Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

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When traveling through exposed 4th/low 5th terrain, do you:

Not carry rope or gear so never have the option of protecting an exposed section?
43
73%
Carry a rope and gear but rarely, if ever use it?
6
10%
Occasionally rope up but rarely place protection?
1
2%
Regularly protect exposed low probability, high consequence sections - whether simul-climbing, short pitching or rappelling?
2
3%
Other (explain in comments)
7
12%
 
Total votes: 59
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Jorts
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Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Jorts »

Was wondering how others in this community approach it...
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Dave B
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Dave B »

Kinda depends on the route and how much beta is available.

The less I know about the route and the longer the sustained sections, the more I'll consider bringing some gear. So, never on a 14er standard route.
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Scott P »

It depends on the route and how much of it there is.

If it is only a few moves of exposed 5th class, such as Sunlight Peak, I wouldn't bother with a rope. If it's a lot of low 5th class, such as say on the First Flatiron, then I'd bring a rope. Something like that would scare me without a rope.
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Wentzl »

OTHER:
I have carried a rescue line and a few bits of pro, on hikes where there is not much info. (in Alaska)

I have on my "bucket list" the North Butt of Sneffels and the Cables route on Longs. When I work up my nerve, I will carry pro, but any of the 14ers?

I hesitated to hike the Little Bear/Blanca traverse for a long time, but eventually read enough "trip reports" that I struck out and just did it.

Not sure what the point of your question was, but my answer was to find someone wanting to hike Wham Ridge, Sneffels N Butt, Cables route on Longs or maybe even Independence Monument in the Colorado National Monument
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by SnowAlien »

Kinda depends on route and how sustained it is. I can speak about Sangres for example. Yes to rope on Ellingwood Arete, Prow, other known routes of 5.7 and up.
No to scramble routes on Crestones, North ridge on Kit Carson, Castleabra, Music, Milwaukee, Pico, Adams to Obstruction ridge, Mas Alto ridge etc. Really depends on the comfort level and experience with exposure. Really helps if there are options to dial it up or down. Not sure about Gash, but haven't done enough research to decide if rope is needed.
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Lhotse27 »

What's the use carrying a rope when climbing solo ?
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Conor »

Lhotse27 wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:27 am What's the use carrying a rope when climbing solo ?
If you get in over your head you can at least rap out of it.

My stance on the issue is sort of evolving. Standard 14er summer routes, still not needed. I haven't done all the 14ers, just the ones that interest me. My issue on ropes/gear is the ability to use them efficiently. That's the irony, a person who would need them lacks the skills to handle a rope. And if a person has the skills to handle a rope, they probably wouldn't fear the standard 14er summer routes.

In terms of 4th/5th, i think it depends where. In the gores there is usually an easier side. North butt of crestone peak, prolly not needed. But, if you got a 30m 8.5mm rope. An emergency harness and a few pieces of gear, it may not hurt if you have the rope handling skillz. For rappelling my 6mm glacier line is really light, but adds other complications like rappel devices that provide enough friction.
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Aphelion »

I'm generally comfortable climbing 5.4 and below unroped, but I dislike downclimbing that. So I may bring a lightweight rope/harness solely to rappel, depending on the route. Never for class 4 though.
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by Jorts »

Wentzl wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 10:47 pm Not sure what the point of your question was
Seems many accidents in CO occur on low probability high consequence terrain. Whether a hold pulling, a slip, off route or otherwise. Many think that here in CO we don't use ropes unless we're actually climbing mid to high 5th pitches. I wanted to float this question out there to see how accurate that belief about CO climbers is. I was not just referring to standard 14er routes.
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by TomPierce »

I too am in the "it depends" category. Never on 4th class, that's just too straightforward. Probably not on low 5th with a partner unless it's high consequence and/or lengthy, or if I'll be with a non-climber who is too tentative w/o a rope. A rope with no pro for climbing up makes no sense to me unless I'm just toting it along for a known rappel when going down. I carried a rope when alone on Jagged for that reason; I was confident I could downclimb the 5th class sections but that's pretty tedious and the possibility of weather rolling in is always there in the alpine. Downclimbing wet 5th class rock in a a storm sounds like no fun, esp when alone.

Fwiw, a solist can rope solo up a pitch (rope & gear). I've done it, but rarely, and it's very tedious. Pretty sure that's beyond the scope of your question.

-Tom
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by jbchalk »

For standard, well-known & traveled ridges and terrain, no, I will not carry any rope/protection with me. Now, if its unknown terrain to me (and most others), i.e. Asgard Ridge in the Gore, then yes I do carry a lighter 8mm rope and a slew of cams & nuts and slings. Even though many times (most every time) I do not use the gear, I'd much rather have it and not use it then the other way around.
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Re: Exposed 4th/low 5th terrain

Post by nyker »

Agree with others, depends on the route, and how long the sustained section is.
If it's just a move or two, I may not.
If it's shoulder season and that particular section is iced over, then maybe rope and an anchor depending on the terrain. Could be ice screw, cam or in some cases I've wrapped rope around a strong tree (more of an ADK thing).
If it's much longer or beyond what I want to comfortably do alone, I might go back with someone with better technical skills.
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