If the cam is in a parallel or backwards flaring placement, the vibration will cause the cam to work itself further back into the crack, potentially to a point of beyond reach.īy using an alpine draw, the rope has more play and is less likely to pull taut on the cam sling (unless the climber falls or takes), and thus, lessens the propensity of cams to walk.Ī similar phenomenon occurs with nuts, but rather than walking, clipping short can cause the direction of pull to change, increasing the possibility of the nut pulling out of the placement entirely. If a rope running through a carabiner on a cam is taut, the sling of the cam will transmit the vibration from the rope into the head of the cam. Walking occurs when a cam literally wiggles in the crack as a result of vibration in the sling. However, when properly addressed, rope drag is little more than a minor annoyance. When unmanaged, rope drag can turn an easy pitch into a nightmare of leg-presses, add untold resistance to your climbing, and make safe climbs quite heady. If you place a piece of gear 60cm to your left and then the next piece 60cm to your right, using alpine draws will effectively move the two pieces of gear to a vertical line below you, and rather than making a large “Z” shape, the rope will run straight up and down (more like an “I”). Using alpine draws allows you to effectively bring gear placements closer to a straight line than quickdraws. Conversely, the smaller the angle between the two sides of the rope, the greater the friction. The least amount of friction occurs when the rope runs straight through without bending at all. Any time the rope runs through a carabiner, the friction between the rope and carabiner creates drag, which adds up over the course of a climb. Thinking about rope drag is often an issue on traditionally protected climbs of any length as gear placements may or may not be in line with the direction of the climb. As stated above, the biggest benefits of alpine draws are (1) reducing rope drag and (2) lessening the chance of pieces walking or coming out entirely. When to use alpine draws is more nuanced and difficult to answer. I also tend to not use alpine draws when climbing hard moves directly off the ground or a ledge, as the extra length of the sling compared to a quickdraw or the cam sling creates the potential for a ground-fall. In these two situations, there is no real benefit of using alpine draws as rope drag is minimal and alpine draws are inherently harder to clip than quickdraws. I typically do not use alpine draws on straight-up splitter crack climbs or well-bolted sport climbs. When not to use alpine draws is perhaps an easier question to answer. You should end up with three strands of webbing through each carabiner. To triple the sling, clip both carabiners through the sling, then pass one carabiner through the other, and clip two strands of the sling. When I rack my alpine draws, I typically rack them tripled and clipped to my harness like a quickdraw. For my beginner self, these draws were absolutely adequate and saw me through the first two years of my climbing before I decided to upgrade. That said, when I first started climbing, I built my own alpine draws out of 18mm nylon webbing and a pair of solid gate non-lockers. Additionally, because I use my draws on ice and alpine climbs, using Dyneema and wiregates reduces the propensity of my gear to ice up. ![]() On long multi-pitch climbs, the weight adds up as well as the fiddle factor when trying to move efficiently in big terrain. I use this configuration so my draws take up the least amount of space on my harness and are as light as possible. I typically build my alpine draws out of thin (10mm) Dyneema webbing and a pair of lightweight wiregate non-lockers. ![]() This configuration allows you to use the draw to clip pieces with the sling tripled, doubled, or fully extended in order to minimize rope drag and lessen the chance of gear walking. Contrary to the name though, alpine draws, occasionally referred to as “long draws” are an essential part of any rack and understanding how best to use them can go a long way toward increasing your efficiency and upping the fun level on climbs from single-pitch crags to huge alpine routes.Īlthough some climbers rack in different ways unique to a climb or their preferences, the most common configuration for an alpine draw consists of a single sewn 60cm piece of webbing and a pair of lightweight non-locking carabiners. Alpine draws: the very name conjures images of grizzled, bearded men atop a miserable bivy ledge in the Alaska Range or Patagonia.
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