Croesor - Rhosydd (25/01/26)

vanoord

Member
Just a note that it is appears that one of the zip wires in Croesor is no longer intact as of today and as such, anyone trying to undertake the through trip from Croesor to Rhosydd (or vice versa) is going to encounter an unexpected obstacle that might require a retreat to be made back up the two fixed ropes.

Ascenders are a must, as is the ability to use them!
 
Unfortunately the people most likely to ill equipped to ascend are also the least likely to be reading here. But hopefully your warning will spread

My memory is poor and it's been a while, on the "ordinary" route I only remember 1 zip line and it was just after the second abseil. There was an alternative wire for hands and feet?
Where is the failed zip line on the route?
 
Replies on aditnow FB page include:

"Thank you all for the information on this
If it's the 'zip-line' over the water, then it's not a big problem as there is the double cable crossing there, which is simple to use. If it's anything else, then more information would be very helpful as replacements can be prepared and taken in for installation.
A full inspection will be carried out towards the end of February anyway (by coincidence), and so any repairs could be carried out at the same time."

& "it's the 'zip line' after the second pitch over the water. The wire is coiled to one side out of the way and we've pulled the rope down and hung it up to ensure no-one clips on to it by mistake.
It is possible to cross on the double cable crossing."

"There are via ferrata staples in the other end of the boat chamber now"
 
How??
I remember going across in Feb 2022 with my son and at that point it looked virtually brand new then so the wire can't be much more than 4 to 4.5 years old. Wasn't it 8mm stainless or something? (Must've cost the installers a lot!)

There must've been a LOT of people using it and those people using krabs not pulleys? I'm astonished, I really expected you to say anchor failure.
 
How??
I remember going across in Feb 2022 with my son and at that point it looked virtually brand new then so the wire can't be much more than 4 to 4.5 years old. Wasn't it 8mm stainless or something? (Must've cost the installers a lot!)

There must've been a LOT of people using it and those people using krabs not pulleys? I'm astonished, I really expected you to say anchor failure.
Was fairly rusted summer of 25.
 
Stainless might not be the best wire to use: it can work-harden and will fail because of that (usually at the end fittings).

Galvanised wire is less prone to work-hardening, but is likely to rust sooner.

In either instance it's not a great environment for wire, particularly with the loadings, ie the weight of people exerting a force on them almost perpendicular (while bouncing along the wire).

If the wire is rigged too tight then the force on the anchors is multiplied massively. From memory, at 5 degrees off horizontal, a static 18 stone bloke would put a 3.5T force on the anchors (and the wire). I did the calculation way back, so take it as an approximation not gospel.

And if there is physical damage to a wire, that will significantly weaken it.

While 8mm galvanised should have a nominal breaking strain of perhaps 5T, with 1/4 of the strands broken (and likely the remaining strands weakened by corrosion), it's only a matter of time until a reasonable-sized person with a bit of a bounce is going to exceed the remaining breaking strain.

That said, my memory is that the wire was more than 8mm, but that was a while ago.

When re-rigged it should be with 12mm / 1/2", the largest diameter that a 'normal' Petzl pulley can take - that should give closer to 10T breaking strain and give a bit more leeway - but it should not be trusted once it starts to rust.
 
If the wire is rigged too tight then the force on the anchors is multiplied massively. From memory, at 5 degrees off horizontal, a static 18 stone bloke would put a 3.5T force on the anchors (and the wire). I did the calculation way back, so take it as an approximation not gospel.
It's incredible that in theory, if the wire was horizontal and there was no deflection when weighted, the tension in the wire would be infinitesimal! This has always blown my mind and is always a good way to begin the thought process when considering potential forces between two horizontal anchor points, if for no other reason, than to be cautious and consider things carefully!

Sorry I mean reaches infinity, not the opposite... There goes me head again lol
 
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It's incredible that in theory, if the wire was horizontal and there was no deflection when weighted, the tension in the wire would be infinitesimal! This has always blown my mind and is always a good way to begin the thought process when considering potential forces between two horizontal anchor points, if for no other reason, than to be cautious and consider things carefully!

Sorry I mean reaches infinity, not the opposite... There goes me head again lol
Yes but things sag and stretch and forces rebalance and move about. Lots of stuff doesn't work quite how you'd expect if you did some quick numbers on the back of a fag packet . For example that's why fairly ubiquitous portal steel frames (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_frame) work well and don't need as big and expensive rafters as you'd think if you just did the basic "fag packet" analysis (i.e. moments about the end as if the rafter-column was hinged)
 
Worth noting that the quote from the "local enthusiast" in that article is a direct word for word lift of a comment someone made in the earlier Facebook link.
 
We did the trip on Saturday via the short route with (currently) no zip wires. We managed to get a good look at the break in the wire, and were surprised to see it had some sort of polymer core, which after a quick search doesn't seem unusual for zip wires. Best guess would be that it was 10/11mm wire. It snapped right in the middle on a heavily corroded section, so our theory was that the wire was constantly wet from being in contact with the waterlogged core (the water running to the lowest point on the wire?).
IMG-20260201-WA0002.jpg
 
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