Founder and consultant at Over The Edge Rescue. Rescuer, instructor, guide, author, designer, and adventurer.
This article has been updated in 2020 with all the bends retested and lots more information on variations including small and large diameters. Check it out: Which bends for joining ropes update – CLICK HERE Which bend for joining ropes? Testing and analysis of flat bends used for rope retrieval As part of writing the Canyoning […]
Anchor rigging: Getting a grip on pre-tensioning. For anchors a long way back from an edge, we often need to bring the anchor rigging and focal point forward to a better working position. An effective way to achieve this is by using multiple strands and pre-tensioning our rigging. When the load becomes live ideally there […]
Abseiling: 5 ways to improve. Lessons learnt from abseiling in a canyon. When I first started canyoning several years ago I had to adapt my abseiling (rappelling) technique to this environment. A few things were the same and many things were different (or as is often said ‘same-same but different’). I had come from a […]
3-Point Anchor Testing Updated and revised by Grant Prattley, OTE Rescue 2014. Based on original work by SARINZ Trust 2005. We started to research 3-point anchor loading as a result of questions asked by both instructors and students. At the time we could not find any articles or testing on this subject area. To date […]
Snow Anchor Placement A few pages exerted from the Rope Rescue & Rigging Field Guide. A quick overview of snow anchor section and placement options with strength ranges in different snow types. Put in your first name and email address and I will send you a download link.
Rigging Myths and other things rope NZOIA Symposium Paper, Tihoi, October, 2014, by Grant Prattley. At the NZOIA conference at Tihoi we had a bunch of people out for half a day breaking and load testing various components in rope systems and maybe a few myths along the way. Back in the classroom, we discussed […]
Knots Safety Check How to undertake a knots safety check before use A knots safety check is a really important step in your rope work just prior to use. You will learn how to go through a 6-step systematic quality check for each knot, bend or hitch. This includes: aligned, tightened, tail length, loop size, fit […]
Systems Analysis: How does 1kN become 4.5kN So what did I see that made me stand waist-deep in water, scratching my head at 4 am? It seems to happen that you strike the trickiest part of the rescue rigging around 4 am in the morning, in the wettest part of the cave at the end […]
Soil Anchor Report A report by Chris Gallagher, Field Equipment Officer, Australian Antarctic Division, March 2011. This report presents methods, discussion and recommendations in relation to appropriate rope rescue anchors and rigging systems needed for Macquarie Island. This testing has relevance to other rescue teams that need to carry ground anchors to the rescue site. […]
Rope Grab Test Report Grant Prattley, Lindsay Main and Andrew Welsh, New Zealand Land Search and Rescue, February 2001. Many rope grab devices are used by the rescue technician for a variety of functions in a rope rescue system. This study focuses on rope grabs used in a slow pull situation as used in a rescue hauling system to […]
