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NZcaver wrote:Bob Thrun wrote:NZcaver wrote:So do you have any thoughts about girth hitching slings around beams as a method of anchoring?
If we are talking about slings made of the common 1 inch tubular webbing, I do not see that there is any problem.OpenTrackRacer wrote:I just double checked my copy of Alpine Caving Techniques and they specifically show girth hitching of slings (backed up) for anchors.
I figured I'd try to put this one to bed.
Alpine Caving Techniques, and lo and behold...
What it does lead to is the diagram (with a cross through it) of a rope girth hitched into a ring hanger on page 75 which says "A girth hitch alone (lark's foot) should never be used, and backing it up with a figure 8 is just a flimsy substitute for good rigging." Of course this refers to rope into a hanger, not webbing around a natural anchor. ...
OR (1996 edition) has a diagram on page 65 showing a sling girth hitched around a stalagmite, with a big slash drawn through it. It says "Girth hitching as a general rule is unacceptable as a rigging technique. In industry, girth hitching (called a choker) will down grade its rated strength by 1/4 to 1/3." This diagram is reproduced in the NCRC training curriculum, where girth hitching webbing around an anchor is considered unacceptable.
Vertical (2007 edition) is available online (for free) here. On page 48 in the knots chapter, there is a diagram of a rope girth hitched into a large ring hanger (this one is not crossed out). The accompanying text says "The Lark's Foot knot (Girth hitch) is the best way to tie the middle of a rope to a ring hanger. [..] Do not use a Lark's foot for attaching tapes [webbing] to trees or natural anchors as it can be arranged in such a way as to increase the load on the rope."
Three references, three wildly different answers - I love it! I feel conflicted.
But hey - if there's no piles of dead bodies from doing it that way, why not? Personal choice is a wonderful thing.
Side note - while I'm not specifically critical of ACT's depiction of girth hitched slings, I just realized they consistently spell prusik incorrectly with two S's (at least in the English edition). Shame on them! I may now be forced to poo-poo everything in the entire book.
knudeNoggin wrote:Of course, it will be natural for one to hesitate rigging to ANY structure
that has a circle-&-slash on it -- that's like asking for trouble.
Chads93GT wrote:This method of mine wont work with a frog system by the way, unless someone is belaying you with the free end of the rope.
pub wrote:Chads93GT wrote:This method of mine wont work with a frog system by the way, unless someone is belaying you with the free end of the rope.
The beauty of your method is it can be done solo. So, I clipped an extra ascender onto the free end and weighted it down enough to keep the rope stationary while ascending. When I reach the rack I pull up on the free end to go down and reposition the weighted ascender as needed. A Prusik also works as the weighted ascender.
Thanks for the idea Chad!
I only have a frog system but I'm sure it would work for the ropewalker too. Using a counterweight on the free end frees up your hands so ascending is more realistic.Chads93GT wrote:ropewalker or frog? ... got a simple picture?
Chads93GT wrote:…unless someone is belaying you with the free end of the rope.
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