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Re: [maldaly] Darkside accident:
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patto
Jun 19, 2010, 12:12 AM
Views: 10326
Registered: Nov 15, 2005
Posts: 1453
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maldaly wrote: PS: The lawyers will undoubtedly flip out when they read this. They want me to design products and write warnings that will keep me out of court. I want to design products and write warnings that will keep you off the ground. - MD That is exactly what I thought when I first read that. Thanks for your post Mal. I think we all appreciate your comments.
maldaly wrote: Could I re-design it so that it is fool-proof? I don't know the answers to any of those questions, so the nightmares continue. Climbing isn't a fools game. While there clearly are better and worse designs for climbing equipment nothing will be 100% fool proof. That said in my opinion belaying by pinching/squeezing/pressing/holding pivot points of an autolocking device is far less fool proof than an ATC. Fools who fail to understand how the device operates may change hand postion and indadvertantly supress the autolocking function. In contrast if these devices are opperated without touching the device (which normally makes quick feeds difficult), then the devices do come very close do being fool proof. But if you want a fast smooth and solid belay. You want a good belayer first. I have led first time belayers up multipitch climbs numerous times. Sometimes I use a gri-gri, with the simple instructions of never touching the device and never let go of the brake hand. Othertimes its ATC with a backup person on the brake rope. Of course its still a do not fall situation for me on lead.
wmfork wrote: Normally, when you have time to react to a fall, you can slip your right hand down and grab the rope with all your fingers. An unexpected fall from a short distance above the bolt, especially close to the ground (usually with very little slack out), means one has very little time to adjust the hand position before the rope starts to run through the device out of control. Any device/method that requires you to change hand position in order to provide braking is a recipe for disaster. I can't comment from personal experience on the Cinch but it seems to me that there is no change in hand position when Mal catches a fall in the Cinch video. Personally I almost exclusively use my reverso to belay. My hand brake hand never leaves the rope and it is always in a locked off position below the device.
(This post was edited by patto on Jun 19, 2010, 2:16 AM)
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Edit Log:
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Post edited by patto
() on Jun 19, 2010, 2:01 AM
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Post edited by patto
() on Jun 19, 2010, 2:16 AM
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