Z-pulley systems?

[mtn.climber]

I've been reading about how to set up a z-pulley system. The info I have is that I need an oscillante pulley, fixe pulley, biners and two ascenders. I already have the biners and one ascender (LH). Is the petzl rescue pulley the same thing as the oscillante pulley? And what is a fixe pulley? Can I use a Tibloc instead of the fixe pulley?

Any info/help appreciated.

[Good2Go]

You can use the tibloc instead of the ascender, but not as a pulley. Best setup (for me) is a Ropeman as your primary ratcheting pulley (off the anchor) and then two tiblocs for (instead of?) the ascenders. Many folks prefer prusiks instead of the tiblocs, but I don't mind carrying the tiblocs all the time and I find they are quicker on the setup. They'll also work well for ascending the rope if you are the one who falls in, especially on a thin rope (may thrash your rope though, even if you're careful).

[genepires]

Any decent pulley is fine. The brand doesn't matter so much. You can use two oscillante pulleys (which is a petzl pulley). I would suggest using a prussik instead of ascenders as that is what you will be carrying. You can use a tibloc in lieu of a ascender if you want but a large ascender is too much weight for the unprobablility of actually using it.

 

What is more important than having the gear is actually being able to set it up. I hope that you get the chance to set up the z pulley system and also run through realistic scenerios many many times before you have to do the real deal. It is not as easy as it appears. And lots of things can complicate matters. So if you are solid with the standard setup, you will be able to deal with the complications as they present themselves. If you are not solid, you may flounder and make matters worse.

 

If you have difficulty with this, then you need to either get a experienced friend or a professional to instruct you.

[hydroman]

Don't worry about specific brand pulleys. You just need 2 smallish pulleys and I prefer square nose vs round as they will work better in conjuction with a prussik. I also agree with the others to forget about the ascenders. It's pretty unlikely you will actually be carrying ascenders on a glacier trip unless your climb has some specific need for them. I like using a prussik as it's light and multi-purpose.

 

On an actual climb you may not want to carry 2 pulleys depending on how many folks are with you. If you are a single team of two or three then yes but if you end up as a couple rope teams of three having 12 pulleys between you is a bit overkill.

[jcp]

Also, you don't absolutely need pulleys. You can set up the entire system with carabiners and prussiks, but just realize that there will be more friction in the system. I feel this is an acceptable trade off since I really don't think the weight is worth it to carry. Also, realize that if you have two rope teams dropping a drop loop to a fallen climber, or the climber actually climbing out is the most likely scenario. WIth that being said, I HIGHLY agree with genepires. The most important thing to be able to do is set it up without thinking. It should be natural, and a no thinking kind of thing to do. Good luck, and way to practice. I know I need to brush up on my rescue skills!

[rocketparrotlet]

Anybody in the Everett area interested in practicing z-pulley? I need to brush up on my skills, it's been a while.

 

-Mark