SomethingWitty
Arkansawyer
- Location
- LR
I had been calling them assholes for two years before someone corrected me.
...concerning :Ocean's lowerable basal":
- Thread starter matamorph
- Start date
I had been calling them assholes for two years before someone corrected me.
Tony
Carpal tunnel level member
- Location
- Lancaster, PA
Looking good all. Just a few items to think through though. In the 6or 7 years of messing around with these types of basal anchors here is what I have found:
1. It is far better to call them adjustable as opposed to "rescue, lowerable," etc. i know I ma splitting hairs here and preaching to the choir! To my mind calling them anything other than adjustable can give a false sence of security. Depending an many factors, thye may not allow a climber to be lowered.(more on this in point 2). Furthermore, we have found that more often than not we use them to subtract rope from a system more than add.
2. Again, preaching to the choir, but be sure to test the adjustablily under normal load(ie. bodyweight) in normal operating conditions. The amount of friction depending on # of points of friction, size of friction points, angle in and out of suspension/ friction points all alter the adjustability. Test and have a good general idea of how much is too much. We have found that under some fairly simple conditions, no adjustment is possible when the system is under normal load.
3. The anchor system can also become quite slack during the climb as multiple aerial redirects tends to lesson force at the basal anchor and not the suspension points themselves. Address this accordingly as coss loaded carabiners suck in very many ways when load is applied suddenly.
4. Develop a method to be able to add mechanical advantage to the system. Without this provision, use in most rescue scenarios is generally out of the question. (This is one reason I reccommend the Hub. The ability to add MA, transfer anchors and the like is built in). Take the time to figure it out for your system and try it. Paper theories and application are distant cousins.
It would be silly to go in to all the possible situations that may be encountered. Test likely scenarios for your climbing style, conditions and work flow. Test them now before you need to know and adjust, develop and refine YOUR adjustable base anchor accordingly.
Tony
1. It is far better to call them adjustable as opposed to "rescue, lowerable," etc. i know I ma splitting hairs here and preaching to the choir! To my mind calling them anything other than adjustable can give a false sence of security. Depending an many factors, thye may not allow a climber to be lowered.(more on this in point 2). Furthermore, we have found that more often than not we use them to subtract rope from a system more than add.
2. Again, preaching to the choir, but be sure to test the adjustablily under normal load(ie. bodyweight) in normal operating conditions. The amount of friction depending on # of points of friction, size of friction points, angle in and out of suspension/ friction points all alter the adjustability. Test and have a good general idea of how much is too much. We have found that under some fairly simple conditions, no adjustment is possible when the system is under normal load.
3. The anchor system can also become quite slack during the climb as multiple aerial redirects tends to lesson force at the basal anchor and not the suspension points themselves. Address this accordingly as coss loaded carabiners suck in very many ways when load is applied suddenly.
4. Develop a method to be able to add mechanical advantage to the system. Without this provision, use in most rescue scenarios is generally out of the question. (This is one reason I reccommend the Hub. The ability to add MA, transfer anchors and the like is built in). Take the time to figure it out for your system and try it. Paper theories and application are distant cousins.
It would be silly to go in to all the possible situations that may be encountered. Test likely scenarios for your climbing style, conditions and work flow. Test them now before you need to know and adjust, develop and refine YOUR adjustable base anchor accordingly.
Tony
