Rope Walker advice

[benjo75]

Hey all. I'm in the process of figuring out a rope walker system Ddrt. I'm using the Hitchclimber setup with VT. Pantin on right foot. Croll ascender with a strap and bungee on left knee. This setup would work great if I didn't have to pull so hard to stay vertical on the rope. I have a handled ascender but it takes everything I've got to go a few feet rope walking due to trying to stay upright. I can take all that off and body thrust with the Hitchclimber ten times as fast. I usually only have to go about 75 or 80 ft high. Body thrusting 30 or 40 ft is easy and fast even if I'm tired. But for long ascents I would like to use my legs. Is there a different setup I should be using? Chest Harness? Is rope walking on Srt easier than Ddrt? I haven't tried Srt yet.

My saddle is the Cougar and it seems to tilt me back about 45 degrees when hanging. That's fine most of the time. I'm going to have to be more vertical when ascending though. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ben.

 

[RajElectric]

May be a chest harness clipped into the hitch climber?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Yes, srt is much easier for rope walking.

 

[acer-kid]

May be a chest harness clipped into the hitch climber?

I've always thought of the chest harness as more of a multicender advancer along a static line, more than something to keep you upright. Would the ol lanyard over the shoulder work better?
Or maybe like an o'rig setup where you could place the HC more at chest level (or slightly higher) to make the chest harness potentially more useful? Would that work?
I dunno.. Just spit balling

 

[TheJollyLogger]

A foitloop on the hand ascended May work better than the knee/bungee setup

 

[benjo75]

I saw the bungee knee ascender in the Jerry Beranek Working Climber DVDs. It works good but it takes more energy to try to stay upright on Ddrt than it saves. I can walk up the rope pretty easy but it works my arms a lot harder than body thrusting.

I went up about 15 ft on SRT earlier and it was a lot easier to stay upright than Ddrt. But as I already knew my VT locked up and wouldn't release due to having twice as much weight on it. I had my basal anchor through a figure 8 so I was let down comfortably. I just wanted to see if it would work and it was the easiest I have ascended so far.

I'm thinking about the SAKA to eliminate the bungee and make the system cleaner. Next I think I either need a Rope Wrench or invest in a Unicender, ZigZag or such. I want to be able to descend without a lot of changing over. Anyone use the Rope Wrench?

 

[crotchclimber]

Must be your harness geometry because I have no trouble staying upright with the setup you described in my Onyx. I tried the old company cougar on once and thought it sucked. That or your torso is a lot heavier than mine. I'm a typical lean climber with big legs.

 

[benjo75]

I'm bigger up top than my lower half is. That could be it. I went up a few more times SRT and it definitely worked better than Ddrt. Now I just need to buy a Rope Wrench so I can come down.

 

[BC WetCoast]

or a Hitchhiker

 

[benjo75]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

 

[acer-kid]

No disadvantage to a rope wrench. Other than catching it in the teeth. I could never get on with the hitch hiker. Pffft. Sucked at eating slack.. It's heavy. On a separate note, I'm still not sold on the idea of something totally mechanical. I like that if my wrench bites it.. I don't splat.