Help with friction climber

Hi there,

I'm trying different methods out to find which i like, and have been trying the friction climber rig today.

I found the VT to not be very grippy when advanceing, and had a uick trip to the deck.

I found the swabish prussik to be much easier, is this down to rope choice, 13mm marlow geko+ 8mm ocean e2e, or me being a noob and not practicing the knot better?

Also can the slack be better tended, as it seems to bunch up.

I useing op and have just changed to beeline also tried the vt but am now useing the knut:001_smile:

If you slid down, then the hitch knot needs to be set better. Failing that, buy a lockjack or spiderjack. Better still, get a Rope Wrench!

A VT can and will often slip on ascent if you don't lock it up. By this i mean physically pushing the top of the prussik up so that you set the knot once you've taken up the slack. Its no biggy and once your used to the system you'll do it without thinking. Its not an issue moving around the tree though because you always have some if not all of your weight in it. It's good practice to set the know just before you do any jumps/swings but if tied correctly its really not as dangerous as perhaps your first impressions have been.

How many top wraps and cross-overs did you tie in it and how long was bottom section? I use 4 top wraps and 2 cross-overs and from the bottom karabiner to the top of the prussik its about 10". Some people use 3 top wraps, some 5, and have it shorter or longer with more crosses.

Its one of those knots that can take a bit of experimenting with how you tie it before your happy with it. Its worth playing around with (low and slow) because IMO its an awesome system.

I use a hitchclimber now but I found this pic when I was using it with just a micro pulley. I also use gecko rope as you can see but my prussik is 10mm I think.

I use a hitchclimber now but I found this pic when I was using it with just a micro pulley. I also use gecko rope as you can see but my prussik is 10mm I think.

What are those termination knots?

Norm use a Knute it's not particularly fussy, advances easily when set right and grabs reliably.

VT is a great knot just very fussy and requires a bit of time to get right, sometimes fresh cord takes a while to bed into the rope.

Make the VT as short as you can without bunching your rope between it and the HC. This will make it grab more reliably. The down side is, it will also make it a little stiffer to tend. As you get more used to the knot, you can increase the length a little. You really need to develop the habit of setting the knot after tending your slack 100% of the time, but the fluidity and ease of movement are worth it.

How many top wraps and cross-overs did you tie in it and how long was bottom section? I use 4 top wraps and 2 cross-overs and from the bottom karabiner to the top of the prussik its about 10". Some people use 3 top wraps, some 5, and have it shorter or longer with more crosses.

I went with 4 wraps and 2 cross overs, I think that when it opened on the ascent i failed to re set it. I later tried a shwabish prussik and found it a lot more forgiveing, low and slow is what I'm doing, and will be until i know the system up and down.

What are those termination knots?

 

Norm use a Knute it's not particularly fussy, advances easily when set right and grabs reliably.

VT is a great knot just very fussy and requires a bit of time to get right, sometimes fresh cord takes a while to bed into the rope.

Fishermans

Fishermans

The one on the right looks more like an overhand loop, is it dressed and set properly?

When I was on a hitch, I used a basic valdotain, just wraps no braids, unlike the VT.

Start at the bottom, wrap up 4/5times then clip back in. 4 holds me and I'm just over 13 stone. The cord needs to be as short as possible though, this prevents any collapsing when ascending and means next to zero sitback:thumbup1: