that can release tension when weighted, like a Yates or Skot’s Wall Gear adjustable tether, lower yourself out a bit so you don't take such a big swing. If you're using something like a Petzl Connect Adjust, which can’t be released easily when weighted, get ready for a swing.
Now the fun part! Reach over, grab the release cord on top of the fifi hook, and give it a yank. The hook should pop out of the gear, you should take a little swing (which may be quite exciting, depending how high up you are!
You can make this previous step a bit easier by getting some momentum by swinging your body toward the gear and releasing the fifi hook at the apex of your swing. (Kinda hard to explain, easy to do, give it a try and you'll figure it out.)
Lean over and clean the (now unweighted) gear.
Continue ascending to the next piece of gear.
Here's a close-up of the business end.
If you aid climb a lot, you may want to get a specialized tool: the AlFifi, made by Skot’s Wall Gear. The Alfifi has a stout hook that's welded to the cam of an adjustable tether, which offers excellent and quickly adjustable positioning and lets you get a little bit closer to the gear that you can with the DIY setup I use above.
If you’re a Premium Member of Alpinesavvy, you get a 15% discount from Skot’s Wall Gear, one of more than 20 companies that offers deals to my members.
A4 Alfifi, from Skot’s Wall Gear