Are absorbers really nessesary?

Hey! 

I'm gonna try a via ferrata in northern Italy, and I'm just wondering, do I really need the super expensive absorbing gear?

 Can't I just make my own with a more elastic rope?

Take a deep dive into fall factors for via ferrata falls and you will almost certainly come to the conclusion that you need one, especially when trying anything on the harder end of the scale.

More than in almost any other climbing discipline, save maybe ice climbing, the old mantra of 'you must not fall' applies to via ferrata. The absorber lanyards are there to mitigate the risk of lethal injury but even if you fall with them you will almost certainly need hospitalisation. Let's say you'll be liable to be maimed for life at best if you fall while using some home made concoction. 

Do yourself a favour and use a set - you can also rent them in a lot of mountain villages with lots of via ferrata nearby. 

There’s such thing as ‘hard’ via ferrata?

Olek Chmura wrote:

There’s such thing as ‘hard’ via ferrata?

Well that all depends on your definition of hard, but yes, some sport via ferrata follow routes that would be quite difficult rock climbs otherwise. Via Ferrata is often described as climbing's dumb and safe cousin but actually it's much more dangerous than a lot of rock climbing or mountaineering because of the way it's secured and because a lot of people misunderstand it as perfectly safe when it's not. 

https://theuiaa.org/mountaineering/via-ferrata/

Olek Chmura wrote:

There’s such thing as ‘hard’ via ferrata?

https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/via-ferrata-grades-calculator/

Yes, those stempels (posts) can be spaced far apart, if you do fall (which you shouldn't do, just don't) you will definitely take quite a whip, with no absorbers the deceleration could cause significant damage, though you will not fall off the mountain 

Previous, extensive discussion: mountainproject.com/forum/t…

There's a better system.  Check out Skylotek's ascender-type device.  Should you fall, you don't rattle down the cable.  I realize OP is trying to avoid pricey equipment and this is the opposite direction...  Another thing to consider is that it might not be you who falls.  The VF's get busy and someone may be sharing your section of cable (a bad practice but it happens).  When they fall onto you, do you want to be locked onto the cable or falling to the next piece of rebar?

Yes, given the fact that a lot of via ferrata here in Italy have long vertical climbs, on horizontal ferratas i'd say you could get away with just a cord but that is an evaluation based on experience and personal abilities. I'd say you can rent one, in northern Italy (especially dolomites) there are a lot of via ferratas and the shops started renting the kits some years ago. Watch out for the weather, the temperatures here are really high and some people have already been rescued for dehydration, gather some informations about the route and its exposure (north/south) before going.

Yes. 

You really don't want to be falling on a via ferrata, but if you do fall on a long vertical section, you also don't want to be tethered only with a short piece of dynamic rope no matter how "elastic" it is.

With normal roped climbing, anything above FF0.5 or so is a hard whip, and FF2 is the ceiling that is only achievable in specific circumstances.

With via ferrata, FF4+ is achievable between every bolt— 10’ of cable to the bolt, 2’ of lanyard, so a 12’ fall on with 2’ of dynamic material .