Has anyone actually rapped with a dulfersitz?

[keenwesh]

I'm going to be in Yosemite for the entire summer (drop me a line if you're in the area) and I'm already envisioning getting so goddamn bored that I'll have to do stupid things to keep myself entertained. How bad is rapping on a dulfer? wear a long sleeve shirt and carharts... I just don't want to end up like this tagger http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2105122/Tagger-dies-rappelling?utm-source=SuperTopo+purchasers+and+forum+up+to+3.22.11&utm-campaign=e3625e304b-SuperTopo-Climbing-News-May-26-20114-5-2011&utm-medium=email

[counterfeitfake]

Yeah, I've done it for a couple of short raps. One time when I screwed up the descent from Outer Space. It actually hurts your neck more than your groin. It's not that hard to keep it together for a short period but I wouldn't want to do anything more than vertical, or longer than about 50'.

[jon]

A friend of mine in high school did it, he got a rope burn all around his body. His next brilliant move was to hold up a bank. He got prison, not a rope burn.

[BootsandPants]

I did a 20 footer on near vertical once. Like CFF said, hurt my neck more than anything. Wear an alpine turtleneck?

 

I'd prefer not to do it again, but it works and you won't die if you do it right/take it slow. Didn't ruin my pants or shirt.

[bstach]

Try it with a prusick back-up or better yet a separate belay. Start with a sloping slab and work your way up to overhanging. Report back on your findings.

[keenwesh]

I was thinking rapping off royal arches with one. I think that's like 7-9 raps.... That's a lot of rope burnage.

[Jim]

I'm going to be in Yosemite for the entire summer (drop me a line if you're in the area) and I'm already envisioning getting so goddamn bored that I'll have to do stupid things to keep myself entertained. How bad is rapping on a dulfer? wear a long sleeve shirt and carharts... I just don't want to end up like this tagger http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2105122/Tagger-dies-rappelling?utm-source=SuperTopo+purchasers+and+forum+up+to+3.22.11&utm-campaign=e3625e304b-SuperTopo-Climbing-News-May-26-20114-5-2011&utm-medium=email

 

Yes. On Goldline with wool knickers. There is a good reason this has evolved.

[matt_warfield]

I'm going to be in Yosemite for the entire summer (drop me a line if you're in the area) and I'm already envisioning getting so goddamn bored that I'll have to do stupid things to keep myself entertained. How bad is rapping on a dulfer? wear a long sleeve shirt and carharts... I just don't want to end up like this tagger http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2105122/Tagger-dies-rappelling?utm-source=SuperTopo+purchasers+and+forum+up+to+3.22.11&utm-campaign=e3625e304b-SuperTopo-Climbing-News-May-26-20114-5-2011&utm-medium=email

 

Yes. On Goldline with wool knickers. There is a good reason this has evolved.

 

My knickers were cords and the goldline was 3/8". The rope burn makes you feel alive. Heavy clothing is helpful and make sure you wear a special signature cap for the era.

 

Evolution of raps has made climbing so enjoyable: dulfersitz, 6 biners, 4 biners, fig 8, Munter, ATC, GriGri, etc. So enjoyable. But you have to go devo (deevolution but also the name of a punk band) when you drop your device of choice sometimes so understand them all. But the dulfer sucks big time. Especially when the rope drifts into your crotch area.

Edited April 4, 2013 by matt_warfield

[matt_warfield]

Yeah, I've done it for a couple of short raps. One time when I screwed up the descent from Outer Space. It actually hurts your neck more than your groin. It's not that hard to keep it together for a short period but I wouldn't want to do anything more than vertical, or longer than about 50'.

 

You have to be the first person ever to screw up the descent from Outer Space. As Beckey would say, just take the obvious gully.

[counterfeitfake]

You have to be the first person ever to screw up the descent from Outer Space. As Beckey would say, just take the obvious gully.

 

The top part is obvious, it's at the bottom you have a chance to screw up and end up slightly cliffed out. Thank you for your concern.

[ryanb]

My dad (who learned to climb in the 50s) taught me to do them when I was a kid and I did a few free hanging ones off the porch. I would only consider doing a bunch of them in stiff leather laderhosen, thick turtleneck and silly hat. Stylish and practical.

[OldManRock]

Back in the middle 50's when I started climbing, the dulfersitz was the only method around on steep rock - And it was hard on personal parts of the body - So around 1965 I played around with coat hanger wire and string and came up with what is called the figure 8 - My friend was craftsman with metal, and he changed the design a bit, which became the KirNoz descender - There were only two made, and a bit heavy, but they worked well, and you could lock it off easy - Both of them are now in museums - Mine is in Gary Storrick museum (Google KirNoz) and the other is in the Mazama climbing museum - While the same design was done in Europe, I had no way of knowing that - It served me well for a lot of years.

[JosephH]

More times than I care to remember - goldline wasn't particularly kind either and it's especially no fun on free-hanging rappels. You learned fast to go slow.

