• Descent 302 is published on 15 February and it will soon be on its way to our subscribers.

    In the newsdesk, read a review of the underground events at Kendal Mountain Festival, plus tales of cannibalism and the Cavefish Asteroid.

    In regional news, we have three new connections in Ogof Agen Allwedd, a report on the iron mines of Anjou, an extension to Big Sink Cave in the Forest of Dean, a new dig in Yorkshire's Marble Steps Pot, student parties, an obituary for Tony Boycott, a tight find in the Peak District and a discovery in County Kerry with extensive formations.

    Click here for details of this edition

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  1. Mark Wright

    Whillans Alpiniste rucsack free to a good home

    My best mate in our scout group many years ago had one of these and I was always envious. I'd be snapping your hand off if I didn't have a UK made POD that will likely see me out. https://smhc.co.uk/collection/karrimor-whillans-alpiniste-rucksack/
  2. Mark Wright

    Drop testing a retired helmet

    Many years ago, Heightec Ltd.. based in Kendal. developed their own range of helmets specifically for the working at height industry. They advertised these helmets as conforming to the EN14052 standard. This standard had additional front, back and side impact tests and additional penetration...
  3. Mark Wright

    Drop testing a retired helmet

    I was always led to believe that it was the mining industry that pushed for the weaker, 25kg chin strap, as opposed to a 50kg chin strap for mountaineering helmets. If workers were going in and out of a mine on a conveyor belt they could get their helmet and protruding lamp caught on the ceiling...
  4. Mark Wright

    Drop testing a retired helmet

    I remember going to a Technical Symposium at Lyon Equipment a good few years ago and they had a helmet testing rig and the different weights and shapes of the lumps of steel they dropped for the different EN397 (Building site) and EN12492 (Mountaineering) standards. They had asked people to...
  5. Mark Wright

    Petzl stop

    Maybe manufactured on the 365th day of 1992?
  6. Mark Wright

    Petzl stop

    And the next 3 numbers should be the day of the year (Julian calendar)
  7. Mark Wright

    Working at height on Salisbury Cathedral

    The perpetrator had serious mental health issues and had been let down by his local social services. He was just pissed off that ropes were flapping against his window so certainly not attempted murder. He was taken away by the police but was back in his flat the following day.
  8. Mark Wright

    Working at height on Salisbury Cathedral

    A friend of mine actually did have his ropes cut by someone on a block of flats. Luckily he was above the cut, but they didn't look before they cut them.
  9. Mark Wright

    Gouffre Berger and Gouffre de la Fromagère caves are officially connected!

    Do you know where the connection was made on the Berger side? On the recommendation of Wardy, Badlad, Steve Thomas, Alan Box and I looked at the top of the DED Gallery for a possible connection back in 1992 but didn't find anything.
  10. Mark Wright

    Heavily corroded maillons from the Filthy Five pitches in Giants

    Wardy might be able to help you with the technical details of the test equipment they use at Spanset for testing their energy absorbing lanyards? My main involvement is in the post-installation static proof load testing once companies like Refit International have installed a Harken safety...
  11. Mark Wright

    Heavily corroded maillons from the Filthy Five pitches in Giants

    One of the companies we deal with do it like this; https://www.refit-international.com/harken-access-rails
  12. Mark Wright

    Heavily corroded maillons from the Filthy Five pitches in Giants

    A 100kg mass is dropped a set distance, usually onto a short dynamic rope lanyard with sewn terminations, e.g., Petzl Jane lanyard, with the forces measured with a suitable in-line load cell. It usually involves a few tries to get to the required 9kN force. Assuming it holds the 100kg test mass...
  13. Mark Wright

    Heavily corroded maillons from the Filthy Five pitches in Giants

    I get involved with the substrate testing of EN795 anchor rails and padeyes as part of my job and we have come across a number of systems that have comfortably passed the 12kN static strength test but catastrophically failed the 9kN dynamic part of the test.
  14. Mark Wright

    Heavily corroded maillons from the Filthy Five pitches in Giants

    Peguet suggest M/R's are torque tightened to a certain setting for the different bar diameters. https://www.peguet.mobi/recommendation-self-certified
  15. Mark Wright

    Knot pass (free hanging)

    I like to rig the above with the Double Fisherman's offset slightly so if you did end up loading the loop, your cow's tail carabiner wouldn't be sat directly on the Double Fisherman's knot.
  16. Mark Wright

    Heavily corroded maillons from the Filthy Five pitches in Giants

    It would be interesting to know when a typical rope or sling might break when attached to an old M/R with badly corroded sharp edges at the load points? I doubt they would perform so well if you applied a dynamic force.
  17. Mark Wright

    Working at height on Salisbury Cathedral

    I remember working on the Emley Moor mast about 30 years ago. We were doing a full 'hands on' examination of the concrete, both inside and out. The longest drops you could do without being blown away from the structure too much was about 50m. The aircraft warning lights are spaced at 50m so we...
  18. Mark Wright

    Question about stop grip and slip.

    I found the Nettle Pot entrance shaft quite snug the last time I climbed out of it, having just failed to get through Freeze Squeeze..
  19. Mark Wright

    Crossloading Carabiners

    This is the video I was referring to.
  20. Mark Wright

    Rope tensioning

    I'd definitely avoid using a Ropeman as it will probably rip through the sheath of the rope if you rig a tight horizontal line and then start bouncing up and down on it as you slide along. A Poldo Tackle is a brilliant way of rigging a tensioned line. It's not the best video, but see below...
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