Figure-8 Device Blocks for Canyoning 2021 Catching up with another canyoner recently they showed me a failure method for a particular Releasable Figure-8 Device Block (Releasable-8 Block) used as a setup for abseiling in a canyon. This block is called Releasable-8 Block V1 (for reference purposes) – above left and middle. It’s worth noting that rigged […]
Rock Thread and V-thread Testing 2021 The question we are going to answer in this post is: When you drill a hole through a rock and thread a cord what is the best setup for bends, cord and rock strength. We have used an 8mm Nylon cord for cave rescue and a 6mm Dyneema cord […]
Introduction I was recently undertaking testing to confirm our cave rescue setup (see the post Let’s lighten the load – update). In cave rescue, as we use the double sheet bend for rigging – being easy to adjust, especially in the middle of a rope or cord – I thought it would be a good idea to […]
Introduction Floating anchor: but what if the anchor blows? Isn’t it going to rip the other anchor out? I hear this as a common statement quoted back to me when talking about a two-point floating anchor (aka self-equalising, magic X, etc.). I can only think it’s based on the assumption you have: Built or chosen […]
Introduction As part of writing the Canyoning Technical Manual, I needed to find out more about flat bends. For my own peace of mind, I had to make sure what I was putting in the book was suitable. We undertook some testing in 2015 including a control test and five flat (offset) bend variations. In 2020, […]
How much friction for your device? We were interested to know (as a guide) how much a lowering device can hold for rescue in particular but also personal use. The testing is for practical use when out on a rescue, training or instructing a group about how much it can hold in relation to: the […]
Time to meat Human Anchors A temporary human (meat) anchor is used in sports such as caving and canyoning, to get the first or all but the last person down, using a person (or people) that is suitably positioned in a stance where they can use the friction of rope on the rock, their own […]
Vlad to help – a replacement for the master carabiner Back in November 2018, I decided to purchase a Grivel Vlad and put it on my harness to see if it was going to be a useful addition. The Vlad could be helpful as a master carabiner for anchor station organisation for multiple clip-ins. There are […]
The perfect storm – keep an eye on your rigging We were on a canyoning trip recently when we were using a figure-8 abseil device as a block. Over the last eight years, I have probably rigged it over 500 times and never had an issue. However, on this occasion, all the holes in the Swiss […]
The American Death Triangle in the real world Recently (Feb 2018) I wrote a blog on the forces involved in the American Death Triangle. I questioned if there were some occasions we can use this style of rigging. Note: I would recommend reading this first article before diving into this one: American Death Triangle and […]
