spikeddem wrote:
The instructions for proper autoblock mode may be read here:
http://www.trango.com/pdfs/B-52FAQ.pdf The only image on the second page shows the setup for autoblock mode with a B-52. Right above the picture the Q&A is
In reply to:
Q: "I set up a belay using the autoblock mode and it was really hard to pull the rope through. What’s
up?"
A: ". . . A highly forged carabiner has sharp angles which may add enough friction to the system that it becomes nearly impossible to haul the rope through the device. A key here is actively feeding the rope into the device with your guide hand as you pull it through with your brake hand."
Some of the ropes that my club uses are on the beefy side, and I was checking out whether or not they would work. I found a trick to allowing the rope to easily feed through and want to see if others see any safety issues that I don't see.
Place the right hand on the braking end of the rope and the left hand on the blocking carabiner. If you pull the carabiner straight down and pull on the brake strand, then slack easily slides through no problem. The nice thing is that if there is a tug on the climber side (i.e., a fall) then the carabiner is tugged back into the blocking position and the rope brakes properly. It is, of course, imperative that the belayer not be lifting the blocking carabiner upwards.
