UKC

Having recently purchased a full body harness to abseil facing forwards i was curious to know how you would perform an abseil like the one in the original mission impossible, the easy part is abseiling down, the hard part, and the part i cant work out is how to set up a system that would allow my belayer to pull me back up without having to untie and ascend. dont worry i dont intend to use this to rob a bank =]

In reply to RobertFeakin:

Robert, I have some news for you. Now this might come as a shock so you should possibly sit down and have a stiff drink. The Mission Impossible films are not based on life or fact, they are fantasy and made up. It is not possible for a belayer to easily pull someone back up.

In reply to JoshOvki: haha yes im fully aware of that and im not going to be doing it from a ventilation shaft either, but there must be a riggable system to allow the belayer to easily bring the abseiler back up

In reply to RobertFeakin:

Only way I can think of is assisted hoist, or ascending the rope. But you also have the issue of in the film doesn't he go down face first, so the harness is on backwards, you wouldn't want to be hanging like that for long while your belayer struggles to get you back up.

In reply to JoshOvki: true, and those were the two things i had first thought of and ye i know, a few loopholes but the only other thing i can think of is abseiling on one rope, whilst having another rope statically anchored directly facing the other, attach prussiks or other said ascending devices and then the abseil rope effectively becomes a safety

In reply to RobertFeakin: Unless there was some way you could tie off the belay device and have a belayer haul the abseil rope back up?

never tried it so not sure how viable it is

In reply to RobertFeakin:

What you want is one of those land-rover winch things and a truck battery.

You will also want a venue where there's no risk of anyone else seeing you, and a partner who is sworn to secrecy. If word of these tendencies got onto, say, a public climbing forum you'd likely be ridiculed...

In reply to duck tape fixes everything!!: ye the problem is there would have to be something like a Z system at the top to allow for haulege, however i think simply hauling would take a lot of effort on the belayers part.

In reply to RobertFeakin:


It's called a crane.
jk

In reply to RobertFeakin:

Run lowering rope through pulley wheel to reduce friction. Belayer lowers you fast, locks rope, then wearing heavy rucksack jumps off and you go back up.

There was a Dubliners song about this sort of thing.

In reply to RobertFeakin: If you had ever abseiled like this you would know that hanging in that position is distinctly uncomfortable. The going down is perfect5ly feasible, although you do it quickly so your stomach muscles don't shrivel up and die. Going back up would be utterly horrendous. Now stop being silly and use the stairs.

In reply to RobertFeakin: Stick this bad boy on the anchor end

http://www.actsafe.se/products/acc-power-ascender/

In reply to Erstwhile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Kzje9nF4A&feature=related

In reply to RobertFeakin: Ha what a quality thread. Make sure you turn off the lasers first. I'd love to see someone on a crag with that harness and a winch.... and dark shades of course. Hold the Scientologists.

In reply to RobertFeakin: Stand by in A&E for a case of Suspension Syncope

In reply to craig.morris22:

As fictional a condition as Mission Impossible ....

In reply to muppetfilter:

There are a few dead people would disagree with you doctor

In reply to craig.morris22:

Case reference please?

In reply to Mr Lopez:
Not quite a case reference, but the Health and Safety Executive did a study on this (Research Report RR708 - Evidence based review of the current guidance on first aid measures for suspension trauma, 2009) and found that it did in fact exist.

The Fire and Rescue Services Risk Assessment Guidelines specifically have a section on Suspension Syncope and reference this report.

A little Googling finds much more material.

In reply to RobertFeakin: What you need is Tom Proctor at the top, he could pull a mid weight person back up hand over hand

In reply to spynappels:

So you don't know of a single case of suspension trauma? Funny that, after extensive research for that HSE 2009 study they didn't find any evidence of any cases occurring either.

In reply to Erstwhile:

How does the belayer get back up?

In reply to Wide_Mouth_Frog:
Me and a couple of mates tried a face-first abseil (with a Whillans harness!!!!!) in the mid eighties. It was only about 30 foot and redefined pain. Try it - just once, then you might rethink a long abseil and haul back up!

In reply to andyhodges:

I'm assuming you don't have kids? :-O

In reply to Niall:
We put on the harness backwards - we discovered how it is actually possible to make a Whillans even less comfortable!

In reply to andyhodges:

Bloody hell, I bet you selfharm too :-D

In reply to coinneach:

The original from 1958: youtube.com/watch?v=zZUJLO6lMhI&

In reply to Mr Lopez: Jog on

In reply to RobertFeakin:
Do you mean this kind of thing?:
http://www.realdanlyons.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Mission_Impossible_I...

For that you'd need a theatrical flying harness (as in Peter Pan) - its a very snug fitting, supportive harness with a swivel attachment on each hip which lines up with your C of G so you can hang in it at any angle. You can also just about see the coat-hanger (no seriously, that's what its called) above him in that pic.

Back in the day you'd have had counterweights and/or burly stage hands pulling a fat hemp rope instead of a belayer. These days its more likely to be a fast computer-controlled electric winch.

There's also a version with a big sort of swivelly belt that lets you pirouette as well. How much fun does this look? youtube.com/watch?v=bqRXFyY-hZQ&

If you want one of those, you probably will be needing to rob a bank.

In reply to jon: Sweet.

In reply to RobertFeakin: If you are going to attempt this please could you post the time and venue on ukc,I would love to see it.