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Ultra Light Climbing method 2.0

MNFarmHunter said:
Out of curiosity, what saddle do you have? I have an Aero Merlin which allow a more complete "sit" as opposed to other saddles that are more "butt slings". I'm almost wondering if the type of saddle makes a difference.
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I think this is a factor. I’ve only tried 2TC from my rch. The position of the belay loop seemed to pose an insurmountable obstacle to me. I was never able to sit fully and couldn’t seem able to advance my tether. Even with the thigh loop I just felt like I was unstable and falling.
 
JSEXTON23 said:
I think this is a factor. I’ve only tried 2TC from my rch. The position of the belay loop seemed to pose an insurmountable obstacle to me. I was never able to sit fully and couldn’t seem able to advance my tether. Even with the thigh loop I just felt like I was unstable and falling.
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Watching @_Dario's video, I'm thinking that may be a key part of this. My Merlin or even a 2-panel which offers a chair-like sit definitely would make a difference.
 
_Dario said:
I just got back from doing two climbs…man the thigh band really took me from what could only be described as looking like a human flounder on the tree to an actual tree climbing primate. Not a good one, but it’s leaps and bounds better. The pvc pipe foot loop is a no-go as it kept wanting to roll out from under my foot so I will swap that out with something else. I am going to keep practicing this method for sure.
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I would switch the pvc for a squishy rubber tubing and put a section of tubular webbing over that as it will support and not roll around and keep the loop open. Of course feed the rope thru the rubber tubing
 
I’ve tried just about every method out there. The way this guy does it is the best for me. I pretty much do exactly what he does, except with 8mm ropes instead of 9mm that he is using. The Kong Slyde is awesome, btw.

EDIT: USE 9MM ROPE!!!! 8mm can bypass and cause free fall.



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mtsrunner said:
I’ve tried just about every method out there. The way this guy does it is the best for me. I pretty much do exactly what he does, except with 8mm ropes instead of 9mm that he is using. The Kong Slyde is awesome, btw.

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So the Slyde is holding ok with the 8mm? I see it's rated for 9-10. I really like that it is advertised as an impact reducing adjuster.

Also, is your experience that a Ropeman is superior in this application to other ascenders?

I'm starting to see the light here, but want to really dial in my selections to give myself the best chance to love it.

Thanks for sharing the video, and any additional info / tips.
 
The Ropeman and Kong Duck have such different designs that I'd almost call them application specific though both can do the same job.

The Ropeman feeds the rope up/down and works well as an alternative to a Petzl hand ascender, on a linemans belt or a tether. However, it's design wouldn't work well as a saddle attachment point for SRT as the rope would need to reverse course to go back up through the ascender carabiner (if that makes any sense). It's also more compact that the Duck and can use any carabiner.

The Kong Duck feeds the rope though the side (left/Right). While it will do everything the Ropeman does, some may not think it feeds as smoothly. However, it's design works well as a Madrock replacement for SRT climbing. Due to it's design, an oval carabiner works better than a modified "D". However, these limitations are offset by the fact it is rated for 8mm rope.

In short, both work equally well on a tether and linemans belt. The Ropeman would work better as a hand ascender than the Duck but the Duck would work better as the saddle attachment when SRT. For my 8TC, I use a Duck on my tether primarily since I use Oplux.
 
Plebe said:
So the Slyde is holding ok with the 8mm? I see it's rated for 9-10. I really like that it is advertised as an impact reducing adjuster.

Also, is your experience that a Ropeman is superior in this application to other ascenders?

I'm starting to see the light here, but want to really dial in my selections to give myself the best chance to love it.

Thanks for sharing the video, and any additional info / tips.
Click to expand...

Plebe said:
So the Slyde is holding ok with the 8mm? I see it's rated for 9-10. I really like that it is advertised as an impact reducing adjuster.

Also, is your experience that a Ropeman is superior in this application to other ascenders?

I'm starting to see the light here, but want to really dial in my selections to give myself the best chance to love it.

Thanks for sharing the video, and any additional info / tips.
Click to expand...


EDIT: DON’T use 8mm with Slyde

I had the 8mm bypass the lock today. I had a backup alpine butterfly, but it would have been a free fall if I didn’t.
I like the Duck to adjust my foot loop. I have no experience with Ropeman.


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mtsrunner said:
EDIT: DON’T use 8mm with Slyde

I had the 8mm bypass the lock today. I had a backup alpine butterfly, but it would have been a free fall if I didn’t.
I like the Duck to adjust my foot loop. I have no experience with Ropeman.


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Thanks. I was thinking Duck, unless there was a specific reason not to go that route.
 
mtsrunner said:
Yeah, I’m still digging the Slyde. No moving parts, small, light and adds some energy dissipation. Just need to use 9-10mm rope.
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I've very much intrigued with this climbing method. I've ordered a Kong slyde and plan on using it with my Canyon IV rappel rope. I'm gonna try to use another tether with a ropeman to hold a swaider as a foot loop. I hope I can get it to work. How do you attach you foot loop device to the ascender?

EDIT: I see he's using a caribiner. I also grabbed those tether handles.
 
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My sewing machine is buried after a recent move and I’ve been out of the loop since last season, is anyone making the leg loops now or still DIY?
 
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