[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Rappeling (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/1/2012 11:40:56 AM EDT
|
Note to self:
Rappeling with a figure 8 down 9.8mm rope - single strand - isn't the best idea when you weigh 210lbs. Klemheist backup above the rappel was old and stiff 8mm and didn't grip. (Diameters too close anyway, should have using 6mm) I knew all this, and did it anyway. Suck. 
First two pics are my brake hand, last pic is my right hand. 
|
| Seen worse. I watched a guy have an almost fatal hook up on an Aussie. He suffered a broken nose, fractured cheek bone, and lost a lot of skin off his guide hand slowing his 110 ft decent. He also got an artical 15 for rappeling with out a rappel master on site. |
|
Quoted:
How far? Only about 25 feet, guessing. I was maybe 30 feet up. I had some tree work to do, so I got out the rock climbing gear while the GF relaxed in the hammock below. I placed pro as I climbed up  , got to a fork in the tree, leashed in, threw a rope up and ascended another few feet, playing around with a pulley system and my GriGri on self belay at times, other times just climbing the other rope with an aider and chest ascender. Just fooling around.
Got as high as I needed, decided to rig up a 'biner block and rappel down the figure 8 (instead of the usual ATC) single strand. Gloves in the rope bag below, a lot of good they did me. Dutifully rigged up the Klemheist before I dropped, chatting with the GF. Didn't take a spill though, landed softly but I'm sure with an "oh shit" look on my face and then about 10 seconds later OUCH. Hands blistered up, got my kids boo-bo buddy ice pack on it. Glad I wasn't up at the crag, but then again I wouldn't have had occasion to single strand it and would probably use my thicker rope anyway. And gloves. Dumbassery. 
I like the Edelrid Boa rope but I forgot how skinny it is, should have realized when I was wrapping it with 8mm. |
|
Quoted:
Seen worse. I watched a guy have an almost fatal hook up on an Aussie. He suffered a broken nose, fractured cheek bone, and lost a lot of skin off his guide hand slowing his 110 ft decent. He also got an article 15 for rappelling with out a rappel master on site. The instructor demonstrating the Australian for us in my reserve unit leaned off the tower barking out instruction in typical sergeant style; ZIP! POOOFF! Giant dust cloud in the pit, he struggles to his feet, looks up at his partner, " goddammit Larry you hooked me up wrong!" Fortunately only 40 feet.......
interesting that Australian style..... |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
How far? Only about 25 feet, guessing. I was maybe 30 feet up. I had some tree work to do, so I got out the rock climbing gear while the GF relaxed in the hammock below. I placed pro as I climbed up , got to a fork in the tree, leashed in, threw a rope up and ascended another few feet, playing around with a pulley system and my GriGri on self belay at times, other times just climbing the other rope with an aider and chest ascender. Just fooling around.
Got as high as I needed, decided to rig up a 'biner block and rappel down the figure 8 (instead of the usual ATC) single strand. Gloves in the rope bag below, a lot of good they did me. Dutifully rigged up the Klemheist before I dropped, chatting with the GF. Didn't take a spill though, landed softly but I'm sure with an "oh shit" look on my face and then about 10 seconds later OUCH. Hands blistered up, got my kids boo-bo buddy ice pack on it. Glad I wasn't up at the crag, but then again I wouldn't have had occasion to single strand it and would probably use my thicker rope anyway. And gloves. Dumbassery.
I like the Edelrid Boa rope but I forgot how skinny it is, should have realized when I was wrapping it with 8mm. Old story of the guy who was good enough that he starts thinking all the rules don't apply to him. This is what happened to the dude who had to cut his arm off, when he got trapped by a rock in a crevase. He was a pro S &R guy who journeyed out on his own without letting anyone know where he was or how long he planned on staying. Glad it was a relatively painless way to remind yourself. |
|
Quoted:
Gloves and a rack are the way to go. I have forgot to put on gloves a few times and smoked my hands. Try dropping nearly 600' and see how hot a rack will get. Forget about a figure 8 on a drop that deep. I remember guys at the bottom on Bridge Day with thermal guns measuring rack temps as soon as you touched down and got off rope. I don't remember what the actual temps were, but they were up there! |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Gloves and a rack are the way to go. I have forgot to put on gloves a few times and smoked my hands. Try dropping nearly 600' and see how hot a rack will get. Forget about a figure 8 on a drop that deep. I remember guys at the bottom on Bridge Day with thermal guns measuring rack temps as soon as you touched down and got off rope. I don't remember what the actual temps were, but they were up there! I read some article years ago about some guys rappeling a few thousand feet down El Capitan. Supposedly those racks were turning blue from the heat and it was accepted that if you lost control of the rappel - at all - you were a dead man. No firemans' belay on that one. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
You seriously decided to rappel without gloves? 
You bareback hookers as well? Did so with some really nasty, trashy sluts back in the day. Maybe there's a correlation here. Besides, I had gloves. These were in my bag the whole time...... 
