CAMP Turbochest roller chest ascender.

[Disgusted from Cornwall.]

I have a few things I think are great. Rack descender, foot ascender, MTDE harnesses, Roy Fellows Head Torch (Biiiig power). I can't really remember why I bothered buying a Camp Roller Chest Ascender. It was possibly because I noted that when I was using a foot ascender, there was a change of angle at my Croll (CT one).

Yesterday I did a mine with about 450ft of pitches. It was utterly utterly outstanding. If there was one thing which made me really shout from the rooftops about how awesome this was and how everyone must have one, it would be this. Should they stop making them, I will most certainly buy enough to last me a lifetime. I could not go back to an original croll.

When starting off, the rope just falls through the ascender. When up on a main pitch, you can easily ropewalk without the massive effort it usually takes with a frog rig (due to the croll). On inclined pitches, the pulleys just make light work of it. The last pitch was 140ft and I was quite tired with all the de-rigging. I just walked up the rope and it was great.

This is the component which has revolutionised SRT for me. If you're a big caver, or someone doing a lot of ropework, this is a must have. 

 

[paul]

What's it like when down prusiking?

 

[pwhole]

I've been moaning about my tiny Croll since I got it, but have gradually got used to it's annoyances - however, I am intrigued by these new things. But your point about ropewalking being easier - is that due to less friction? I can't see it being a drastic improvement from other perspectives, as it's the vertical position of the chest ascender relative to the body that's critical surely? As in, the higher the better? I know that obviates some of the advantages of the low position offered by the Petzl Avanti, etc., but then that's clearly a frog-style harness. I'm very keen to improve ropewalking capabilities as much as I can, and the Garma chest harness has improved the overall positioning and loading in that respect, but it still seems that a neck-height fixture is the ideal. Using my hand high up the rope helps, but it's still knackering, compared to what a passive attachment would be like.

 

[paul]

What's it like when down prusiking?

I see my question has already been answered on http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=17926.0

 

[cavermark]

What's it like when down prusiking?

I see my question has already been answered on http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=17926.0

Whre does it mention down prussiking?

 

[paul]

From my link above:

Is it nice?

Yes. Very nice. But only on thicker rope. It likes 10mm to 11mm, runs smoothly, clips in nicely, even reverse prusiks well. Super-smooth, fast, free-running.... everything you would hope for and expect after a first glance

 

[cavermark]

thanks 

 

[Disgusted from Cornwall.]

The catch is better positioned for down prusicking. It's also ribbed for your pleasure. It's just a superior piece of kit for a chest ascender. End of.

I have also been very keen to develop a ropewalking rig. The emphasis being on having it interchangeable with the usual set up.

I run an MTDE Picos and Garma, I like having a low croll. Not sure why, it's probably as a result of years of brainwashing. I may experiment with this.

I was running a AV Muruck before the MTDE stuff (and petzl Y chest harness) The former being the closest to my much loved and reluctantly retired caving supplies harness.

I am convinced there is a way of achieving a good rope walking rig. The reasoning for it is that I've got a few 100-160m shafts to look at and I like the idea of not wasting energy and having a nice time on the way up. My build is more suited to doing a 10m shaft with 3 people on my back, than a 200m shaft with none! Probably should go for a run instead and cut down on the pasties!

I like the Garma Chest harness and decided to muck around with a pulley at sternum level. I had a fixed pulley (fixe) installed on the long axis of an oval krab. I rigged a rope to the industrial unit roof and was up to it in a fraction of a second. The problem was that the krab rotated 90 degrees and then I was leant back enough to ruin the whole setup. In order to avoid this, you'd have to hand-walk as well, which defies the purpose of the whole thing.

My present plan (which is still in development) due to Rock Exotica/PMI not posting to the UK and their UK dealer not appearing to be interested in business.....is to get a single chest roller (on plate) and the associated harness. Then adding an MTDE style tape for the croll.

Since the roller chest ascender makes such an improvement and the RE/PMI dealer seems not to respond to emails, I think I might just stick with this and go for a few runs.

 

[Fulk]

I like having a low croll. Not sure why, it's probably as a result of years of brainwashing.

I guess that if you?re using a standard frog set-up, then the lower the Croll the bigger the gap between it and your hand/foot jammer, hence the bigger the step you can take.

 

[Disgusted from Cornwall.]

Which is sometimes useful right at the top!

 

[topcat]

Only for 10mm + rope is a big limiter though.................I couldn't get back up most of my ropes

 

[tamarmole]

The catch is better positioned for down prusicking. It's also ribbed for your pleasure. It's just a superior piece of kit for a chest ascender. End of.

I have also been very keen to develop a ropewalking rig. The emphasis being on having it interchangeable with the usual set up.

I run an MTDE Picos and Garma, I like having a low croll. Not sure why, it's probably as a result of years of brainwashing. I may experiment with this.

I was running a AV Muruck before the MTDE stuff (and petzl Y chest harness) The former being the closest to my much loved and reluctantly retired caving supplies harness.

