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Barney Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: Warwickshire View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 09:46:36 Reply | Quote Ok folks, what useful little SRT tricks and tips have you developed over the years? I will start with an easy one ... When arriving at the top of a pitch (after prusiking) and its one of those where the rope cuts a nasty angle via a rope protector, instead of grappling the rope or rocks to pull your weary body to safety, a (spare) hand jammer can be clipped into place on the rope to provide a nice firm hold in order to climb up and over. And it can be left there for all the party to use and recovered after the last person. Makes things a bit easier i think. -- |
royfellows Joined: 13/06/2007 Location: Great Wyrley near Walsall View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 09:59:45 Reply | Quote Here is a must know about, failure to know can get you killed. The Petzl Stop is an excellent all round, and probably the most popular descender. Unfortunately, it can wear, as can any descender, and the combination of worn Stop and new rope can be a fatal one. This is unless the user takes the rope through a lock off crab as one would with the Bobbin. I learned about this the hard way, see my personal web mineexplorer.com. The following week after the 'incident' I visited Caving Supplies and demonstrated my worn descender to my now old friend Phil Brown. Soon after Petzl started supplying replacement bobbin assemblies. I have always done a lot of solo exploration and the descender that caused the 'incident' tended to be used with the same rope over and over, so as the descender wore, so did the rope stiffen, as allways do with use. Then I purchased the new rope.............. RF IP: 84.13.133.26 |
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jagman Joined: 11/03/2007 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 10:33:17 Reply | Quote Yeh, my favourite is to leave the kit in the bag and scramble up/down wherever possible. Saves loads of hassle with rigging kit. Another is to avoid using those bloody cowstail things, they usually cause meore problems than they solve. Never use a chest ascender on a rope when climbing ladders, when the ladder collapses you get wedged under the false floor above you by the damned thing. Think twice about re-belays, indestrutable rope technique is often a sensible substitute rather than trying to negotiate dodgey re-belays, less need for cowstails too. If putting your on anchors in apply a bit of physics, you might live longer. Keep your hand on the rope when your mates are descending off an improvised anchor point, it makes it easier to catch the rope when the anchor gives way and thus preventing your mate plummeting to a sticky end, (ok that one is a little tongue in cheek but it really happened) If no anchor points are available just tie the rope off to a couple of handy fat blokes, works a treat  Last really good tip is probably never to take advice off me... IP: 90.197.198.122 |
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royfellows Joined: 13/06/2007 Location: Great Wyrley near Walsall View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 10:50:10 Reply | Quote Roger that!!! IP: 84.13.133.26 |
Colonel Mustard Joined: 07/03/2007 Location: The Cumbrian Underground View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 11:18:05 Reply | Quote For longer pitches use a Pantin (or similar) foot ascender. I dismissed these as a gimmick for years.... until I tried one. A bit strange at first, but a very big help on those really big rope climbs. -- ' ...they passed therein with fear and trembling for the rocks were high above their heads and great stones lay around... ' IP: 195.8.188.42 |
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Barney Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: Warwickshire View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 11:34:01 Reply | Quote Reflecting on Roy's advice about petzl stop ... [link] -- |
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jagman Joined: 11/03/2007 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 11:49:56 Reply | Quote Nimrod wrote: For longer pitches use a Pantin (or similar) foot ascender. I dismissed these as a gimmick for years.... until I tried one. A bit strange at first, but a very big help on those really big rope climbs. Yeh, for a tin pot piece of kit they are very effective. Tend to need a bit of weight of rope below them or they just pull the rope up when you lift your foot. Very useful though IP: 90.197.198.122 |
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royfellows Joined: 13/06/2007 Location: Great Wyrley near Walsall View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 11:56:13 Reply | Quote I have just followed this link. #1 Insufficient emphasis is given in my opinion to the use of a braking/lock of crab as I previously describe. #2 There is a warning about accidental opening of the side plate but does not go into sufficient detail. Basically, its due to the use of a 10mm Maillon for attachment. My opinion is that a Maillon for attachment is safer because certain crabs can and will fail if loaded on the side gate, however its necessary to use a rather 'inellegant' looking 'D' Maillon whose width and shape obviates this accidental unlock problem. To duplicate the problem. Attach your Stop with a 10mm standard Maillon. Twist the Stop so that the Maillon bears against the side plate catch. If you get it just right the gate will open. IP: 84.13.133.26 |
