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petzl site and catalogue

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 sutty 14 Jul 2003
Browsing the petzl catalogue this weekend after the discussion on holding the ropes last week and found some bad practice in it. Went to the website to see if the information was better on there but was appalled to find sloppy links etc that bore no relation to what you tried to find out.
For example, if you want to find out about single pitch belaying there is a diagram showing how to belay by jumping up in the air when your leader falls off.
Go to setting up the belay and what do you get, A set of diagrams for belaying with the belay points above you, nothing on outcrop belays at all.

So, if you want to buy their gadgets use the catalogue but do not expect it to show you how to set up a belay on the top of Stanage or the like.

Petzl, could do better, much better. If their gear is as good as their site I would never buy it.
Martin W at work 14 Jul 2003
In reply to sutty: I agree. My recollection is that a few years ago the Petzl catalogue used to have a very useful technical advice section. The same advice was also available through their web site. I don't think they've changed the content much, although they do seem to have dropped a lot of the useful basic stuff, and to have made it much more difficult to find anything relevant. I wonder whether it's a symptom of them having to be careful to avoid corporate liability risks?

If, on the other hand, it's symptomatic of a change in the company's philosophy to allow style to take precedence over function then it would certainly make me think twice about choosing their products.

I've always rather felt that Petzl are the Bang & Olufsen of climbing gear anyway: very flash, but couldn't the same result be achieved with something rather simpler? I only own two bits of Peztl gear: a Tibloc and a Reverso. I don't usually bother to take them out with me because most of the time I can achieve the same ends with a regular belay plate and a prusik.
Anonymous 14 Jul 2003
In reply to sutty: i think that you have completely missed the point. If you jump at the moment you catch a leader fall, assuming you are on the ground whilst belaying, you can massively reduce the shock loading on the whole belay system especially the top runner taking most of the strain.
If you want an instruction book surely you should expect to buy one. The information in any manufacturers catologue is primarily going to show you how to use their gear which i think Petzl do better than most.
OP sutty 14 Jul 2003
In reply to Anonymous:


Not me that has missed the point. How is jumping in the air going to help you set up a toprope belay, something they notably miss out although it shows a belay set up on skyhooks attached to sky and nothing else. Waste of webspace, the catalogue is better.

I have several instruction books, some beginner will get the petzl catalogue along with the mag and think that is the only way to do things. That is my point on this thread, some website showing continental practices that are not relevant a lot of the time with trad climbing.

I suppose Petzl will be along shortly anyway to explain their logic, and that they will put things right.
Anonymous 14 Jul 2003
In reply to sutty: Since when has a website been purely for the uk? What it is advising is more relevant with trad climbing than sport climbing.
Chris M at work 14 Jul 2003
In reply to Anonymous: If my smoetimes belayer jumps as my leader fall comes onto the system if I haven't secured him to the floor he will zoom up to the first piece of gear or if he is fixed to the system, then feel the full jolt of the falling force. If you were jumping up whilst vbelaying me, you'd get a fist in the chops for mucking about.
O Mighty Tim 14 Jul 2003
In reply to sutty: What a shame. I've been in the habit of pointing 'how do I' type questions at www.petzl.com, as I had found them useful in the past.
I may well have to revise this point of view, from now on. I shall investigate forthwith.
Cheers, Sutty!

TTG
 jam 14 Jul 2003
In reply to Martin W at work:

Yes, there did seem to be much more relevant information on the Petzl site several years ago. It seems to have been changed recently with information either dropped or hidden so well that I can't find it at all.

I'm of the belief that anyone who is naive enough to rely on a manufacturers website with simplified line diagrams for comprehensive instruction is probably going to have some sort of unrelated accident anyway, but did view the previous incarnation of the site as a useful source of summary info.
anto 14 Jul 2003
In reply to sutty: yeah and where did the fall simulator go?

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