Learn how to climb your mast solo or short handed and head aloft with confidence with this step by step expert guide from Pro Skipper and Tech Ed Fox Morgan

If you’re here because you want to know how to climb a mast, then you are in the right place! The technique demonstrated in the following guide is tried and tested and used by the majority of professional sailors and expert Corinthian sailors too. This is for people climbing a mast where the halyard runs internally and passes out of the mast at the mast head via a mast head sheave or block. This technique is not intended for those climbing a wooden mast or where the halyard is mounted externally and passes via an external block. If you are unsure of any aspect of safety when doing any kind of work at height, please consult a local rigger.

It can feel quite lonely up a mast with no-one to spot you from below. But it’s also a really nice feeling to be able to get the job done.

Remember to keep sliding your prusik line up as you progress. This is your backup if the main line fails.

Ascend at your own pace.

You will swing about a bit. You can use your spare non-footloop leg to help grip the mast and steady you from swinging about too much. A couple of quick draws can be handy for holding you in place while you stop to work.

Beware of the need to leave a small gap above the ascender to allow it to be released from the line. So don’t go hauling it upwards slamming it into the underside of your masthead overhang. You’ve been warned!

When ready to descend, double check all of your lines and carabiners.

REMEMBER to slide your prusik line down as you go!

Take it slowly and control your descent carefully. There’s a lot to get snagged on as you go back down the mast.

Use your legs to grip the mast if the boat is moving around a lot.

You have a few options.

Use two lines, one per winch and you have a lead wincher for the main number one line and a second line tailer, taking up the slack on the safety line.

If you have enough crew, have someone as a designated spotter to relay messages to the prime wincher.

Spot the little faces looking upwards from the cockpit area. Your crew mates will seem quite far away when you are high up in the rigging. Make sure you have adequate communication in place for safety.

The bigger the boat, the more important comms devices become. Pace out the length of your mast on land, let’s say that’s 25m or 85 feet away away, now face sideways and try talking to someone at that distance. Rig up your phones or vhf radio on hand free use. Make sure comms devices are secured and can’t fall.

Don’t forget to use your own judgement when following our advice, or use a professional. Here’s our full disclaimer. 

This is the harness I used in the video for how to climb a mast. It is designed for women. I’ve used it for about 8 years and it’s still in great condition. I bought the large size to fit over my foulies or larger clothes, but it is a little big when wearing just light form fitting clothes. Ideally I would get a smaller sized harness for that purpose. DMM make these for men too.

Buy DMM  Women’s Vixen Harness

This is the ascender I use on my own climbing gear and can be seen in my demonstration on how to climb a mast. I use a left handed version because I am right hand dominant and it’s easier for me to slide the ascender up with my left hand while pulling up on the lazy line with my right hand.

Buy Petzl Ascension left handed from GoOutdoors.co.uk

Buy Petzl Ascension left or right from AlpineTrek.co.uk

Buy Petzl Ascension from Amazon.com

This belay device can be used with all single ropes (optimised for 8.9 to 10.5 mm diameter ropes) and is equipped with an assisted breaking function. Suitable for beginner mast climbers to expert riggers. Feed your line in the GriGri, close it, add your carabiner to hold it closed and attach to your harness and you’re good to go.

Buy GriGriplus from Amazon.com

For belaying and rappelling. It is designed for use with both single and double ropes.

I use two of these in my solo mast climb gear. One is used from the bottom of the ascender to hold the footloop and personal lanyard and the other is used on the top of the ascender to work as a reduction turning point for the belay lazy line.

You need to be careful which way around your position this on your ascender to avoid your lazy line accidentally unscrewing it as you pull it through.

Buy Grivel K4n Carabiner from Trek Inn

Designed specifically for belaying, the GridLock isolates the belay loop behind its uniquely shaped gate, thereby keeping the carabiner in its proper orientation.

I use two of these carabiners, both from my harness. The anti-crossloading design is reassuring as the repeated loading and unloading of both the belay and ascender has a tendency to make standard carabiners rotate and there’s a high risk of crossloading when solo rappelling. They can be fiddly to get on and off but they add real peace of mind knowing how hard it is for these to cross load so you can just get on with climbing and dangling about up your mast.

Buy Black Diamond Gridlock from GoOutdoors.co.uk

For regular users of pulleys or GriGri like belay devices.

I use this carabiner on my prusik line. The horn stops the hitched on line sliding around the carabiner as it is repeatedly adjusted. The sprung loaded rotating gate release can be a bit of a fiddle to open but the advantage is that it can’t be accidentally unscrewed like the screw gate carabiners can.

Dyneema has several advantages over traditional nylon webbing – it’s incredibly light and strong, less susceptible to UV degradation and is more abrasion resistant. I use this sling as my personal lanyard between harness carabiner and the ascender. You need to find a sling that can be adjusted to your own personal reach length. I double this one over to give me the correct length.

Buy DMM Dyneema sling from GOOutdoors.co.uk

A basic Nylon loop, ideal for use on a multitude of climbing uses, I personally use this as my footloop. I have two of them. They are cow-hitched onto the bottom of my ascender, one is tucked away and the other used for climbing. When I reach working height I use the second loop to stand up with both feet or to wrap one around the mast. It’s very handy to have two of these.

Buy Beal Nylon Sling from GoOutdoors.co.uk

Further reading on mast climbing methods and equipment

How to climb a mast safely at sea – masterclass with Pip Hare

Mast Climbing for short handed crews

7 mast climbing kits on test

What happens when you dismast in the antarctic

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