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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Jun 12, 2007 - 12:28pm PT
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Russ added, or changed the photos in his first post. I just now saw them.
That brazed joint looks like it was dirty, and didn't have enough flux. Again, a vent hole in the fitting would have allowed the assembler to notice that solder wasn't flowing out. I once got some oily cable for some furniture I was making, and no matter how hard I tried to clean it, the silver solder just would not flow properly. I wound up throwing the cable away, and buying the correct, unlubricated stuff.
Anybody got any suspect Aliens they want to sell cheap? I'll pull those suckers apart, drill the vent hole, rebraze the cable.
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dirtbagger
Ice climber
Australia
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Jun 12, 2007 - 12:35pm PT
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Ah drats, this thing is just too confusing for my poor brain to cope with! So in summary, we are not allowed to fall onto our Aliens, if they are bend over a edge? I would have thought nearly 80% of all placements could potentially bend the cam stem over an edge!
I have taken falls on small WC tech friends, TCUs without any problems, apart from the stem having a minor bend in it! Never thought that would cause total failure though!
What are the next steps then? Stop using Aliens? Only use them where there is no bending, no ground fall or ledge potential?
Add screamers to them?
I would really hate having to stop using my beloved Aliens, but I am crap enough at aid climbing that I don't need "Aliens, putting the A4 back into C1" to make my life exciting!!
I just wish we could work out a cheap-ish method to once and for all test our beloved Aliens, whether they are safe or just time bombs! Obviously they can't all be faulty, otherwise we would have seen heaps more failures, no?
cheers dirtbagger
PS Tom I have a bunch of non "Tensile tested" stamped Aliens I am worried about! But not really yet willing to give up on them just yet! Nuthing happened yet to them during heavy bounce testing. Still need to funk-test them to 1.8kN, but kinda worried about causing damage and weakening them in the process!
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ric
Trad climber
Annapolis, MD
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Jun 12, 2007 - 03:20pm PT
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Wow! sounds like I need to pull test the few aliens I have.
Jay- Thanks for sharing info...
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GhoulweJ
Trad climber
Sacramento, CA
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Jun 12, 2007 - 04:01pm PT
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Ric,
Happy you found the info helpful.
Cheers,
Jay
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Ben Rumsen
Social climber
No Name City ( and it sure ain't pretty )
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Jun 12, 2007 - 04:08pm PT
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Anyone that thinks a Blue Alien or a # 1 or 2 brass nut or stopper will hold a fall should have their head examined. I consider them for aid and body weight only.
I just took a 25' ride onto a #4 Friend about 750' off the deck in Kings Canyon - while still clutching a Yellow Alien ( the rock was rotten and blew - the Alien was fine ) - woo hoo!!
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Forest
Trad climber
Tucson, AZ
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Jun 12, 2007 - 05:09pm PT
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Anyone that thinks a Blue Alien or a # 1 or 2 brass nut or stopper will hold a fall should have their head examined. I consider them for aid and body weight only.
Good thing that's not true (at least WRT the blue alien), or I'd have gotten pretty f*#ked up several years ago. I was probably 6 - 9 feet above my blue alien (harness level) when a foot hold broke and free-fell until it caught me. After the fall, my belayer's head was only a foot or so below my feet. In a good placement, small cams will hold a fall.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Jun 12, 2007 - 05:47pm PT
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I took a 20' fall with about 90' of rope out on a blue alien in a perfect placement. Ripped half the screamer I had clipped to it.
They'll hold...
Well... at least if they're not the recent head-snapping-off variety.
The main problem with any small cams is being able to tell what a good placement is. It's often very hard to see inside that black-alien crack and see what each cam is doing. Another bonus in favor for C3's is the full camstops. Aliens lack stops which is another (albeit minor in comparison!) flaw.
-Fear
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GhoulweJ
Trad climber
Sacramento, CA
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Jun 18, 2007 - 12:13am PT
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This weekend I met the climber that was injured on the failed Alien at Sauders crack. He is in Yosemite with a green cast on his arm.
His failure mimmicked the failue that I had on the 2 that are posted in the earlier pictures of this thread. Broken cabel at the head.
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rhyang
Ice climber
SJC
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Jun 18, 2007 - 10:57pm PT
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I happened to notice this link after doing some random googling :
If you have been injured due to the failure of a mountain climbing camming anchor (alien cam), a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen is available for a free consultation.
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