Moving Together

The two climbers had moved quickly and now stood on a large ledge above Continuation Wall. The expanse of the Idwal Slabs stretched away below them, above some broken ground led across to the Grey Slab and the summit of Glyder Fach. It was late afternoon , if they were to complete another climb and reach the summit before darkness, they would need to move quickly.

Many of us find ourselves in this situation, not late enough to call it a day but also not quite as much time as we would like to complete a long climb or scramble.
There are many things we can do to speed our ascents up, one area of rope work which can save us time is “Moving Together”. Most commonly associated with the Alps, it involves shortening the rope and both climbing partners travelling or climbing at the same time. When done efficiently by experienced climbers it can save considerable time.

How Does It Work?

There is not room in this article to describe in detail the many ways for climbers to shorten a rope between them, but it generally involves taking chest coils and sometimes carrying a small amount of rope as hand coils. Check out ‘Rock Climbing’ by Libby Peter for further details. The Golden Rule is to keep chest coils neat and tidy with.

We’ll look at three separate techniques whose use is determined by the terrain to be crossed and the ability of the climbers.

1- Easy Ground
This method is for crossing broken ground, often encountered on mountain scrambles and climbs, that can be easily crossed. It is quicker to shorten the rope and move together than to untie, coil the rope, walk, and then retie onto the rope again. Take chest coils so that there is 12 - 15m of rope between you, then take small tidy hand coils so that the final distance is 2 - 3m. Don’t take too much rope in your hands, if you can’t close your thumb and first finger then it’s too much. The climbers now walk/scramble over the ground moving at a speed which keeps the rope up off the ground and does not tug at each other.
Whilst crossing this type of easy scrambling ground slips and trips can happen, it is vital that the climbers hand coils are locked off as this allows the non-slipping partner to hold the rope tight and prevent the slip from becoming a serious fall.
For example: Crossing the terraces between pitches on the East face of Tryfan, North Wales.

2 - Moderate Ground
When the easy scrambling terrain becomes more exposed and serious, but when both climbers have trust in each others ability and a fall is unlikely, or both hands are needed to make quick progress. You need to use a system that offers a greater level of protection.
By dropping the hand coils and climbing simultaneously and placing runners as well as weaving the rope around natural spikes and blocks this gives both partners an amount of assurance should one or both slip. As a general rule there should be at least 3 pieces of protection on the rope at any one time, as the second takes a piece out so the leader puts one in. The climbers will move at the speed of the rope as any slack in the rope increases the risk of shock loading and pulling off the other climber in the event of a fall.
For example: Above the initial difficulties on Cneifion Arete, Glyder Fawr.

3 - Difficult Ground
You will almost certainly encounter sections of ground where the consequences of a slip or trip are very serious and you must therefore treat these steps or pitches with more care.
Depending on how long these tricky sections are you may need to extend the rope, but try not to have more than about 20 - 25m paid out between the climbers. Treat these sections as mini climbs, taking proper belays, placing runners as required and belaying as normal. Using natural anchor points such as spikes and can speed up the process. By keeping pitch length short, communication will be easier, the rope will most likely run straighter and progressing in small manageable chunks can be very quick.
For example: The Great Tower on Tower Ridge, Ben Nevis.              

Technique choice depends as much upon ability as terrain. Correctly matching you and your partner’s ability with the route and choosing an appropriate style of ascent is always the first thing to consider.
All these techniques require each climbing partner to making judgements on the move and should be practised in a safe learning environment before being used on the mountains to get down in time for last orders.

Ask the Expert Q & A:

Is it faster to move together or pitch?

For a confident and well matched team moving together on runners can be much faster climbing over moderate terrain, than pitching. But if climbers have to ponder over moves and also if the climber lacks  confidence in the ability of the system to hold a fall, generally it is quicker to pitch. Pitching can be speeded up if the team has slick rope work and if obvious quick anchors are used to build  belays.

Is there any difference when moving over rock or snow?

On snow if a person slips it can quickly turn into a fall which could catapult the other team member off. If traversing on a snowy ridges there can be a dilema. Moving close together carrying hand coils can be easier to hold a slip  at close quarters.  As a  slide from a climbing partner 12 or more meters away leaves little option other than to jump off the other side of the ridge!

On badly corniced ridges the climbing team should consider the implication of their combined weight, which may be enough to break a cornice. In this situation moving further apart and distributing the teams weight would be a safer option.

It is also often more difficult to find or place runners to protect the team.

What sort of rope should you consider using for Alpine Climbing and Moving Together?

Generally in an Alpine environment we are looking for having the lightest rope available. At the same time the choice of rope should not comprise strength and durability. Modern single ropes vary from 8.9 - 10 mm and are available in a variety of lengths. Choosing a thin versatile rope like the Mammut  Revalation 9.2mm Is an ideal compromise between weight, durability and handling.
For most Alpine ascents and for general UK use a 50m rope is adequate, the advantages of having a 60m rope are lost due to the extra weight For year round and glacial use opt for a rope with a dry treatment, which will prevent the rope from absorbing too much water from the snow and keep its handing characteristics.

How do you learn to Move Together?

Ensure that you and your partner have a solid foundation in all aspects of climbing, being quick and efficient at building belays and sorting gear is vital.
Becoming competent and slick when moving together takes time and practice, it is important to be good at building direct and indirect belays as well as handling the rope and using a waist belay. The ability to make the judgement about which technique to use and when only comes with practice. Go scrambling and climbing wearing stiff mountain boots, carrying a rucksack and using a light rack. The UK mountains have some great rock scrambling terrain where you can perfect these skills, go visit the Ogwen Valley in North Wales, Glencoe and the Cullins in Skye. Using the experience of a Mountain Instructor or Guide is a great way to learn these skills quickly.

Mike Twid Turner is an IFMGA Guide and MIC, based in North Wales and guides all round the world.