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Seen this one before?

Original Post
Derek W · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 20

I was cruising YouTube today, my favorite place for learning..., and I found this. I've never seen such a setup and it looks pretty sketchy to me. Has anybody seen this before? More importantly, has anybody USED it? To get my gear back I choose the 1/3 rope rapp. One end tied to one side of my v-thread down to the next anchor/ground back up and through my v-thread and then back down with the other end. Rapp on the 2 strands thru the v-thread and then pull the other one to get everything back. Will this method allow you to use a full 1/2 rope length? Oh, and NOT die while doing it...

Check it out. Let me know what you think.
youtube.com/watch?v=ML9-9Pb…

Cheers

Brett Brotherton · · Arvada, CO · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 121

Looks like this method would allow you to rappel half the lenght of the rope (minus a few feet for the knot). Looks rather complicated and too much room for error to save $5 worth of webbing. Maybe it is safe, seems easy to screw up and too big a risk for $5 to me.

I know there is a similar concept used in canyoneering where you tie a releasable knot and use a very thin line to release it. That way you can rappel the full rope length with one rope and a light 5 or 6 mm line to release it.

Jon Cheifitz · · Superior/Lafayette, Co · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 90

I like that he seems very unsure of what he is doing at first. I also like that he throws the rope then calls rope and to top it all off at the end when he pulls the webbing it seems like it gets stuck in some of the branches of the tree, so go ahead keep pulling till they break I guess.

I sure wouldn't use it. As yes, webbing is cheap.

Derek W · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 20

Looks like I'm not alone. I looked at a few more of this guys videos and he keeps talking about what you'd do with your clients. I'm not sure if he's AMGA certified or what. Anyway, he shows this method in another video and does mention tying a thin tag line to pull that knot. Might be fun to practice low to the ground and put in the tool box in case you have to go multiple pitches and only have enough webbing to tie one anchor with, but I think I'll stick to ditching $5 webbing/anchor for now...

Rick Blair · · Denver · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 266

Leaving your friend stuck on a ledge with a video camera but without a rope.... that's not cool! I wonder how he got the camera down or did he just have his friend throw down the memory card?

Note to self, hold on to video evidence until I am safely on the ground.

logan johnson · · West Copper, Co · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 315

Sketch! Just leave your gear behind, cheap insurance.

Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

It probably works fine, but how much does it cut away the safety factor?

You basically rely on an open-ended system using stacked strands for friction -- like not dressing & setting a bowline or the flat overhand for that matter. These knots work, but only if you do them just right will they maintain (but then you could really say that about any knot anyway; so goodnight & goodluck).

James Beissel · · Boulder, CO · Joined Aug 2004 · Points: 905

He could have just draped the rope over the horn and skipped all of the BS with the sling and trick knot.

Mark Roth · · Boulder · Joined Jan 2008 · Points: 14,062

Looks like the rope would have pulled fine if he just threaded it instead of slings.

Dan Young · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 5

this may be a dumb question, I am not the most skilled anchor man (not from the movie, the other kind), but why wouldn't this guy just run the rope through the rock, rap off both sides and pull the rope, it seems safer to me, but I don't claim to know a lot.

Edit: I wrote this without seeing James post

Tyson Anderson · · SLC, UT · Joined May 2007 · Points: 126

Looks like it's one step up from tying a sheepshank and cutting the middle strand.

Derek W · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 20
Dan Young wrote:why wouldn't this guy just run the rope through the rock, rap off both sides and pull the rope, it seems safer to me,
oh you know. You use the webbing because maybe there's a sharp edge on the back side of the rock, you don't want that edge to cut your nice climbing rope...... yeah, that's it.

The time I've used the system I mentioned in the OP was when I rapped off a sport climb with no hangers on the bolts. I didn't really NEED to, but its fun to know trivial systems sometimes.
Cowboy · · Osan AB, Korea · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 5

Rope directly through webbing...yeah that's a good idea... :rolly eyes:

I've repelled without leaving the sling behind, it's not that hard. Arborists do it all the time, and it translates just fine to rock as long as you pay attention to where your ring bends/water knots are. Keep in mind you should have a rap ring so it's not rope on webbing; or leave behind 'biner, just in case it gets hung up and ends up as someone's booty...you get the idea.

Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145
Tyson Anderson wrote:Looks like it's one step up from tying a sheepshank and cutting the middle strand.
Looks more to me like Mules as we do the load releasable Munter-Mule; it looks like this stacks three of them.

The goal here is to be able to take the rap rig with you and you only have the ability to rap on one strand. For whatever reason, he is committed in the backcountry on his own & doesn't have a tag; as more than likely, because if you were with a group on a multi-day outing, why not just carry a set of doubles/twins, or a smaller diam single & tag?

Something about being exposed off the deck & really out there as far as a commitment grade, then trusting the descent on an open-ended system, if you don't do it right, is it really worth the possibility of mis-rigging this not to just carry the tagline anyway?

I don't really have a problem with rapping off webbing or cord, it's done all the time and can be inspected and easily replaced; it's not the same as top-roping directly off the stuff, unless of course you were planning on making it to a morning talk show.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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