UKC

Hey all! I am hoping to get some advice and hope I am in the right place...planning to do the Fife chain walk and trying to get a suitable set of cowstails/via ferrata equivalent for my harness - but I'm not the richest of folk! Any help/suggestions?

Jen x

In reply to Flatt7:

Are you sure you need one? It's not particularly difficult or technical and I suspect a lot of people do it just holding the chain in a few places.

In reply to AdrianC:

Well I haven't done it before and was just going to get a set of cheap cowstails then this shop said they may not be suitable...I genuinely don't know.

In reply to Flatt7:
Doing a via ferrata on normal slings is a really bad idea. This is because they are static and will break under a dynamic load caused by a fall.

(I don't know the route so can't comment on if it's proper VF)

If you do decide to buy a proper VF lanyard if recommend not buying a black Diamond one. They've had serious quality control issues recently.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

In reply to Flatt7:

You couldn't really use via Ferrata kit to do it as there isn't a smooth cable to run Krabs along. I would just use an ordinary sling and Krab attached to you're harness for resting on. There shouldn't be any way of taking a dynamic fall really.

I'm not sure the reason people don't use slings for via Ferrata is because they are not strong enough....as clearly that's rubbish! (Otherwise they wouldn't be strong enough to build an anchor). It's because they are not dynamic so all of the (potentially large) impact force from a fall would be transmitted to the climber.

In reply to Flatt7:

Just looked up fife chain walk- looks fun! Looks fine without VF kit from the pics but otherwise cheapest option;

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/via-ferrata-vitalink-kit-climbing-mountaineering...

In reply to Nbrain:



Which is a round about way of saying they're not strong enough. If you use

A) carabiners which are not rated for Via Ferrata they will by and large snap like a twig as most climbing carabiners are made from a high strength 7000 series alloy and are inherently very stiff - running into a peg or landing on the biner invariably side loads it. VF carabiners are made from 6000 alloys which will bend when exposed to a side loading rather than snap. This means you survive the fall.
B) slings there is little to no elasticity in them meaning the impact is high and of the order (in a large fall) in which you could rupture the sling. Further more you will rupture you due to that high impact. Don't do it. It's not big or clever. VF kit is designed to extend and thereby absorb the impact.

However all this said, I have no idea about the route of which the OP is talking and it sounds as though this is not a VF in the traditional sense, rather is a walk with sections which have chains to improve your security... but I'll leave that to someone who actually knows the route to say!

In reply to Flatt7:
The Elie chain walk isn't really a VF. There's no wire for using VF kit on, only a big chunky chain which you use as a handhold, and footholds cut into the rock.It isn't hard, I've done it a few times without ever feeling any need for pro, and have taken a number of non-climbers along it with no trouble. Each chain section is fairly short, so there's not much need for resting. If you do want to take something, then a sling and a krab with a wide gate opening would do the job - you could clip to the chain and rest on it. Just keep the sling tight when you're on it, don't do anything that might result in falling on it.

From a safety point of view, it's more important to set out on a falling tide, to stay away when there's a big swell, and don't underestimate how quickly you'll get cold with a stiff breeze and a salt spray.

PS: For a real VF, you do need a proper kit. That's because you can slide down a wire and stop abruptly at the bottom. The VF kit might have to absorb a 6m fall on a 60cm lanyard - and if it doesn't have shock absorption, it'll break the kit, your back, or both. But this isn't a VF.

In reply to Flatt7:

Thanks all for your advice...yeah from the pic doesn't look like a cable like other Vfs...people who have done it, is a helmet advisable?...

Also where do I source the tidal info mentioned?

In reply to Flatt7:

I have never taken a helmet... But actually, the cliffs are quite loose, and it's probably not a bad idea.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast_and_sea/tide_tables/7/233#tide-details scroll down to the bottom. Be aware that for historical reasons, many websites (including that one) will give tide times in GMT/UTC, not BST, so you have to adjust by an hour. Avoid starting on a rising tide or within a couple of hours before low tide.

In reply to Flatt7:

Definitely don't need any gear at all. I did it with 2 people who were scared of heights before I'd ever done any climbing. I don't recommend having to talk someone down from below when they're wearing a kilt though... It's good fun, but don't try to take a shortcut through a field of thistles on the way back!

In reply to Flatt7:
I did this years before encountering harnesses and lanyards and ropes and all that just check the tide tables and go and do it !

In reply to Flatt7:

Off topic really but you see some frankly terrifying things on via ferrata. I saw a guy using a sling with a snap gate and just a chest harness.

In reply to DaveHK:

On the Huashan plank walk, one guy took both clips off to try and bypass some of the route congestion. We weren't yet on the plank section (the safest part) but on a thin ledge with shallow foot dips. My friend almost blew her top and snapped "Get the f@$* back on the wall! You may have a death wish, but I don't really want to see you fall screaming to your death!!".

In reply to Flatt7:
I don't know the route you are talking about, but if its a matter of clipping to a horizontal cable as a safety line, normal slings and krabs (ideally steel to reduce wear) are fine. However if the cable is vertical with fixing bolts at intervals, then you will needing shock absorbing VF kit.

Just think shock loading.

In reply to Flatt7:

Just googled this. Yes it's just easy scrambling with a big chain to pull on. No VF kit required or suitable really.

In reply to Flatt7:
Hi it's not a VF, but a scramble with chains. If you can scramble and or easy climb then there is no reason for it not to be doable without any equipment if your sensible. As there is loose rock in places above, rock close to your head when closely following the route, and it can get very busy with folk, a helmet is always an option. Personally not used a helmet, but know others who have.

If you don't know, most of the actual route, which is a series of sections and not just one continuous one, can be bypassed provided the tide is right. Folk often bypass bits get photos of friends doing a section and then go back round and complete that section themself.

For me most important is footwear and getting the timing right. I use approach shoes that grip well on wet/damp rock. Remember the rock can be wet even with the tide out. Timing is crucial if you don't wish to be stranded. There is no easy or safe get out of the route if you misjudge the tides and at certain sections it would be impossible, and the sea at times can be well like all seas rough.

Also just because say one section is not affected by the tide does not mean the whole is doable. Both "ends" are essentially the worst for getting cut off by the tide, so you can start off and easily get to very near the other end and then realise the tide stops you finishing, and of course it's then too late to back track. Stay safe and stick to the guidance re timing and research the tide times properly.

It is great fun and great for photographic opportunities (esp if the sea is rough creating spray!), so take care and enjoy. I'll be doing it again soon. BTW it is worth doing in both directions.