At least when I barebacked the skanks I didn't have a rubber in my wallet. |
|
you'll be blind in a few minutes
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Gloves and a rack are the way to go. I have forgot to put on gloves a few times and smoked my hands. Try dropping nearly 600' and see how hot a rack will get. Forget about a figure 8 on a drop that deep. I remember guys at the bottom on Bridge Day with thermal guns measuring rack temps as soon as you touched down and got off rope. I don't remember what the actual temps were, but they were up there! I read some article years ago about some guys rappeling a few thousand feet down El Capitan. Supposedly those racks were turning blue from the heat and it was accepted that if you lost control of the rappel - at all - you were a dead man. No firemans' belay on that one. The group I do Bridge Day with has done El Cap several times in the past and will be doing it again in 2013. It'll be the first time for me :) |
|
Quoted: Quoted: Seen worse. I watched a guy have an almost fatal hook up on an Aussie. He suffered a broken nose, fractured cheek bone, and lost a lot of skin off his guide hand slowing his 110 ft decent. He also got an article 15 for rappelling with out a rappel master on site. The instructor demonstrating the Australian for us in my reserve unit leaned off the tower barking out instruction in typical sergeant style; ZIP! POOOFF! Giant dust cloud in the pit, he struggles to his feet, looks up at his partner, " goddammit Larry you hooked me up wrong!" Fortunately only 40 feet....... interesting that Australian style..... I hooked myself up wrong once doing an Aussie rappel, we must have been taking a lunch break because I was the last person on the tower but we weren't dropping the ropes. Heard the "click" as I leaned out and immediately realized what happened and pulled my brake hand in hard. Then had to yell at my belayman who realized there was a problem and was trying to belay me. Then I carefully lowered myself down the tower :-) |
|
Quoted:
I admire any of you guys/gals that rock climb as a hobby. I can climb in my airplane and soar to thousands of feet and fly upside down but the thought of doing what you do on cliff faces scares the crap out of me....  It's fun you should try it. If you are out of shape for climbing at least try repelling. |
|
I must be doing it wrong.
I only use gloves when it is really cold or I am travelling in ice and snow. I only use a figure 8 - why carry anything heavier or more complicated? When I did most of my climbing, I weighed about 190 and my day pack typically weighed 20 - 30 pounds. Also, I always doubled the rope (or two ropes tied together to rappel a full rope length) so that I could pull it through when I reached the bottom of the rope. I did a lot of rappelling this way - ice, snow, rocks, day, night, overhangs, multi-pitch rappels (800 - 900 feet, 1 rope length at a time). Are you guys jumping out of helicopters while being shot at? |
|
Quoted:
I admire any of you guys/gals that rock climb as a hobby. I can climb in my airplane and soar to thousands of feet and fly upside down but the thought of doing what you do on cliff faces scares the crap out of me.... I haven't flown in 2 years.  Not only am I out of BFR, but my medical is expired too. Been on my list of shit to take care of this month. Along with renewing my CCW and wearing my rappel gloves.
|
|
I've never forgot my gloves for a repel but I have taken them off to early figure 8s get kinda hot . One more thing to add to the list that I haven't done forever. I need to find a quary to go down I spose round here I could just climb up a grain silo Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
| BMS Micro-rack with dual hyperbars. I've got green reflective tape on the off-side to avoid rigging a death rack. I was in Sedona with a group and a gal was preparing to go over the edge and on the check out I said, you've got a death rack. She said no I don't. I grabbed the working side of the rope and gave it a good snap. All the bars flipped open and the rope popped out. She turned ashen gray at that point. |
|
Shit, this has to be one of the moar elaborate cover stories for a case of rather minor fap-rash.
Did someone walk in on you in mid stroke? Or did the questions about why you couldn't shake hands require a better S-splainin that 'Oh nothing, just another night of hard core ball slappin hand hockey resulting in late night online shopping for fleshlights and lube" At least spit on it next time |
|
Quoted:
BMS Micro-rack with dual hyperbars. I've got green reflective tape on the off-side to avoid rigging a death rack. I was in Sedona with a group and a gal was preparing to go over the edge and on the check out I said, you've got a death rack. She said no I don't. I grabbed the working side of the rope and gave it a good snap. All the bars flipped open and the rope popped out. She turned ashen gray at that point. I did the exact same thing on my micro rack. |
|
Quoted: Reminds me of an old joke. Bill and Joe are in the locker room and Bill asks Joe when he started wearing women's panties? Joe answered, when my wife found a pair in the glove box of my car. Shit, this has to be one of the moar elaborate cover stories for a case of rather minor fap-rash. Did someone walk in on you in mid stroke? Or did the questions about why you couldn't shake hands require a better S-splainin that 'Oh nothing, just another night of hard core ball slappin hand hockey resulting in late night online shopping for fleshlights and lube" At least spit on it next time  |
|
Quoted: I've never forgot my gloves for a repel but I have taken them off to early figure 8s get kinda hot . One more thing to add to the list that I haven't done forever. I need to find a quary to go down I spose round here I could just climb up a grain silo Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Devil's Lake State Park for you. Tons of routes. You set up your anchors up top and rap down, then climb or walk back up. |