Beal Escaper- any issues?

So the escaper has been out for a while now. I bought one because why not, and in the three years I’ve had it, I’ve used it exactly zero times.  The routes that I intended to use it on have seen no ascents by me since then.

Anyone use one on a regular basis? Or is it still as scary as it was when it was announced. 

Ryan Bowen wrote:

So the escaper has been out for a while now. I bought one because why not, and in the three years I’ve had it, I’ve used it exactly zero times.  The routes that I intended to use it on have seen no ascents by me since then.

Anyone use one on a regular basis? Or is it still as scary as it was when it was announced. 

There is inherent sampling bias in this thread. Those who have had issues are unlikely to reply.    

Derek Doucet wrote:

There is inherent sampling bias in this thread. Those who have had issues are unlikely to reply.    

That was exactly my thought. Beal didn’t escapers are a quiet lot.

I know a guy who’d given it a go (for fun) with no problems. But, then again, I haven’t heard from him in a while….

I have had one for a few years and only tried it once. I rappelled on it and I didn't die. But, it did not "escape." 

I determined that the problem was that about 10 feet below the anchor was a ledge that the rope went over. No amount of pulling would cause the escaper to release due to the friction of the rope running over this ledge.

It seems that for the escaper to work the rope would have to be on a vertical to overhanging wall without running over any ledges or anything to cause friction before the anchors.

There are some similarities with double rope rappells 

Only the last person has to rap without a backup

The first person down can test if the recoil action is working ( same as making sure ropes pull with two ropes)

for me I find the escaper cheap and lite

Not having the weight of two ropes is nice sometimes

Be safe out there 

Peace

I would recommend using it a lot in places where a stuck rope is of low consequence. It is great for places with long single pitch routes or 1-2 pitch crags. You will get an idea of what is possible, then you can make better decisions about how to employ it on more committing descents. It is always worth its weight. 

I have used mine a fair amount. It saw use 7-10 times last winter while ice climbing and has worked flawlessly. I'll admit that I have used it in unapproved ways too, such as using it in a v-thread in ice.

It genuinely saved the day this summer. While climbing the Dike Route on the Middle Teton, we were caught in a thunderstorm that warranted retreat. We were 70m from the ground and used the last of our small rack to make the anchor. I had forgotten about the escaper and was pondering how we were going to downclimb the last bit that was now flowing with a waterfall. My wife remembered the escaper and tossed it to me at the anchor. I was relieved to not have this be the first time I was using it, but totally confident that this was the move. Everything ended well and the escaper lived up to it's name. 

I use mine a few times per year and it has always worked well.  Always released, usually in 8-10 pulls with the right technique.  

The only issue I have had was a core shot into a very old 7.5mm twin line while pulling it down.  Perhaps I was a bit too enthusiastic when doing the pull/release.  The rope abraided over some rough rock (limestone) and got a core shot.  Granted the rope was 20 years old and there was not much sheath left on it at that point.  But just something to be aware of.

Overall it is a fantastic device and I still wonder why there isn't one in the bottom of every climber's pack.

I've had a hard time getting it to release. Rapping 60 meters of rope, then trying to get it to release, seems like I'd have to pull all the stretch out of the rope, then tug on it, then let the rope unstretch, repeat. I've had to tug on it for 30 minutes before. I definitely had it set up right, not sure what the issue was. 

It sounds like other people have not had any issues with pulling it- is there a tequnique that I was doing wrong? 

I use it quite often (2 times per week) during the climbing season for the last 2 years, and I've never had any real issues. If you do any research, most will tell you it takes more than the advertised "8 pulls" to release it. I find it usually goes at 20 pulls, but I'm quite pleased with it. For context, I use it for rope soloing so I can link up 2 pitch climbs and not have to double rappel.

mbb · 9 hours ago · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 0

I've used the Escaper approximately 30-35 times since I purchased it.  It's worked well so far, but I'm certainly getting different pull numbers than the poster stated above. For obvious reasona the number of pulls will be dependent on the terrain, types of ropes and amount of rope out.  That being said,  the lowest I've ever experienced is 16 pulls (30M ice climb), and I've had as high as 32 with 60M of rope out on slabby terrain.

I've found it to be be reliable to date, but my biggest concern as we continue to use this tool is the how the macro/micro wear and tear will effect performance and reliability. I'm keeping a close eye on this complex soft-good as I continue to utilize it.

For anyone who, like me, didn't know what this was: alpinist.com/doc/web19c/ms-…

To get it to release with a low number of pulls, I pull the rope as tight as I can, full body weight on the rope, and then release it really fast, if that makes sense.  I think the key is the sudden, full release of the rope once it has been pulled super tight.  This really shocks the rope and seems to get maximum movement of the blue escaper rope through the trap.  

Do you have trouble getting your Escaper to release?  I am talking about in normal usage with low friction between you and the anchor.  If there is a lot of friction on the rappel rope between you and the anchor it will always take extra pulls, and harder pulls followed by letting go of the rope and letting it snap upwards to release the tension on the bungee so it can retract as necessary.  

Read below for a solution if you consistently have trouble in normal usage.

Beal released videos of the Escaper and debuted it at the Outdoor Retailer show about 6 months before releasing it to the market.  I didn't want to wait for the release so I copied theirs and started making my own.  In the video links below you will see a mini-Escaper I made.  I make micro-Escapers now, 140 micro-Escapers made and counting.

I purchased the commercial Beal Escaper for comparison.  When mine arrived it didn't release reliably even testing at ground level.  I had to figure out how to correct it.  In the video link below, you will see a home-made Escaper with the opposite problem, it releases without engaging first.  This is dangerous of course unless corrected.  The solution for this one is to either make the bungee looser, or increase the "engaging friction" in the loops below the bungee.  These loops provide the friction to tighten up the main loops, the type of friction knot used is called a "tresse".  

