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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Basic advise needed 14-Jul-2004 At 12:54:02 PM Mike

Message

I agree with Phil. Please get someone experienced to show you in person. Do not trust your life to something you've read on the internet! And this is coming from the person who wrote the article you linked above. Prusiking up a rope is an essential, but advanced technique. Just about any experienced climber will be able to demonstrate it to you so you shouldn't have trouble finding help, but as Phil says, get professional instruction!

I'd just hate to hear you'd done something silly for want of learning properly. Like maybe clipping your backup figure 8 knots to a non-load bearing part of your harness such as the gear loops. Gear loops will hold 5kg if that. Or maybe you use a slippery new rope and too few wraps with the prusik resulting in the thing not gripping. Or you don't tie/seat it well and it slides down, heats up and burns through. Or the knot jams while you're halfway up. Prusiks are renowned for jamming so tight you can't shift them. What are you going to do then? Scream for help? Plus once you're up how do you intend to get down? Abseil for the first time with no backup and no knowledge of properly anchoring yourself? Down prusik the rope? This is harder than going up. On dynamic climbing rope (as opposed to static) you'll be bouncing all over the shop, what if you knock your head on a branch? You're scaring the hell out me the more I think about it!