How to Tie Rope Coils for Scrambling

There are several ways to set up coils – soft lock or hard lock and high or low.

Soft locked coils are easier/faster to adjust for length, but there is serious risk of the coils tightening under load – this can be uncomfortable at best, but has also been known to impede breathing. Thus it is recommended to always use hard locked coils

When short roping on glaciers high coils (sternum level) should be used as this high anchor point will help keep you upright if you fall into a crevasse, but in a scrambling situation low coils are best as it is easier to hold falls with the anchor point tied off low close to your waist.

The following images will hopefully show you how to tie coils correctly for scrambling i.e. the coils are tied off with a hard lock and the coils are tied off quite low.

It should be stressed that knowing how to arrange coils is only the start... learning how to use coils when moving together, short roping and pitching is a complex affair that needs a lot of practice.