When wind hits the side of a mountain or cliff, it usually has nowhere to go but up. In meteorology this is called orographic lift, and in some cases it can create cloud formations on the windward side of mountains called orographic clouds. In gliding this same effect is called ‘ridge lift‘ and was one of the first forms of lift used by glider pilots. It can be used to gain altitude in addition to several other types of lift.
This phenomenon usually have much impact on climbers outside of creating a rather windy day on the side of a wall. However these climbers found it a bit more difficult to descend when the lift was strong enough to force their ropes into defying gravity and flying upward rather than dropping below.
This was undoubtedly a funny moment but you’d have to imagine that the task of untangling the rope afterwards was quite the nightmare, especially given that they’re on the side of a mountain.
