You guys make it seem like rope ascending is the most physically demanding Olympian task around. Truth is, it's as easy or as hard as you make it. Sure, if you string 60ft of overhand knots up a rope, you're gonna feel the effects when you're back in bed tryin to have a good time. But, with the right gear and know-how, it can be faster than walkin stairs and can get you past all sorts of hassle. This post is assuming the top of the rope is attached solidly (ignoring the anchor debate).
If you want to ascend a rope in the safest, most efficient way possible, you're going to need some gear. That said, you probably don't want to drop $1,000 like that guy ^, so I'll give you the "cheap but it'll do fine" version. Here's what you need:
- A climbing harness ($30)
- A static rope (preferred) or a dynamic rope ($150-300). Static ropes don't stretch, so they're more durable and easier to jug (ascend) on. Dynamic ropes can be used for many more things, but jugging can be... bouncy.
- 2x Petzl Basic Ascenders ($50/ea). This is the heart of your rig, the gear that's keeping you attached to the rope. You need one primary and one backup. Other ascenders (like the Petzl Ascension) will make your life way easier, but at a higher price point. You can also go cheap and just use a Prusik knot for each, but this is harder, easier to mess up, and makes it more difficult to actually do the ascending (it is a
friction knot after all)
- 2x shoulder length (60cm) climbing slings ($15/ea). Connect you to your ascenders. These can be replaced with more costly Daisy Chains for added customization and ease of use.
- 1x 120cm climbing sling ($20). To use as a foothold on the bottom ascender. This can be replaced by an Etrier for added customization and ease of use.
- 2x Locking carabiners ($4/ea). For connecting you to your ascenders.
The general idea is to create a system where your legs are lifting all the weight, and your arms have to do minimal effort. If desired I could write up a post on it in more detail, but for now here's the least shitty of the videos I've seen on this:
https://www.youtub...atch?v=bscpdQ6fcPQ When in doubt, go out to a park, set up your system on a branch, and practice. After ascending a few times with gear, you can get to be extremely fast and efficient.
Bonus: Here I use two independent modified versions of this setup to achieve full 2-dimentional travel on a vertical face (fictional, photoshopped, and stolen from Flickr as per usual)
https://imgur.com/a/G8Yrkem