Re: It's official - we're all bad belayers

"Simon Isbister" <simonisbister@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

> "David Kastrup" <dak@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:85u0f1iopj.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>>
>> It is not hand over hand really, since the top hand stays at top and
>> the bottom hand stays at the bottom.
>
> Ahhh... its a shuffle.

Sounds like a fitting name for it.

> People started refering to it as hand over hand, so thats what I was
> picturing.

I'd consider that onerous, indeed.

> That definetely makes me less concerned about missing the rope as
> you move a hand down, but I still think if you were exausted, and
> trying to do this shuffle very rapidly, you could run a finger into
> the device.

It probably depends on the device... with mine, you'd get a piece of
flesh between thumb and index finger pinched. Not pleasant, but
certainly no danger for the fingers.

> However, having never tried it, I certainly can't say for sure.
>
> I'm still not sure whats wrong with sliding (other than the melted
> glove issue).

That the glove might be your hand instead. And that the sudden loss
of one sliding hand leaves you with the other hand in a state of firm
control. Like when a thorn got stuck at the rope and slices the lower
hand. Since the rope moves through at most one hand at a time, one
hand is safe from such stuff when you stop dead in your tracks.

--
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum
.

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