Valley Entrance fixed ropes

[testgerbil]

Hi all,

I was in Valley Entrance on Sunday to rig the short roof tunnel pitch. The were two (quite fat) fixed ropes on the P-bolts for the simple y-hang. Are these fixed aids? It was a bit of a struggle to rig anything else off the hangers. I'm not against fixed aids, but two fat ropes on the same hangers seems a bit excessive. Is there a reason for there to be two?

PLEASE NOTE I DON'T WANT THIS THREAD TO DESCEND INTO AN ARGUMENT FOR/AGAINST FIXED AIDS.

With hope,

Paul

 

[Samouse1]

Was this for the main pitch or the ones slightly off to the left? If it’s the ones to the left they’ve been there a very long time, I’ve heard as both a divers project and also for people pulling through.

 

[topcat]

I think there are two in order to speed up a group exit.

I have free climbed this pitch many times in the past, but a few weeks ago I failed miserably and was very glad of the fixed ropes. They probably get changed quite often : they always seem to be in good nick.

 

[testgerbil]

Was this for the main pitch or the ones slightly off to the left? If it’s the ones to the left they’ve been there a very long time, I’ve heard as both a divers project and also for people pulling through.

To the left as you approach the pitch from the roof tunnel, yes; I thought the route off to the right was for rigging a traverse line in flood (or a ladder down to the stream).

 

[testgerbil]

I think there are two in order to speed up a group exit.

I have free climbed this pitch many times in the past, but a few weeks ago I failed miserably and was very glad of the fixed ropes. They probably get changed quite often : they always seem to be in good nick.

They both looked in pretty good nick, yes.

 

[Steve Clark]

I think most people who bother to rig their own rope use the bolts on the right / in the roof when approaching from the roof tunnel. This is the cleaner hang.

The lazy on pull-throughs use the fixed ropes on the left with a backup plan of throwing a rope over the bridge or traversing in on the bolts from upstream. You can climb up to the high level traverse bolts at various points.

 

[MJenkinson]

I think most people who bother to rig their own rope use the bolts on the right / in the roof when approaching from the roof tunnel. This is the cleaner hang.

The lazy on pull-throughs use the fixed ropes on the left with a backup plan of throwing a rope over the bridge or traversing in on the bolts from upstream. You can climb up to the high level traverse bolts at various points.

Lazy?!?!? ahem....I think you mean "efficient"😁

 

[thehungrytroglobite]

2 makes it a lot quicker for exiting, but is not necessary, one would be fine (although as both of these are used extremely often, the benefit is that if one gets knackered/cored there is at least another that may be in better nick). If rigging from the top it is much nicer to use the Y-hang on the other side of the bridge near the start of the roof traverse, never any in situ ropes here and a nicer hang as Steve mentioned. I am not reliant on the aforementioned in situ ropes but if I found they weren't there at the end of a pull-through it would be a pain in the arse.
I have free climbed up this bit as practice 'just in case' the ropes aren't there one day. We threw a rope over the bridge and belayed the first climber up (on static rope), at the top he then belayed the rest of us from there. It isn't an easy climb, especially for shorter people. I am not a terrible climber (though nor am I brilliant), and I managed the climb but I found it very challenging, at times I had to do the splits to reach good holds and it is quite overhanging at points too. I think a lot of in situ ropes are a pain in the arse but for up pitches at the end of pull-throughs they make sense, French cavers often have in situ ropes for up pitches which works well.
But in answer to your original question: no particular reason for having 2 there really. If one was removed it wouldn't bother me as long as one remained. I'd recommend just not rigging that pitch with your own ropes, as there are better alternatives next to it anyway.

 

[Ian Ball]

I quite like the climb and I dont many are great climbers in wellies

 

[mikem]

But then again, there are much easier climbs back upstream that take you to the traverse line of bolts