So I received this picture courtesy of Rob Wilson from V12 outdoors, it was the last photo for my book, and saved me taking a staged picture. The climber is Blair Fyffe, I don’t know the route, it got me thinking, as my editor when I mentioned ‘clip sticks’ considered it cheating! I had to explain that it is a tactic for easy red-pointing! So I offer a couple of ‘alternative’ tactics for climbing harder.
Now as for cheating my favourite technique which I shall no doubt use to great effect in the states is when climbing a jamming crack, place a runner above your head and clip it, where the rope runs down to the belayer use your foot and foot lock the crack, locking the rope against the side of the crack. Lean back and take a sneaky rest, that not even your belayer will be aware of!
On another occasion I turned up at a crag and saw a friend working an E7 on a shunt. His look of disappointment said it all, as did his words, ‘Well you’ve totally blown my on sight now!’. It is of course the lowest form of cheating as blatant lying, although it does show a modicum of creativity and the devious nature of my friends.
Anyway I don’t know any other methods for cheating, honest.