Toprope: Setup for self-belayed climbing – Rope Man 2
This setup was put together to climb Top-Rope Solo with two relatively thin half ropes. Rope-solo climbing is dangerous, and this post is not intended as a complete guide! Please do not put yourself in unnecessary danger and always test each system and technique thoroughly in a safe environment.
Procedure:
- At the start of the climb, securely anchor the appropriate climbing rope above the wall (see: anchor building)
- Then, descend or rappel to the base of the wall
- Attach a weight to the rope or ropes
- Secure the ascender(s) redundantly to the rope
- Do one final check of all carabiners
- Check the function of the ascenders and/or prusik loops
- Climb.
Equipment
Of course, this activity can be performed with different devices. It makes sense to use self-belay devices. However, these are usually not compatible with thin climbing ropes. In alpine environments, lightweight single or even half ropes with diameters of around 8-9mm are preferred. Many fall arrest devices and even toothless clamps only start working with ropes at a diameter of 10mm or more.
I have found the following devices to work well for me. My old system is explained on a separate page: ‚Toprope with self-belay using Roll’N’Lock‚
- 2x Wildcountry Rope Man 2
- Steel carabiner Trilcok (Edelrid HMS Bruce Stell Triple FG)
- 2x Petzl TANGA (positioning ring for carabiners)
Setup
You can either hang a bag with some items from the end of the rope or bundle the excess rope together. With two Rope Man devices and 7.9mm ropes, about 2kg is sufficient.
If you plan to use the rope for rappelling or pulling it up later, you can hang the bag or backpack with the weight using a Fifi hook on the rope. When you pull on the rope sharply multiple times after reaching the top, the weight will detach from the rope. IMPORTANT!: Remember to secure the backpack, for example, with a long quickdraw on the rope to prevent it from slipping and rolling down the hill.
If there is a risk of the knot jamming while pulling up, you can hang the Fifi hook in a prusik loop. However, with a thin prusik loop, the hook detaches quickly.
I now use two Wildcountry Rope Man 2 devices as safety equipment since they reliably grip even on icy or slightly dirty ropes. The system is redundant by using two such clamps on two strands of rope. If necessary, I also add an additional ascender (e.g., Petzl Ascender). It is important that the lower ascender also locks when loaded from above. The Petzl Shunt is NOT suitable as a backup here!
