This is understandable, but based on some tests I've seen it seems to be exaggerated. (Otoh many people argue that the ATC is advantageous with marginal trad gear because its relatively soft braking action reduces the impact force. Will probably buy the second generation Jul when Edelrid have ironed the bugs out. The Alpine Up is big, heavy and looks dauntingly complicated the Edelrid Mega Jul is nice but I've read about some quality control issues. Etc.įor these reasons I'm seriously looking for an alternative with semi-automatic assisted braking for multipitch. Some rope is definitely going to run through, and most people these days don't belay with gloves, so ropeburn is pretty much a given. The direction of pull is down whereas people are used to holding upwards pulls.
IMO it is seriously questionable whether many belayers would be able to hold a factor two fall on an ATC. Now, in a factor two scenario I personally do have serious concerns about the safety of an ATC, not because of the device itself breaking but because of the rather limited braking force it provides on modern slick, skinny ropes. That comes with a factor two fall, where the leader falls off above the belay, without any intermediate gear, and falls twice as far as the amount of rope in use. Unpleasant for the falling climber, especially if s/he hits something on the way down, but nowehere near the worst case scenario for force on the ATC. The distance s/he falls is equal to the total amount of rope in use: fall factor 1. Are you familier with the concept of fall factors? In this case, the unfortunate second climbs all the way up to the stance, without the belayer taking in any rope whatsoever, then falls all the way back down again. I assume we're talking about a follower being belayed with ATC in guide/autoblocking mode? Then even the most determinedly incompetent/malicious belayer cannot produce more than a factor one fall. Say if the belayer did not take in slack while the climber was climbing and took a large fall, how much force would be exerted on the ATC? I imagine 2 kN would be pretty easy for a dropped follower to achieve, so anybody belaying two followers simultaneously on skinny double ropes evidently needs to pay attention. With an 8mm rope it's a little more alarming device jams at 2 kN, locking fails at 4 kN.
#Black diamond atc in use how to#
I don't know how to work out how much of a fall the second would have to take to get to 4.8 kN, but probably quite a bit s/he certainly ain't getting to nine. With a 10mm rope the ATC jams severely at 4.8 kN, breaks the rope at 9 kN. Quick summary: the device itself doesn't fail or suffer damage. Not my idea of a reliable roped-solo device! Residual load 0.7kNĪll with Petzl Attache 12mm round profile karabiner.
No second fail mode, rope sheath cut at ca 9kN.ĪTC Guide. Still need to take your Prusiks!ĪTC Guide. At this point the holding power drops off considerably but not catastrophically, though pretty near!Įasy to release, just unclip the krab when unweighted. Take your Prusiks.Īpply yet more load and the trapped rope where it crosses the tensioned rope goes down through the slot with a bang.
#Black diamond atc in use free#
The trapped rope escapes sideways from under the tensioned rope and gets trapped between the tensioned rope and the side of the slot.This is very difficult to free off and you have to dismantle everything and twist the locking krab brutally to release the rope. Scroll down to the test done by Jim Titt. Durable cable holds its shape and resists getting caught up and bent.Aha! I knew I'd read something about this somewhere, and here it is.Auto-block release hole accepts small karabiners.Updated construction makes the device 10% lighter with improved rope handling.Multiple friction modes for belaying and abseiling.Unlike most other such "guide plates", by threading a loop of cord or a small karabiner through the small hole, the locked off rope can also be freed under load. This large hole is now oval-shaped so that it allows you to feed and pull rope more easily. However, by anchoring it via the large hole it can be used as a device whereby two clients can be bought up together, and if one falls, the rope will automatically lock off. It can be used as a normal ATC-XP belay plate (ideal for use with narrow ropes due to the extra friction provided by the grooves in one side of the device), but also suitable for use with single ropes by turning it around. A version of the ATC-XP that is designed for climbing instructors.
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