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trillium
Jun 19, 2010, 1:07 PM
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I own an Ushba ascender and wanted to know if anyone knew a way to down climb the rope without using a prusik below it to unweight the device for a safe descent.
(This post was edited by trillium on Jun 19, 2010, 1:09 PM)
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clc
Jun 19, 2010, 2:57 PM
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Why?
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uni_jim
Jun 19, 2010, 6:09 PM
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use another ascender?
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uni_jim
Jun 19, 2010, 6:11 PM
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or switch to rappell.
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pupjr
Jun 19, 2010, 7:35 PM
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Janet!!! How the heck are ya!?! When on earth are you going to come out to Smith to climb? How's New York treating ya? Climbing a bunch? Hope everything else is going well, send me a message one of these days.
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billcoe_
Jun 20, 2010, 3:14 PM
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trillium wrote: I own an Ushba ascender and wanted to know if anyone knew a way to down climb the rope without using a prusik below it to unweight the device for a safe descent.
I don't. Like any ascender, once you weight it, it's locked from going down. Perhaps what you want is a Petzl Shunt? What are you doing?
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trillium
Jun 21, 2010, 1:57 AM
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I am using the ushba for self belay. If I were climbing a very overhung area and should end up unable to get back to the wall, I need a way to get down. I figured out how to do it using a prusik to unweight the device. I was wondering if anyone else know of another easier way.
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billcoe_
Jun 21, 2010, 4:22 PM
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trillium wrote: I am using the ushba for self belay. If I were climbing a very overhung area and should end up unable to get back to the wall, I need a way to get down. I figured out how to do it using a prusik to unweight the device. I was wondering if anyone else know of another easier way.
Ahhh, well, that's an entirely different story. I had read some testing years ago (the Lyon report) which indicated that the Ushba's (despite not having teeth), will chop your rope at a surprisingly low level. Soooo, if the device jams and you are moving above it, easy to occur on overhanging routes, plan on taking a ride to the dirt at some point.
I've used a single Jumar ascender for toproping to the harder 5.11 grades after watching another dude do the same so I don't have much wiggle room to talk any smack here, however,. I was able to move it up so it was snug at cruxes. Once I got old and fat, I stopped using ascenders for self belay TR if there was a chance of falling. Gri Gri's and other devices are cheap, plentiful, and widely used for this. Best of all, if you peel and swing, it's easy to lower.
What's your life worth? Whats a rope worth?
If you want to continue to use the Ushba, maybe have a separate second line with backup figure 8 knots you clip as you ascend so if the main rope breaks you take a pants-wetting screamer but you survive it.
(This post was edited by billcoe_ on Jun 21, 2010, 4:51 PM)
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billcoe_
Jun 21, 2010, 4:47 PM
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trillium wrote: How f*ed up is this device for this application?
Pretty damned fu*ed up as it turns out. The link for the Lyons tests I refer too above are no longer online. Here's what appears to be the same data on a government website to peruse:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/...df/2001/crr01364.pdf
PAGE 48:
"Test performance: The Ushba Stop-Lock fared very badly in the dynamic tests. Only two devices were available for the dynamic tests and both of these cut the rope completely, without any slippage, at a peak force of 5.5 kN. The devices were too distorted and damaged to test again. This would appear to be a serious design fault and the Stop-Lock cannot be recommended for use as a back-up device. No further tests were carried out."
It's easy to die in this game. If it's not one thing it's another. Fortunately these things are not widely distributed. So they only tested 2 Ushba ascending devices and they both chopped the ropes in half at a shockingly low 1210 lbs. Rock and Ice did some tests couples of years back and found that in a top rope set up, they could get up to 1300 lbs of force if there was a little slack in the system. So, you're welcome. Let google be your friend. As you get to the bottom of that link, there is some other devices and knots tested.
PS, as an active gear whore of course I own an Ushba Ti and love its light weight, but these specs and tests are shockingly low numbers.
(This post was edited by billcoe_ on Jun 21, 2010, 7:04 PM)
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trillium
Jun 21, 2010, 5:42 PM
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Thank you. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Guess I'll use some other device. I'll pass the info on to my other Ushba users.
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