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Colonel Mustard Joined: 07/03/2007 Location: The Cumbrian Underground View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 11:59:04 Reply | Quote Chest jammers can sometimes be a bit of a devil to unclip from the rope, especially for those with larger fingers & thumbs. A piece of cord or a steel ring (Mr Vanoord is a good source, I hear..) permanently attached to the pull down lever greatly eases the process. -- ' ...they passed therein with fear and trembling for the rocks were high above their heads and great stones lay around... ' IP: 195.8.188.42 |
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mountainpenguin Joined: 18/12/2006 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 13/11/2007 21:25:55 Reply | Quote Keep a crab on your hand jammer. At the top you can detach the jammer and clip the crab into the rigging. This is usually higher than you will ever get the jammer and stops you pushing it against the rigging. You can then stand that extra handy few inches. to get to a sitting point IP: 83.67.133.116 |
Roy Morton Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: Redruth Cornwall View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 14/11/2007 03:28:54 Reply | Quote For coming up over the top of a shaft or whatever just rig a short bit of electron ladder over the edge, you can normally salvage at least six or eight rungs from an old one.  Hi Roy! IP: 81.178.237.247 Edited: 14/11/2007 03:31:43 by Roy Morton |
Clunk Joined: 20/01/2007 Location: ST921742 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 15/11/2007 17:50:21 Reply | Quote Dont abseil an 80footish pitch with main maillon undone.  -- 
IP: 86.141.144.142
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royfellows Joined: 13/06/2007 Location: Great Wyrley near Walsall View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 15/11/2007 19:47:48 Reply | Quote Speaking from experience? If any consolation, we have all done it! IP: 78.150.56.129 |
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Roy Morton Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: Redruth Cornwall View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 16/11/2007 00:16:40 Reply | Quote I remember prussiking up a shaft and having a quick rest forty feet off the floor to get 'comfortable' and noticing my 'D' Maillon open. One of those rare, brown trouser moments that really concentrate the mind and remind you of your mortality. I once stopped someone from abseiling a pitch just in time. He was sat on the side of a winze and I watched him thread up his descender and was about to launch off when I noticed it wasn't attached to his harness.  His bum did an admirable impression of a jaw crusher!!!!Anyone else out there had any 'Bum Winkers'?
IP: 81.178.237.247
Edited: 16/11/2007 00:34:45 by Roy Morton
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sparty_lea Joined: 26/04/2007 Location: Weardale View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 16/11/2007 10:09:41 Reply | Quote If you're carrying more than one rope in a bag put a knot in all ends as they go in. Know someone who went off the end of a 30m rope in a 300ft+ shaft He was intending to drop 60m to a level and swing in but accidentally rigged with a bit of spare short rope, put in in case the main rope wasn't quite long enough. There was a knot in the end of the main rope, but not the spare. He made close aquaintance with a supermarket trolley and a dead rabbit on a ledge and lived to tell the tale. For shortish pitches I dont usually bother with full srt kit. A meter sling and a D maillon makes a sit harness, classic abseil, (or an italian hitch on a big Krab if it looks a bit dodgy) gets you down and a couple of prussic loops and another sling get you back up again. Much easier to carry about than a sack full of petzl ironmongery. IP: 88.109.13.158 Edited: 16/11/2007 10:34:02 by sparty_lea |
SimonRL Joined: 27/11/2005 Location: North Wales View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 16/11/2007 10:10:18 Reply | Quote Roy Morton wrote: I remember prussiking up a shaft and having a quick rest forty feet off the floor to get 'comfortable' and noticing my 'D' Maillon open. One of those rare, brown trouser moments that really concentrate the mind and remind you of your mortality. I've done exactly that at the top of the 1st descent in Croesor... -- 'It may have been an adit once, but it is not an adit... now' IP: 83.148.135.213 |
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Roy Morton Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: Redruth Cornwall View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 16/11/2007 21:05:53 Reply | Quote Have you tried the Petzl 'Tibloc'? LIke a mini Jammer, small enough to sit in the palm of your hand. just slip around the rope, clip a crab through it and your away. Use 2 for a full prussik kit. With a sling for a harness you could fit the lot into one pocket of a jacket. Great for reccys when out mooching 
IP: 81.178.237.247
Edited: 16/11/2007 21:08:45 by Roy Morton
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mountainpenguin Joined: 18/12/2006 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 19/11/2007 09:14:59 Reply | Quote yep got one of those, and a prussic on a HMS that lives on my climbing harness. The only problem with it is that you generally need 2 crabs otherwise it has a nasty habit of slipping down the rope!! IP: 194.74.204.101 |
stevem Joined: 21/08/2006 Location: Wirral View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
SRT tricks
Posted: 20/11/2007 10:00:39 Reply | Quote Even Santa has been getting in on the act. Taken at the Xmas lights switch on in Liverpool. Unfortunately, to the horror of every child present, he got his gear stuck going over the lip and had to be helped, then as he waved half way down he dropped about 4 ft!! -- If they find out you've seen this, your life will be worth less than a truckload of dead rats in a tampon factory. IP: 192.171.196.173 Edited: 20/11/2007 10:03:00 by stevem |
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