Here you can see a photo of the
FAR END HAULER set up prior to my
solo of Lunar Eclipse.
Please click to link above to understand what this is and how it works. Also note that in the
link above, the post I wrote appears in
freeclmr's name because I used his laptop and typed it on the way to Yosemite!
The
Far End Hauler should be set up
ahead of time and is
imperative when you are either
soloing, or you must make
really horrible hauls where your rope would get trashed were it moving.
As you will read in the link above, the
Far End Hauler allows you to haul the pig
FROM the pig, and
save rope abrasion since the haul line
does not move.
Starting at the
top, you see the
inverted compound pulley, which in this case is the
purple Wall Hauler. You could use an
inverted Grigri or even a
Garta knot, though a
compound pulley like a
Petzl Traxion is best since it won't
slip, and does not create friction like the other setups.
Beneath the Wall Hauler is the
Inverted Compound Pulley Designated Locker, which is turned edge-on with the locking gate facing towards the camera.
There are
two things connected into the upper locker. The first is the
Haul Line Backup Locker into which you can see an
alpine butterfly knot has been tied leaving the appropriate amount of slack.
Also connected into this upper locker is the top of the
gold-coloured swivel which is
highly recommended if not darn near
fundamental when using the Far End Hauler.
Note that the
backup knot must be tied
ABOVE the swivel, so it doesn't wrap around the pig as the pig rolls across the face. Duh.
Beneath the
swivel you see the
Master Suspension Point Locker. I use this because I am hauling
two pigs. You must never put your pigs one above the other - rig two of them
side by side as shown.
Beneath the
Master Suspension Point you see
two standard shoulder-length slings, one of which is
red, the other
purple, attaching the
Suspension Point of each pig to the
Master. By
quadrupling the slings as shown, you will have them the right length. They need to be shorter than you might think.
The gates of each
Suspension Point Locker need to face
outwards as shown.
On top of the
Suspension Point Locker of each pig, you will see starting on the inside, a designated
Docking Tether
Attachment Locker, which can either be a regular locker, or in this
case, a
Mexican locker [standard locker whose gate has been taped shut]. You can see the
yellow duct tape securing each Mexican Locker.
The
reason you use these extra carabiners, rather than just putting the
Docking Tether straight onto the
Suspension Point Locker of each pig is to
prevent abrasion on the Docking Tether. It also gives you an extra
degree of freedom.
Attached to each of the
Docking Tether Attachment
Lockers by way of a
figure 8 on a bight are the
Docking Tethers, which I have made from pieces of
7mm cord about
five metres long. The
left docking tether hangs straight down between the bags and is
yellowy-brown in colour. The
right docking tether is
red and hangs down the middle of the right bag just left of centre.
Easier to see on the right bag and next to the
Docking Tether Attachment Locker, but still present on the left, is the
Catch
Lines Locker. You can click here to
read
about Catch Lines, and how they make life so much easier by making space in your pig!
Moving from the left side and starting from
Wee-Wee the Big Wall Crab and working rightwards, you can see the
five Catch Lines I have set up -
turquoise, purple, black/yellow, [left docking tether, right docking tether]
red and green/yellow.
Finally, on the outside of each Suspension Point are the
Haul Bag Strap Load Release Knot Cords, essentially a mini-docking tether on the
shortened strap of each haul bag, so you don't have to fight to unclip a crab each time you want to open the pig.
If you're soloing,
don't leave the ground without setting up this
Far End Hauling System Note that everything remains the same, even if hauling only
one bag.
The
Far End Hauler is is also of benefit when you climb with a partner if you are
Leading In Blocks. This is because you may be cleaning the pitch and hauling by yourself if your
leader has already taken off on the next pitch. If the bag gets stuck, you will need to go down and free it.
