Negative rigging friction location

[AHPP]

A hot take for a Sunday afternoon: Why not put the portawrap at the cut?
 

Pros:

Climber can control it, either immediately or after the catch. 
You save an expensive pulley/ring/thimble/safebloc. 
You only need half the length of fat rope. You could alternate ends. It wouldn’t hockle. 
Your top strop only needs to be half as strong.
Climber can set the friction (pro and con - he’s probably choosing the piece size but he can’t see it in as good context as groundsman - he can still ask for an opinion though).

Rigger can be anywhere. 
 

Cons:

A tiny bit more weight for the climber to manipulate.

MUCH less rope in the system to absorb shock. A pro when you want to catch a piece dead though. As long as you’re mindful of how big the piece is. 
 

Aware not a new argument but have we thought about it recently? I’m seeing more pros than cons. 

 

 

 

 

[Mark J]

27 minutes ago, AHPP said:

A hot take for a Sunday afternoon: Why not put the portawrap at the cut?
 

Pros:

Climber can control it, either immediately or after the catch. 
You save an expensive pulley/ring/thimble/safebloc. 
You only need half the length of fat rope. You could alternate ends. It wouldn’t hockle. 
Your top strop only needs to be half as strong.
Climber can set the friction (pro and con - he’s probably choosing the piece size but he can’t see it in as good context as groundsman - he can still ask for an opinion though).

Rigger can be anywhere. 
 

Cons:

A tiny bit more weight for the climber to manipulate.

MUCH less rope in the system to absorb shock. A pro when you want to catch a piece dead though. As long as you’re mindful of how big the piece is. 
 

Aware not a new argument but have we thought about it recently? I’m seeing more pros than cons. 

 

 

 

 

Could do it. 

Things like this do the same job but more expensive: 

I preferred to have a groundie who could run lines when I climbed commercially.  
 

Edited 1 hour ago by Mark J

[Mick Dempsey]

Seems like negative rigging is too dynamic a situation to have the climber in charge of the descent of the piece, if you’re talking about chunking down sections of trunk.

 

I am a big fan of the climber doing the lowering in many circumstances, however that would not be one of them.