Still getting up there :)

I went ahead and got them out....here's what I use now...I use a locking biner (usually a Jake) in the smaller web loop.

friction savers.jpg friction savers.jpg
 
Flat FS with prussik...been using it for years at the top of coconut palms...
 
That is what I mostly use as well.
Thanks for the tip with the pear shaped carabiner, Burnham.
I never thought of that.
 
All you mutinous scalliwags deserve gettin yur silly rings stuck aloft!

Donkey tubes indeed.......

Makes yu sound like Butch makin fun of my contraptions!

Jomo
 
Did you have a dead rat and a piece of string to swing it from ready, so you could Tom Sawyer me into doing that tree for you?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #60
That is what I mostly use as well.
Thanks for the tip with the pear shaped carabiner, Burnham.
I never thought of that.

In point of fact, it's no secret...I've posted about that method of mine in the past. Some pics here...

 
Gary shows his with a single prusik wrap...mine uses a double, a more normal configuration for a prusik. I won't call his wrong...but I wouldn't do it that way myself :).
Buckingham FSs come with multiple wraps as a prussic, not as a girth-hitch. I wouldn't use it that way.
 
One mod I made to mine is to place an autolock pear shaped carabiner in the big ring and run my descent rope through that. In the normal configuration, it isn't uncommon for the ring to lay hard against the bole, under descent pressure, which can make it hard to clear your end knot or ball. The addition on the biner forces that link to lay more open, and greatly eases retrieval.

This!
 
Buckingham FSs come with multiple wraps as a prussic, not as a girth-hitch. I wouldn't use it that way.
I don't use it that way...I use it with a prussic. I agree. I had that girth hitched then because I was simply keeping all the parts together at the time....I had "decommissioned" the large one due to a ring recall extant at the time.
 
I love that trick with the pear, but i used a mallion instead for side/ unknown loading. My problem then became since i was too cheap/ stubborn for a retrieval ball, my knot had to be up from the splice, and the splice wouldn't come through sometimes. So once i replaced my climbline (errant spur damage), no more splice
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #67
Kyle, I never bought one of the retrieval balls either. I bought tarp bungees...same ball. Then replaced the bungee cord with throw line. Cheap. Just make sure the size is correct. Gave quite a few away to my climbing buddies and students. Good karma right there :).

 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #69
The smoothest arrangement for clean and easy pull through the big ring and solid hang and retrieve in the small ring is a spliced eye with a retrieval ball girth hitched in that eye. Everything else is lessor at getting the job done.

Kyle...side note...lose the figure 8, use a simple overhand knot for that function. Smaller, smoother, yet still big enough to do the job. But still not as efficient at pulling through a big end FS ring compared to a retrieval ball :).

And I have to tell you Pantheraba/Gary, old friend. The only way you were leaving your FS aloft after pulling your climb line through both rings is that you mixed up the big ring, your Jake biner, and the small ring. I know without being there that you ran your descent rope through the big ring and the jake rather than through either one or the other and then the small ring.

That's because I've done it too, my good friend. It's easy to do. Pull your climb line from the wrong side even if you rigged it right aloft and you have completely screwed the pooch yet again. I have made other rigging mistakes that resulted with similar hangups, so don't feel rained on :).

But it is not the fault of the FS...it's our operator error, almost every time.
 
Last edited:
Kyle, I never bought one of the retrieval balls either. I bought tarp bungees...same ball. Then replaced the bungee cord with throw line. Cheap. Just make sure the size is correct. Gave quite a few away to my climbing buddies and students. Good karma right there :).

I'm also a fan of the tarp bungee balls... even if a Guinness draught can ball, works as well. The tarp ball (red one) has a diameter of 27mm and the 'Guinness' (white), 30mm.
 

Attachments

  • 001.JPG
    001.JPG
    1.1 MB · Views: 6
  • 004.JPG
    004.JPG
    1.7 MB · Views: 6
The smoothest arrangement for clean and easy pull through the big ring and solid hang and retrieve in the small ring is a spliced eye with a retrieval ball girth hitched in that eye. Everything else is lessor at getting the job done.

Kyle...side note...loose the figure 8, use a simple overhand knot for that function. Smaller, smoother, yet still big enough to do the job. But still not as efficient at pulling through a big end FS ring compared to a retrieval ball :).

And I have to tell you Pantheraba/Gary, old friend. The only way you were leaving your FS aloft after pulling your climb line through both rings is that you mixed up the big ring, your Jake biner, and the small ring. I know without being there that you ran your descent rope through the big ring and the jake rather than through either one or the other and then the small ring.

That's because I've done it too, my good friend. It's easy to do. Pull your climb line from the wrong side even if you rigged it right aloft and you have completely screwed the pooch yet again. I have made other rigging mistakes that resulted with similar hangups, so don't feel rained on :).

But it is not the fault of the FS...it's our operator error, almost every time.

It only ever used to happen on a Friday afternoon. After a long week having to climb back up to retrieve the incorrectly installed FS is the last thing you want.

I haven’t had anymore of those Friday afternoon since I went full time SRT. I have had similar Friday afternoon but for different reasons.

Again, usually down to user error, ie my error! 🤪
 
Back
Top