Back Cleaning

[lukelovesclimbin]

i feel like a 2 year old that can't walk or talk. whats back cleaning your cam?
Climb on
Luke

[mathieu]

If you climb a splitter crack that is the size of a number 2 camelot and you only have 3 cams and the pitch is 100ft tall, you either

a) run it out
b) back clean your cams as you go up (place one and reach down and remove the one at your feet)

usually done in aid climbing

[Matt Peck]

Or, you can look way cool from a distance by plugging in a cam and walking it along with you after every move, this way you look like you are running it out, but really you are just a sketchy poser. Just say that you have a wicked case of the crabs and have to itch after every move, thus concealing your trickery.
This is wicked unsafe as you have to jeapordize your one good placement in order to move it up. Screw it up and you'll probbly not live to tell about it.

[Shawn B]

Just to clarify a bit. I believe your question probably stems from Brent's comments about Return to Forever in Acadia. Occasionally, a climber will be faced with a move they don't feel comfortable doing unprotected...beit runout, ledge fall potential, etc. However, if they place a piece of gear to protect that move it will cause greater grief higher up on the climb in the form of rope drag. Thus, you place the piece, clip the rope obviously and make the move with the security of a piece right in front of you. Now that the move is over and either climbing gets easier or you place another piece of gear that won't cause you grief later, you reach back and take that piece of gear out.

[climberwannabe]

I thought this was a thread about shaving your back....