Micro-Traxion keeper cord hole

[alanw]

A month or two ago, whilst on the CNCC's most excellent SRT rescue course, I was recommended to carry a Petzl Micro-Traxion. On Thursday, at the re-belay ledge in Lancaster Hole, using it, together with my Pantin to haul tackle sacks (which worked very well indeed), I thought that it would not be a good idea at all to drop it. Examining it today, I saw a very small hole in the top, which led through to a larger hole in the side, normally covered by the rotating side plate. With the help of a bent paperclip, I persuaded a length of thin cord through: there was then just enough room in the hole for an overhand knot.

A quick web search (DuckDuckGo, not Google) later, I discovered I wasn't the first to do this: https://www.alpinesavvy.com/blog/the-petzl-micro-traxion-has-a-keeper-cord-hole and it turns out it's an official, yet undocumented design feature

 

[aricooperdavis]

I don't think mine has that hole, I wonder if it's a new feature?

 

[alanw]

I don't think mine has that hole, I wonder if it's a new feature?

Yes - yours has the big hole behind the plate, but no smaller hole in the top.

 

[aricooperdavis]

The Petzl website actually shows it in use!

 

[JJM]

I don't think mine has that hole, I wonder if it's a new feature?

Mine didn't have the smaller hole either - I drilled one in the same place the newer ones have it.

 

[andrewmcleod]

The Petzl website actually shows it in use!

And note they have paired it with the Sm'D carabiner, which also has a keeper hole. The Tibloc also also has a place to tie it on, which of course forms most of a crevasse rescue kit. I have used 1mm dyneema cord, but I either don't have the Microtraxion hole or didn't notice so just tied it through the side plate (1mm dyneema is, of course, very thin).

 

[aricooperdavis]

Slightly off topic perhaps, but currently on SRT trips I like to carry:

1 x Sm'D that lives on my harness, holding
- 2m of dyneema
- jammer (Petzl TIBLOC)
- pulley (Petzl PARTNER)

1 x Sm'D that lives in my tackle sack, holding
- 2m of dyneema
- pulley jammer (Petzl MICRO TRAXION)

With the first kit you can counterbalance people off their ascenders (onto their descender, the end of a rope rigged into a descender, etc.). Combined with the kit in the second you can break into a tensioned system and set up a pretty efficient haul. This is essentially the crevasse rescue kit that Petzl sell as a combo.

It also means that you're carrying a spare chest ascender, hand ascender, footloop etc. which is very handy.

I have now also drilled a small hole in my MICRO TRAXION to keep in on its crab, so now I can only drop the PARTNER or the dyneema if I'm emulating England's cricketers in New Zealand at the moment...