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View Full Version : Steep Terrain safeguards with fall-line management & paracord, The Girl shows how



susannewilliams
15-03-2014, 02:51 PM
We bushcrafters are explorers by nature & sometimes we come across some pretty gnarly terrain. (And its often wet, icy, dark and otherwise treacherous...)

BUT unlike hikers, bushcrafters usually have some paracord handy.

The Girl shows you how to manage the fall-line, belay, abseil & perform a roped solo - with PARACORD!


http://youtu.be/zRk545WrIUA

susannewilliams
15-03-2014, 06:19 PM
OK let's go there. - Is this a death trap? Am I irresponsible to post this?
Answer. No.

We are talking about sliding falls. That is to say, friction between the person and the ground. And we are talking about body belaying. Which is a dynamic belay. Maybe some of you know that in a dynamic belay, there is a trade-off between distance and force on the rope. (which is what causes it to break).

Even if you did a full free-fall factor 2 past the belay onto the rope, as soon as you let the fall become 20% longer (by your dynamic belaying style) the fall force is reduced by 60%.

And that is in a free-fall worst case drop.
Now imagine the same principle with a sliding fall over bumpy ground.

Sliding. No freefall - not even the full body weight on the rope.
Dynamic body belay dealing with any kind of shock load.

Get it?
Paracord is MUCH MUCH better than nothing.

And people die in sliding falls - every year. EVERY year.

There is no need. Don't let it be your buddy. Or you.

http://wallrat.com/PDF_Files/forcesinleadfalls.pdf