problem with microcender slipping

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lemon_boy

climber
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 26, 2016 - 01:51pm PT
curious to see if anybody else has had this problem. recently i was jugging some fixed ropes. i had a microcender on the upper hand and a microtraxion on the lower hand. the first pitch went totally fine. on the second pitch the microcender stopped grabbing the rope. each time i weighted it, it would completely slip. both ropes were 9.8 (an old mammut, and a moderately used sterling). it was really bizarre.

this happen to anybody else? pretty scary, as the microcender is my primary TR solo piece.
Levy

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
Aug 26, 2016 - 03:38pm PT
Yer













Gonna
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
Aug 26, 2016 - 03:39pm PT
DIE!!!111111111111111111

You coming to the Ditch this fall Bill? What's on yer plate?
Levy

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
Aug 26, 2016 - 04:24pm PT
Hey Pete!! I'll be up near the end of September to do Excalibur with Jordan aka NA Kid. We'll be well armed and we'll provisioned.

How about you? Gonna be around then too?
Levy

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
Aug 26, 2016 - 04:26pm PT
Lemon boy, I'd only use a mini traxion for rope soloing, much stronger, way safer.
lemon_boy

climber
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 26, 2016 - 04:33pm PT
i use a microcender above a microtraxion for RS. it has worked great. the whole microcender slipping while ascending a fixed rope was a head scratcher though. i did some google searching and it looks like a few other folks have ran into the same problem. kinda weird, seeing how it was designed to ascend a rope....
Levy

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
Aug 26, 2016 - 04:42pm PT
Lemon boy, try using the micro tration on top instead. It floats up the rope quite smoothly and you'll have the security of the mini below.

Not sure why the mini ascender is slipping. Maybe it's not being loaded in a straight line of force when you weight it?

Is the mini ascender only for use on thicker ropes? That might be part of the problem.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
Aug 26, 2016 - 04:57pm PT
The teeth/cam worn down?
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
Aug 27, 2016 - 06:01am PT
Lemon boy's ascender has a completely different rope grabbing action than all others, except a Gibb's ascender, which works the same way. Do they even still make Gibb's ascenders? Or is it a Gibbs' ascender. Only a caver would know, or care.

It's possible it's slipping because the "teeth" are worn. How about some photos?

Moose - hell yeah, ALL ascenders' teeth wear out! A traditional ascender has sharp little spikes. Put your finger and on the teeth, and see how sharp the ones are that are actually holding your rope. Compare to a new ascender and you will see. Almost certainly it is time to retire your ascender if it is slipping.

B Bill .... [or is it T Bill?] ;) I'm arriving around Sept 16 and will be there til the end of the season. You'll love Excalibur. Tom built his Valley Giant cams - no doubt a fundamental weapon in your arsenal - specifically for our ascent. The aid climbing is fairly mellow as I recall. And the Round Table Bivy is very cool, but not as cool as Frosty's Claustrophobic Bivy!
lemon_boy

climber
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2016 - 09:17am PT
the microcender is almost brand new. there is very little wear, even on the (red) annodizing of the housing and zero wear on the tan colored cam.

my theory is that when you use it on a dynamic rope, the movement between the sheath and the core allows the rope to be squeezed down to a much smaller effective diameter. the rope was a 9.8, in medium condition. the device specs say it is good down to 9.8..... my theory doesn't seem to really pan out with a grigri though (although, that being said, i have probably 5 or 6 grigris and they all let my 9.8's creep through them).

i prefer the microcender (toothless cam) on top and the microtraxion (teeth) on bottom, as it reduces the wear and tear on the rope quite a bit. i used them on my static line this weekend with no problems.
Messages 1 - 10 of total 10 in this topic
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