[Off_White]

I'll echo all the above. It's useful to know, but not desirable to use. Are you trying to save the weight of a harness, biner, and atc? Why bother, you're built like a moose. The best reason I can think of is that you want to be the equivalent of one of those civil war reenactors, in which case you've got a lot of great costume suggestions here. I've always thought it would be a great bit of performance art to wander the Dihedrals area at Smith wearing some wool knickers, a gold line, rack of pins, a pair of tricouni nailed boots, one of those jaunty caps with a feather, and speak loudly in a German accent.

[keenwesh]

The aim would be to see how shitty climbing was back in the day. I talked to the only guy I know who's dumb enough to do something like that and he said why the fuck would anyone do that. If I take a step back and look at it rationally it'd probably be a lot more fun to just simul solo RA in a hour or two and then climb crest jewel, using such modern aids as harnesses and a ATC.

 

I got a job working for the DNC (I think I put you down as a reference, Off) and my work dates are from 5/22 to 9/2, a really fucking long time to be making milkshakes in curry village pavilion. I know that I'll probably lose my mind around the first week of july, so I need long solo adventures to keep my sanity.

 

How many miles is it from the valley to the W ridge of conness? 15? 20? I'll have my car but using my moose like leg power would be raddddd. Any other mellow high alpine routes I should have on my radar?

[BirdDog]

If your that bored in the big ditch to have to resort to the dulfersitz you're doing something wrong. Lot of female german tourists, mostly blonde and horny. C4 slack lining - impress the white trust fund hippie chicks. Re-sell gloves at the base of 1/2 dome. I've heard there is also some scenery to enjoy. Hang out at the base of el cap and dodge, turds, haul bags, and other crap.

[Buckaroo]

I used a Dulfersitz a couple of times on the Ptarmigan traverse, when I didn't want to bother with putting my harness on. It's okay as long as it's not vertical. Which I don't think any of the Arches is. Isn't there a walk off though by Washington Column?

[matt_warfield]

If your that bored in the big ditch to have to resort to the dulfersitz you're doing something wrong. Lot of female german tourists, mostly blonde and horny. C4 slack lining - impress the white trust fund hippie chicks. Re-sell gloves at the base of 1/2 dome. I've heard there is also some scenery to enjoy. Hang out at the base of el cap and dodge, turds, haul bags, and other crap.

 

Skip half dome hike for tourists. Good news is they are in shape. The bad news is the antline up the cables wants to make me puke. And gloves are at the base for free.

 

Buy McNamera's book and think Tuolumne. And for crying out loud take a rappel device; a few ounces of climbing heaven.

Edited April 6, 2013 by matt_warfield

[keenwesh]

I don't know if I could ever stoop low enough to lurk at the base of the cables trying to get laid. We'll have to see though! neva say nevah as they say...

[curtveld]

If your that bored in the big ditch to have to resort to the dulfersitz you're doing something wrong.

That's kind of my thinking too. Shouldn't be too tough finding partners among employees or around Camp 4 most any day of the summer. If you strike out, maybe teach yourself to solo aid?

 

The back country travel in Tuolumne is beautiful and super easy. Must be tons of great hiking/scrambling loops. Tenaya Peak is supposed to be a fun moderate. Conness W. Ridge is awesome - something like 12 miles from the trailhead, so much longer from the Valley

[OlympicMtnBoy]

I spent a season teaching climbing to kids at an outdoor ed. school n southern CA. Every day I'd have to hike out and set up a bunch of top ropes on some 30 ft slabs. After a little while I decided to start learning alternate rappel methods since the kids were almost always late anyways. Dulfersitz works fine but is a bit painful and I'd hate to do it on anything overhanging for more than a few feet. That being said I have used to a few times while canyoneering where I knew the raps would be short and mostly into water or down slippery chutes. Let me leave the harness and crap at home and travel light, and a bit more secure than handlining it with frozen fingers.

 

Then again, you aren't going to need to spend time doing crap like that in Yos. :-)

[tvashtarkatena]

What Stewart said.

[keenwesh]

I'm not worried about a lack of partners, I just like doing shit by myself sometimes. Another thing, depending on how my hours are I might be doing a lot of nighttime missions, which are usually solo. I remember reading some story of a guy getting really sketched out soloing snake dyke, not trying to repeat that. Are After Six and Seven easy to run up?

[stevetimetravlr]

Both after six and seven are so polished and slick that you might want to think twice about free soloing them.

[Buckaroo]

I'm not worried about a lack of partners, I just like doing shit by myself sometimes. Another thing, depending on how my hours are I might be doing a lot of nighttime missions, which are usually solo. I remember reading some story of a guy getting really sketched out soloing snake dyke, not trying to repeat that. Are After Six and Seven easy to run up?

 

Maybe think about rope soloing the crux pitches on Snake Dike. The crux pitches are near the bottom, as you go up it gets easier.

 

Royal Arches might be a good solo also, there again you could rope solo the short cruxes.

 

2nd the idea that it's really easy to find partners in Yos, probably even for night missions. My best week there I climbed 76 pitches in 6 days, every day with a different new partner.