aricooperdavis
Moderator
I stumbled across an interesting bit of gear this morning - the Beal Escaper. This sells itself as a detachable abseil system, allowing you to abseil down the length of your rope then retrieve it with some gentle tugs once you reach the floor.
It suggests that it's suitable for canyoneering, is rated for ropes >7.3mm, and will only begin to release once the mass on it is less than 10kg. I have no idea what the minimum force on an anchor can be on a really bouncy abseil, but I'd guess that it doesn't get that low. I'd feel much less happy about ascending the rope again if I had to.
Personally I don't see a good enough reason to ditch the traditional pull-through technique, but I'd love to have a play with one and see how they work.
Thoughts?
It suggests that it's suitable for canyoneering, is rated for ropes >7.3mm, and will only begin to release once the mass on it is less than 10kg. I have no idea what the minimum force on an anchor can be on a really bouncy abseil, but I'd guess that it doesn't get that low. I'd feel much less happy about ascending the rope again if I had to.
Personally I don't see a good enough reason to ditch the traditional pull-through technique, but I'd love to have a play with one and see how they work.
Thoughts?