advanced hitches

[jamie]

well after all this talk about relics from the form the fossil bed of knots has got me wondering,

as a fairly new climber i am still using a prusic (where does this come in the fossil record) for the best part i am happy with it, it works and im still here. only a few grievances, they can sieze ba***rd tight and they sometimes creep. whenever i have climbed on a blakes hitch they advance nicely but also desend with the same ease, some times too easy.....and quick.

how do these advanced hitches compare in response and what not..... after looking at a few pictures i have seen some with a long 'tail' and those like rockys with a pully to advance them, im assuming that those in the above link advance in the same way as my prusic, but what techniques are applied to using a pully???? (im still a slow climber and bod thrust most of the way up a tree, its a good workout).

another question is that im assuming that you can still attach a spliced eye to rockys karabiner with the knot and pully on it, or is it preferntial to use another karabiner....i cant see any reason why you shouldn't though.

i had other points to make but due to my home computer having dial up, i made two attempts to post this and failed both times, back to mums house and broadband succeds.......hmmmmm.....

any help would be great.....as i like new things to play with and experiment with....

cheers

jamie

 

[rahtreelimbs]

After wrestling with the Blake hitch for years I found this website. I used the Distel for a year or so and now have moved on to the VT. The big advantage that the VT has is it's ability to collapse (opening up to reduce the friction between it and the host rope) thereby making friction almost nonexistent. When I use the term collapse don't be confused and think that the hitch is about to fail, these were the only words I could find to get my point across. The pulley backs up the hitch and acts like a second hand to tend slack. Pulling with one hand under the pulley allows the use of your other hand for balance, positioning etc. Hope this helps.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

JP is that you(Jamie)?

i think we have seen a few of those knots around in your link; the first is rather curious though IMLHO. The 1st, as all though extend off a short Frenchy stack, most placing a half hitch under that in some form, this (icicle hitch)sure does it uniquely i think; Thanx!

Any of the friction hitches are advanced by pushing 'up', (Dr. Prusik's included,that he devised for grabbing broken music strings and restretching them for a school use to $ave i think legend has it); can have a pulley(sometimes other device) placed under the hitch, so that you don't have to hold hitch with one hand and pull tail to shorten, but rather; pulley 'tends'/pushes the friction hitch up, as you pull line with 1 hand; keeping the other hand a free agent with the pulley/knot tender advancing the hitch instead of the free hand.

i think of the knots on ends of Rocky's pic. as temporary/semi permanent eyes; to be used interchangeabley. Extra carabiner's et al to taste i think.

Welcome Home if climbing is your passion! You may have found your people!


Ooooorrrrrr soimething like that!
:alien:


Ooooooops 'scooped' by our MIM!

 

[Acer]

Hi Jamie

I started off with the prussic on 3 strand nylon rope, moved on to arbor line with a split tail and blake's, tried the VT and settled for the distel, after reading about them here. Every change was a revelation, and I really don't know how I managed on a prussic. The VT and distel are great because you can advance them with one hand, and they don't lock up. I found the VT a bit more sensitive and less prone to tightening too much after being loaded, but felt that there was a danger of it quietly collapsing when not under load, and not gripping the lifeline when needed. It never happened, nor should it have, but there's always a "should have/shouldn't have" in every accident, and I felt the distel was slightly safer.

When trying out these advanced hitches, I'd start off low and slow. Practice tying them in your spare time, and test them out in the lowest risk situation you can..tho' I'm sure you know this already!!

 

[jamie]

descending

my only concern at the moment is the sensetivity of them, i like a blakes hitch as they feel nicer, but as in my squad im still not climbing on a daily basis (as im still not efficient (fast and experienced) enough for the larger jobs, i do get to climb for pulling lines, pruning, deadwooding and smaller sections) my progress is slow, i would practice at home, but ive been taught to climb with a grounded climber (for any rescue situation) and i dont really want to get into a situation where i may need help and its not there......

so what do they descend like, rapid like the blakes im assuming????

as my boss provides our kit ( i choose a harness out of the spare harness stable that i like) im now waiting on my rope being cut and spliced (i tend to use his for the best part and he stays grounded) and im waiting for him to teach me to splice (someone to check that they are safe in a non critical situation) so i was wanting to ask him to leave the prusic loops or make make me some longer lengths for other hitches.....

2nd question, im assuming that distels are tieable on 3 strand rope??? as that is what he uses for his strops.....

cheers for all the help, one day i may be a full time climber.... one day :blob4:

jamie

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i don't look for speed decent, that is easy; preferring a hitch that doesn't lock up and advances easily as the prize.

Distel worked well for me in New England Safety Blue HyVee 3strand. i think they last longer, grip differently than braid on braid.

You can safely practice knot tying around your thigh watching TV, pulling the knots at differt angles to get a feel for them; making them perfectly eventually while not paying much attention. On a safe hill, with a friendly tree at top, you can safely practice some things fighting some gravity. You can change the angle of the line, your body lean, selection of hills for different angles of incline; to test some of these things and moving around some. Try to keep sand/grit out of line.

 

[Acer]

I'm not sure how successful 3 strand would be with these hitches. Have a look here . Under the ropes section, they've got something called 1/2" braided climbing line, which looks like the stuff I used for my lifeline. There's also "Prussic rope 10,5 mm" - that was good for all the hitches. I found that to be a good combination, which worked well in all conditions. I'm not sure how hard wearing the prussic stuff is, but it's only £1.46 / m. It just needs checking for wear, which of course you should be doing every day!

 

[Stumper]

Acer, Spydy and I have both tried 3 strand for friction hitches with good results. Braided rope will also work on a 3 strand host-but that does tend to lock down a bit more. This isn't to say that 3 strand is the only, or even the best, way to go but it certainly works.