Follow-up on the ETCC snap decision

[Mark_B.]

On a training course today I heard a story that kind of follows up the ETCC technical committee's decision to ban snaps nicely.

This guy has a billy goat on his farm that is quite destructive when on rampage, so it's spent the summer tied to a tree. Yesterday it managed to free itself from the tether, ran amuck and obliterated the garden... maybe it was irked at having been attached all summer long?

The owner comes home, sees the damage and, on a spur of the moment decision, takes the billy goat straight to the butcher... guess he'd really had enough. Oh dear.

The billy goat, you may be interested to hear, was attached to the tree with a Via Ferrata type snap hook.

Two lessons in this story:

1. Even billy goats can open snap hooks.
2. If you use snap hooks they can potentially get you into really sticky situations (see billy goat)

 

[countryboypa31]

Thanks for the story Mark B. Thats funny. I put my dog on a non locking snap and have seen him get off it 3 times. Just from rubbing against a fence post just so it slides off. Interesting to hear.

 

[le_dube]

That "tale is hilarious!!! I love it! hahaha

 

[House]

Mark
You'll be happy to hear my snap and my lanyard is now a dog leash.
Joe House
See you in Chicago

 

[Mark_B.]

Nice one, Joe.

Indeed, look forwards to meeting up there!

M.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Very nice way to illustrate a point. Billy goats that use the snaps in question can be a meal later...climbers can't.

For clarification Mark, can you show examples of which snaps are not allowed? Maybe a pic of how they can invert on a harness and release too?

 

[Mark_B.]

Tom,

there's so many variables in regards to possible combinations of D-rings and snap shapes that's a bit hard to answer in a clear fashion. But roll-out can and has occured.

The other issue I see here is that as an industry we have defined a level of safety we require of connectors, i.e. they shall be auto locking with a double safety mechanism. Why are we making an exception of the lanyard connector. Surely because of it's position on the side of your body it's actually one of the connectors that's less easy to keep an eye on constantly. And whilst moving around the canopy, rubbing against the stem or pushing up through branches there is the potential of it swiveling round in the D-ring. As you are ascending into the canopy using your lanyard and your climbing line as alternating tie-in points your lanyard is on of your primary TIPs.

Below is a warning Petzl issued in regards to the Grillon a couple of years back.

But please, let's be very clear about this: This matter is not about the quality of the products, nor is is specific to any one manufacturer. What is being discussed here is a compatibility and fit for purpose issue. So in the end it may be true that snaps are easy to open, but despite of that due to the risk of roll out and because they don't conform to industry best practice requirements they are deemed unfit for this application.