Welcome, guest [login | register]

Posted by Dave on April 10, 2008 at 11:13:08 am EDT
In reply to ascending a rope efficiently with minimal equipment posted by Paul L on April 10, 2008 at 10:39:21 am EDT

Hi Paul, welcome to Trailspace.

It sounds like you've already discovered the "least equipment" option. Short of buying (and carrying) ascenders there are a couple different things you could try (in order of less to more gear):

- Attach your waist and foot loops to the rope with Klemheist knots instead of Prusik knots. The Klemheist is a bit easier to move up the rope than the Prusik.

- Add a couple carabiners to your setup and use either Bachmann or Klemheist knots to attach your cord and biners to the rope. The biners act as handles. (Freedom of the Hills has a good explanation and diagrams of all these knots)

- Short of full Jumar-style ascenders, there are a few lightweight mini-ascenders on the market, such as the Petzl Tibloc. The Tiblocs are light and easy to rig, but can be rather rough on your rope and are really meant for emergency use.

Also, whatever knot/ascender system you choose, you'll want to experiment with the lengths of your waist and foot loops -- it definitely takes a little trial-and-error to find the most personally efficient and comfortable combination.

Replies

View: flat | threaded

There have been no replies

Post a Reply

Before replying, please read the complete thread.