Haul line... static or dynamic?

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Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic
pighumper

climber
Bay Area
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 23, 2003 - 08:55pm PT
What do you use, a static or dynamic haul line?
Minerals

Social climber
The Deli
Feb 23, 2003 - 10:35pm PT
Static, no question.
Loom

climber
K P Pinnacle or Gehenna
Feb 23, 2003 - 11:12pm PT
Static.

Hauling on a dynamic rope is inefficient.

Some guys I know like a dynamic rope becaue it can act as a back-up lead line. I usually take a 9mm for long lower-outs and figure that could be a (dicey) back-up.
pighumper

climber
Bay Area
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 24, 2003 - 12:00am PT
Thanks!
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Feb 24, 2003 - 12:43am PT
Static is easier but....

Dynamic isn't so bad and has the following advantages..

You can use it as a back up lead line.

If you fall and a flake cuts your lead line, the haul line could catch you just fine if it's dynamic, and you don't hit anything first. Static means you're dead. People have been saved by their haul lines before.

Say you're soloing and you've got your bag rigged on a fifi (there are a few situations where folks do this) if the bag comes loose and gets jostled off it's fifi, a static line will screw you way harder than a dynamic. (dead vs dangerous)

I use a static sometimes but I'd rather work a little harder and have lots of flexiblity and safety with my tools.

Peace

karl
Russ Walling

Social climber
Bishop, Ca.
Feb 24, 2003 - 02:09am PT
I'm with Karl.... but I use a dynamic as a ZIP line, and do the actual hauling of the bags on a static. Has all the plus-es of both groups. Of course this in a "wall climbing" situation. All bets are off on a day wall or hauling a pack.
Russ
Minerals

Social climber
The Deli
Feb 24, 2003 - 12:54pm PT
So you guys tie your trail line into the main tie-in point on your harness??? One of my partners on Mescalito was paranoid about such things and had Yates sew a full-strength tie-in point to the back of his Big Wall harness.

My zip line is a static, thin 8mm; I would be (and have been) gripped to rap or jug on it, let alone take a huge factor 2 whipper onto it. Good luck surviving that 200 or 300 foot factor 2 onto the belay. Got Screamers? If my lead line gets chopped, then it's my day. Beware of loose rock and runner your rope properly.

Re. Haulbag on fifi. If your bag comes loose, I don't think it matters if the trail line is static or dynamic. You're F'ed for sure.

edit note: If you're worried about that, why not use a static line and clip it into one of your gear loops or a tricked-out rip-able clip-in point? In this case, the bag would whip, accelerate, and rip the line from your gear loop/etc. It might blow the piece that you're standing on and send you for a whipper but the bag wouldn't still be clipped to you during the entire fall. Sketchy scenario no matter how you rig things.

If I'm that gripped about having a backup lead line, I'll bring an extra one. Who wants to lead on something that you trash while hauling. We brought a second lead line on Strange World and swapped ropes (60m) on leads. This meant that we were able to stretch pitches by having the belayer tied into the lower belay with lead line #2, thus allowing all extra slack in lead line #1 to be used in the upper belay. All that remained of lead line #1 at the lower belay was a figure-8 in the end of the rope, clipped to a bolt with a locker. Whoever goes up there with a single lead line will be pissed. This also meant that once the last haul bag reached the belay, lead line #2 was tied into the belay and used as a "chicken line" for the cleaner (cleaner tied into 2 ropes). Lead line #2 was used as the lower-out line for the last haulbag.

Static lines are more abrasion resistant and durable than dynamic lines. Use static lines when fixing too.
DEE

Trad climber
Orange County
Feb 25, 2003 - 10:44am PT
I would bring a dynamic (full on 11mm) rope as the haul line. A dynamic rope is good for 2 things, hauling and leading. A static rope is good for one thing only and that is hauling. The "old school" tact is to minimize any redundant or superfluous items, i.e. don't bring anything extra. I have been on more than one wall where the lead rope was critically damaged.
Ben Rumsen

Mountain climber
Sacramento, CA
Feb 25, 2003 - 11:48am PT
I dunno Dee, I'm pretty much " old school " ( 1980's wall nailer ) and like minerals mentioned, we always brought a " chicken rope "( we prefered to call it a " back up line " ) that could be used to assist the cleaner and also could be used as a spare lead line. Cheap insurance in my book. We used dynamic ropes for hauling but only because they were what we had ( worn out lead lines or old 9mm's ). I wouldn't have wanted to lead on 'em anyway. Now I've got 8mm static lines for hauling and they make more sense to me. I'll bring one of my 9.8 alpine lead lines for use as a "chicken line / spare lead line " on my next wall.
Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic
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