The debate about the figure 8 as canyon-descender is also a heated one, here are some pro and contras:
Against:
– wrinkles the rope.
– if used incorrectly, can form a “larks foot” very easily.
– rapping of a rope is in my opinion not the fault of the device, but a double fault of the user – not paying attention to the ropes’ lenght and not making the right knot, how many faults can you make in a dangerous situation and expect to live ?
In favour:
– delivers appropriate braking on every rope diameter imagineable, wet or dry.
– light, no moving parts, cheap, enourmous choice of brands and models, you can even use some as a bottle opener.
– ease of taking in slack before unclipping your life-line at the start of a rappel (extremely important !).
– ease of belaying someone.
– possibility of installing an unhookable rappel (you can lower the person on the rope from above if he gets stuck) without the risk of the rope getting stuck or pinched (this frequently happens when using a slipping knot).
– you can use it as a rope clamp to go up a rope and you can switch in a blink to descending (very important if you try to go up a waterfall but can’t make it – people have drowned that way).
– possibility to use it in a guided rappel (to avoid wild or dirty water) with yourself as tensioner, and be able to tension or give slack immeadiately.
– easy to hook in and get yourself unhooked from in a hurry, especially when used in the “classic” canyon-position (8 on biner, double rope through the big hole, then clipped in the HMS-carabiner), no need to unhook it (interesting with half-frozen fingers).
– easy to unclip from if stuck on a knot.
– easy to spread wear on single or double rope if rap rope is running over sharp edges.
– etc.
It is certainly possible to do part of these maneuvres with other devices but to my knowledge not one of them can do it all and can come close to the versatility of the figure 8 (I refuse to load myself down with extra gear if not necessary: light weight is speed and speed (without hurrying) is safety in a canyon.
It is by no means the ideal device (come on, manufacturers and inventors !!!) in canyons, and I am always on the lookout for other, better devices – so far, no luck, I’ve got a box full of discarded ones.
Lately I tested an interesting one proposed by Stefan Hoffman in his (German) book on canyoning techniques, the Robot from Kong. I found it to offer excellent, consistent braking but two things refrained me from using it with unexperienced people (who do not need to know all of above mentioned techniques). Firstly it is very hard to take in slack once the rope is installed, in fact, this movement blocks the device. Secondly, a common beginners fault is bringing his/hers braking hand upwards if slipping (to catch themselves before kissing the rock). With the Robot put on the single-rope mode, this movement unclips the rope from behind a hook, thus greatly reducing braking for the rest of the descent.
If anyone of you knows of a new, great canyon-descender I’ll be the first off to the shop to give it a try. Suggestions ?
Happy canyons
Koen Viaene
canyonz
Totally agree with you Koen. With the right knowledge and techniques the eight is the most versatile device. Have you tried the one of the methods recommended by the EFC? It’s called ‘Vertaco’. The eight is used on a single rope in the ‘normal’ position and the rope is clipped back into the karabiner. Works great and can even hold 2 people in a rescue situation. I use it all the time in guiding situation here in New Zealand. Yes there is a ‘rope on rope’ situation but it’s never the same bit of rope and it has been used for a few years with no noticeable additional wear on the ropes. Only drawback is that it is hard to take in any slack when the rope is in tension. Who would want to try anyway? But it is easy to lock off (for any emergency, photo, mid-abseil barbecue, whatever), and it prevents the risk of a clove hitch on the eight. Even if it kinks the rope that isn’t a problem since we always stuff the rope in a rope bag. I actually can’t remember the last time I coiled a stactic rope! Abseiling accidents in canyoning in France (where I’m from) are very few. But drowning is a big one, whether while abseiling and using the wrong device or technique, or because of a jammed prussik or extra (and usually superficial) safety device, or because the person couldn’t untie from the rope in a deep pool, or had his legs tied by meters of unnecessary rope swirling in the water (it’s called ‘The mummy position’. It happened to me in my early and silly years of canyoning and it’s bloody scary!). Another cause of broken bodies is jumps and slides that haven’t been checked prior. Anchor failure is a rarity since we usually use stainless steel bolts and chains when there is no natural pro available, which is often the case in smooth polished limestone. Granted, the rock is sound and it must be different in soft Zion sanstone for example. What is the rock most encountered in US canyons guys? Here in NZ it’s mostly volcanic, with some schist, gneiss and greywacky (excuse my spelling-very hard sandstone). Hey Koen where are you based? Julien Senamaud Attachment: vcard [not shown]