In sport climbing, a rodeo clip is a flashy, advanced technique used to clip your rope into a quickdraw that is already hanging on the wall, but is out of reach—usually above you or out to the side on an overhang.
Instead of climbing up to the draw and clipping manually, you use a circular, whip-like motion to “throw” a loop of rope so that it hooks into the bottom carabiner.
How It Works
The move looks a bit like a cowboy throwing a lasso (hence the name). Here is the general breakdown:
- The Setup: You are usually at a stable rest or a good hold, but the next quickdraw is just out of reach, often at the start of a steep roof or a “blank” section of rock.
- The Slack: You pull up a significant amount of slack from your tie-in knot.
- The Swing: You hold the rope a few feet down and swing it in a wide vertical or diagonal circle to build momentum.
- The Catch: At the peak of the arc, you flick the rope so the loop travels upward and falls into the open gate of the bottom carabiner.
Why Do Climbers Use It?
While it looks cool for social media, it actually has functional benefits:
- Reach Issues: If a bolt was placed by a taller climber and you can’t reach it from the intended holds.
- Safety/Energy: On extremely overhanging routes, reaching up to clip can be exhausting or put you in a position where a fall would be “swingy” and dangerous. Clipping from below “shortens” the potential fall.
- Skipping Cruxes: Occasionally, a rodeo clip allows a climber to protect a difficult move before they even start it.
Important Considerations
- It’s Difficult: It takes a lot of practice to get the timing and “flick” of the wrist right. Missing the clip repeatedly can waste more energy than just climbing through.
- Back-Clipping Risk: Because the rope is flying through the air, there is a higher chance the rope will settle into the carabiner backward (the rope coming from you should be on the outside, away from the wall). You must check this once you climb up to the draw.
- Etiquette: In some gyms, rodeo clipping is discouraged or banned because it can be hard on the ropes or distracting to other climbers. In the outdoors, it’s fair game!
Pro Tip: If you’re trying to learn this, practice on the ground first by hanging a quickdraw from a low pull-up bar. It’s all about the “snap” at the end of the swing!