climbing with an eye to eye with an extension

[RandomWoodsman]

I just started climbing with an eye to eye split tail system using a micro pulley. most of the time im using a distel hitch but sometimes ill tie a swabisch. My question is I have a hard time pulling myself up the line and then stopping to tend the slack my arms just dont like it that much so i footlock to get around it but today i used an old one eyed split tail i had sitting around from when i would run a blakes, to make a sort of extension piece from my bridge to raise the distel and climbing line end to about eye level and it made ascending alot easier. is this a safe thing to do? once i got to the top i took the extension out and proceeded to move around and go to work as normal. what are your thoughts about this??

- Random

 

[RandomWoodsman]

Hey thanks I havent tried the vt yet didnt even think of it to be honest I will give that a shot. Yea I have no problem hauling myself up using both hands at a time and then holding off with one hand but when I tried it with this extension piece I was able to ascend alot faster because I didn't have to stop to tend slack. but when i try to go up hand over hand I just dont have the arm strength yet to do it and so I end up foot locking instead. Am I just trying to reinvent the wheel here with this or is there some merit to the extension.

Does the VT run smoother than a distel for this or is there some other advantage I dont have much experience running VTs

 

[beastmaster]

Hey thanks I havent tried the vt yet didnt even think of it to be honest I will give that a shot. Yea I have no problem hauling myself up using both hands at a time and then holding off with one hand but when I tried it with this extension piece I was able to ascend alot faster because I didn't have to stop to tend slack. but when i try to go up hand over hand I just dont have the arm strength yet to do it and so I end up foot locking instead. Am I just trying to reinvent the wheel here with this or is there some merit to the extension.

Does the VT run smoother than a distel for this or is there some other advantage I dont have much experience running VTs

If you can foot lock why pull your self up at all? I use a Vt with a hitch climber pulley and keep it low with little slack. When you foot lock its self tending, or with a foot grab and hand ascender if your not comfortable foot locking will work. I see some people change up moving the pulley and knot up for ascending, but I feel its better to keep it simple and less gear intensive.
The Vt runs why smoother(sometimes to smooth)but needs to be dialed in. I started using a 4 in. dog bone attached to a micro carabiner and snap into that so my fishermen knot doesn't interfere with the Vt.

 

[smokey01]

I just started climbing with an eye to eye split tail system using a micro pulley........
to make a sort of extension piece from my bridge to raise the distel and climbing line end to about eye level and it made ascending alot easier.
- Random

There are lots of ways to tend the slack and manage your hitch now that you are moving from the ol' Blakes Hitch.
How about a floating prusik to get the hitch to tend and and raise your hitch to eye level or higher to help manage your slack.

Good explanation if you need it at about 2:30 in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4AlDpIZraA

 

[RandomWoodsman]

Hey thanks guys for the imput Ive gone to a vt although there are somethings i dont like about it as apposed to the distel but there also things that i love about it and i started using a foot ascender which solves the advancing problem.

 

[husqvarna335xpt]

Alright ive got a question im running 10mm beeline on 1\2" samson 28" long. Its to short to get my last braid so im not running a true vt it runs smooth for me but id like to get the last braid to see if it gets better... im wondering what size and name and diameter you guys are running what seemed to work best for yall thanks mike

 

[ROPECLIMBER]

Try this it is a cross from a VT and a Distil with a Twist called the Coopers Hitch, by Sam Cooper. It will also one hand tend on a lanyard with out pulley too. also the grizzly splices on the beeline make these new fangled hitches act different too because of the stiffness there. View attachment 301827

 

[RandomWoodsman]

Hey mike I am currently using 30inch 10mm beeline on the blue streak thats my work rope or on my personal rope which is poisin ivy i end up having four turns and two crosses and when the hitch take weight after i tie it it turns into three turns and three crosses.

Im gonna have to try that coopers cross when im playin around out of work that looks very interesting