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vtrescuekid
Mar 24, 2007, 4:40 PM
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I'm thinking about starting to Canyon/Cave and I was just curious if you use both the right and left handed Petzl ascenders (I'm a Petzl fan so that's why I used it as the example), or just use one and the foot ascender? Don't worry, this isn't something I'm going to go try on my own. I'm just curious if you use both handed ascenders w/ the foot ascender or one hand in combination with the foot ascender?
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misanthropic_nihilist
Mar 24, 2007, 7:46 PM
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It depends on which ascending technique you'll be using. 3 popular techniques come to mind:
Texas Kick:
My favorite. It requires two handled ascenders, and is fast and very not bulky.
Frog:
A favorite among cavers who need to ascend really long drops. It requires one handled ascender and one chest ascender (Petzl Croll). It requires some type of chest harness.
Rope Walker:
Only true cavers use this system. Utilizing one (or two) foot ascenders, it supposedly makes upward movement as efficient as possible. But it's a hassle to setup as it requires special 'chicken' loops to secure ascenders to your feet.
If you'll be doing mostly canyoneering, I'd recommend the Texas Kick, which is super fast to assemble. If you'll be mostly caving, I'd suggest talking to the local spelunkers to see what they recommend for local caves.
Check out the book, "On Rope." It list about 15 different ways to ascend a rope.
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vtrescuekid
Mar 24, 2007, 7:51 PM
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So it sounds like getting both the left and right handed ascenders would be a good idea then?
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truello
Mar 24, 2007, 9:10 PM
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misanthropic_nihilist wrote: Texas Kick: My favorite. It requires two handled ascenders, and is fast and very not bulky.
Would you mind elaborating on this? A google search isn't turning up much for me.
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ozoneclimber
Mar 24, 2007, 9:22 PM
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The Texas Kick, or just the Texas is usually just what ever you can scrounge up to use to climb the rope. The frog is absolutely the worst system for a long drop, I would not advise the use of this technique to anyone doing more than a 150-200 foot drop. If you will be doing a lot of getting on and off rope or a lot of small drops, use the frog, the majority of european cavers use it. It is also a good technique for Lechaguilla cave in New Mexico. If you are going to be doing large drops in TAG or Mexico you want the ropewalker system, which can be either double or single bungie and is essentially like riding a bike or walking up stairs.
You can probably find out anything you need to know at either swaygo.com or onropeone.com, Bruce Smith is the co-author of the book On Rope and he runs a business called On Rope One making harnesses etc., he is a personal friend of mine and he knows his shit. I won't use an ascention system from anyone else.
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misanthropic_nihilist
Mar 24, 2007, 9:35 PM
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vtrescuekid wrote: So it sounds like getting both the left and right handed ascenders would be a good idea then?
Yup. Unless you'll be doing some serious ascending, the Texas Kick with 2 handled ascenders is the way to go. You might even give the new Petzl ascenders a try. They're toothless and utilize a 4 bar linkage. They look pretty sweet:
http://www.gearexpress.biz/...;Product_Code=620002
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misanthropic_nihilist
Mar 24, 2007, 9:39 PM
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truello wrote: misanthropic_nihilist wrote: Texas Kick: My favorite. It requires two handled ascenders, and is fast and very not bulky. Would you mind elaborating on this? A google search isn't turning up much for me.
Try this link:
http://www.planetfear.com/..._detail.asp?a_id=511
Finding info online on any ascending system seems to be tricky work. If you can get your hands on it, "On Rope" is the best bet for such systems. "Freedom of the hills" also has a short segment on the Texas Kick
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stymingersfink
Mar 26, 2007, 6:21 AM
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They're not exactly toothless, nor exactly petzl. I'm certain that petzl would be thrilled to take the credit, but perhaps you'd like to try that again?
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misanthropic_nihilist
Mar 26, 2007, 6:55 PM
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stymingersfink wrote: They're not exactly toothless, nor exactly petzl. I'm certain that petzl would be thrilled to take the credit, but perhaps you'd like to try that again?
Whoa. I was way off on that. Black Diamond, not Petzl. I'm sure Petzl wishes they had invented those puppies too.
As for the teeth, I guess these are "serrated." Either way, it's nice to see something a little less agressive than the Ascensions.
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