damian said:
Hi Amy,
Firstly not sure some items you list are very applicable to the UK. However, ignoring that, here are my thoughts:
Amy said:
x Georgia (1:1) haul rigging
What's that? Simply prusiking up the other side of a rope running over a pulley at a pitch head? Or is it something fancy?
It's just a 1:1 haul system. It's used less than a 3:1 but it depends on the weight/setup/how many people you have to actually do the hauling. It just has a name here for whatever reason. Basic haul with no mechanical advantage.
Amy said:
On my list still is
total crap rebelays
by which I assume you mean those rigged very tightly??
Yup basically. I know they are still safe (someone later commented on this) but they are harder to manouver on until it gets tight enough to just do it basically like a knot crossing easily. [this is my experience on my gear, at least]
So what else should I add? Say I want to do Gaping Gill. What skills should I add to my list?
Progression along aid traverse lines (assuming you mean Gaping Gill Main Shaft) ... not sure how many of these you're likely to have met with US-style rigging.
Ahhh yes. I would plan on putting cowstails back onto my system (ewww more shit to carry haha) but yeah...there are traverse lines here in some places for where there ain't much for your feet so you walk along the wall but if you slip you're caught and wont fall. Like OFD1 above the streamway, whats that called flood escape route, right? but maybe less place for footing than i remember there... or are you litterally freehanging pulling yourself across?
I'm a little squicky on the difference between a rebelay and a deviation. Seems like it's basically just a redirect instead of being actually "rigged in"? In which case just treated as a knot crossing would be, yes?
A deviation is where the rope is pulled from its original line by a krab on the end of a cord. I think this is what you would call a "redirect". We would NOT normally treat this as a knot. Instead we would simply unclip the deviation krab and move it from above us to below us (or vice-versa) without touching our SRT kits. The reason being that deviations are sometimes rigged from quite sketchy anchors, using thin cord, so clipping into them would be a bad idea. For a competent caver a well-placed deviation is very quick to pass. For an inexperienced one, it can be a nightmare!
Yeah we'd call that a redirect but i can't say I've ever seen one or that we use them really haha. I've seen a few rebelays at least...heh. I can re-rig the practice tree where our rebelay is that way I'm sure. But....okay I'm kinda confused. If you unclip the 'biner, since it's redirecting the rope to a different angle/location, wouldn't, as soon as you unclip it, you'd swing away and be SOL? I'm not visualizing it well. Know where a video is for some visulazation of the manouver as you do it is? I realize each case is probably unique but the general gist.
Joe.Bones said:
If by Gaping Gill you mean the main shaft, rebelays and deviations. And being fit and able enough to drag all your gear and ropes up the hill. I'd get used to our rigging on a few trips before attempting GG though, kind of a big step for a first srt trip!
I wouldn't attempt it first there, but let's face it, it's expensive to get out there and I really want to see it, so I'd like to have the skills practiced up. I said it in particular realizing it is a pretty major one for ya'all, so figured if I practiced the skills for that i'd have most the awkward bases covered in our differences of rigging.
Jarvist I appreciate your explanation but it is somewhat unhelpful as I'm not a frogger
I'm a single bungee ropewalker. From bottom up, CMI foot ascender on my right foot, croll at my left knee with safety teather to the waist (prevents heelhang scenario) and bungeed around my back so it slides up the rope, chest roller, and QAS running above that. And then I carry an additional QAS for performing various manouvers. When practicing rebelays, for example, I don't even have a cowstail on my system and I do it through the use of QAS. I'm never clipped into the rebelay itself. I'm guessing I'll need to put the cowstails back on my system for traverses, or, I do carry 2 prussik cords and extra biners on my system as is, I could use perhaps in a pinch for the same idea.
barrabus said:
Amy said:
_ ~700ft rappel/climb (Whitesides in a few months, prep for Golondrinas)
I was going to say tell me more about Whitesides, but I did some Googling and I guess you are referring to Whiteside Cave, Tennessee. Nice to know we have a family cave, I'll have to go and visit it sometime.
Nope. Not at all. Whitesides Cave is horizontal. Whitesides I'm referring to is a cliff in North Carolina. You can see into 3 states from the top! All the lengths I list are "single pitch" rappels....no rebelays, nothing. 'Tis why we have the big racks here! When you're dealing with 50-60 lbs (25-30kg) of ropeweight at the top that changes things a lot!
Leclused said:
"Desceding very small pitches"
I assume you mean tight =) I've done some tightish stuff where have to stay quite upright to fit more like "standing" position while rappeling instead of "sitting"... Tight is always gonna be an issue for me on rope if it's squeezy tight to my body. My huge boobs really get in the way. I've had it where I can get my hips through things but can't get the boobs through due to angles and such. I honestly have no interest in doing squeezy drops that stay squeezy. A short tight constriction is one thing. A squeeze drop...not so much. I'm on the right. Sorry...I know my booblimits!
Roberts 01 by
Sunguramy, on Flickr
simonsays said:
Are you planning a visit to the UK Amy?
Actively no, I don't have money at the moment. I keep holding out hope I'll find a great paying job and be able to come in September though for Hidden Earth and caving. I mean...if ya'all wanted to pool money for a flight for me I'll come anytime! It's very easy for me to get large amounts of time off at the moment.
