Hitchclimber

[bill]

ive given up with mine.

[D Mc]

I know this is not the hitch climber, but for those of you who are not satisfied with some of the attributes you might want to give something like this a try.

 

What I really liked about the hitch climber was the tandem carabiners and that everything stayed tidy with slack in the system. What annoys me with the hitch climber is the close proximity of the carabiner eyesplice connection to the VT/hitch.

 

Here is what I came up with:

 

Dave

[Peter]

How do you find the icetail as a hitch cord? I have a footlock strop in it, but have never got around to trying it anywhere else.

[Will Hinchliffe]

I have tried using a sling to make a chest harness clipping it to the top hole and my D to the bottom hole then footlocking a single line. The chest harness pulls the hitch climber up the rope as you stand. Im not very good at it but I think it can work.

[Mesterh]

Whats the benefit of using this system over a basic prussik/french loop system?

 

I've stuck with the old ways for the last 13 odd years but I'd be interested to know if I'm missing out on something.

[KGmyrek]

hmmm I must try it - to this day I use only prusic ....

[Peter]

A short hitch system with a slack tender is easier to adjust under load, works more smoothly, and you can remove slack with one hand.

A piece of hitch cord is also much cheaper than a spliced split tail, so you dont feel bad about binning it when its worn out.

Once you have relearned the body thrust technique to suit a short hitch, it is easier on your body too.

[bill]

Whats the benefit of using this system over a basic prussik/french loop system?

 

I've stuck with the old ways for the last 13 odd years but I'd be interested to know if I'm missing out on something.

 

the benefits are blown out of proportion imo. ive never got the system to self tend, apparently it does but you need to pretty high so the weight of the rope pulls the slack thro. i find holding the rope with the left hand and pulling the stack thro more strenuous then id like. also making small ascending adjustments is more difficult then with a prussik/split tail as you have to take into account the sitback of the hitch. you could also argue that adding an extra pulley and carabina to the system makes it more complicated,time comsuming and expensive. the pluses are you can pull yourself up with 2 hands which is nice and ?

[Tom D]

Bills right about the lack of self tailing, you do have to be really high, especially with a light rope like tachyon. But overall it rocks, compared to the split tails / prusiks that i used to use its so much easier. If you are ascending a long way just put a sling between the bridge and the hitchclimber.

On the video i posted the other day at the end when I was going back for the pulley you can see how easy it is to use, at some bits I am using it one handed.

If someone told me I'd have to go back to a blakes I'd rather retire.

[Ross Smith]

If someone told me I'd have to go back to a blakes I'd rather retire.

same here m8