One more way to die- Petzl strings

[billcoe]

As if there wasn't already too many damn ways to get the chop, here's one that's new to me.

 

The video is very clear:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/videos/play.php?i=20

 

 

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2348785;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread

 

[counterfeitfake]

Here's a picture that shows how it could go wrong:

 

http://www.petzl.com/us/node/9886

 

This looks like fundamentally the same problem with clipping a biner into the end of a daisy chain as well as one of the bar-tacked loops.

[wfinley]

I believe this is the first fatality at the New River...

[RuMR]

yes...it is...i did haul a really broken up climber out in the late 80's, but he lived...

[ivan]

"go bouldering" =

[dberdinka]

As if there wasn't already too many damn ways to get the chop, here's one that's new to me.

 

New to most everyone I bet, me included. Freakin Scary. Interesting hypothesis made elswhere was that the victim potentially clip the biner through the middle of the sling to help bunch it up a bit on the side of the harness, hence the reason they both failed.

 

[Nitrox]

I get the point they make and I suppose it could happen but do people really not inspect their gear before they rack it? I think this is probably more of an issue with climbers who don't fully understand how to use their gear or lackadaisical preparation/staging/inspection.

 

There are times when open slings are a must for long extensions.

 

[wfinley]

I get the point they make and I suppose it could happen but do people really not inspect their gear before they rack it? I think this is probably more of an issue with climbers who don't fully understand how to use their gear or lackadaisical preparation/staging/inspection.

 

There are times when open slings are a must for long extensions.

From what I understand this wasn't a newbie climber or someone who didn't understand how their gear worked. Instead of dissing the accident as a lackadaisical approach to climbing maybe you could learn something from it. Climb long enough and the one thing you'll learn is that anyone can fuck up.

[jmace]

There are times when open slings are a must for long extensions.

 

Are you sure you get the point? What does an open sling have to do with it ?

[Nitrox]

I get the point they make and I suppose it could happen but do people really not inspect their gear before they rack it? I think this is probably more of an issue with climbers who don't fully understand how to use their gear or lackadaisical preparation/staging/inspection.

 

There are times when open slings are a must for long extensions.

From what I understand this wasn't a newbie climber or someone who didn't understand how their gear worked. Instead of dissing the accident as a lackadaisical approach to climbing maybe you could learn something from it. Climb long enough and the one thing you'll learn is that anyone can fuck up.

 

Not dis'ing anyone. We all make mistakes, I think that is the point. The gear probably wasn't the limitation but rather how it was used.

 

 

[rob]

 

There are times when open slings are a must for long extensions.

 

Of course, but that's not the point. If you want open slings for extensions, then you shouldn't use a rubber band to close it up near the biner. The rubber band (aka petzl string) can make the sling appear attached to the biner, when actually it's not (see video). If you had no rubber band in this scenario, the sling would just fall off immediately if you accidentally clipped through.

 

[jmace]

The gear probably wasn't the limitation but rather how it was used.

 

Seems to me the gear had limitations which is why they say do not use it on open slings, not use it carefully...

 

 

[Nitrox]

The gear probably wasn't the limitation but rather how it was used.

 

Seems to me the gear had limitations which is why they say do not use it on open slings, not use it carefully...

 

 

The gear did not fail. The climber failed to correctly inspect and verify that their gear was set up correctly prior to climbing.

 

 

 

 

 

[goatboy]

Whether you think it was a gear failure or a human error, either way, there is value in taking note of how deceptive this gear failure can be. It is a classic case of gear APPEARING to be safer than it is (whether from misuse or failure).

 

It reminds me of the way that a daisy chain can fail if not properly clipped (or "short-clipped" with a single carabiner). This is another case of gear APPEARING to be safe, but in fact, being ready to fail (due to unintentional misuse).

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be17lI-rVyU&feature=player_embedded

Edited June 15, 2010 by goatboy

[Choada_Boy]

I get the point they make and I suppose it could happen but do people really not inspect their gear before they rack it? I think this is probably more of an issue with climbers who don't fully understand how to use their gear or lackadaisical preparation/staging/inspection.

 

There are times when open slings are a must for long extensions.

 

You are a turd.

[fenderfour]

It is a failure on the climber's part, but it doesn't hurt to get the info out there to make sure other climbers don't make the same mistake.

 

"You're not wrong Walter. You're just an asshole."

[billcoe]

It is a failure on the climber's part, but it doesn't hurt to get the info out there to make sure other climbers don't make the same mistake.

 

I think this is the kind of thing that could easily screw any of us over. I'm sure this girl thought that adding the rubber bands was a "safe" thing to do, and never saw this coming. For most of us in that situation, we would be unlikely to notice that these things were all set to kill us.

 

Be safe all.

[goatboy]

Hey Nitrox, I wonder if you'd consider getting rid of your auto-signature? It's annoying and distracting, especially when you post three times on the same page.

[Bronco]

Rubber bands are aid

[catbirdseat]

The gear did not fail. The climber failed to correctly inspect and verify that their gear was set up correctly prior to climbing.

 

 

The gear could be set up correctly at the outset, but in use it could come unclipped and not be noticed. It's just one of those set ups that is not worth the risk. The only thing you gain is not having to rotate the biner to clip it. There is so much more to lose.

[Dhamma]

always appreciate review of safety info. thanks