UKC

Wild Country Ropeman How To #1 - Ascending the Rope

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In this short video series, International Mountain Guide Steve Long illustrates some uses for the Wild Country Ropeman.

In this first video, Steve demonstrates how to ascend the rope using 2 Wild Country Ropemen devices. Subsequent episodes will show how to Ascend the Rope from A free-hanging position, Basic Hauling and Escape the system to effect a rescue.


Steve Long at Lotus Summit  © Steve Long Collection
Steve Long at Lotus Summit
© Steve Long Collection

About Steve Long

Steve Long (51) is an International Mountain Guide currently working as part-time Technical Officer at Mountain Leader Training UK and also serving as the president of the UIAA's Training Standards Working Group. He is a founding member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors, and worked at Plas y Brenin as a senior instructor for 12 years. He is the author of the popular instructional DVD Self-Rescue for Climbers and also the definitive text for mountain leaders: Hillwalking, as well as various over projects such as the current Tremadog guidebook.

Steve is a keen and active climber, equally at home on rock or ice; and has visited every continent for mountaineering activities. Climbing highlights include one of the few British ascents of Cerro Torre, several routes on the Troll Wall, canyoning and big walling in Borneo (Low's Gully), a winter ascent of the Dru's French Direct and various other big walls; the most recent being the Fish route on the Marmolada. Steve also regularly works with climbing federations from other countries to help them set up their own leader and instructor training schemes: current projects include Nepal, Ladakh, Israel, Turkey and Portugal.




3 Oct, 2012
Larks foot through tie-in points? I was told not to on a brenin SPA...
4 Oct, 2012
I would be also be slightly concerned about using static slings in a system where a device could be shock loaded giving potential fall factors above 2. I dont know the test results for the modern Ropeman but I do know the old ones didnd fare too well severing the sheath at 6kn but in tests at a force as low as 3.5kn (tests on the MK 1 done by Lyon for the HSE)
4 Oct, 2012
The use of the dynamic rope needs to be included in the equation though; granted the potential problem increases the nearer one gets to the belay. He's also pushing the top Ropeman from above his waist so never likely to be able to induce a FF2 fall (closer to a FF1 as the climber might slump back down onto the device). If memory serves wasn't the 3.5kn figure the minimum strength test (so a 350kg lump hanging for three minutes: lot of friction/heat): not really the same situation? Wasn't the dynamic test done on the test rig too (i.e. a very harsh test) at FF2, which you're not going to get near in this situation? Personally I'd rig it slightly differently (more akin to the frog/caving system) to avoid all that having to pull up and shove the device up the rope. Steve isn't a punter when it comes to the technical issues; it's also the method given as OK in the Ropeman instructions and I'll assume with a certain confidence that it's been tested to f**k!
5 Oct, 2012
just conflicting info...even if doing it that way is safe (probs is) why teach else wise? where is the consistency in this industry? If any other industry was this H&S orientated, the consequences would be much more serious...
5 Oct, 2012
I would put the foot-loaded ropeman above the waist ropeman. It gives you something to pull on rather than the rope alone. He has connected a back-up static sling from the foot jammer to the waist, presumably as a safety back up if the waist jammer fails for some reason but almost all of the time the attachment point on the harness is above the jammer. This seems to me that we could be into ff1+ shock loading. If you use the full length of the long sling and pass it between the harness and the body, it will help to keep you more upright as you raise yourself.
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