rich_h

The ABR stiff tethers with the rubber piece directly in the eye are made specifically for the ZK-2 version of the Rope Wrench. The Rubber piece eliminates the possibility of the RW ZK-2 going into the neutral position. If you are using this stiff tether on the ZK-1 you may want to cut the rubber piece off as it has a tendency to slip in between the sideplates and get stuck. Another option would be to significantly beef up the rubber piece with electrical tape or some other method to make it bulky enough to perform the task that it was designed for on the ZK-2..

If you keep all the core strands from twisting it is actually pretty easy to get everything aligned where it should be.... After removing the excess sheeth section (cut on a 45 degree angle away from completed splice) I prefer to cover the throat with electrical tape to allow the whipping twine something to grip onto and then whip the full length of the frayed out sheeth... The end result isn't as pretty as a double braid, or 16 strand eye, but not too bad....

I find that removing the core and then tapering the end and fixing to a hollow fid really helps with keeping this splice under control. Good rope management will save you a ton of stress on this sucker.. Also, once you pass the core back through the eye, out again and back over to the other side I find that keeping both core sections separated helps immensely for burying later as well as for performing the crossover.. I use a karabiner between the core sections as pictured. When completing the final crossover, you can insert a smaller fid for the crossover amount and then either follow with larger fids until you hit the one you are taped onto or you pull the larger hollow fids out and use a wire fid in the pre-stretched crossed over area to pull the final cross. With the area pre stretched you can usually pull 7 of the 11 strands pretty easily on the first pull which leaves 4 for the next pull.. All the while you can grip the core where it initially exits the rope and pull a bit to create slack or to tighten to compress the core you are trying to cross... This makes a hell of a lot more sense in person

LOL...you nailed it Drew !! This splice is actually reasonably fun as long as you keep the whole core together on a hollow fid for as long as possible. If you are real lucky you can actually do the whole thing with a hollow fid.....one of my Fly and Eye's was done that way..I haven't spliced the Marlow Aeris but I would imagine it would be similar... I'll try to get a few pics of the process tomorrow as I have a few to do.. Incidentally, the Fly and Eye's are utterly worthless for anything other than a decoration as the sheeth melts after your first climb

Anchor Bridge Ropeworks is calling for the immediate cessation of use of the Anchor Bridge Replacement Rope Bridge (part # ABR 7110)(Please see attached notice) I have become aware of a single product that has failed during normal use. This incident did not result in any injuries. I am asking that all users of this product render the product inoperable by carefully cutting one or both of the eyes. The official all for cessation of use is attached to this post with more information. We are in the process of testing this failed unit to determine the cause of the failure and more information will be made available as it becomes available. I appreciate any assistance that anyone can provide to help ensure the full compliance of this notice. Sincerely, Richard Hattier Anchor Bridge Ropeworks, Inc. (moderators, if you could make this post "sticky" it would be greatly appreciated.) Thank you. Anchor Bridge cessation notice with pictures.doc

The Anchor Bridge set up that Gump was using is actually a modified version of the standard set up. The standard set includes two bridges that attach to either end of your split tail set up. (one on anchor side, one on hitch side) This system modifies any split tail set up into a self tending system. It will work with any climbing hitch (even a taut line as long as it is tied with a split tail) and connects to any brand of climbing harness. While it has proven to be very helpful to many climbers, the Anchor Bridge does have some disadvantages compared to other extendable climbing systems. For starters you must be safetied into the tree in order to switch from the working mode to the extended mode. The hitch climber set up and other extended systems allow for adjustment without the need for a safety. Also while the two standard sizes for men and women fit most climbers they do not fit all climbers. This is easily fixed as custom sizing is available. Some of the benefits of the Anchor Bridge over other set ups include: Your spliced eye on your climbing line is protected from damage. Set extended length, will not get too far away from you. Ease of use. (you continue to use the same exact hitch set up you are currently using) If anyone wants any information on this set up or want the splicing instructions I would be more than happy to set you up. .pdf attached that hopefully explains the Anchor Bridge a bit better. (file was too big.....I can email it to you if you want it)

not trying to hijack this thread, but there is a way to turn the current split tail set up you are currently using into a self tending system. The details are here: http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=39935&an=0&page=0#39935 This system will work with every hitch knot, from Taut Line to VT, as long as you use it in a split tail configuration. Sorry for posting a link to another site, but I would not be able to duplicate the input from climbers that have tried this system by just posting the pics here.

Our Bassets only hunt sofas and laps.

Myself and Tony Tresselt were the in tree techs for the Footlock event at ITCC this year. We kept a log of the ropes used and found that Velocity was the most popular hands down. Velocity had about 65% of the climbers using it with KM III running a very distant second. Of coarse after Mr. Chisholm set the world record on the KM III it picked up in popularity, his entire group used his line.