SRT near miss

[SouthSoundTree]

Rope walker. Put the sharp teeth below your hitch. Have both hands free. Use an elastic cord for advancing. The HAAS look like its fancy, but a bit bulky.

I have a helmet cam now and will try to get some video sometime of my simple walker. After getting used to it, I never look back. A Wraptor is a huge step forward for some work, but the rope walker system stows in almost no space, and is super light and cheap.

The rope walker won't replace a Wraptor, and vice versa. I can be prone to wrist tendonitis if I work inefficiently.

 

[Bermy]

Whew, glad you are OK!
Something sliding into my hitch is why I decided to go with the knee ascender system.

 

[emr]

This is what makes being an equipment manufacturer so stressful, you cannot begin to imagine all the ways stuff can go awry but get sued when they do. You are so lucky your foot ascender didn't twist off of your rope!!


We can all take what we want from this but one might be don't let your glove get in the cam Not trying to be a dick but this is the cause of the fall so how can we prevent that??

For the record, I would never even think of blaming any one else but me for what happened. I admit that it was my choice of equipment and then my misuse of the equipment that caused this. I would be interested to see if others are using similar setups as I did. If it becomes very common then I bet there will be serious accidents as a result.

Your last comment is spot on. That's what I'm going to work on. I will not be using that particular setup anymore.

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[emr]

Sean, I am looking forward to your rope Walker setup..........

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[kevin bingham]

Thanks for posting. Glad you are okay. I have really been loving the haas and its position below my hitch. It serves almost as a constant backup underneath everything, like a slip knot almost. I highly recommend it or a variation of. I just leave it on my saddle all the time and don't find it too bulky. Sometime I put it on when I just need a foothold somewhere. Is there a way to lock your ascender with a carabiner so you can not in cam it with your thumb? When I do use a frog walker the two handed ascender is my go to and I have not un cammed it with my thumb. Again, thanks for posting.

 

[emr]

There is a hole on top to put a biner to lock the ascender on. I'm not sure if it would have prevented my glove/thumb from catching the cam. It wouldn't have hurt.

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[kevin bingham]

Were you tied into your upper ascender? I leave mine free so I just have a footloop. That way It is independent and I don't worry so much about tangles.

 

[emr]

Just foot loop.

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[Jack]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uy8HwhnHh04" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[MasterBlaster]

Is that you on guitar?

 

[tnh21]

Glad it was only a near miss, redundancy it systems can be good and bad. I tried a hand ascender under my hitch climber pulley once, worked really nice, but don't like the metal on metal. Now the only cam I use is the pantin.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Eric, Jack's video shows the basic concept.

I have a advancing clip-in loop on my HH biner. Tech cord structurally tied, eye and eye. I've been playing with it like a hitch climber pulley for a DdRT termination point.

My 'floating' ascender is a petzl handled ascender that's been cut off, as I had it already. A foot loop with a prussic to adjust to length as needed, Erik is 4 inches taller, and might adjust it, but probably doesn't need to. I have some elastic cord, 3mm maybe that is tied into a loop and has a number of overhand knots tied in it along its length, allowing different holes and length options. I slip my thumb in the top hole, and clip a biner between my tech cord advancing tether and the elastic. My hands are free of any handled ascender, and I can go up naturally, hand over hand, instead of shimmying. Leg propel. A chest box roller would maybe be nice, but unnecessary for me, and would only be used on some longer ascents.

When you are working through branches, you don't have to keep changing from hands on branches to hands on ascender to hands...

Conceivably, you could cut you handled ascender with a sawsall, do a little grinding/ file for smooth edges, and add a footloop and an elastic tender of one form or another, and you're off and running.

 

[emr]

Thanks Sean and Jack. We are inside today again due to the weather and I already have the items to make a floating ascender like you guys use. As much as I want to cut the hand ascender apart, I'm not going to. I will be using a micrograb for the time being. My partner (Nate) is making one out of an extra foot ascender that we have. If we like them, we will get a Basic or similar ascender.

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[SouthSoundTree]

You should be able to experiment with the handled one if you desire.

One place where the handled ascender works for me easily, is if I hang a pulley on it and set a 3:1 before descending where I will later retrace, like end weight reduction on a conifer (I've been finding its easier with obstacles below to descend out the tips and work my way back up sometimes). A hitch cord works to hold the prussic as well, though. I don't remember using my handled ascenders since the rope walker set-up.

Hope it works well for you.

Do you have the details enough to make the HH advance automatically (via elastic cord)?


All my climbing gear is out in the work truck at a bid, but I"ll try to grab it if Erik comes by.

 

[emr]

I played around today and made one out of my Microsender. I'll take a pic tomorrow and post it here.

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[emr]

This is what I came up with for now. Foot goes in the green loop and the bungee clips to the ring on my bridge. I doubled up on the bungee and covered it with some Blaze sheath.

I haven't field tested it yet but it seems to work inside.



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[Joezilla11]

Is the foot loop long enough to keep the ascender out of the way of the pantin on the other foot?

 

[emr]

Your probably right. I was testing it out with a longer sling and switched to this one for some unknown reason. Ill have to switch back.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Rather than a 6000# sling, I just use a length of utility cord attached to the body of the ascender (after cutting the handle, I drilled a little hole at the bottom for the cord). I run it down and form a loop with a prussic, so that I can adjust the length for different climbers, or you could cinch it down around your boot somewhat/ enough to keep it from falling off accidentally, but loose enough to slip into and out of, with a little finagling.

If you have some more elastic, you can make a neck loop for pulling up your HH.

 

[emr]

I actually don't have the HH. I'm wrenching right now. I do have an over the shoulder tether to advance the RW but it's made out of webbing. Is bungee material better?

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[SouthSoundTree]

Way better.

I will sometimes use my rope lanyard as a second climbing system and want it for use while ascending (rarely).

The bungee has stretch, so it will stay tight without being too tight or too slack, if adjusted properly. The lanyard is a bit tougher.

You can simply have an elastic loop from your hand to the bridge biner, too.

Are you using a stiff tether on your RWrench? I just taped a stick to the tech cord. Works fine.

 

[emr]

Yeah I have the stiff tether that came with it from tree stuff. I'm thinking of getting a Whipple one instead. I like using the HC instead of the Pinto type and I think the Whipple would fit better with the HC.

I think I may try a bungee tether... But i do like my webbing one. I like how it helps keep me more upright during longer ascents.
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[SouthSoundTree]

Stiff tethers make a big difference. Such a simple idea, too. Cool how it works out.


I failed to get my gear from the truck when it was here last night. Moonshine and chess, and my other buddy throwing up in the front yard...good times. hahaha.

 

[emr]

Moonshine, chess, and vomit.... Is that a normal end to a work day for you? If so, can I come work for you too?

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[flushcut]

Sounds like a good time.