Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 7 of total 7 in this topic |
Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 9, 2017 - 02:01pm PT
|
I was contacted by a law firm representing one side of a case in which a person was injured when they were dropped by a peer in a team-building exercise and according to the attorney who contacted me, the belayer was using a 'Just Right belay system".
In 40 years of climbing, I have never heard of this and a Google search yielded nothing. Anybody out there have any information about this?
|
|
Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 9, 2017 - 03:41pm PT
|
Thank you Jon!
It indeed was part of a ropes challenge course so this helps a lot. It seems awfully complicated and a bit odd. I have to wonder if this was actually set up by someone with actual climbing experience.
|
|
clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
|
|
The error was incorporating human use.
|
|
thirsty
climber
|
|
|
Dec 10, 2017 - 08:31am PT
|
I worked with one of those on a ropes course. As described above, it was a short, planted pole with holes drilled through. The rope was threaded through for friction. It was used for an event where the participant would climb onto the top of a high pole with a little wobble plate on top, stand up and then make a jump to try to grab a trapeze bar. The distance of the trapeze bar from the pole could be adjusted to make it longer for more athletic people. The just right belay device was manned by other people from the group who just had to hold on and then lower the person once they either missed the trapeze bar or made it and then let go to be lowered. It worked well for the purpose it served. It didn't require actual belaying skills or taking time to teach each of them how to belay. The other participants just had to keep pulling the rope in as the participant climbed (sometimes this meant that they just walked backwards as the participant ascended) and then hold on when the participant jumped. At this point in the course, there was just one person moving, it gave the rest something to do. Because there were multiple people holding onto the rope, there was not a lot of chance of error. Also, because the falls could be big, it provided something of a soft catch (as I remember – this was 30 years ago) because the rope would not lock up hard immediately, but rather tightened progressively as the rope snaked through the through pole, coming tight against each bend as the catch was made. [Hope that makes sense.]
A jumper could be dropped if everyone in the group let go, the jumper was huge and you only had two or three small people holding the rope, or something like that. However, the instructor would have (or should have) had the responsibility of putting their own hands on the line if there were any doubts about the group's capacities. I suppose the pole itself could fail after many years, but that seems unlikely. I am curious about what happened.
|
|
ec
climber
ca
|
|
|
Dec 10, 2017 - 08:44am PT
|
AKA: "The Golilocks Belay System" ... juuuust right! Obviously, not so for someone.
 ec
|
|
| Messages 1 - 7 of total 7 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!