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Just watched Terminator Salvation. Christian Bale aussie rappells down into a deep missle silo. A few minutes later you see the top ledge of the pit, and an arm with a handled ascneder coming over. As he climbs over the ledge, this is the ONLY piece of vertical gear that he had on, besides his harness. I guess he had the rope in his other hand, pinched off "rope walker self start style" all the way up to get out.....................................................

I laughed.

I remember reading a report of a self rescue many years ago. The solo caver was at the bottom of a pit and had left his ascenders topside! He was able to fashion a single prussik and climb out using the rope walker self start technic. I can't recall the exact details of his method but it was very close to what you described.

Grandpa Caver wrote:I remember reading a report of a self rescue many years ago. The solo caver was at the bottom of a pit and had left his ascenders topside! He was able to fashion a single prussik and climb out using the rope walker self start technic. I can't recall the exact details of his method but it was very close to what you described.

Learn your ascending knots, you never know when they will come in handy.

it IS possible to ascend with one ascender (or even prussik)... an arborist who was showing me and another guy how THEY do things... showed of a way to ascend with the rope wrapped around one foot in such a way it locks it automatically and there's very little pressure when you put your weight on it.. .it holds... surprisingly enough it holds very well... a good thing to learn should something like leaving your gear topside happens...

Perhaps this is the method that John Conner used (NOT Christian Bale who was more-n-likely lifted up with a green coated wire and a winch )

Lol well It didnt actually show any ascending, jsut his hand coming over the top with the ascender in hand. In the time frame of the movie he made it up in a HURRY. it just made me laugh that he aussied in, and came out with 1 hand ascneder and nothing else. I guess John Connor is so bad ass he probably climbed hand over hand and used the ascneder like a frog chest croll ;)

Chads93GT wrote:Lol well It didnt actually show any ascending, jsut his hand coming over the top with the ascender in hand. In the time frame of the movie he made it up in a HURRY. it just made me laugh that he aussied in, and came out with 1 hand ascneder and nothing else. I guess John Connor is so bad ass he probably climbed hand over hand and used the ascneder like a frog chest croll ;)

Chuck Norris would not need any ascenders…

Actually if you look close at the scene where he climbs out and stands up you can see him unclip the rope from an ascender near his waist (probably a croll) but it never shows any type of foot loop or other rope or webbing from the hand ascender.

"Chuck Norris would not need any ascenders…"

Bear Grylls would likely find a rare endangered ultra sticky fungus, spread it on his appendages and just walk up the wall.

One of the first vertical things I was taught was how to fashion a verty system out of rope and practiced for several months a three knot system. My first verty trip was on a three knot prusik system mainly because I was to damn poor to buy ascenders. Which after a few trips, I worked my butt off and bought ascenders. There was someone named Martha ______ at the 88 Hot Springs Convention that just cruised up the rope in the three knot verty race. It nice to know that if you have enough rope at the bottom of the pit, an ascending system can be fashioned.

Years ago, I attended cliff rescue training at the Mendocino headlands. We used a winch from the fire trucks for lifting personnel and the stokes litter, but as part of the training we were shown how to form a prussik and climb using single rope technique if necessary. One member on my unit was so take with the idea he insisted on trying it out. Somewhere there's a video of the days events, which show him repelling down and starting his climb up the 200+' cliffs. Then there's a full afternoon of mock rescues, victims being pulled up in the stoke litter etc. and finally at the end there he was coming over the lip, have to give him credit for perseverance but don't think I'd want to have to do it. :)