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How To Make A Climbing Aider

5 min read

This is what big-wall climbing is all about—technical problem-solving in a vertical environment—so relax and embrace the challenges. I was able to eliminate 2-3 climbing sticks by using the Knaider n Swaider set. I’ve been hang and hunt style hunting for 7-8 years and this is the lightest setup I’ve had.

However, this is not recommended because the old bolt may have moved position over time and created an uneven hole from repeated use. You can’t be certain that the original hole is smooth enough for the new bolt to function correctly. Instead, fill this hole with epoxy glue and cover the top with rock dust to camouflage it. Then drill a new hole next to it (at least 6” away).

8 Amsteel Tethrd One Aider And Skeletor Aider

This is one of the lightest and most compact aiders available. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to get up the rope very quickly with the extra assistance that this gives. Tiny cams or skyhooks shouldn’t be bounce tested, as they would be damaged over time. To test, weight them and press your body away from the wall to generate a little more force than bodyweight without the harsh impact of a bounce. Move side-to-side and outwards from the wall a little, too. This simulates the direction you might pull the piece when you’re higher up on it.

See cable notes below for specifics on stainless cable. Beaks will need to be re-drilled and chamfered to accommodate #3 cable; Rurps and Peckers do not. These are perfect for the Hawk Helium climbing sticks! They weigh under 2 ounces each for single step, 4 ounces each for double step, and 6 ounces each for triple step. They come in black and you can order 14″, 16″, 18”, 20″ or 22” step length. It is not acceptable to add bolts, rivets or bat hook holes to an established route in a place where there wasn’t one previously (‘replacing’ them is different).

This now becomes your primary protection point, and the first of the “back-ties” you’ll be doing as you ascend the pitch. You can let the rest of the rope hang, or collect it in coils and carry it on a sling. This style of bounce test applies a little more force, and may make it easier to keep your balance if a piece blows. Clip your daisy into your new piece, but keep both feet in the aiders on the lower piece. Clip a carabiner from your belay loop into the highest daisy loop you can reach. Stand up tall and then drop down hard onto the daisy, while holding onto the lower piece.

Climbing Stick Tube 1 X Variable Length

With a good anchor that will take some outward vectored pull I can top step on a smooth 91 degree wall just teeing off. On steeper terrain one need NOT always employ tension from the waist to step high when a handhold is unavailable. You then clip the end of the daisy chain directly to a biner to the Aider. 1) It is hard to keep the weight on your feet, which means your arms do more work, you can’t balance as easily, and reaching high is more of an ordeal.

Lots of movements—You step down into the bottom step of the next Aider, then fifi into the daisy chain. You walk up a couple steps and fifi into the daisy. You look around at the crack and try to decide if there is a good placement within your reach. You decide to walk a little higher in the Aider and fifi in.

I recommend using a length of clear vinyl tubing to make the Funkness deluxe. Thread the end of the cable through the tubing before making the second clip-in loop and be sure to keep everything snug (i.e. no gaps between tubing and crimped sleeve). When finished, the Funkness should be about 21” in length, though some may prefer shorter.

Very easy to use with a little back yard practice to get it adjusted correctly. The JC Knaider and Swaider as featured on SaddleHunter.com and YouTube. These are still made by JCLINE84 just with upgraded sliders and aluminum G-hooks. Also including an elastic cord and non-climbing rated carabiner for attaching to your belt/saddle so you don’t drop it.

Everything You Need To Know For Your First Big Wall

Try asking your partner to give you tension with the rope, then use the aider method. We spent two nights on the DNB, barely sketching our way up the pitches, hauling a duct-taped army duffel behind us. We never found the huge bivy ledge the pirates had promised.

These act as stiffeners to hold the loops open. I didn’t really use the grab loops much, mostly just held onto the biner. They did come in handy when the biner was pushed in tight on the wall though. TR’d a pretty sketchy C3+ and they worked well. I’ve never used manufactured aiders before, so I can’t really compare them, but these got the job done for a single pitch route. I think they turned out pretty good, and definitely cheap!

Operating it with one hand is easy with its very sturdy and ergonomic rubber handle. It is available in left handed or right handed. The system for aiding a roof is basically the same as a traverse. Just place a piece, reach as far sideways as you can, and place your next piece. Release rope through your GriGri so that you are weighting the prusiks. More easily damaged or low-strength gear, should only be very gently bounced.

Your back-ties also function to shorten up the loops of dangling rope, which can get caught on flakes. If it’s hard to reach one of your ascenders, your daisy connections are too long. If you can’t slide your ascender nearly to full arm’s reach, your connections are too short. It all started for me back in high school, when I saw a photo of the most awe-inspiring piece of rock I’d ever laid eyes on—the Nameless Tower.

From the activity on the current “Yates vs. Metolius” thread, they’re clearly in wide use. If you hit a hook too hard, it will probably bend, break the rock or spring out suddenly. Make the loop small so you get the optimum reach out of it. Adjust the height of your feet in the Aiders and go five times. Time the fifth lap and compare it to the time before.

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