Chris Cowell

Just for info....the sliding D ring on treeMOTION is rated to 30kN. The breaking load is considerably higher. I can't imagine a climbing scenario where one can be broken. I've got one of these rings in my 'black museum' that was taken to 36kN and it's only a little deformed. If you don't like putting two connectors into the ring, try putting a second ring on the bridge or attaching one karabiner directly to the bridge. Chris

Tony As rbtree says, the eye needs to be bigger than the super tight eyes that some favour. You can see in the image that the eye forms the bight not the splice (bury) itself. I would assume the same as you....bending the splice doesn't seem a good idea. We tested this set-up before ITCC last year so that it could be assessed by the gear check folk. Two rope types were used to make the 'loop' (XTC and Poison Ivy). One end of the system was over a large bollard (110mm diameter) the other end was through the green ring used on the treeMOTION (12mm diameter). The loop was completed by tying a six coil Prusik with a 10mm Ocean Polyester eye to eye sling which was connected to the spliced eye via a Petzl OK triact karabiner. A stopper knot was placed under the Prusik. Each sample was subjected to 15kN for three minutes then the load was increased until failure. The Poison Ivy sample failed at a lower load than XTC when the rope slipped sideways on the bollard and ran over a strengthening rib. This happened at 35.73kN resulting in the rope failing. At this point the green ring had started to become slightly oval and the polyester in the OP sling had started to fuse to the polyester of the climbing line. I now use: - a locking Revolver (DMM) to attach this system to my harness. The sheave helps the system to rotate more easily, plus I can connect/disconnect more easily; and - a very short Prusik made from a 6mm cord instead of the Ropeman. I noticed climbers using this technique in the Work Climb in Turin over the weekend at the Euro TCC. The result was a number of 'slack-free' climbs. Chris

Moby The EN354 'lanyard' standard refers to connecting elements in fall arrest systems, that is why they are limited to 2m. The relevant standard for 'work positioning lanyards' is EN358. Products like the Petzl Grillon are certified under this standard (and EN795c). As you are no doubt aware, the Grillon is available in a range of standard lengths up to 20m. Chris

Peter If it's not already on the market, the Sentinel Locksafe will be available very soon. To my knowledge it is the shortest autolock HMS karabiner on the market and will benefit from a keylock nose in its' new form. The top of a Hitch Climber system is a great place for a Sentinel Locksafe, I've been using a prototype there for a while and you can see that configuration in the Hitch Climbers' Guide to the Canopy (page 7). An oval is best used for the lower connections though (because of the loading pattern). Chris