Ascenders jamming...

[Ty Korrigan]

Both foot and knee ascenders have a tendancy to grip the rope so tight I often have great difficulty in releasing them.

Today, I got myself into a pickle on a long branch walk (crawl really) 

I had omitted to snap closed my foot ascender and found that it had taken up my rope by itself and jammed hard and up close so I just could not undo it as it was under tension. 

I ended up struggling to undo the foot ascender in order to release some tension on the rope and so release myself from it's grip.

Knee ascender does the same to the extent it has plucked the rope before now.

Honestly, I'm pretty green to srt but struggling to release these two at times really take the pleasure out of using the system.

What am I doing wrong?

 The teeth feel quite sharp, perhaps too sharp...

 Stuart

[Haironyourchest]

What brand? Mine are all CT, teeth not as aggressive as Petzl, apparently. I've never had issues with mine, just have to advance them slightly as I release the cam. What kind of rope are you on, that could make a difference.

[carlos]

when assecnding with your foot and knee asscenders if you stop and sit back so your wieght is taken by your hitch and rope wrench then all the rope below that should be slack and just a case of flicking open the cams of your asscenders, maybe i have missread your post though.

you could get a patin foot asscender like mine it seems only too happy to pop off the rope at any given point!

carl

[Ty Korrigan]

These are the culprits and the rope is Tachyon green.

 The teeth are sharp enough to cut skin if you run a finger over them.

   Stuart

 

[Mark Bolam]

You’ve got it arse about face Stu.

Never try and release under tension, you need to free up some slack somehow first.

I appreciate that’s not always easy if you’re upside down and inside out on a branch walk!

Also, always close ascenders when not in use. It’s a pita if your rope gets snagged in them accidentally.

I have the CT’s as well.

They can all pick the rope to an extent in certain situations.

[Rich Rule]

Yes, just sit in the harness and take the weight of the Haas and the foot ascender.  Saves wrestling with it.

[Ty Korrigan]

Yes Mark Bolam, it is the freeing up of the rope to lose tension which I'm finding difficult at times. 

SRT has proved it's worth for accessing the crown but it will take many more hours before I'm totally relaxed using it. 

By then, I'll no doubt be moving onto the MEWP technique, drone or rocket pack.

At home in my study, on the wall beside my cycling proficiency certificate and 25m swim from 1980 will hang in a gilt frame a single prussik loop.

 Stuart

 

 

[NickinMids]

I had this problem too when I tried the SRT ascent with a wrench.  Put me right off

 

Need to practice getting them off at low levels and persevere

[Sambo]

On 15/09/2018 at 23:01, Haironyourchest said:

What brand? Mine are all CT, teeth not as aggressive as Petzl, apparently. I've never had issues with mine, just have to advance them slightly as I release the cam. What kind of rope are you on, that could make a difference.

It's a bit of a misconception to refer to toothed ascenders by how "agressive" they are. The points on the cam of an ascender are there to allow them to part the fibres of the rope without damaging them thereby creating a much greater surface area to spread the load over. When used with a suitable rope such as kernmantle, the teeth help to grip both the inner and outer layers of the rope simultaneously. 

(I don't mean to call out your post Haironyourchest or criticise in any way. I just hear people talking about ascenders a lot in a way that isnt strictly correct).

That said, you're dead right. These devices are only good for one thing - going up! ?

[Wedgebanger]

Like others say, you have to move the Asender up so the cam opens up and you then can continue to open the cam. Or put it another way, open the cam as you  move the asender up, so always have room to move it up to open the cam.

 

if that’s what your asking