From: caldwell@cs.cornell.edu (Jim Caldwell)
Subject: Re: Carabiner brake, was Re: No More Write-Ups?
Organization: Cornell University, CS Dept., Ithaca, NY
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 19:29:10 GMT

In article <1992Nov11.162956.5721@ncar.ucar.edu>, ilana@kiowa.scd.ucar.edu (Ilana Stern) writes:
|> 
|> This is not the carabiner brake system I use.  What I do -- this is my
|> standard rap system, I dislike rapping on a Sticht plate -- is clip two
|> ovals in opposite directions (so that the gates are on opposite sides)
|> through my harness loop, and hold them together, flat in front of me.
|> I take a bight of the rope up through the carabiners, and clip two more
|> carabiners, one from each side, across the first two ovals but under
|> the rope, such that the gates are on the bottom (the rope goes over the
|> solid part of the biners).  
|> 
                    
Some rappelling incidents ...

I had a good friend and climbing partner who was backing off the Salathe using a
Sticht plate which heated up so hot he burned his fingers when he finally touched
it.  After this scary experience he switched over to a carabiner brake set-up and
had no problems the rest of the way down -- although I imagine he slowed way down
as well.  After hearing his story I was always very reticent to use a plate to
rappel.

I was once forced to do a long sandy loose 3rd and 4th class descent in the alps
at night.  One of use was injured so we rapped -- all night long we rapped --
from 9PM until at least 2AM we rapped.  We ran out of gear.  Setting up a brake
became a ritual, pull - "bar up" - clip clip - "bar up" - clip clip. On the last
rap -- after crashing through the bergschrund and smashing into the far rock wall
I was left hanging in that cold place totally and utterly exhasuted -- face to
face with my carabiner brake setup.  For the first time, undoubtedly the first
time in hours, I LOOKED at the brake-bar set-up.  "Oh shit", I saw two biners
with smooth worn grooves more than half-way through the bar-stock in the bends on
the fixed biners.  Gee, the combination of sandy ropes and friction can really do
a job on aluminum alloy bar stock.

A few years ago I was climbing in Touloumne for a week using new double 8.8's. 
Did some raps and everything was just fine.  We stopped in the Valley on our way
out for one last climb.  We did something in the Church bowl area (maybe Bishop's
ledges) and rapped off.  My partner went first and was yelling something up but
it was windy and everything was muffled.  I figured he was just yelling off
rappel.  Well I take off and realize the rap is free for the last 60ft or so.  No
problem -- I've done this too many times to count.  I lean back to clear the lip
of the overhang and all the sudden I'm going faster than I want too -- No problem
-- gently tightening on the rope and pulling around to the back of my thigh
always slows me right down.  Wrong -- so I grabbed the rope tighter to slow my
ever increasing speed of desescent and burned my hand real bad and hit the ground
faster than I would have liked to.  Well naturally 8.8's don't generate as much
friction on the set-up described above as do doubled 11's.  Amazing how much pain
a bad rope burn can cause.

Jim Caldwell
Ithaca, N.Y.