Aid climbing

Horizontal aid climbing

This technique is used to make horizontal progress whilst suspended from a structure or a series of suitable anchor points.

Three cow's tails will be required (two long and one short), so as to maintain two independent points of attachment whilst re-positioning a third.

From the top of a set of ropes

1. Ascend the ropes stopping just below the aid route.
2. Remove the top (handled) ascender and attach its cow's tail directly into the anchor point carabiner — this is the trailing cow's tail.
3. Remove the back-up device and attach its cow's tail to the first free anchor point carabiner. Attach an etrier to this cow's tail — the leading cow's tail.
4. Stand in the foot loop and etrier, remove the chest ascender and attach the short cow's tail to the same anchor point carabiner as the leading cow's tail.
5. Remove the leading cow's tail and move it forward to the next free anchor point carabiner.
6. Remove the trailing cow's tail and re-attach it to the short cow's tail anchor point carabiner.
7. Stand in the foot loop and etrier and remove the short cow's tail, re-attaching it to the leading cow's tail anchor point carabiner.
8. Repeat the procedure — systematically moving the cow's tails in the direction of travel.

Along a structure with wire/webbing slings

1. Attach the leading and trailing cow's tails to the two outside slings and attach the short cow's tail to the central sling.
2. De-weight the central sling by standing in the foot loop and/or etrier and move this sling in the direction of travel.
3. Re-weight the central sling and move the leading and trailing slings in the same direction.
4. Repeat until a junction is encountered. Pass the obstruction by removing one sling at a time whilst maintaining two independent attachments.

Vertical aid climbing

This technique is used to make vertical progress whilst suspended from a structure or a series of suitable anchor points.

A double energy-absorbing lanyard attached to the sternal attachment on the harness, and a short cow's tail, will be required — so as to maintain two independent points of attachment whilst re-positioning a third.

Your instructor will show you a variety of methods to vertically aid climb. One sequence:

1. Attach short and long cow's tail to first anchor and place second long cow's tail on second anchor.
2. Then move the long cow's tail on the first anchor to create a third anchor above the second.
3. Step up using foot loops and place the short cow's tail into the next anchor point.
4. Repeat.