Wanted-Petzl Le Pompe

[Ship-badger]

I would like to get hold of a Pompe, so that I can try it for myself. Some of my mates say they are (were) brilliant, and others, of course, say they were a pile of pants. I'll pay a reasonable price for one in good condition.

 

[AndyF]

My mate used one, they were great for long pitches, but obviously a bit fiddly on shorter, multi-belay pitches.

You could try adding a third foot ascender instead, which is quite good...

Petzl usually stop making anything remotely good.

 

[Andy Sparrow]

My mate used one, they were great for long pitches, but obviously a bit fiddly on shorter, multi-belay pitches.

They do make prusiking generally easier but the real benefit is to make SRT possible for those who would otherwise find it extremely difficult. Persons with a poor power to weight ratio (a petite slightly plump female with weak arms is the classic example) find releasing their body (chest) jammer incredibly difficult because they need both arms to assist them in prusiking. Being unable to simultaneously lift themselves and release the jammer makes all types of changeovers a major problem. Le Pompe makes it possible for anyone to lift themselves and release the jammer at the same time. This is a major benefit of the system that cavers never really caught on to.