Rappelling/Lowering with an Auto Block questions.

Geir wrote: Hey Adam, I have done this a few times and it works pretty well. Geir

Thanks buddy! I had never seen it mentioned so I was wondering if there was a reason that I was overlooking.

PS I'm going to start charging you rent for storing this book if you don't come get it sometime soon (: I wish I'd just left it on your truck but I didn't wanna chance it with the mercurial nature of our monsoons or you not seeing it in the dark.

Tim McCabe wrote:Adam Are you really that paranoid? Here's a thought take some rope and gear and walk out to the top of Slippery When Wet, build a bomb proof anchor and then give yourself 20 feet of slack. Go and sit down on the edge of the cliff and hang your feet over. Sit there for as long as it takes, to get over this irrational fear, hell take some bivy gear and spend the night for that matter. Learn to trust yourself your gear and the people you climb with. When the time comes to lower off of something just grab the rope leading down to your belayer. Hold on to the rope until you feel it come tight and you are sure that they have you. Then trust them to do what you know they are going to trust you to do a simple lower. Actually I don't understand why more people don't do this. Seems like a lot of the miss communication accidents could be avoided this way. If for some unknown reason your belayer has taken you off you should be able to get some raps of rope around your arm enough to hold yourself until they have you back on. The next time you go to rap off of something remember the KISS principle, keep it simple stupid. I am not calling you stupid that's a real acronym that the AMGA guides were using when I took their course in 89. Do only what needs to be done, set the rope or ropes and make sure the ends are even. Throw the rope and set your device, give the device a quick double check and then go. As you start to rap start looking for where the rope goes and make sure it's on the ground or past the next station. Practice a leg rap way to hold yourself in place in case you need to work on the ropes. You can't always use a fireman belay counting on someone else to go first and hold the rope for you. I am not saying that there aren't times when a back up system might be important. And never get lazy that's when accidents happen. But really just relax and have some faith in yourself. This is not meant to be condescending but encouraging, do what you feel you need to do to stay safe. But don't let fear control you.

Thanks Tim, I'm with you, I am all about KISS though I normally employ the more academic version of Occums Razor (outcomes the same no matter which you use the latter just makes me feel smarter). I have been in some "oh shit" situations, I have hung from cams (and bolts) I've placed thinking, "I did do that right, right", there is no debating overkill isn't always wise and often times counterproductive.

Here's my issue and this is off topic by a long way! If you have heard of the MBTI test, I am an N type, many of us seriously suffer from something called sensortardation (totally made up but all the same very real), this sensortardation is documented (really, google it) and causes us to sometimes space very important details. It causes me to do things like start over my showering process a time or two because I've forgotten where I was in the process. I will struggle to read in a dark room (after the sun has gone down during reading) and it will take me 30 minutes to figure out I could turn a light on, same with wipers in the rain and so on.

This is why I don't drive a motorcycle and why I like having backups. I double check everything twice (that works out to checking 3 times, minimum) and keep some maybe odd rules for myself so I don't space anything. I for sure have a fear of heights which keeps me from pushing myself as hard as I would like but I'm fine with that as it isn't my driving force. I climb routes, I trust my gear, I do so knowing there is no absolute I will reach the bottom of the route as slowly as I'd like (kinder way of saying I may very well die). I'm an odd guy much of the time, I'm quirky, eccentric, neurotic, whatever you choose to call it I'm okay with.

None of that is why I posted this, I posted to simply see if these were options people ever used. Wanting a backup with somebody that has never lowered on a grigri before seems reasonable to me as does wanting one when you rap although maybe I'm an aberration with those opinions.