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This resembles ascending a rope using prusiks, which is a lot of fun if you haven't tried it. Great to see a variation the helps people with limited mobility t
by joel_dice 5y ago
This resembles ascending a rope using prusiks, which is a lot of fun if you haven't tried it. Great to see a variation the helps people with limited mobility to get around unassisted.
- throwawaygh 5y agoYup, "vertical walking" is about as close to an intuitive description of ascending a rope as you can get... clever idea and apt name :)
- alfiedotwtf 5y agoYou can also do this by wrapping the rope around your foot. As you hoist up, let the rope around your foot go loose, then stand on your foot to go up again.
- hbarka 5y agoI’ve heard of prusiks and hearing about it again made me go down this rabbit hole of friction hitches. Fascinating! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_friction_hitch_knots https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_friction_hitch_knots
- JKCalhoun 5y agoDidn't know what prusiks were — had to look it up. The video for the Vertiwalk looks to me more like standing and sitting in order to ascend. In standing the seat climbs up a bit to follow your bum, when sitting the floor climbs up a bit to raise your legs into a seated position. Descending is a bit challenging for my brain to understand.
- qbasic_forever 5y agoYou do the same thing with prusiks to ascend a rope. Here's an example of a practical application, getting out a crevasse when climbing glaciers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px_m3qzHYTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px_m3qzHYTA In an alpine scenario you'd descend by rappelling. I doubt folks in a home want to setup a munter hitch or similar though. :)
- goldenkey 5y agoI hope I never have to use this. Knowing myself, I'd typo the knot and fall to my death.
- fingerlocks 5y agoThis is how it’s taught in intro mountaineering courses. In the real world experienced alpinists carry a lightweight ascender, like a Micro Traction or similar, that can also be used for other tasks like hauling or fall protection for simul-leading.
- goldenkey 5y agoIs that essentially a one way rachet? All you need to climb easily is prevention of regress and maybe some mechanical advantage, right?
- fingerlocks 5y agoYes
- sandworm101 5y agoIt is a bit more complex. Climbing means falling. The 'ratchet' needs to work under shock loads. And wet/ice ropes radically change the friction numbers. There is a reason why climbers, experienced ones, know and use a great many different tricks for accending and decending ropes. A "big wall" climber can make a belay device out of almost anything, or even nothing.
- hprotagonist 5y agolike your hip! “The leader must not fall.”
- qbasic_forever 5y agoAid climbing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aid_climbing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aid_climbing It's using techniques like that to go up rock walls instead of free climbing the rock holds.
- copo233 5y agoThere's also a mechanical version of a prusik called an "ascender." That's what I think this thing basically is.
- throwawaygh 5y ago> Descending is a bit challenging for my brain to understand. You would typically descend by rappelling, but it is possible to descend using two prussiks: 1. weight prussik B / unweight prussik A 2. slide prussik A down 3. weight prussik A / unwieght prussik B 4. slide prussik B down 5. repeat I've never seen this done with two prussiks, but a similar sort of thing is done with two ascenders when rope soloing (e.g., to practice a single move over and over without re-rigging each time).
- takk309 5y agoHaha! I though the same thing. I remember watching a video of an amputee ascending up El Cap using a similar set up only with lots of pull-ups! That and less of a Danish modern design aesthetic!