Other Climbing Toys

[TheTreeSpyder]

Very informative about coating warning, thanx!

The Sticht Plates i lightly played with in 2nd tailing me, light rigging in tree control mostly. Few soft rappels etc.; never looking to strongly use in tree, just see what insights i could sift out etc. i found using the SP as a braking strategy to be as defined in Padgett and Smith's "On Rope" published by the National Speologicaql Society, smooth and non spiraling(enough to use an 8 as a SP, rather than as an 8 IMLHO). i think anyone reading it for any kind of rope (esp. friction) science; will agree it is the bible of these things written in a light, easy to digest form. It has many things and thoughts to take to the tree, it can show you things you may never use, but simply enough that you can understand the functions of what you do use.

Arbo ropes where a lil'large in Trango's piece; but i played anyway. When ya let an SP drift on it's tether from carabiner, travel is friction free, but when it is jammed against the carabiner it brakes; the spring was wonderful to keep it from accidentally jamming till really loaded.

Anyone playing with anything like this i think should be wearing gloves, to handle the possible heat build up on your control hand.

Here is the pic of the stuff i have my shakiest guess as to what they are; that changed a few times, but has been the same for a while now.

 

[kevinz]

They're rock climbing gear

I'm not a rock climber, so others can probably contribute more, but the metal shapes on the lanyards are rock climbing jam nuts. They go by a couple of different trade names. The lead climber jams them into a crack in the rock face, then snaps a biner and the climbing rope onto the lanyard, to act as an anchor.

-Kevin

 

[Gord]

Yup kevinz is right... nuts hexentrics whatever. They're wedged into cracks for protection when lead climbing. They're sorta the rock climbing equal to our spurless climbing, part of the movement away form bolting climbs.

And if you think that they're not exactly confidence inspiring TIP's keep in mind that if you are hanging from one of these you likely fell from above it.

 

[Burnham]

Back in my rock climbing days we called them chocks, or nuts. Shoulda called myself nuts . I got out of that game after taking a leader fall. It wasn't the fall that took my confidence; I'd done that enough before. It was the fact that I blew 3 pro points out before my second was able to reel enough rope in and stop me at chock number 4...totaled almost 70 feet of fall...when you loose confidence in your gear, it can cripple your mind. That was almost 30 years ago. It took me awhile to get back into enjoying exposure again, and that has mostly been in trees since that day. And yes, if anyone is curious, it hurts to fall that far, all kinds of body parts took a beating .

 

[tjk]

I took a huge whipper once. I was winter aid climbing standing on a hook when the rock blew out, ripped a bunch of pieces out. I think about a 40 footer. The worst part was that I stopped about 10 feet from the deck. I also took a huge whipper on a multi-pitch sport route. The route was past vertical so the fall was not bad, but passing up your belayer is real spooky.I am now married with a baby girl, so my rock climbing is limited to shiny bolts and top ropes.