rope-a-dope
Branched out member
- Location
- Asheville
My vote goes to ART positioner 2. Works smooth always. But $$$
BEST adjuster for pitchy rope lanyards?
- Thread starter jmaher
- Start date
XT hitch/ hitchclimber ultra o setup with a dmm sentinel as my termination. Ultimate sap proof. Though I won't lie, I use my Jambo lanyard on pines/spruce so I don't sap up my long one. Before that I used a wire core with a micro grab... hate wire core... but I dislike sap too...
I won't trade my ART positioner 2 for anything. Works even in full flow sap season. Although I do wash with hand sanitizer when days of sap work tally up. I did just purchase a CMI ropewalker rope grab. Outfitting my old saddle with that and a wire core flip line for quick work where I don't want to put on my MCRS. The ropewalker is nice with the cut outs on the backside to pass debris. I don't like the way to thick cable tether. That will most likely be removed.
802climber
Participating member
- Location
- Southern Vermont
I have always run a wire core and a GIBBS on conifers and never had a problem with sap. I don't see why you couldn't run one on a rope lanyard. They are rugged and not too pricey.
Z'sTrees
Branched out member
- Location
- Hartsel CO
BOLA I got away from hitches due to sap, the bola works like a dream.
Dragonslayer
New member
- Location
- Forgotten Coast
If there are sappier trees than long leaf pines I don't want anything to do with them. Hitches of any kind are pretty useless once the sticky stuff gets flowing. I've used a Buckgrab lanyard adjuster for years on them and it's been pretty bomb proof for me but I've got to say that BOLA looks sweet.
JeffGu
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Osceola, Nebraska
That's also the return spring.
Jeff Kowell
New member
- Location
- Windsor
..
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
TimBr
Official Well Known Greeter
- Location
- Northern Virginia
Got a link or photo of the Buckgrab? Thanks in advance for any answer you choose to provide.
Tim
I realized that and haven't removed it. I don't like it with the thick cable spring being right next to the thigh. I use a twisted clevis with rope grabs except the positioner. Mine's a swivel. I'm thinking of using the CMI as a rope lock on a pretension pulley set for zip line or a quick pull over help. It would be under constant load and would self lock attached directly with biner. In this set up the cable rubs the rope on the return run. I'm not sure what I want to do with it yet so it's hangin' in the basement. It is well made, light, and smooth running.
Dragonslayer
New member
- Location
- Forgotten Coast
JeffGu
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Osceola, Nebraska
Yeah, I sometimes use those type rope grabs on wirecore lanyards, with a quickdraw sling about 6" long. Girthed onto ropegrab, biner through the eye.
The CMI Ropewalker is, indeed, a quite nice one. I've got one on a short wirecore (about 6.5') that I use quite often. Very light, handles sap well. If I had one complaint about it, it would be that the lever sits out away from the lanyard quite a bit, but a lot of them are like that. The big ring is easy to get the end of your thumb into when you want to release it.
Carefull-now!!Try a chafe sleeve over your lanyard . Could help with blatant build up. Try a fatter hitch cord /or of almost or equal size to the lanyard line.. if it gets real shitty at a point in the climb I've taken a wrap off my hitch and the pitch still creates enough friction..never mind that's my trick no one dare try that..
I do this a lot but,...
I once plummeted the last (unpitchy) 4 metres after spending most of a pitchy bitch of a day in a pine.
ghostice
Been here a while
I was once years ago finishing a climb with some newcomers to waterfall ice. I had lowered the couple off but once they were down, the rope was left sitting in the running water and slush on the bottom of the climb and when I, at last, came to the final 15 feet of the rappel my ATC and Petzl Shunt on doubled ropes failed me big time - went for an exciting skidder running backwards down to the deck. So for past 15 years now, whenever there's anything on the rope when I'm coming down (trees, ice or alpine) I use a munter on a Rock Exotica Pirate - the munter seems to strip or at least cope with slop, ice or pine goo but still gives control with a hand on the descent rope, more so than figure eights or another piece of hardware on a cruddy rope. General practice, I'm told, is always to backup a descent device anyway and especially never descend on just a hitch. Lotta folks don't take the time to do a backup, but it only takes once. Excitement stays with you a long time (as I recall I looked at the young couple and just said "Right Then" as I landed hard - but on my feet. They looked at me and said they thought I was a really fast rappeller! So there I was.) My 2 cents.
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TimBr
Official Well Known Greeter
- Location
- Northern Virginia
@ghostice; Great story. Thanks for sharing the tip about the munter hitch. Nice to know it's such a reliable backup. Much appreciated.
Tim
Tim
jmaher
Branched out member
- Location
- new brunswick, canada
Not really a backup, tim. It's not an auto blocker or anything like that. Think of it like a rope wrench of sorts.. Or better yet a figure 8 descender. It adds some friction for belaying.. And I can see the value in stripping ice with it. But, it won't do much in the way of a safety backup Imo. @TimBr
TimBr
Official Well Known Greeter
- Location
- Northern Virginia
Thanks, @jmaher. I guess I've heard or read the term "auto blocker" before, but never bothered to look it up or ask for an explanation.
When I talk about a backup, I guess I just mean a second device or setup that has the ability to lower a climber to the ground safely in the event that the climber's primary descent system is failing to adequately do its job. Like if a hitch was failing to grab for some reason. The secondary system or device could be used all by itself, but instead is there to provide redundancy, to greatly reduce the odds of a fall happening.
I take it that when you refer to a device as a backup, the climber has to be able to take hands off the rope and also the device itself, and to have the device or system stop a fall.
Thanks for any responses you choose to give.
Tim
When I talk about a backup, I guess I just mean a second device or setup that has the ability to lower a climber to the ground safely in the event that the climber's primary descent system is failing to adequately do its job. Like if a hitch was failing to grab for some reason. The secondary system or device could be used all by itself, but instead is there to provide redundancy, to greatly reduce the odds of a fall happening.
I take it that when you refer to a device as a backup, the climber has to be able to take hands off the rope and also the device itself, and to have the device or system stop a fall.
Thanks for any responses you choose to give.
Tim
ghostice
Been here a while
Just to be clear(er), in this setup above, ATC is the descent device, shunt normally is the backup autostopper thingy (above the ATC) and the munter lowest down is the ice slop glop stripper, is all. That said, I've come down more than once at the end of messin' around in a spruce dripping sap, on just the munter (control hand firmly below) when the prussik/wrench has just goo'd up and stopped working reliably/ jammed. Figure 8 can be used below too but one thing it does (that nobody seems to mention anymore) is it tends to kink a rope. Most noticeable on a descent of more than one rope length true but I find it a pain still (hence the ATC). But again, salient point I guess is: a wet rope does not equal snow and iced up gloppy rope does not equal totally frozen rope (so you can hold it horizontal about four or five feet out). And arborist ropes are not dry treated like alpine ropes to my knowledge. Stay safe out there.
