[at-l] Okay, How about Descents?

[stephensadams@hotmail.com (Steve Adams)]

[Sent 11-4-02, but not posted.  Lightly rewritten and re-transmitted
11-6-02.]

Kinnickinic,

Reference your post, dated 11-4-02, inquiring about the preferred technique
for descents down a vertical rock wall, particularly whether to face into
the rock or away.

There are several inherent problems answering your question, including:

1)  Your physical and mental condition  AT  THE  TIME  of your descent.

2)  The level of experience you have descending rock faces.

3)  Are you alone, or with another, or others?

4)  What are their levels of experience?

5)  What equipment do you have to assist you (e.g., climbing/safety line)?

6)  Do you have equipment to support you taking a longer detour around the
obstacle, or to remain where you are overnight?  (Note:  You can live for
days without water, and weeks without food.)

7)  Any rule will be the opposite of a rule given someone else.

8)  Any rule will be reversed in the future.

I lived a few years in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps.  A friend of mine
and I often free-climbed in the Alps, taking along a climbing line to belay
one-another.  We used small plants and thin rock ledges to enable our
ascent; most were destroyed en route, and weren't available for our descent.
  Many of our descents took new routes - - the situation you are asking
about.

We made ascents and descents the same way, facing the rock.

Your sense of  "feel" is more sensitive using your toes, even through heavy
leather boots, than your heels.  Your sense of feel locates most potential
resting places, and gauges the probability of whether the object will
support your weight, at least until you find the next spot.

Shifting your weight will be accomplished more gradually and gently using
your toes:  Toes and ankles flex, your butt can jut from the wall.
Descending while looking away from the wall:  (1)  you use your heels and
can't engage your toes or ankles, and;  (2)  engaging your gluteus muscles
(buttocks) operates as a lever tending to force you off the wall.

Your field of view is restricted to what is immediately in front of you,
facing the wall; you may learn something about the rock which will become
important before you're off that wall.  You are less likely to suffer
vertigo facing the rock; clouds move, rock is relatively stable.

You've already received good information, worthy of emphasis:

"... It's ... a  lot  easier  to lose your balance while peering (away from
the wall) and tumble face down the steep face."  - -  Weary

"... Don't look down..."  - -  Russ (Gimp)

If you are facing away from the wall and look down to locate places for your
feet, you are very likely to peel away from the wall.  If you are facing the
wall, restrict looking downward to the area around your toes, don't look for
the bottom of the wall.

"... there is ALWAYS another way down."  - -  Shane

If you're into tattoos, have this on your wrist; refer to your wrist before
every descent.

Steve

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