Ann Arbor fatality

Worthaug said:
Someone should figure out the amount of work hours that the interval should be to swap out a bridge.
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This, I believe, is not possible. As in climbing line wear, individual climbers vary tremendously on how much stress they create. Variables like weight, climbing system and how it is used and the environment that it is used in, can cause heavy or light wear over a similar time span.

Testing can be very interesting but our safety is oftentimes dependent on our own astute observations and judgment.
 
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DSMc said:
This, I believe, is not possible. As in climbing line wear, individual climbers vary tremendously on how much stress they create. Variables like weight, climbing system and how it is used and the environment that it is used in, can cause heavy or light wear over a similar time span.

Testing can be very interesting but our safety is oftentimes dependent on our own astute observations and the judgment.
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Good point, that's why a generic interval is claimed. Inspect before every climb, replace when needed or every 6 months to a year depending on use.

Reed Wortley
CTSP #01739
ISA CA #SO-6953A
 
I am surprised that there is not a purpose built attachment point at the bridge rope other than a ring or delta, something that distributes the load across a wider surface area on the rope itself.
 
Ive owned my Glide2 for 8 years now, I've changed the bridge twice afterwards I dissected the old ones to find they looked brand new. Since the recalls on the cougars I've had everybody in the company switch to the bridge made by buckingham(warp speed?)
 
bonner1040 said:
Experience, testing, consideration and caution!
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Would you say this is across the board, webbing and rope bridges, or just rope? Does rope type and/or diameter affect that in any significant way? Does hardware affect that time frame any? i.e pullys, rings.etc. Thanks for the info.
 
surveyor said:
I am surprised that there is not a purpose built attachment point at the bridge rope other than a ring or delta, something that distributes the load across a wider surface area on the rope itself.
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I've noticed greater wear on my swivel on my bridge than my bridge itself in an interval... rings are good because they never travel the same path twice. The rope bridge killers are UV exposure, storage, dirt, solvents, age...

Reed Wortley
CTSP #01739
ISA CA #SO-6953A
 
Ent said:
Would you say this is across the board, webbing and rope bridges, or just rope? Does rope type and/or diameter affect that in any significant way? Does hardware affect that time frame any? i.e pullys, rings.etc. Thanks for the info.
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There are a ton of factors yes. Overall I think webbing, while harder to terminate is easier to inspect and the thicker stuff is pretty much the most durable thing around.

Rope type and diameter are definitely factors as well. The thinner the rope, the less durable it will be as a rule of thumb. Using a high mod-cored rope, is in my opinion not the best choice. While I think that 16 strand 1/2" ropes are a good option and might be the 'most durable' they are rather bulky.

I REALLY like the New England KM3 Max for a rope bridge, it is durable tough, smooth and relatively thin at 11mm. However it is 100% core dependent so it is important to replace BEFORE it could be compromised. This goes back to making something thats easy to terminate and cheap to replace. I think what the Treemagineers and Teuf did with the TreeMotion bridge, sewing the ends stiff was brilliant, but never dug the fishermans stopper-knot as the termination. I love the anchor bend for this purpose and the stiffened ends add a high degree of safety if the knot were to loosen.
 
Worthaug said:
I've noticed greater wear on my swivel on my bridge than my bridge itself in an interval... rings are good because they never travel the same path twice. The rope bridge killers are UV exposure, storage, dirt, solvents, age...

Reed Wortley
CTSP #01739
ISA CA #SO-6953A
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+1
 
classictruckman said:
Ive owned my Glide2 for 8 years now, I've changed the bridge twice afterwards I dissected the old ones to find they looked brand new. Since the recalls on the cougars I've had everybody in the company switch to the bridge made by buckingham(warp speed?)
Click to expand...

I just looked at images of this "Warp Speed" bridge you mentioned, and it appears to be a doubled loop of rope that is probably spliced together in the middle somewhere, with a cover over the whole thing, except at the ends, where it would connect to the saddle. I would imagine that the cover might keep dirt and grit from getting to the rope, and the 2x thickness would make it much harder for the bridge to be compromised, possibly.

A bit fat and expensive, though, but for those who tend to use a piece of gear for a longer period than maybe they should, this bridge looks to be about as bullet-proof as it's possible to make it.

Thanks for posting about this.

Tim
 
Ah, so those are just spliced eyes at the end of a single piece of rope then. Thanks for the clarification.

So how do you like your Glide 2 saddle? If you've had it for 8 years, you must be pretty happy with it, I'm guessing?

Thanks in advance for any answers you choose to provide.

Tim
 
WoW! I inspect and replace when I am not comfortable. I don't climb much any more so my bridge is over 2 years old but rarely used. Wondering about deterioration. Anyone have pics of backed up rope bridges. ?
 
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