Adventure Climbing on the Brac
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Adventure (Serious) Sport Climbing at the Point!
Climbing at the Point and Edd's Place can turn into a serious situation should something go wrong. Always remember that unless there are some other climbers around, no one else on the island can rescue you but you! Also, the rappels present some unusual problems since many of them overhang and you will be rappelling on a single rope. I suggest you use the following time-tested procedures.
First of all, evaluate the surf conditions before rappelling. Be sure your targeted belay stance isn't being hit by big waves or wind-driven spray. If the belay looks wet, you might choose another route or a different area for the day.
Anchor one end of your rappel rope to a tree or thread on the top of the bluff. Tie a figure-8 on a bight with just enough slack to reach the bolt anchor that's over the edge of the cliff. Protect this section of rope from any sharp rock with a piece of garden hose or other padding. Use a locking biner on your harness to clip into this knot and you'll be protected while you down-climb to the anchor. Keep the rope in a coil for now.
Down climb to the anchor and clip a quickdraw into each bolt. Now clip directly to the bottom biners using two runners girth-hitched to your harness and unclip from the safety knot. You can now hang from the runners. Leaving about 10' of slack between knots, tie another 8-on-a-bight and clip this into the two quickdraws. Clip the free end of the rappel rope to the back of your harness to keep it out of the sea. Now you can toss the rope and get on rappel in the normal way.
The long runners should give you enough slack to pull-up and weight the rappel rope before unclipping. They are also used to clip into the bottom anchor bolts, and the top anchor bolts after you lead the route.
Depending on your rap device, you may want to add friction to the system. Add a biner for ATC-like devices. While you're rappelling, your partner can pull up the safety knot, clip in, and downclimb to the anchor.
Usually the first person to rappel takes the quickdraws and the second person carries the lead rope in a bag. A bucket-type rope bag is best. As the first person descends, they clip the rap line into enough of the bolts in order to stay close to the cliff. If they don't they may find themselves hanging 15' from the wall and 30' above the water! Recently, this happened to the first person down and it took 4 stressful hours to rescue him.
When the first person gets to the belay anchors, they clip into the bolts and tie-in the rap line securely! The second person unclips the rap rope from the draws as they descend and often ends up hanging over the sea. The first person then pulls them into the belay.
NEVER use a long (e.g. 70m) rope, do a double-rope rappel and pull it down to use for leading. Having a fixed rope is essential for self-rescue (prussik, Tibloc, Ropeman) if for any reason you should not be able to climb the route. There are rappel ropes you can use in the shed at Bluff View, so you only need bring a lead rope.
After the leader reaches the top of the climb, they should belay from the bolts below the rim to avoid running the lead rope over any sharp edges. Due to the surf and wind it's sometimes difficult to hear each other. In this case the leader can pull up the rap rope to signal Off Belay. Afterwards, I use 3-tugs for On Belay and a 2-tug response for Climbing.
One of the most common mistakes is to rappel all the way down and then discover that you left the lead rope at the top of the cliff!
To combat this, we've developed the "one-two-three" check before starting the rappel:
- Am I safe? Check your safety line, runners, rap setup, anchors and harness.
- Am I taking everything I want? Such as the lead rope, draws, ascenders, camera and chalk bag.
- Am I leaving everything I don't want? Such as sunglasses and hat (you're rapping into the shade). Leave your hat & glasses within reach of the anchor bolts.
To get first-hand account of what it's like for a first-timer, see All Overhanging, All the Time
Bolt Warning - IMPORTANT!
As you probably know, the original stainless steel bolts corroded in the harsh marine environment of the Brac. See Corroding Confidence. At least two people ignored the warnings, and while they both narrowly escaped death, one was seriously injured when a bolt broke. DO NOT trust any stainless steel bolts you encounter on the island. I'M NOT KIDDING!
Titanium glue-in Tortuga bolts were specifically developed for marine environments and should provide safe climbing for centuries to come. Currently there are 46 rebolted routes of every grade at 7 different climbing areas. For clarity, many of the routes that were not rebolted are not included in the climbing guide.
- A Ti in the route description means this route has Titanium Tortuga bolts.
- A C in the route description means the old bolts have been Cleaned from the route.
- A T in the route description indicates the route area has been Tagged with a yellow marker at the top of the cliff to help orient climbers at the Point climbing areas. These are often tucked into pockets or depressions to keep them out of the elements. Nevertheless, each year a few tags deteriorate and disappear. I replace them regularly, but I apologize if one is missing. I tie them on with white clothesline, which never blows away.
Brown Boobie Birds
The Brown Boobie is a rare, protected species that climbers must be considerate of. They nest on top of the Bluff and on ledges alone or in small groups. If you find a nest (a sitting adult, eggs or fledgling) please don't get too close.
GEAR
There is no climbing shop on the island, so bring everything you need. You'll need two ropes to climb at the Point but rap ropes are available in the shed at Bluff View. The longest route requires 19 quickdraws. Six to eight shoulder-length slings with biners will be useful, always take some with you at the Point.
Ascending devices (prussik, Tibloc, Ropeman) should be carried by the leader on all routes at the Point. If for any reason you cannot climb the route, clip the ascenders onto the rap rope hanging nearby, and get yourself outta there!
When you get home, wash all your gear (rope, harness, quickdraws, Gri-gri, etc.) in fresh water to get the salt off. See Corroding Confidence
RETREAT
If you must retreat from a climb, over land of course, do not leave anything on the bolts! Steel "quick-links" rust shut in a week, requiring a hacksaw to remove them. Carabiners over the sea last a few weeks before the gates can't be opened due to corrosion.
All Tortuga bolts can be directly threaded with the rope, so you can lower off without leaving anything. Using a little imagination, you can easily thread two sequential bolts in the middle of a route for redundancy, without going off belay.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
For the approaches to the Point, Edd's Place and Wave Wall I strongly recommend sturdy hiking boots that cover your ankles and a pair of leather gloves to protect your hands. Don't be dismayed by the sharp quality of the rock on the top of the bluff, once over the edge you'll find much friendlier rock. A foam pad to sit on to change shoes, have a bite to eat, admire the sunset, etc. is an essential luxury.
Always climb in the shade! You will be burned, miserable and drenched in sweat if you don't. Wear sunscreen and a hat for the approaches! I've seen many miserable climbers who got toasted the first day out.
At the Point, where rappelling is the means to access the routes, the bolt count is designated as: 2/10/2, meaning there is a 2 bolt belay at the bottom, 10 bolts on the route and 2 bolts at the top. In general, it's best to climb directly over the bolts.
Routes are listed in the order you approach them. Routes requiring rappel access are referenced (right to left) while looking towards the ocean; routes approached from the ground are referenced while looking at the rock.
I've used a four-star rating system to give visiting climbers a rough idea of a route's quality. As always, take difficulty ratings with a grain of sea-salt. On one day conditions will be crisp and a route will feel easy at its given grade; another day, after receiving sea-spray, the route may feel "smarmy" and hard.
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