Beal seems to go overboard to make sure they don't produce the dangerous condition mentioned above and shown in the videos.  Some of their Escapers have too much friction in the "engaging section", and too little tension in the bungee to counteract it.  I assume this means they don't hand tune each one.  As the bungee ages and gets weaker the problem is exacerbated.

As you are pulling down on the Escaper, the rope should not move on the anchor until you let go of the rope.  While pulling down, the engaging section has to slip a little bit on the rope as it tightens the tresse above, if it doesn't slip in the engaging section it won't release.  I had to tighten my Beal Escaper bungee a lot to make it release reliably.  If I remember right I think I untied the bungee and tightened it up two more wraps and retied it!

Is this safe?  This is where a low friction ball bearing pulley comes in.  While doing the pulley test, if the Escaper threading tail doesn't do any slipping up and out of the tresse as you pull down it is safe.  DANGER: The tail must not slip upwards and through the pulley at all.  If the Escaper will function normally during the pulley test it is optimized for use in a normal anchor.  A normal anchor has more friction than a pulley.  This friction helps insure the rope doesn't move through the anchor as you pull down.  If the rope doesn't slip in either direction in the anchor while pulling down, the Escaper will function safely by engaging correctly and it will also release correctly.

The pulley test is very easy to do.  It is my gold standard for all the 140 or so Escapers I have made to give away or use myself.  I estimate mine have been rappelled on at least 1200 times.  No one has complained of failure to release.

Escaper test part 1        Pulley test part 2   The audio says I will show more in the next video.  I didn't go ahead and make a next video, but if you understand the instructions here it is simply a matter of tightening the Beal Escaper's bungee to make it release reliably(DANGER: you must use a low friction ball-bearing pulley and do the test described above to verify the Escaper is safe).  Loosen the bungee if the tail slips up and out of the tresse at all during the test.

Disclaimer:  Use this process at your own risk.  If you don't understand the process fully, don't make any change to your Escaper.  If you have questions send me a private message or post here.  I have no association with Beal, nor have I sought their approval for this process.

Ben Crowell wrote:

For anyone who, like me, didn't know what this was: alpinist.com/doc/web19c/ms-…

I read that review when it was first put online and only now saw the updated info. 

Proves how valuable comments can be in correcting errors. Climbing world, political, engineering, legal, whatever.

Hope it's used safely by all.

Lucas Barth wrote:

I have had one for a few years and only tried it once. I rappelled on it and I didn't die. But, it did not "escape." 

I determined that the problem was that about 10 feet below the anchor was a ledge that the rope went over. No amount of pulling would cause the escaper to release due to the friction of the rope running over this ledge.

It seems that for the escaper to work the rope would have to be on a vertical to overhanging wall without running over any ledges or anything to cause friction before the anchors.

I had a similar experience the only time I used mine in the real world. It pulled readily on the first 3 raps, but the last one had bolts set back behind a small ledge, so the rope ran out and over some rounded granite, then to me. On this one, I pulled it dozens and dozens of times (lost count), until I gave up. Hard and soft pulls/releases from multiple directions. Was ready to walk away leaving a new rope (Beal Opera, FWIW). Sat down for a bite to eat, and before leaving my partner gave it one pull and it came down. Go figure, maybe I was doing it wrong. 

It was raining, which I think may have contributed to both friction over the ledge and dampening the 'snap' on the release. But that's exactly the eventuality I put it in the bag for, so... 

Worked out fine, but nevertheless, it was a sobering experience. That said, I've gotten single and double ropes and tagline stuck too. So it goes. I'd probably bring it again. 

The route was Grand Central in Tuolumne FWIW. 

Seems like you want to go directly back as far as possible, or until the rope is no longer making contact before tugging.

I have used mine about 10 times and it works well.  It usually takes 20 pulls to release.  I have not had any problems with it and I am getting over the fear factor.

mike again wrote:

I had a similar experience the only time I used mine in the real world. It pulled readily on the first 3 raps, but the last one had bolts set back behind a small ledge, so the rope ran out and over some rounded granite, then to me. On this one, I pulled it dozens and dozens of times (lost count), until I gave up. Hard and soft pulls/releases from multiple directions. Was ready to walk away leaving a new rope (Beal Opera, FWIW). Sat down for a bite to eat, and before leaving my partner gave it one pull and it came down. Go figure, maybe I was doing it wrong. 

Worked out fine, but nevertheless, it was a sobering experience. That said, I've gotten single and double ropes and tagline stuck too. So it goes. I'd probably bring it again. 

Apologies for this late post on an old thread. I followed a link from the recent Escaper/V anchor thread.

Usually I do first man down pulls to check ab rope can start to run for retrieval ( obviously the top man could reset an Escaper). Should avoid any unexpected difficulty and top man can rearrange things and sacrifice a bit of gear if need be.

Another late thought for this thread. Probably just stating the obvious. An earlier post said that there is a variation between individual Escapers re ease of release, and also that release becomes more difficult as the bungee component ages and becomes less elastic. If it always takes an excessive number of pulls to release one's Escaper then maybe a simple solution would be just to set it so less tail remains below the cinching part. This needn't be dangerous because the second person has been able to monitor for any slippage while the first person abseils, the first person being protected by a stopper knot in the tail. It wouldn't solve a complete failure to release of course, and soloists would have to become absolutely certain by trials in a safe setting. Anyone doing this would be at their own risk of course, I haven't tried it myself.

Resurrecting this thread. Do these have a lifespan to them like climbing ropes?  I may be getting one brand new but 6 yrs old