Improve Climber Communication with Extended Master Points On Moderate Terrain

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A lot of thing improve with good communication: our relationships at home and at work, interactions at the local store, playing on a team… you name it.

Well, climbing is a team “game,” and a game with pretty high consequences. So, we probably want to do what we can to improve communication.

There is a lot to (and a never ending pursuit of) improved communication. There are elements of psychology, sociology, linguistics, etc. etc. We have to learn to listen and to talk in a way that can more easily be listened to when things are stressful and/or emotional. We need to choose words that bring us into a common circumstance rather than pitting ourselves as against one another. We need to harness empathy and lead with curiosity in order to avoid defensiveness that can shut down a conversation.

But before we can get to any of that, we just have to literally be heard - rather than figuratively, like described above. We can’t start putting in the work of good communication if the sound isn’t carrying to the ear drums.

In a climbing situation, it’s always best of we can both see and hear the person we are communicating with. So much of climbing is complex and situational, that using our eyes as a quick way to observe a situation means we need to use words to only to supplement rather than spend the time giving detailed descriptions that might be misunderstood, anyway.

When we have a climbing route that goes from steep to flat, the curve of the terrain can get in the way of our line of sight as well as deflect the clarity of our voices. So, when a leader needs to set an anchor and that anchor takes the leader out of that line of sight, it could be something we want to address.

When I was a younger climber, I didn’t put much premium on being able to see and hear my partner. I put my faith in rope tugs as communication and climbing with partners who had shared experiences and styles and with whom we had learned to anticipate each other’s climbing practices. We just knew the other one was paused too long to be doing anything other than building an anchor. That assumption was confirmed when we got the three rope tugs, telling us the other was anchored in and off belay.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started carrying radios more frequently and, yes, backing up away from the anchor to improve line of site, too. Yes, it slows the system down because we lose ground that we already covered and because the systems take a bit more time to build. But I’ve found the improved communication makes up the time, plus some, in most cases. All the little pauses wondering if that was a rope tug or just rope drag. All the little moments yelling up at our partner asking them to repeat what they just yelled down to us. These little moments add up over a big climb.

…not to mention the risk of misunderstanding leading to a consequential mistake.

Communication is key in climbing, just like it is in just about ever other corner of our lives. And just like I’ve never regretted working to improve communications in my life, I’ve never regretted pulling away from the anchor so that I can see and hear my partner and best understand exactly what they are facing and what they need from me to keep them safe.