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Long Haired Friends! Carry a Knife!
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Yo yo yo! Today I had the misfortune of getting my hair caught in a belay device. After years of climbing and belaying, I thought this was just something that happened to newbies, but man it happened so quick! You never know when wind might blow some of those luxurious locks into the device. If you've got a zipper in your chalk bag, or can get a knife that you can clip onto the back of your harness, DO IT! Better to get a haircut than a scalping. (Not to mentioned the millions of other useful things a knife can do while climbing) Don't underestimate the importance of a knife friends!!! Love you all, stay safe! |
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I’m bald. In my late teens I had glorious curly blond hair to my shoulders. I lost a decent chunk of it at a climbing gym, that was nearly 30 years ago, I can’t remember the circumstances. I got a haircut after that and nature took over, I haven’t had to worry about hair since. |
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Seconding this. Keep said knife in your pocket at all times! it's impossible in practice for me, but I'll never forget my 127 seconds of being trapped in an atc while my climber was suspended in air in the middle of a cave. |
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Must've been painful! Would it have helped if someone could have transferred the belay onto their device to free up yours, or was it too tangled? Something like 2:40 of this video https://youtu.be/PxnNB68HIB8?si=K2bodmVcfdc5R140
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This is good advice. Also, learning how to quickly unweight your rappel device is another way, and you get to keep your hair! |
Peter Y wrote: So helpful!! Thank you!! |
Mike wrote: Yes! So helpful! Thank you! |
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yesss this is the worst. pony tails or short hair! |
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In the spirit of the holiday season . . . |
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Mine got caught while rappelling a few years ago. Luckily I was able to unweight it, but dang it was super scary!! I definitely to try to keep my braids thrown behind my shoulders at all times now. |
Marc801 C wrote: I've had my ponytail get caught in my belay device before...sometimes this very reasonable and smart precaution doesn't do the trick. |
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Doesn't have to be some fancy blade or some redic multitool. A simple, 2" blade Gerber knife has suited me for many years. Razor sharp, rarely used, lives on a biner on my harness. I always have it. A partner used to use a tiny Swiss Army Knife, but I like the Gerber better.  |
Savannah McCall wrote: I've gotten my pony tail caught a few times. A knife is not the solution--although having one is a very good idea for other reasons. Always having a double-length sling and knowing how to tie a kleimheist so that the device can be unloaded is the way to go. You keep your 'do and avoid the possibility of accidentally slicing something mission-critical like your harness. |
Robert Gregory wrote: That video had me in tears… mostly of laughter, but also thoughts of the trauma that Santa and those shocked little kids lived through that day. I guess they never did an actual full dress rehearsal beforehand. My nut pick has a short knife on it (that won’t open until you take the carabiner out of the hole). Can’t remember the brand. I have used it several times to remove/replace tat. I have short hair so not an issue, but I guess loose clothing can also get caught up in your rap device. Good reminder of yet another thing to look out for… EDIT: I second rgold’s sling solution as the better option if at all possible. |
