Chest roller position.

[gdstorrick]

Post deleted.

[Cody JW]

On my previous post I was refering to ropewalker.I do agree with the previous post on making the chest harness tight.I think what is most important on a chest harness is to have the kind of buckle that will allow you to tighten the harness with one hand when on rope, as most of you know ,what may seem tight off rope will be loose as hell on rope so the need to adjust on rope is critcal in my opinion.What seems tight off rope to me will be six inches away from my chest when I get on rope, maybe it is not extreme like that if you are thinner.I also like that the same buckle will allow you to loosen easily with on hand when on rope. My harness has adjustment and buckles on each side of the roller plate.

[DeanWiseman]

This is really good stuff!


I'm glad it's spurred such a lively discussion, and I appreciate all your comments and suggestions very much.


It's been a very strange predicament for me, because the situation seems to be so specific for rope climbing. Out in Yosemite I was a regular mountain goat on the hiking trail. I logged over 60 trail miles in a week up and down Yosemite Creek, mostly.


I'll keep working on the core muscles, I do think that's a good idea. My body proportion is a bit on the short side in my torso vs. my arms & legs... so I'm also going to try keeping to a shorter step, as well. I say this because I'm more likely to get a tweak on the downclimb (where I almost always take a bigger step by virtue of the gravity assist). Taking a smaller step would allow me some leeway to lower the roller, which I intend to test out when reunited with my climbing gear. Like what some other people said, I've been placing it about halfway between the nipple line and the collar bone... fairly tight, too, but not extremely.


Much appreciated, and I'll post my findings when I get the chance,

-Dean

[gdstorrick]

Post deleted.

[Evan G]

Deleted by poster,

I seriously need to find a new hobby

[gdstorrick]

Post deleted.

[Tlaloc]

Completely incomprehensible drunken goblygook

...which can be painful with roughage.

roughage |ˈrəfij|
noun
fibrous indigestible material in vegetable foodstuffs that aids the passage of food and waste products through the gut.
• Farming coarse, fibrous fodder.

[Evan G]

Warren Anderson that loves to hide behind name of a Aztec God.

The man probably has a file with my name on it and has been waiting to use different quotes. Weird

[Dwight Livingston]

Sorry, I was mistaken. Anyone can have me say anything they want.

[Evan G]

Good Point, talk about putting words in others mouth

This is first time I have seen that type of low on this board. Maybe I missed it.

Well back to editing my post on the chestbox position.

[Bill Putnam]

Regarding chest roller position in general: I agree that for most people, high is good and higher is better, because it keeps you more upright and therefore makes your climbing more efficient. But it does seem to cause more strain on my lower back when it is higher - I have noticed that myself. Guess I need to hit the crunches and build core strength.

On a related note, my solution to the problem of finding a good rest position for the Mitchell/Ropewalker systems (one that that does not use a floating cam above the roller or the necessity to clip on a third ascender before stopping to rest) has been twofold.

First, avoid stopping to rest. This is the method Bill Cuddington recommends. Climb at a pace that you can maintain for the entire climb without having to stop and catch your breath. Train so that over time this pace increases. I have been working on this for several years, and was doing well until I put on some extra weight recently. More training, less beer, and no second helpings should help get me back into fighting trim.

Second, if you are a mere mortal such as myself, and you sometimes wind up being forced to stop a few times on a long climb at Fern, Ellisons, Whitesides, Bridge Day, or Golondrinas, try wearing your Croll-type ascender below the roller while using your Mitchell or Ropewalker system. When you need to rest, just stop climbing and sit. The Croll is very efficient at capturing your progress, and it gives a very comfortable rest position when wearing a chest roller. When you are ready to resume climbing, just go.

I have been doing this since 1981 (used to use a Gibbs rather than a Croll) and find that it has several advantages over the other methods typically used with the Ropewalker or Mitchell systems. It's more comfortable, more efficient, and less complicated than floating a third ascender above the roller, attaching a third ascender at rest stops, adding a safety/rest sling from the upper Mitchell ascender to the seat harness, or sitting on a safety/rest sling connecting the knee-level ascender to the seat harness.

An added benefit is that it allows you to easily convert from either system to the Frog system for negotiating lips, re-belays, or change-overs. Mitchell users just open the roller and remove the rope and your upper ascender sling, and voila - you are Frogging! Ropewalker users will need to attach an ascender with Frog foot loop. You probably already carry a third ascender anyway, and the foot loop can be carried tucked away on the back of your harness until needed. You do need something to keep the Croll running smoothly as you climb. I just wear my Croll chest harness under the roller harness - some people bungee the Croll to the chest roller harness.

Bill

[Tim White]

Bill, thanks for getting this back on topic. Your comments regarding the Croll is a good options for folks to consider that need to rest and have problems with lower back issues.

and for those of you who like to Take it somewhere else.

[Amazingracer]

I learned the croll idea from Bill and use it all the time when I rope walk. It works well for stopping. I seem to have my chest roller right at the nipple line, so next time im rope walking Ill try wearing the roller a little bit higher and see how that affects things.

The croll works well as Bill mentioned because odds are you are carrying a safety with you, so i always say what the hell and keep my frog ascender with foot loop with me too. This definitely comes in handy at some of the lips or when moving to a pigs tail. I wear my croll harness under my roller which makes it hard to adjust the croll with the roller already on.