Sewn vs Tied Runners

[Tumblemark]

Yowie kazowie!

 

I post once a year and what do I get? Outed as a dropout from wrecked.climbing! That's cold. Besides, if Dru remembers me from r.c, he's admitting to spending way too much time there hisself.

 

But seriously, most of my favorite topics are thoroughly discussed in a new book "The Mountaineering Handbook" (McGraw-Hill; see Amazon). One issue to which this forum could contribute, and which is left unresolved by that book, is self-arrest with ski poles. Ski poles, or trekking poles, are becoming a favored tool of mountaineers, and rightly so. So the matter of self arrest with them is important and needs solid solutions. This was brought home to me last year when a friend was killed in a fall on not-so-steep terrain; he was using ski poles while his ax was on his pack. Apparently he didn't or couldn't self arrest.

 

The moderator may want to move this post to a separate thread, but I'd be personally interested in the practical experience of this forum's members as to their recommendations on what to do when climbing with ski poles when self arrest becomes a crucial issue. How do you do it? What techniques do you recommend?

[Blake]

hey b l a k e, you deleted your old avatar - now why don't you delete your double post?

 

What do you mean steddy? this is the only name/persona I've ever posted anything under.

[EWolfe]

Steddy is self-appointed auto-sig and avatar patrol, apparently.

[dknox]

Even better, sew your own runners in nylon webbing. You can't do this with Spectra/Dyneema webbing or thread, but according to The Mountaineering Handbook, "if you can find the right thread (DB92 bonded polyester) and know how to pick the needle and set bobbin tension" you can sew you own runners on a beefy home machine. Home-sewn runners can be as strong as commercially sewn versions, as strong as the webbing itself. That won't be 22 kN for 9/16th inch webbing, but I'd challenge anyone to come up with a realistic climbing scenario where 22 kN would be approached.

 

Maybe this should go to a separate thread, but Tumblemark can you share your bartacking technique, the nitty gritty of how you sew them. I am just starting out, and tried a variety of things and am wondering how you do your bar tacks, is it 1 zigzag or 1 straight with 1 zigzag over? and, how do you keep the thread from unravelling?

THanks!