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Is this still true if you use the appropriate shock links? Those are set up to limit the force up to a certain height, wouldn't they design those to limit the

Is this still true if you use the appropriate shock links? Those are set up to limit the force up to a certain height, wouldn't they design those to limit the force to one less likely to cause permanent damage?

lazide 3y ago
It all depends on how you fall, what you hit and when, and what position your body is in at various stages of this. If you spend any time on a via ferrata, it’s pretty easy to see where the answers to one or more of these will be ‘not great’, and sometimes ‘really bad’. For instance, hitting a rung on the way down. Or getting an appendage caught behind something. But unlikely you’ll die. And honestly, you shouldn’t fall unless you screwed something up pretty bad to begin with, which is your primary protection anyway. You’re literally climbing a ladder, this isn’t wilderness trad climbing or developing some new route on loose rock.
- krallistic 3y ago
  Death at Via Ferratas are extremely rare (with proper gear ofc). But the falls are notoriously hard. Force can get really high and the chance of injury is high, even in cases where the fall zone is free of any metal etc..
sandworm101 3y ago
>> use the appropriate shock links. Don't use these. They are generally one-use affairs. They have a place in climbing but only as part of a larger system. The issue is multiple falls. Say you slip and cause an impact. The link does its thing and extends. Now you are on the side of a cliff without proper equipment. A proper dynamic climbing rope, used properly, will safely take repeated falls.
- luplex 3y ago
  They are absolutely the right equipment for the job. If you take a bad fall on your shock link, you likely need medical attention anyways. You won't keep climbing far with it.
  - lukeinator42 3y ago
    Exactly, and taking anything more than a fall-factor 2 even on dynamic rope will probably break your back. Here's an interesting video testing similar setups used in caving (without the obviously required via ferrata shock absorber): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWaDh6-roMI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWaDh6-roMI
- exabrial 3y ago
  This is one of the most misguided, misinformed, incorrect, and dangerous comments I’ve read on HN. Do NOT do this. You _will_ die from a relatively simple fall. ONLY use a proper via ferrata set on a via ferrata, with rip shock absorber rated to do so.
ryeights 3y ago
The answer IMO is using two prusik friction hitches. Easy to slide along the cable by hand when slack, but holds you in place via friction when taut (i.e when you slip). Of course these would be a pain to tie and untie at each anchor point
- seandoe 3y ago
  Prusiks on metal cable? Come on now.
jupp0r 3y ago
If you don't use them and just run some webbing or similar, dynamic forces in a factor >2 fall will either snap your spine or the webbing, whichever gives in first. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_factor https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_factor
exabrial 3y ago
Even with the ripstop shock absorber, it’s going to hurt the whole way down. You won’t die, but you won’t feel good either. There’s surprisingly few videos about this: https://youtu.be/A5w9Kkd-f2w https://youtu.be/A5w9Kkd-f2w Even in a lab setting, pretty violent.

lazide 3y ago

It all depends on how you fall, what you hit and when, and what position your body is in at various stages of this. If you spend any time on a via ferrata, it’s pretty easy to see where the answers to one or more of these will be ‘not great’, and sometimes ‘really bad’. For instance, hitting a rung on the way down. Or getting an appendage caught behind something. But unlikely you’ll die. And honestly, you shouldn’t fall unless you screwed something up pretty bad to begin with, which is your primary protection anyway. You’re literally climbing a ladder, this isn’t wilderness trad climbing or developing some new route on loose rock.

krallistic 3y ago
Death at Via Ferratas are extremely rare (with proper gear ofc). But the falls are notoriously hard. Force can get really high and the chance of injury is high, even in cases where the fall zone is free of any metal etc..

sandworm101 3y ago

>> use the appropriate shock links. Don't use these. They are generally one-use affairs. They have a place in climbing but only as part of a larger system. The issue is multiple falls. Say you slip and cause an impact. The link does its thing and extends. Now you are on the side of a cliff without proper equipment. A proper dynamic climbing rope, used properly, will safely take repeated falls.

luplex 3y ago
They are absolutely the right equipment for the job. If you take a bad fall on your shock link, you likely need medical attention anyways. You won't keep climbing far with it.
- lukeinator42 3y ago
  Exactly, and taking anything more than a fall-factor 2 even on dynamic rope will probably break your back. Here's an interesting video testing similar setups used in caving (without the obviously required via ferrata shock absorber): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWaDh6-roMI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWaDh6-roMI
exabrial 3y ago
This is one of the most misguided, misinformed, incorrect, and dangerous comments I’ve read on HN. Do NOT do this. You _will_ die from a relatively simple fall. ONLY use a proper via ferrata set on a via ferrata, with rip shock absorber rated to do so.

ryeights 3y ago

The answer IMO is using two prusik friction hitches. Easy to slide along the cable by hand when slack, but holds you in place via friction when taut (i.e when you slip). Of course these would be a pain to tie and untie at each anchor point

seandoe 3y ago
Prusiks on metal cable? Come on now.

jupp0r 3y ago

If you don't use them and just run some webbing or similar, dynamic forces in a factor >2 fall will either snap your spine or the webbing, whichever gives in first. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_factor https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_factor

exabrial 3y ago

Even with the ripstop shock absorber, it’s going to hurt the whole way down. You won’t die, but you won’t feel good either. There’s surprisingly few videos about this: https://youtu.be/A5w9Kkd-f2w https://youtu.be/A5w9Kkd-f2w Even in a lab setting, pretty violent.