4 ms·

One part I didnt understand: if the rope is attached to a solid object on the 7th floor, how did s/he retrieve the rope once inside on the 5th floor?

by dsjoerg 12y ago

morganm 12y ago
It sounds like he looped/threaded the midpoint of the rope around something and then rappelled on both strands. Once back in the building he could pull either end to retrieve the rope.
- brianmwaters_hn 12y ago
  That, or rappelled on one strand and used a classic pull-through anchor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSGUPd6RKAM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSGUPd6RKAM
jonah 12y ago
Possibly either loop the rope and descend on both ends - once inside retrieve by pulling on one end, alternately, use a knot that only holds under tension, once inside, shake rope to release knot, finally, it could be fantasy and the author didn't consider that detail.
- brianmwaters_hn 12y ago
  Watch out! That technique is really sketchy, and won't work if the rope goes over an edge (like the edge of the building). You also have the problem of a falling metal object that can smash windows, your head, or itself.
- steveax 12y ago
  A 70m rope (depending on the building) should manage 7 floors with a double strand (only just, and you'd want to use some webbing to anchor to the edge). The fact that he mentions a tibloc indicates he was rapping on a single strand though as that device would not handle a double strand ascension. I doubt I'd be comfortable anchoring to an AC unit though. Also, really, don't try this at home. There are lots of non-obvious hazards here. For instance, climbing ropes are incredibly strong and in practice, just don't break, unless, oh, say, they are weighted over a sharp edge like the corner of a building. And no, do not try the "shake the (insecure) knot free" technique, really. Rappelling is (statistically) very dangerous as it is one of the few situations in climbing where you are trusting your life to a single point of failure (redundancy is good! and is probably responsible for more deaths than climbing falls are [1] [1]: http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search/solr?all=Rappelling http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search/solr?all=R...
  - jonah 12y ago
    Good points. To add to your comment, he only descended two floors, 7th to 5th, so wouldn't need nearly as much rope.
    - steveax 12y ago
      Yeah, but it'd be nice to be able to bail down to solid ground ;-)
deleted 12y ago
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One part I didnt understand: if the rope is attached to a solid object on the 7th floor, how did s/he retrieve the rope once inside on the 5th floor?

by dsjoerg 12y ago

One part I didnt understand: if the rope is attached to a solid object on the 7th floor, how did s/he retrieve the rope once inside on the 5th floor?

morganm 12y ago

It sounds like he looped/threaded the midpoint of the rope around something and then rappelled on both strands. Once back in the building he could pull either end to retrieve the rope.

brianmwaters_hn 12y ago
That, or rappelled on one strand and used a classic pull-through anchor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSGUPd6RKAM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSGUPd6RKAM

jonah 12y ago

Possibly either loop the rope and descend on both ends - once inside retrieve by pulling on one end, alternately, use a knot that only holds under tension, once inside, shake rope to release knot, finally, it could be fantasy and the author didn't consider that detail.

brianmwaters_hn 12y ago
Watch out! That technique is really sketchy, and won't work if the rope goes over an edge (like the edge of the building). You also have the problem of a falling metal object that can smash windows, your head, or itself.
steveax 12y ago
A 70m rope (depending on the building) should manage 7 floors with a double strand (only just, and you'd want to use some webbing to anchor to the edge). The fact that he mentions a tibloc indicates he was rapping on a single strand though as that device would not handle a double strand ascension. I doubt I'd be comfortable anchoring to an AC unit though. Also, really, don't try this at home. There are lots of non-obvious hazards here. For instance, climbing ropes are incredibly strong and in practice, just don't break, unless, oh, say, they are weighted over a sharp edge like the corner of a building. And no, do not try the "shake the (insecure) knot free" technique, really. Rappelling is (statistically) very dangerous as it is one of the few situations in climbing where you are trusting your life to a single point of failure (redundancy is good! and is probably responsible for more deaths than climbing falls are [1] [1]: http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search/solr?all=Rappelling http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search/solr?all=R...
- jonah 12y ago
  Good points. To add to your comment, he only descended two floors, 7th to 5th, so wouldn't need nearly as much rope.
  - steveax 12y ago
    Yeah, but it'd be nice to be able to bail down to solid ground ;-)

deleted 12y ago

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