Friction Hitches and the Affect on Nylon/Dyneema

After cleaning a trad route while rappelling on a slippery new, skinny rope I decided it was time to actually start using a friction hitch while rappelling. And, a question came to mind that hadn't occurred to me before.

What does everyone think about the affect a friction hitch has on the sling you're using? Would you trust that sling to hold a lead fall after you've used it for the hitch?

When I use a rappell back-up (which isn't often) I use one of two the permanently tied 6mm nylon prussik loops I always have on my harness. In the past I've used nylon slings. I doubt it weakened them any, but it fuzzed them up real bad and made them look horrible. I wouldn't use Dynemma unless I had to, mostly because they are expensive & I'd hate to wear them out like that.

You are gonna dye!

mammut alpine smart ;)

i usually carry a few nylon slings in addition to dyneema ...

My $0.02: Dyneema has a lower melting point, it is best not to use it for intentional friction. Use nylon and designate it only for that duty.

It'll work if you had to do it, but overall I'd go with nylon. Like Leo said the low melting point; also it's not as resilient and will break down quicker with knotting. I think Malcolm had good rule of thumb, if you're using dyneema for a repeated purpose, plan to replace it regularly for the next season.

Buy yourself a VT prussic:

bluewaterropes.com/home/pro…

Made of technora so it won't melt. In a pinch, you can use it to rappel down a loaded rope.

Robert Cort wrote:Buy yourself a VT prussic: bluewaterropes.com/home/pro… Made of technora so it won't melt. In a pinch, you can use it to rappel down a loaded rope.

$17 ? - less than $1 worth of 5-6mm acc. cord is all that's needed.

I got into a minor jam once and had to use a dyneema sling. I threw it out afterward. Now I carry a small piece of cord like everybody else up thread mentioned. Seems to be a popular consensus.

From the instructor at the AAC Best Practices Rappelling Clinic:

Once you use a sling as a friction hitch, that sling is only a friction hitch. It doesn't go back on the rack.

EvanH wrote:From the instructor at the AAC Best Practices Rappelling Clinic: Once you use a sling as a friction hitch, that sling is only a friction hitch. It doesn't go back on the rack.

Honest question: Was that his personal opinion or official stance from AAC?

Here's a photo from the FREE AAC Rappelling Best Practices Clinic Facebook page I found
Photo from AAC best practices page

AAC Facebook page

Crag Dweller wrote:After cleaning a trad route while rappelling on a slippery new, skinny rope I decided it was time to actually start using a friction hitch while rappelling.

Don't worry about a friction hitch. If you need to add some extra friction to your rappel setup, add a few 'biners between the rope and device. It's a quick and easy fix that doesn't require an extra piece of gear.

bearbreeder wrote:mammut alpine smart ;) i usually carry a few nylon slings in addition to dyneema ...

Good input, everyone, thanks. It, unfortunately, confirms what I assumed to be the case. I hadn't planned to use the sling for anything other than a friction hitch anyway, though.

And, while it's a trending topic, thanks for the reminder bearbreeder. I've actually had an alpine smart sitting in the gear bin but, because I bought it when I was climbing sport on a 9.8mm rope, I hadn't even thought of using it now that I'm climbing on a 9.5. Finally, I get to use this thing!

wivanoff wrote: Honest question: Was that his personal opinion or official stance from AAC?

I assume it's a personal opinion. Dyneema doesn't handle heat well which is probably why that instructor said it.

Instead of the dedicated cord, cordalette, Daisies etc.. that most people carry I have gone back to carrying two or three shoulder length knotted 1/2" or 1" nylon slings.
Those slings live on my harness all the time.
The main reason I use old school knotted slings is that they are often sacrificed to replace tat and revamp rap stations (last year I went through 80' of webbing and removed closer to 200'of tat.)
Nylon tape is also perfect for friction hitches, and super cheap to replace.

logan johnson wrote:Instead of the dedicated cord, cordalette, Daisies etc.. that most people carry I have gone back to carrying two or three shoulder length knotted 1/2" or 1" nylon slings. Those slings live on my harness all the time. The main reason I use old school knotted slings is that they are often sacrificed to replace tat and revamp rap stations (last year I went through 80' of webbing and removed closer to 200'of tat.) Nylon tape is also perfect for friction hitches, and super cheap to replace.

Yeah I do this too, EXCEPT for the prussik loops. Mainly because I just carry them on my harness coiled on the webbing that goes from the leg loop to the tie-in. Takes no space & they never get in the way. But yes; I find the home-made double length slings much more useful than a bunch of extra cord (say like a cordalette). I usually carry them over the shoulder with one 'biner. they lay flat, are easy to access, and serve double duty as runners.