Descending on a wet line

[born2trot]

Have any of you guys / gals been concerned with descending on a blakes hitch when your rope has got soaked ?. Seemed to ge gripping too tight and releasing too quickly for my liking . Any SIMPLE ideas i could have switched to for a safer descent ? thanks..

[geoff]

You could try using a munter hitch on a crab atatched to you bridge underneath your blakes if its a bit jumpy,heres a link.

 

Munter Hitch - How to tie a Munter Hitch

[scotspine1]

Have any of you guys / gals been concerned with descending on a blakes hitch when your rope has got soaked ?. Seemed to ge gripping too tight and releasing too quickly for my liking . Any SIMPLE ideas i could have switched to for a safer descent ? thanks..

 

Worked on a blakes thousands of times in the rain, never had a problem with it. What rope are you using? are you just doing a basic 4 turn blakes? you could put and extra turn in the top for more friction. So 3 at the top then two at the base of the hitch.

[born2trot]

Worked on a blakes thousands of times in the rain, never had a problem with it. What rope are you using? are you just doing a basic 4 turn blakes? you could put and extra turn in the top for more friction. So 3 at the top then two at the base of the hitch.

 

Hi scotspine , I'm using honey bros 13mm xtc fire for my main line and the split tail is an edelrid timberblue 13mm aswell. Tying the basic 4 turn blakes and been very pleased with it so far up until a few weeks ago when it got soaked . Wasnt good ..

 

Geof thanks for the munter hitch idea , looks very simple and effective , will try that out aswell

[scotspine1]

Hi scotspine , I'm using honey bros 13mm xtc fire for my main line and the split tail is an edelrid timberblue 13mm aswell. Tying the basic 4 turn blakes and been very pleased with it so far up until a few weeks ago when it got soaked . Wasnt good ..

 

 

you could try a xtc spilt tail instead of the Edilrid, of all the combinations I used when working off blakes it was XTC line with XTC split tails that was the best. Although the Edilrid is 13mm it wont have the same shape characteristics under load as the XTC.

 

Other than that just try adjusting the blakes when its raining, could just be it needs slightly re-set/re-dressed - maybe the coils need wrapped tighter, this is probably all that's wrong.

[VEG]

Get a spiderjack

[Pete Mctree]

You could use a fig8 as well as a blakes. Therefore backing it up & taking the pressure off you hitch

[born2trot]

You could use a fig8 as well as a blakes. Therefore backing it up & taking the pressure off you hitch

 

Hi Pete , could you tell me how i would use the figure 8 on a double line config. I bought one several weeks ago along with an extremely lightweight petzl tape harness and have been playing about rappelling down the trees outside but from a SINGLE line config. ( Its good fun ) . I'm just not sure what to do on my normal climbing set up ?

 

Thanks veg , but i'm not up to speed yet with the tree monkeys