In cave rescue, we had been using the Double Sheet Bend for rigging – being easy to adjust, especially in the middle of a rope or cord and easier to untie after significant loading. I was recently (2021) undertaking testing to confirm our cave rescue setup (see the post Let’s lighten the load – update), […]
What’s in this post? Slow Pull testing the figure-8 device block variations with normal loading and incorrect loading. We also compare this to baseline methods such as the Munter mule overhand and figure-8 on a bight. Efficiency tests (speed) to find out if there is there any major differences in tying methods. Practical use comparisons […]
What’s in this post? 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 for canyoning […]
Back-tie rigging – tension and compression forces The other day I had a question come through about how I worked out the tension and compression forces for a post, pole or tree when you back-tie for support. The context? Before I get to the question, we need to set the context: The front anchor is […]
Let’s lighten the load – Update. After a particularly arduous 24hrs underground and 1000m of hauling on a deep cave SAREX (Search And Rescue EXercise), we started our journey towards asking the right questions about rope rescue. Could we lighten up our backcountry rope rescue gear while keeping acceptable safety margins? For lightweight rope rescue, […]
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, […]
Introduction We have used an edge kit for several years. Over this time, I have never done any testing on the combination of Purcell Prusik (Prusik on a Prusik), Prusik hitch 6mm on 8mm cord and double overhand (scaffold) hitch onto a carabiner. There has also been an assumption made that the edge kit would […]
Progress capture testing for a jigger I was about to post an article about the jigger (aka a set of fours) – how to build (and troubleshoot) using a couple of small double pulleys and cord (coming soon). I tried to remember if I had ever tested the progress capture Prusik as this would be […]
Lightweight systems – testing to the next level Once you start testing you is realise there is more testing to do. The testing aimed to push the limits of the belay for the lightweight rescue system. We decided on a 1.5m drop on 3m of rope with a 200kg load. Back in 2017, we did […]
Ice Anchor Testing Fox Glacier Every year, Fox Glacier Guiding takes thousands of people onto the Fox Glacier. As part of their operation, they guide people on hikes around the glacier where they use ice screws for hand lines (safety lines) and for top rope ice climbing where they use a mixture of ice screws […]
