Fall protectiion climbing towers

[mknutson]

I was climbing a tower the other day ;-) and there was a center fall protection cable the entire way up.

I used a sling webbing connected to my chest strap with a carabiner connected to the cable.

I am wondering if this is the safest way to connect myself for climbs?

Is there any advice and pictures I can get of proper rigging setup for such climbs?

[base1238]

I would think clipping into the ladder rungs would be safer. The towers I have been on that had a cable were held in place with a rubber clip and the cable was a single strand running from just above ground level all the way to the top. If you were clipped into the cable with a carabiner and fell, you would most likely fall until you reached the bottom anchor point of the cable, which in some cases could be the ground. The rubber clips that hold the cable in the center of the ladder are only there to keep the cable positioned in the center of the ladder, not to stop a fall. When tower workers use the cables to stop a fall, the device they put on the cable cams into place stopping the fall by locking down on the cable.

[mknutson]

I agree, that when I stop for rest, I use the rung. But while climbing, I used the cable. I did feel that I would end up falling about 20' each section. Scary, but better than all the way to the ground.

Besides the distance I would fall, I was also concerned with the force loading the carbiner and chest strap in the fall. Would this actually stop my fall even if I was torn up?

[Blitzkrieg]

it probably wouldn't. a fall on a static system should not be more than about 18 inches or something like that. tower workers use a fall arrest lanyard that is about 6ft in length but has a built in decelerator to limit the shock. when using a cable grab it is connected much closer to the body, say 9 inches. when you fall into a static harness, you can cause a lot of serious internal damage or go into a type of shock and will probably die within minutes if not rescued.

they work pretty well, but are noisy and heavy. also, if it's a tower with the rubber block style wire guides, (as opposed to the permanent metal mounts designed to allow a cable grab to slide over) it's a pain in the ass to stop and bump the wire in and out of the block.

IMO it is best to just be confident and deliberate in your climbing and if deemed necessary, use a quick draw to clip in at rest stops.

hope that helps!

[Halfpastniner]

I think if you took a 20 foot fall your chest strap would rip right off. My buddy did some test like this and he had a chest strap fail at much less than that, as they are not ment to take the load in that direction (or much at all for that matter). Whenever I attach my daisy chain I larks head it through the big 3 ring and stow it before the jump.

[IHazySky]

First of all, please go to a climbing gym. Then you won't care if you are on a ladder... Just pitch your PC if you fall, as this is less likely to kill than sliding to a stop on a static system. Definately clip in if you need to to rest, or you could just stand on the steel. Petzl's site for via ferrata (probably the worst destruction of beautiful rock ever/ultra faggot sport) has some info about fall factors as well as equipment to lessen the severity of forces on a static fall.

There is a pic attached of the Petzl absorber.
Info on similar types of falls on static systems below...
See this also: Petzl's Via Ferrata Technical Shit (Its a photo, so check it...)

[kiki32]

Im not a fan of the sling around the chest strap since thats not what your chest strap was intended for (and I have a 1" one at that). I prefer to use an alpine climbing harness with a daisy chain and locking caribiner. I loop the daisy around the ladder step and clip it back onto my belay loop instead of locking the biner directly onto the steel. Its quieter (in case it matters) and youre not putting unnecessary wear and tear on your biner.

If I wanted protection the entire climb up, I suppose I could rig a loop of dynamic rope from the harness to a steel biner and clip the steel biner directly to the safety cable. dynamic rope is key if you dont want to break your pelvis.

[mknutson]

First of all, please go to a climbing gym. Then you won't care if you are on a ladder... Just pitch your PC if you fall, as this is less likely to kill than sliding to a stop on a static system. Definately clip in if you need to to rest, or you could just stand on the steel. Petzl's site for via ferrata (probably the worst destruction of beautiful rock ever/ultra faggot sport) has some info about fall factors as well as equipment to lessen the severity of forces on a static fall.

There is a pic attached of the Petzl absorber.
Info on similar types of falls on static systems below...
See this also: Petzl's Via Ferrata Technical Shit (Its a photo, so check it...)

I created a JPG of this image

[wormly81]

If I wanted protection the entire climb up, I suppose I could rig a loop of dynamic rope from the harness to a steel biner and clip the steel biner directly to the safety cable. dynamic rope is key if you dont want to break your pelvis.

You remarkably underestimate the forces that are generated by a fall. Dynamic rope in the above setup will not stop you from breaking yourself into a bunch of pieces. If you have a 2 foot dynamic rope attaching you to the cable and fall from only 2 feet above where that rope will eventually be stopped by a cable anchor you are already well above 2000lbs of force that will be trying to crush your lower vertabrae.

[kiki32]

You remarkably underestimate the forces that are generated by a fall. Dynamic rope in the above setup will not stop you from breaking yourself into a bunch of pieces. If you have a 2 foot dynamic rope attaching you to the cable and fall from only 2 feet above where that rope will eventually be stopped by a cable anchor you are already well above 2000lbs of force that will be trying to crush your lower vertabrae.

True that. Would need a longer piece of dynamic rope I guess, which would kinda make it inconvenient. Rather than use this method, Id much rather invest in cable ascenders if I wanted to protect the whole climb. Theyre pricey but cheaper than a hospital visit.

[mknutson]

They are not too much actually:
RG-5000 3/8" Safety Cable Wire Rope Grab GME Supply Company

$198 is really cheap when you think how important that one item really is. I am actually ordering one of these today...

Can't wait to take it on a test run ;-)

[wormly81]

Kiki,

The only problem is with a longer tether you fall further negating the benefit of adding more rope.

Mick,

Right on! Let us know how it works. (great excuse for a jump the night it arrives in the mail)

Jeff

[leroydb]

slightly off topc... once climbed a 2k tower with stash bag on back and didnt rig up until I got to the top. original plan was to quickly go up 300-600 and then rig... figured I had a rhythem and didnt want to stop.... felt slightly nakid...

I agree, that when I stop for rest, I use the rung. But while climbing, I used the cable. I did feel that I would end up falling about 20' each section. Scary, but better than all the way to the ground.

Besides the distance I would fall, I was also concerned with the force loading the carbiner and chest strap in the fall. Would this actually stop my fall even if I was torn up?

[mknutson]

HEH... I will give you pictures after the jump...

I did create a Wiki page for this under Gear for Cable Ascender

[Blitzkrieg]

well, good luck with that. but again, IMO i think you're wasting your money.

you might think it's neat once or twice... but then you will realize how annoying they are... and if you are anywhere that you need to be stealthy while on the tower, forget about it. they make a lot of noise.

all you really have to do is quickly and safely get above 200 feet or so... at that point you only have to pitch your pc for a safety fall arrest system. and actually even lower, just pitch your pc into the tower. something will likely snag, just be braced for impact.