Ascender rope wear..

[john87]

Hi All,

I am only a newbie and climb with a blakes hitch. [which i intend to keep on using] I was thinking of getting something like the Stein Django and their knee ascender thingy to make life less work!! Thing is, from what i have read ascenders wreck your rope with their spiky teeth..

 

Would  i be better off just getting a Notch jetstep, as apparently these are a lot kinder to the rope [I use a 13mm Marlow Gecko FCR Orange]

 

What should i do??

 

john..

[htb]

I use a CT foot ascender and HAAS set up, the teeth are designed to separate and grip the fibres without undue wear, yes you will get some wear but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. When the rope wears buy a new one. Yes we all started on prussics and blakes but we have moved onto more advanced techniques, you will too in time, due to the increased efficiency they give and nobody can resist shiny shiny new kit.

[Mark Bolam]

Whatever you do, get off a Blake’s as soon as you can.

It will hold you back and wear your body out.

[Will C]

Follow Marks advice, if not you will wreck you elbows and shoulders longer term. Your climbing with a horse n cart get with the times and help your self.

 

as to the ascender I reckon you get more rope wear from the bark than you will from an ascender 

[Mr. Squirrel]

Ascenders are designed to be used on ropes. Don’t worry about it. 

[Dan Maynard]

I use a CT foot ascender and HAAS set up, the teeth are designed to separate and grip the fibres without undue wear, yes you will get some wear but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. When the rope wears buy a new one. Yes we all started on prussics and blakes but we have moved onto more advanced techniques, you will too in time, due to the increased efficiency they give and nobody can resist shiny shiny new kit.

I can.

Last Hitchclimber recall?

I do have a HAAS though, it's a good bit of kit when the tree is big.

[Dan Maynard]

Hi All,
I am only a newbie and climb with a blakes hitch. [which i intend to keep on using] I was thinking of getting something like the Stein Django and their knee ascender thingy to make life less work!! Thing is, from what i have read ascenders wreck your rope with their spiky teeth..
 
Would  i be better off just getting a Notch jetstep, as apparently these are a lot kinder to the rope [i use a 13mm Marlow Gecko FCR Orange]
 
What should i do??
 
john..

Harken make the Jetstep for Notch, they also sell it as a Harken Ninja which in my opinion is a much cooler name.

The massive advantage of the device is not being kinder to the rope, but that it takes very very little tension to pull the rope down through. That means it starts working only a few feet off the ground, whereas other ascenders either need a good length of rope or somebody pulling on the tail.

It takes a bit of practice to get used to, but I think you'll find the foot ascenders to be a good thing as reduce the work required from your arms.

[Blah]

The tension it takes for the rope to pull through is in large part to do with ascender and rope combo. I use a CT foot ascender and Courant Squir, runs like a dream. Not quite so good with Drenaline, shit with Yale XTC.

[john87]

22 hours ago, Blah said:

The tension it takes for the rope to pull through is in large part to do with ascender and rope combo. I use a CT foot ascender and Courant Squir, runs like a dream. Not quite so good with Drenaline, shit with Yale XTC.

I am only a newbie, had no idea that ropes were all so different, or that there were so many different ones.. Mine seems ok though!! Not tried it with an ascender yet though!!

 

john..

[Dan Maynard]

The tension it takes for the rope to pull through is in large part to do with ascender and rope combo. I use a CT foot ascender and Courant Squir, runs like a dream. Not quite so good with Drenaline, shit with Yale XTC.

Fair enough. I have Yale XTC , which is good in the Ninja.