Booty my rope, mini-trax solo ideas thread

I had a little issue my mini-trax today and ended up with a full thickness burn on my pinky and 2nd degree burns on all my fingers and a little on my palm.

I wasn't in the mood to get my shit down after that, kinda just wanted to go home.

So if you go up to Highlander tonight 4/22, just leave the rope there, either I or my friends will be up there tomorrow. If you really want to, you could take it down with my draws and leave it neatly stacked at the base of the crag with a 6er of cold beer. I said cold, don't get cheap on me.

johnL wrote:6er of cold beer.

Excellent for burnt up hands. Holding my dads Silver Bullet kept me from needing skin graphs when I was younger...At least thats what they said i don't remember shit.

Lets see... free rope....free draws....I sense a trap.

Phoenix wrote: If it were a Tony B. thread,

more like a Bob D'Antonio thread

johnL wrote: The superhero Kepley/Crotty team will be rescuing my nylon damsel tomorrow

huh?

johnL wrote: The other Kepley.

Hey, There's only ONE Kepley.

Glad to hear you are OK. What happened with the mini- traxion? Hope your hands heal fast.

Bummer dude, hope you heal up soon, being hurt sucks (too much internet, not enough climbing...)

too late john, your stuff is already at the sport recycler..... what happened?

John -- goto an ushba.

Just file down the "notch" on the "lockout" in the back plate section. Then it physically can't lock open. Easy mod, take you 5min with a std file.

I run a second trax under the top one as a backup too.

Bummer man. Here's to a speedy recovery.

John, sorry to hear about the burn and I pray for you speedy recovery. I have done some Mini Traxion rope soloing and usually don't even bother with backup knots ... I should re-think my system. Do you think you will go to a dual Mini setup? The modification that was suggested sounds OK, but I am wary of filing down gear. Possibly the Mini needs a lube job?

John,

Yes, rope and all including the draw on Peer Review are with Rob.

I don't read up on all the rope soloing systems people are using, but this is the first time I've heard that people are using the mini-traxion for this. It would sketch me out to be falling onto a toothed cam.

Is this a common rig for soloing? Is this top rope soloing only, or are people using this to lead as well?

The mini-trax or re-configured gri-gri are the most readily available in the U.S. Not saying these are the safest; that's just what is more available here -- the ushba designs are actually where the system application should be moving to though; unfortunate the cost of materials isn't justified here.

Rich you are well thought in talking about impacting the teeth on the rope sheath, it doesn't take very much to fail the system; that is pretty much the end unless you safety the system some other way.

you'd be surprised to see how short a fall needs to be in order to fail the sheath in a drop test; once it does happen, nothing really stops the fall -- so you can safety knot, but you run risk of a core shot or obliterating the device. The gri gri I'm not too concerned with, but other devices, I'm not too keen on.

The ushba eliminates the teeth, feeds like a scottish highlander in mating season, and is strong enough to meet a 4:1 working safety factor for 225 pounder, which is good enough for me on a TR; overall strength is 20kN; all of the attributes beats the gri gri & mini trax and with none of risk associated from a sheath failure or equipment damage.

Maybe people take these bigger falls on the dynamic and nothing happens, great -- kinda like going across an avy field and nothing happens, fine; it wasn't your time, the elements weren't all there for a release, whatever. Still doesn't change a material's susceptibility to failure and how some of these devices can affect a system to its detriment.

I've been using a Petzl shunt above a minitraxion, which seems to be working well. The shunt is designed as a backup for rappels -- the rope feeds vertically through the device, which has a smooth cam that locks off when weighted. It feeds quite smoothly. Then I use the M-T below it, clipped to my harness with a short sling (2-foot doubled over). This allows me to lower down and try a move again: When the shunt is weighted above, I can disengage the M-T and slide it down about 8 inches; then I transfer my weight, squeeze the shunt to disengage the cam and slide that down. The process was tedious to work out at first but now I'm pretty proficient with it and I feel pretty darn safe with the smooth-cam/toothed-cam combo.

I love my petzl microscender ( smaller version of the rescuscender ). The cam has no teeth and is designed to slip under a shock load without damaging the sheath. Once you have some rope out or hang a weight it auto feeds very smooth. My .02.

I second the vote for the Petzl Micro. I've had great luck with it on everthing from mildly overhanging sport to longer mellow ice routes. I'm talking TR solo rigging. I've worked it in multiple configurations with prussiks,Petzl Shunt, Tibloc, back up knots, etc...
The thing ALMOST always feeds and locks up right when I want it too. Really iced up ropes produce issues but that's it for problems. Normally I integrate it with a chest harness to keep things where I want them and easily monitored.
My .02

I would bet money that your shirt caused the device to not lock...

John you need to get your mini up around your chest with a piece of shock cord girth hitched through the device and over your head. I also always weigh the rope at the start of a pitch just to make sure systems are go.