TIMON

Nice mate. Very clean (as usual)

Congratulations Mike... (On the new born not the grounding).

Hi mate Often... On the same set up with the same knots (I'm on a zig zag most of the time now but still fond of that set up) I showed my fluffy/glazed hitch cord to another more (much more) experienced LOLER/climber and told him I had retired it and he said "why?, it's just getting nice now!" The more you turn it, twist it, re-set it and change and tweak it the longer it will last (obviously) 'cos you are spreading the friction/heat points across the surface of the cord rather than letting it glaze in the same place every time. I'm sorry I can't give you a more definitive answer but I found that ocean polyester hitch cord is more durable than I first thought and a certain amount of SLIGHT glazing is acceptable. . Having said this, I definitely wouldn't want to give you dodgy advice that would put you in danger!! Best to ask your regular LOLER guy, that way you're covered. Hope this is in some way helpful Timon

Actually, I thought I'd better leave at least one standing!

Tough job but someone has to do it Fortnight in sunny(ish) Spain

Of course... Should have known, I watched it enough times!

It's a shame there weren't more people like you in positions of influence.

Me and the missus share our home and life with (recovering and ex)drug addicts (of which I was one) I'm not saying this for accolades or to blow my own trumpet. I just want to make the point that some of us do put our money/lives where our mouths are. My mum (A Christian) works for a refugee charity and she took in a young African Muslim lady who had fled her homeland and her kids for reasons that were truly horrific (much of her suffering was at the hands of her own family) she now, after much investigation and an uphill battle has full refugee status and is going to be reunited with her kids over here. She is very hardworking and will not be a burden to the UK. (Believe me I'm no apologist for Islam and I don't think it has brought much if any good to this country ) But there are genuine cases out there and some of them are Muslims, A lot of the addicts/alcoholics that come to our centres are foreigners that have migrated here in search of work and a better life and found that the streets of Britain aren't in fact paved with gold. If everyone was prepared to put their prejudices to one side and do just a little bit, they might just be surprised at what could be accomplished and what they would find in people who have been written off.

He might be able to supply the patent as well

Debka file very often get the scoop on Middle East stuff long before the Western press. Don't know about this though.

Yeah.. What a blessing that has been.

What we need is a balanced immigration policy. My wife is American and works here in the UK for the same charity I do. (Helping people to break free from addiction and dependent lifestyles) She doesn't claim benefits. she has generated her own support base in the US to finance the work she does here. Most drug rehabs in the UK that rely on government funding are closing because the funding is being cut. (Itself another topic) We have been married for 4 years but she can't get a spousal visa for the UK. Being volunteers we don't earn enough to qualify. Surely such a contribution to society would qualify her for a visa. But seeings as the visa process is a purely box ticking exercise there is no weighing of merit in individual cases. It really seems unfair when I consider the recent situations where people who have been involved in terrorism etc.. are not only allowed to stay in the UK but treated like VIP's along with their families. It seems like we swallow a camel and strain at a gnat.

Well said.

Thanks for this Kevin, very interesting.

The question is.. What are our governments doing to help refugees in Syria? It's very easy to sit back in our comfortable safe European homes and pass judgement. I went to Bodrum in Turkey (where those photos were taken) on holiday a few years ago. It's given me a different perspective on the whole refugee/migrant situation. It would be nice to see the UN and Europe do a LOT more to help.

That's what I liked about the Aeris, it felt very unhindered. Pair of cheap grippy gloves with the fingers lopped off... Job done.

Yep! The transition to 11mm is certainly noticeable. The other guys on our team were like; "You're not going to climb on that are you??"

Zigzag and Zillon are the perfect combo. I see where you're coming from regarding the black rope, it s very firm and it's characteristics are similar to a wire core flip line. I just prefer something a bit more supple for changeovers and secondary anchors etc..

Hi Paul, I found It was perfectly fine on 11mm and really like the Aeris. Interestingly, I spoke to the Petzl guy at the Arb show and he also told me that the only rope replacement for the Zillon they recommend is their own.... Hmmm.. So the Zillon won't work properly on any other rope?? (I don't particularly like the black Petzl rope that comes with the Zillon) He told me that I shouldn't LOLER a Zillon on a different rope. ????

I've used Marlow Aeris 11mm on a ZigZag and it's never ever crept. (I'm 14 stone) I since discovered that Petzl recommend 11.5mm - 13mm I'm back on 11.7mm lime lite now, not because the 11mm didn't work but because I didn't want to set a bad example to the other guys in our team. Besides, if something did go wrong (God forbid) I wouldn't want to give our insurers any problems with our cover

11.7mm would be a good choice.

I have Yale limelite 11.7. (Very nice) And Marlow Aeris 11mm (self tends very well but it is a little on the bouncy side) Also, I think (not 100% sure) I remember reading on something, (possibly the box) that Petzl recommend 11.7mm - 13mm. Which would mean that 11mm is too thin and could present issues from a legal point of view , although I know other climbers use it and it's never "crept"when I've used it. It is well known that 13mm performs very poorly through the Zig Zag being too thick and although conforms to Petzl's recommendations is not very suitable. Perhaps others on here more knowledgeable than myself could explain this in greater depth.?? Hope this is helpful.

I suppose if you were changing from SRT to DDRT in the tree it would have its benefits but I haven't been climbing that long and I'm on DDRT so it's hard for me to comment on that. I can't think of many work situations where I have been hindered by the zigzag being "captive" on the rope. Midline capability wouldn't be the deciding factor for me personally but I suppose I have adapted my climbing and work methods to suit my preferred set up. I also have a Hitch Climber which was my previous system before the ZZ. It has very similar characteristics to the zigzag but is midline attachable.

Never tried a LJ in a tree but the ZZ is very smooth (progressive) and super responsive. I tried a LJ on a rig at the arb show and once mastered I'm sure it would be an excellent device. I'm not a fan of having a lever on a device used for work as I'm sure that at some point I would be bound to inadvertently knock the lever resulting in a sudden drop! I know that the same can happen with a ZZ but the top of the device doesn't protrude like the toggle on the LJ. Again, this is just my own personal preference and having said all this the build quality of the ART stuff really does seem to be excellent.

The lockjack relies on a single cam whereas a Zigzag has several pressure points (6) that grab the rope. Depending on use the zigzag should outlast the cam on the LJ. The downside to that is that if and when it does wear out there aren't any interchangeable parts so you would have to replace the whole unit.