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Sula
Trad climber
Pennsylvania
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 3, 2014 - 04:23pm PT
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Never done anything but free climbing - now thinking about learning aid climbing.
Various Googling produces links to the 'Russian' aid system, which apparently involves aid 'trees' with rings and a sort of leg-mounted harness with hooks. This seems at one point to have looked promising (at least to some), but now has mostly disappeared.
I'm hoping someone here can tell me its history, and why it fell out of favor.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Undeniable aid:
But, is it clean or do you have to hammer it?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Used the system for jumaring during the FA of the North Pillar of Cerro Pollone in Patagonia. Worked well but you always had them attached to your legs.
Clint's right...the hooks were disconcerting.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Pete has used the system in the past - he'll probably explain if he is still using it and why.
Personally, I would be concerned about one of the hooks at knee level catching on something during a fall. It could be a fairly violent stop.
In the Brian McCray thread, there is a story where he took a fall when a beak pulled, the aider got caught on something, and the beak hooked into his hand and stopped the fall. He was not using Russian aiders; it is just a (gory) example of a hook grabbing something during a fall.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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WTF? Don't use Russian sh#t for aid, you're American G'damnit!!
I've got Russian blood too, but I won't use that sh#t.
AMERICA BABY!!!
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WBraun
climber
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Doesn't the Putinator hold the Russian speed ascent on El Cap with Russian aiders ......
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dindolino32
climber
san francisco
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My guess is that the hooks would be harder to get in the metal loops rather than just stepping up, but I've never used the russian aiders. Also, It would seem to me that it would be harder to free climb with those things right in front of your shins. Especially if the crack gets wider and is some easier climbing. From my understanding from reading other posts, they are good for aid intensive and really overhung routes.
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Kristoffer
climber
mali, africa
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I think they go well with crampons, and at that point I no longer spend much time worrying about sharp things.
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dindolino32
climber
san francisco
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yeah, I do at my work. I can also take molds and make custom plastic pieces to minimize the pressures on the shins. I thought about making a pair for fun, but wouldn't have anything to compare them to. Also, I expressed my concerns previously so I didn't move forward.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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I thought this would be about the US strong-arming countries to increase oil production and decrease prices to trigger a failure of the Russian economy, after which we offer them financial aid in exchange for demilitarization.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Always wanted to try. One of the guys on bigwalls.com had sewed up some cuffs. Do a search over there.
M
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Thought this was about the sochi doping scandal..?
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Raafie
Big Wall climber
Portland, OR
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Agree with Mungeclimber's suggestion: search posts on bigwalls for info.
A few years ago PTPP started an "Ultimate Russian Aider" thread here on Supertopo that had a ton of info. You could probably find that.
I've used the Russian aider system for the last five years, five walls including two El Cap routes. While I like the system, it doesn't make me an aid-climbing superstar. I like that the aid-trees are non-bulky. Having to wear the leg cuffs is NBD but sometimes annoying. The hooks have never hurt me in a fall, and I don't worry about impalement. I think if you saw the hooks/cuffs in person, you'd see that it's a pretty unlikely scenario that they would hurt you.
I'm pretty skeptical that Moof/Garbonzo will be manufacturing russian aider cuffs in the future, so those are going to be hard to find. Separately, the russian aider trees Fish sells are great.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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One word springs to mind: CAVE.
You know this system was first used at the Lubyanka, don't you?
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Well, there you have it, from the very manufacturer himself!
Russ - I will buy two of those things off you please, to have as backup. I need to grab a few more Fish bags, too, and some other stuff.
What is your website url again? ;)
P.S. DO NOT BUY FISH PORTALEDGES! They suck. Mine has only lasted 613 nights on El Cap.....
Aw geez, this was supposed to go on the other thread!
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