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Ask the Expert
Big-Wall Warrior Mark Synnott Answers
Your Climbing Queries
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I am going to try to climb El Capitan (the Nose) next year. We will
be three persons on the group. Which is the fastest way to climb big
walls in groups of three?
Federico, Mexico City, Mexico
Federico,
The fastest way to climb big walls as a group of three is to use the
caterpillar method. However, the caterpillar is specifically designed for
speed climbing, i.e. climbing something like El Cap in a day.
Here's how it works. The leader trails two lines. When he gets to
the belay the first thing he does is fix one of the lines. One of the other
team members jugs that line up to the high point as quickly as possible and
then puts the same leader back on belay with the line that they just jugged.
Meanwhile, the leader has fixed the lead line for the third member of the team. Before the third guy can start cleaning, the belayer or leader sets up the haul and pulls the bag off the lower anchor. Once this is done the third man can start cleaning the pitch. The key to this system is to get the leader back out on the sharp end as soon as possible. Also, it helps to carry an extra big rack so that you
still have enough rack to start leading the next pitch before the previous
one has been cleaned. Once the third man reaches the previous anchor
with the gear from that pitch, you can haul it up with the third spare rope which
you are now using as a trail line. It is a complicated system to describe,
but just keep in mind that it has many variations. You should experiment
and go with whatever works best for you. The caterpillar system is most
crucial on single push climbs, but it will also work equally well on multi-
day ascents.
Good Luck!
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About Our Expert
"A lot of people don't realize it, but the only thing you really need to climb
big walls, or any big route, is determination," says Mark Synnott. OK. But
what else does it take to best a big wall?
E-mail Mark and he'll give you the skinny on everything from grub to
gear to getting started. And he should know.
Mark has bagged more than 50 big walls, including Argentina's Cerro
Torre and first ascents on Canada's Baffin Island and southern Asia's
Karakoram Range. And when he's not climbing, he's helping design new
North Face equipment or contributing to magazines like National
Geographic, Outside, and Climbing.
E-mail Mark
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 Climber Mark Synnott
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