I am convinced there is a way of achieving a good rope walking rig. The reasoning for it is that I've got a few 100-160m shafts to look at and I like the idea of not wasting energy and having a nice time on the way up. My build is more suited to doing a 10m shaft with 3 people on my back, than a 200m shaft with none! Probably should go for a run instead and cut down on the pasties!

I like the Garma Chest harness and decided to muck around with a pulley at sternum level. I had a fixed pulley (fixe) installed on the long axis of an oval krab. I rigged a rope to the industrial unit roof and was up to it in a fraction of a second. The problem was that the krab rotated 90 degrees and then I was leant back enough to ruin the whole setup. In order to avoid this, you'd have to hand-walk as well, which defies the purpose of the whole thing.

My present plan (which is still in development) due to Rock Exotica/PMI not posting to the UK and their UK dealer not appearing to be interested in business.....is to get a single chest roller (on plate) and the associated harness. Then adding an MTDE style tape for the croll.

Since the roller chest ascender makes such an improvement and the RE/PMI dealer seems not to respond to emails, I think I might just stick with this and go for a few runs.

If you want to buy American vertical swag I can recommend Inner Mountain Outfitters - I bought a micro rack from them a couple of years ago; no problems.  IMO stock both the single and double Rock Exotica /PMI chest rollers.

http://www.innermountainoutfitters.com/pmi-double-chest-roller/

 

[cavemanmike]

try this for a bit of ropewalking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8MqJnmU8H8

 

[cap n chris]

It's effectively the same as a European set-up, benefitting from a super-high equivalency croll, due to the pulley at chin-height. Very impressive but not super-tidy (e.g. passing a deviation could be interesting). Using our standard rig, with pantin, but with a chin-high pulley as shown in the video, would create a similar progression technique and arguably simpler.

 

[Disgusted from Cornwall.]

It looks like a bit of a lash up. However, the pulley is even higher than the PMI chest roller. This is probably a good thing. I'm not sure about the hand jammer as a croll substitute, that looks like a right mess. If you're going to be doing a massive shaft with some fiddling at the top, I like the idea of running a croll continuously, being able to attach the pulley and then deploy the hand jammer/footloop. I have a dedicated knee ascender and foot strap elsewhere. I'd like to have a closer look at his pulley arrangement.

Hedgemonkeys might get their hair sucked into it.

 

[Amy]

It's effectively the same as a European set-up, benefitting from a super-high equivalency croll, due to the pulley at chin-height. Very impressive but not super-tidy (e.g. passing a deviation could be interesting). Using our standard rig, with pantin, but with a chin-high pulley as shown in the video, would create a similar progression technique and arguably simpler.

i can assure you Clinton is quite the man, gone on many an exped and extremely experienced in "alpine srt". He also is the man for bolt climbing in this region. His system works phenominally. I also know people who have done as you suggest. Some folks it works for but many have issues with the croll and pully getting jammed up. But if you have a long enough and flat enoigh torso for it, yes.

The ascender arangment is a Texas so it is something most cavers here are familiar with. Its basicaly an inverse frog.

But yeah that ascender looks interesting for these combo setups. Ill have to keep it in mind...was thinking of trying to out together such a system

 

[Disgusted from Cornwall.]

As with most exciting sports, it helps if you're 5'8 and 60kg. Sadly, at 6'4 and 100kg I'm a whole different beast. If you're only 60kg, you could probably get away with less of an exact system as all of the friction and tendency for things to turn is reduced hugely. Having given it some thought, the chest roller in the video looks like quite a good idea. I think the PMI one is probably too low (unless your weeny). One of the other things I've found is using the sit harness D ring doesn't allow enough stretch in the knee-bungee. I will experiment with using my Top D ring (MTDE garma).

Since I'm already using a foot ascender and the hand ascender is just binnable, I like the idea of having a limited couple of bits of kit and being able to convert to a ropewalker. A lot of the "On Rope" setups seem to like using a top jammer. For me, this is mucking about. It would be interesting to figure whether it was possible to run pulley-roller-croll-knee-foot setup and whether that would work.

My whole sentiment is efficiency. I have another 50% of work to do than a lot of people, so rather than becoming an athlete, I'd rather increase the efficiency of my rig!

 

[Amy]

I am extremely top heavy and my boobs prevent me from being close to the rope. I have found a high rise harness to be extremely helpful in my efficiency and comfort. I dont sacrifice any gain per frog stroke even, as i can actually get bigger strides with a comfortable setup for my body type. I am 5ft 7" and about 190lbs on a good day, 44-35-45. Hippy and booby as all f***. Regualr sit harnesses dont even come up over my hips. Lol. Might be worth a try, with your height a high rise probably wont affect your progress much. (This is of course, if i am understanding your issue correctly). Im with you. My shape will never change. I needed to work my system around my body type and not try to shove it into something unworkable for me. Once i cut off the shackles of the dogma of what shouod be, i went from struggling on 100-ft climbs to doing El Cap in just a year . https://youtu.be/yZuM2n_SwTw