Cowstails

[barrabus]

I think you may find that many cavers disagree.

So it would seem. That's their choice though.

 

[droid]

What's wrong with that changeover technique then?

Seems massively risky to me.

Firstly he has to swap the cowstail connected to the hand jammer from long to short. He then presumably stands up in the footloop to take weight off the croll and then sits down onto the short cowstail connected to the hand jammer.

Now imagine for a moment that you cocked up attaching the short cowstail to the hand jammer. When you go to sit down on it you will get a pretty nasty surprise as you plummet to the bottom of the pitch unattached to anything.

I appreciate that the risk of cocking up attaching the short cowstail to the hand jammer may be small but anything that involves swapping over bits of string in the usual cats cradle of SRT gear seems to me to add in a serious additional risk. Not to mention that even if successful he only has a single loaded jammer as protection while attaching the descender.

I meant the technique in Post#30.
With a safety link from top ascender to D-ring there's no need to faff with cowstails.

Or am i missing something?

 

[ian.p]

erm i dont think anyone was disagreeing with post #30 as that is how you change over.

 

[Andrew W]

Hmmm. I think we are getting confused over which technique is being criticised.

The description in post 30 by Ian P looks like a perfect example of how to safely change over using the technique I imagine most cavers use. I (and I think everyone else) am suggesting that Alkapton's technique described in post 29 is not sensible.

 

[droid]

And I wouldn't argue with that.

Chris's questions seemed to be re post 30. That's why I questioned him, as the technique in post 30 is the one I've used for years.

Alkapton's seems to involve a lot more faffing for no discernible improvement in either speed or safety.

 

[cap n chris]

Chris's questions seemed to be re post 30.

What? Of course they weren't. 

:read:

 

[droid]

My mistake then.

 

[Alkapton]

For whatever reason, I never thought attaching a descender whilst having the croll attached was practical because there is not much room.  I really take on the fact that there should be two points of attachment so I shall practice doing it properly untill it seems naural to me to attach the descender with croll still attached.

On weekend course as far as I remember I never practiced changing direction on a rope or passing knots, but rather re-belays and deviations and rigging same, so instructor would not have seen or been aware of my bad technique.

 

[ianball11]

That's good then!

I was told the simple maths that you always need 1 point of contact on a rope, cowstails, locked off descender, or a descender in motion are 1 point, a jammer half a point, so two jammers is good, one jammer is bad.