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Safeguard rappelling

I'm not sure how to explain it proper, I had pretty much lifted the carabiner end of the safeguard, that stops the piece from clamping down on the rope internally

Scary **** man glad you’re okay


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I'm not sure how to explain it proper, I had pretty much lifted the carabiner end of the safeguard, that stops the piece from clamping down on the rope internally

I occasionally do this to let some slack out instead of pulling the lever. For those who can’t picture it, the carabiner/Safeguard will be perpendicularly the tree.

I think the only way that you could have fallen without it catching you was that you unluckily managed to keep the angle of the Safeguard for that short fall. Think about it, it was less than one second for you to hit the ground. I could be wrong, though.
 
Except that I was just able to replicate the scenario I described above in my garage with Canyon C IV 9mm rope as well as Oplux.

I would love to see a picture because I’m having such a tough time visualizing this lol


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Murphy's Law : See below
Since I climb up and down using SRT with my rope in an S configuration I would not be able to do this.
That is a strange failure mode with the Safeguard and I imagine all mechanical belay devices.
Thumb holding the device open is a recommended slack making method in professional rock climbing videos. Remove your thumb and it catches.
 
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I would love to see a picture because I’m having such a tough time visualizing this lol


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This will stop you from falling.
e59eceed1260e2ac580378af9a6f8f0a.jpg



This will not stop you.
09e008d097c110b0ece0ce69cb72df9f.jpg


Having said that, it would be tough to hold that angle, but you would only have to do it for less than a second to fall 10’
 
This will stop you from falling.
e59eceed1260e2ac580378af9a6f8f0a.jpg



This will not stop you.
09e008d097c110b0ece0ce69cb72df9f.jpg


Having said that, it would be tough to hold that angle, but you would only have to do it for less than a second to fall 10’

Thanks! Now to why wouldn’t you split your pointer and middle finger across the oplux and push down on the bar ( for lack of a better term) or action to let out slack?


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Thanks! Now to why wouldn’t you split your pointer and middle finger across the oplux and push down on the bar ( for lack of a better term) or action to let out slack?


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Yep. Just lazy. That would be a much better practice. The best thing to do is just use the lever, though.
 
You CAN run some form of autoblock below the Safeguard.

03f054e4c80de9e90c260b33d00c9287.jpg


^^ you can see my autoblock in the bottom right of this picture.
According to Madrock you should never put a auto-block below the rig as you have as the stress has caused them to break in testing. it should go above. personally, these things are rated for 4000lbs so I don't use one.
 
According to Madrock you should never put a auto-block below the rig as you have as the stress has caused them to break in testing. it should go above. personally, these things are rated for 4000lbs so I don't use one.

While that is EXTREMELY accurate lol, it makes me feel better in case it slips for some reason


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While that is EXTREMELY accurate lol, it makes me feel better in case it slips for some reason


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Read the safety instructions for yourself. I've been rock climbing for years. NOBODY puts an auto-block (prusik or otherwise) below the device. Why would you risk breaking your device doing the very thing that it tells you not to do, potentially causing an accident and or perilous situation?
 

Read the safety instructions for yourself. I've been rock climbing for years. NOBODY puts an auto-block (prusik or otherwise) below the device. Why would you risk breaking your device doing the very thing that it tells you not to do, potentially causing an accident and or perilous situation?

My reason for putting it below is in case of it sliding on its own. Their reason for not having it below is because it can break from taking a hard fall. In my instance I’m not putting myself in a place for a fall. I never use prusik while I climb. It gets placed once the safeguard is loaded and in position. Only reason like I said it’s there in case rope for some reason slides through the break my prusik will catch it.


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Read the safety instructions for yourself. I've been rock climbing for years. NOBODY puts an auto-block (prusik or otherwise) below the device. Why would you risk breaking your device doing the very thing that it tells you not to do, potentially causing an accident and or perilous situation?

This is a bit of an overstatement. An autoblock is generally defined as a backup that goes below the device, and it is extremely common in the climbing world. Just because some devices aren’t recommended with it is insufficient as a reason to say nobody uses them ever. People use them all the time with many devices, and for good reason. There are associated trade offs with all types of backups .
 
I don't see how that could happen either unless the rope was fed through backwards.
It is easy to hook it up wrong if you are in a hurry or not focused on what you are doing. I took a marker and put a T for top on it and arrows showing the direction of the rope, so I do not screw up.
 
I think the Madrock Safeguard was designed and intended as a rappel device. I don't think it was designed for saddle hunters to hunt off of it. But we are using it for that purpose. It was not designed to be used with 8mm rope, but we are doing that too.

I have read the information provided with the device. And at the end of the day, I run a Sterling HollowBlock2 (auto block backup) on either Sterling Canyon IV 9mm or Samson Predator 11.4mm rope attached to my linemen loop and will continue to do so. Just makes me feel safer going up, hunting, and coming down.
 
My reason for putting it below is in case of it sliding on its own. Their reason for not having it below is because it can break from taking a hard fall. In my instance I’m not putting myself in a place for a fall. I never use prusik while I climb. It gets placed once the safeguard is loaded and in position. Only reason like I said it’s there in case rope for some reason slides through the break my prusik will catch it.


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If the device slides down and contacts the hitch it probably wouldn’t hold because it would be compressed. I prefer the hitch to be above a belay device, one hand operates that and the other is the brake hand, and only that.
 
If the device slides down and contacts the hitch it probably wouldn’t hold because it would be compressed. I prefer the hitch to be above a belay device, one hand operates that and the other is the brake hand, and only that.

It’s attached to my linesman loop, so in the event of a slide it stops about 2’ below safeguard


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According to Madrock you should never put a auto-block below the rig as you have as the stress has caused them to break in testing. it should go above. personally, these things are rated for 4000lbs so I don't use one.

I explained in detail why I do it. I’m comfortable with that. I don’t recommend anyone else do it.
 
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