Brains
Well-known member
https://www.facebook.com/LIGARAPEL/videos/615460771939249/
What went wrong here - is it as simple as not enough rope / no knot?
What went wrong here - is it as simple as not enough rope / no knot?
Abseil accident
- Thread starter Brains
- Start date
royfellows
Well-known member
Certainly looks like it.
Anyone know anything about the outcome, did he survive?
Anyone know anything about the outcome, did he survive?
royfellows
Well-known member
To snap like that it must have been a sharp metal edge, although slate can be razor sharp which is why I dont like SRT in slate mines.
rhychydwr1
Active member
Looks fatal to me. RIP
Roger W
Well-known member
Looking again carefully - the rope is a colour that makes it hard to see, but it does seem to be visible hanging down below him at about 0.03. I don't think he just abseiled off the end.
He looks to have got below the bridge when the rope seems to snap and the top part, released from the strain, flies upwards showing that frayed end.
What was he using for a descender?
He looks to have got below the bridge when the rope seems to snap and the top part, released from the strain, flies upwards showing that frayed end.
What was he using for a descender?
Simon Wilson
New member
It doesn't look like rope; it looks like washing line and I think it snapped at the descender. In this screenshot you can see the end of the washing line below the edge of the bridge as it springs upwards. He appears to be using some sort of self-locking descender and sets off very fast when he squeezes the handle. He then appears to stop suddenly before the washing line breaks. Did he let go of the handle? If it was the descender that caused the washing line to break, what was the mechanism?
I hope he survived.
I hope he survived.
Simon Wilson
New member
That's what I was thinking. If it's a Stop descender (or simliar), could enough heat be generated in a split second to melt a low melting point cord?
royfellows
Well-known member
Without factual information we are all guessing really. It does look as though the rope has failed without any contact with the bridge. Unfortunately its all speculation. For all we know he could have been using a home made or modified descender, its starting to look as though that's the failure point.
Maj
Active member
The rope appears to fail at his descender.
A fraction of a second after the rope fails, you can see the remaining top section of rope still reaches him as it starts to recoil up since no longer loaded. Also at this point you can see the bottom section of rope below him.
I suspect that either the descender cut through/damaged the rope causing the rope to fail, or the rope was already damaged and when loaded below that point, the rope failed.
:-\
Was the rope suitable for abseiling on?
Was the rope in good condition?
What descender, if any, was he using?
Rope contacts bridge and no protection for rope (but not the cause).
But he was wearing hard hat & gloves.
Potential Darwin Award winner if he was responsible for the equipment and rigging.
But it may have been someone else that was allegedly responsible and he assumed they knew what they were doing.
Either way Not a good ending.
Maj.
A fraction of a second after the rope fails, you can see the remaining top section of rope still reaches him as it starts to recoil up since no longer loaded. Also at this point you can see the bottom section of rope below him.
I suspect that either the descender cut through/damaged the rope causing the rope to fail, or the rope was already damaged and when loaded below that point, the rope failed.
:-\
Was the rope suitable for abseiling on?
Was the rope in good condition?
What descender, if any, was he using?
Rope contacts bridge and no protection for rope (but not the cause).
But he was wearing hard hat & gloves.
Potential Darwin Award winner if he was responsible for the equipment and rigging.
But it may have been someone else that was allegedly responsible and he assumed they knew what they were doing.
Either way
Not a good ending.Maj.
Alex
Well-known member
Judging by his fall time, which was about a second, he could not have fallen more than 30ft and landed on his feet(ish) not his head so it is likely he survived, though there does appear to be a secondary impact on his back, due to the angle he landed. But what is in his favour he seemed to land in a small bush.
royfellows
Well-known member
We all wish well for him but its important for the cause of the accident to be known so as to avoid repetition.
I have had a further thought in that its possible that he started off to fast and then attempted to use the Stop autolock as a brake which is bad practice. (Assuming its a Petzl Stop) This would compound the situation.
I always fit a braking crab without fail following an 'experience' when I was a beginner.
I have had a further thought in that its possible that he started off to fast and then attempted to use the Stop autolock as a brake which is bad practice. (Assuming its a Petzl Stop) This would compound the situation.
I always fit a braking crab without fail following an 'experience' when I was a beginner.
Alex
Well-known member
Yes I had one of those in my early days in Tatham, still no idea how it happened. All I can think of was I had too much slack, the next thing I knew I was at the bottom of the pitch with rope burns on my hand, a busted knee pad and badly bruised knee (dropped about 4m, I think)
Looking at this accident, I would say the rope was dynamic rope, if not elastic, due to the distance and speed it shot up. A static or semi-static rope under strain when cut does not bounce up like that!
Looking at this accident, I would say the rope was dynamic rope, if not elastic, due to the distance and speed it shot up. A static or semi-static rope under strain when cut does not bounce up like that!
