How to Clean Gear from a Sport Climb

Sport climbing is a very popular style of rock climbing involving the use of fixed protection bolted into the rock. Although sport climbing requires minimal gear, quickdraws are essential and expensive - $10 to $20 each. If a route requires eight quickdraws and two more for the anchor, that equals $100 of gear minimum. No one wants to leave that on the wall. After successfully climbing a sport route, cleaning your gear is the next step.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Climbing harness
• Climbing shoes
• Climbing helmet (strongly recommended)
• Dynamic Climbing Rope (eHow suggests 10mm, 60m rope)
• Quickdraws (two carabiners linked by webbing)
• Two slings
• Two carabiners

1. GETTING READY
   Before beginning a sport climb, gear up as usual with harness, shoes and helmet. Tie-in to the rope with a figure eight retrace knot and a safety knot. Be sure to do all your safety checks.
2. Girth hitch one sling to the belay loop on your harness. (To girth hitch thread the sling through your belay loop so that there is an end on each side. Loop one end through the other and pull tight around the belay loop.) Clip a carabiner to the lose end and attach it to the gear loop on your left side.
3. Repeat this process with the other sling, attaching it to the gear loop on your right side.
4. AT THE TOP
   After you have completed the route and clipped into the bolted anchor at the top, call to your belayer for tension. Weight the rope.
5. Unclip the slings from your harness and clip one to each anchor. Be careful not to wedge them against the quickdraws also on the anchor.
6. Signal to your belayer to lower you until you have weighted the slings. Once you feel secure that you are on the slings and not the rope, announce that you are “Off Belay.” Although your belayer could safely take you off the rope, eHow recommends he give you a lot of slack so that you may maneuver while keeping you on belay.
7. Retrieve the quickdraws from the anchor.
8. Pull up a considerable amount of rope and tie an overhand knot on a bite. Clip this knot to a spare carabiner on your harness or otherwise secure the rope to your harness. This is a precautionary measure to make sure you don't drop the rope.
9. Untie the rope from your tie-in point. Remember the rope is no longer bearing your weight. You are weighting your slings and can safely untie.
10. Thread the rope through the chains of both anchors, and tie back in to your harness with the figure eight retrace. Be sure to double check your knot. There is no one else up there with you.
11. Unclip the rope from the carabiner on your harness, and untie the overhand knot. Signal to your belayer to take up the slack in the rope.
12. Once your weight is once again on the rope and your slings have slack, unclip the slings from the anchor. Clip the slings on your harness. You are ready to lower.
13. As your belayer lowers you slowly, retrieve the quickdraws from the bolts and secure them to your harness.

Tips & Warnings

• Some climbers prefer to use quickdraws instead of slings, hooking them to their belay loops and then the anchor.
• Still other climbers prefer to clean a route on rappel. If you chose to do this, it is best to have your belayer hold the rope at the bottom of the route to back you up. This is called a fireman's belay.
• Climbing is an inherently dangerous sport. Seek expert instruction before participating in this sport. Most climbing gyms offer a wide range of classes taught by certified instructors.