Simul-climbing

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Technique used in climbing

title: "Simul-climbing" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["climbing-techniques"] description: "Technique used in climbing" topic_path: "general/climbing-techniques" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simul-climbing" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Technique used in climbing ::

| image1=Simul Climbing Aiguille d'Entreves Traverse.jpg|caption1=Traversing the Aiguilles d'Entrèves (AD 4c) | image2=Giovanni Ongaro San Lorenzo.jpg|caption2=Ice climbing up a couloir on the north face of Monte San Lorenzo Simul-climbing (or using a running-belay) is a climbing technique where a pair of climbers who are attached by a rope simultaneously ascend a multi-pitch climbing route. It contrasts with lead climbing where the leader ascends a given pitch on the route while the second climber remains in a fixed position to belay the leader in case they fall.

Simul-climbing is an advanced and potentially dangerous technique. A fall by either climber is serious, and a 2019 article in Outside said "That's why there's a simple rule of simul-climbing: don't fall." In simul-climbing, the strongest climber goes second. The second climber will also use an assisted braking device as a belay device which will auto-lock in the event of a leader fall.

Simul-climbing is most commonly used by experienced alpinists on very long alpine climbing routes so they can move quickly on terrain that both climbers are very comfortable with, but which is sufficiently exposed to require protection. Examples are long sharp alpine ridges or aretes or easier-angled rock slabs and couloirs (see images). Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell considered their ability to simul-climb grade 5.10 rock climbing routes as critical to their award winning traverse of Cerro Chaltén Group in 2014. Simul-climbing has also been used in setting speed climbing records on big wall climbing routes such as on The Nose on El Capitan. Speed simul-climbers can reduce the climbing time by three quarters by using fewer points of climbing protection (known as "running-out"), and concerns about the danger of the technique. A safer alternative to simul-climbing for steep big wall routes is the technique of short-fixing, where the leader effectively sets up a fixed rope for the second climber to ascend while the leader simultaneously continues up the next pitch using a rope solo climbing technique.

References

References

  1. Oakley, Miranda. (23 December 2022). "Advanced Climbing Techniques: Simul-Climbing and Short-Fixing".
  2. Gangulee, Tico. (September 2018). "Accidents in North American Climbing 2018". [[American Alpine Club]].
  3. Clarke, Owen. (24 September 2024). "Two Italian Climbers Killed Simul-Climbing in the Dolomites".
  4. Schaffer, Grayson. (26 November 2019). "Inside Emily Harrington's Scary Simul-Climbing Fall on El Capitan".
  5. (2016). "The Science of Climbing and Mountaineering". [[Routledge]].
  6. Donoghue, Topher. (December 2016). "Advanced Rock Climbing: Expert Skills and Techniques". [[Mountaineers Books]].
  7. Elison, Julie. (4 July 2022). "Techniques for Alpine Climbing".
  8. Cross, Rich. (7 May 2002). "French style: moving quickly in the Alps".
  9. Bisharat, Andrew. (15 March 2015). "Mountaineering's Top Award Winners Announced—Including Rock Climbers Caldwell, Honnold".
  10. Elison, Julie. (27 September 2018). "The Highs and Lows of El Cap Speed: Are big-wall speed climbers pushing too far?".
  11. Fimrite, Peter. (10 June 2018). "Witness describes death plunge of two Yosemite climbers". [[San Francisco Chronicle]].

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climbing-techniques