So I am prepping for the summer and getting my big wall gear together, and have a new addition of a portaledge to my gear pile. I have hauled on a wall before, mostly a small pig on an overhead system using body weight to hoist it, but never a ledge. Does anyone have any tips on carrying up an open(deployed) ledge? or any don't do's?
I have not but hauling a open ledge sounds like a bad idea unless the wall is significantly overhanging. I think you clip it in like a flag above your haulbag. others with actual experience should chime in here and tell me I'm horribly wrong.
Girth hitch and duct tape a tieoff on the right and left of one of the long poles and clip it on like a flag so it will act like a weather vain in the wind. If you have a soda bottle on top of the knot it makes a nice swivel for the lower biner. Only do this on steep terrain if you want your ledge to last more than one wall (but, if you're on slabby/ledgy terrain you probably don't need to belay form the 'ledge). Whatever you do don't clip it into the bottom of the pig from the suspension point. The party above us on the Zodiac did this - their whole load was blowing in 100' circles when the wind caught the ledge. I thought for sure they were going to loose their load and kill us in the process. Thankfully they made record time getting their bags to the belay!
Russ Walling wrote: So instead of watching the Dodger game with a margarita, I'm futzing around with his smelly ass ledge! hope you are well man! cheers!