BCCTR BCDTM) demonstrated favorable results that were within industry acceptable performance criteria for:
The VT prusik lets you more easily fine tune the amount of friction than a loop style autoblock. Basic Prusikking Technique The basic technique of Prusikking is to weight the bottom Prusik knot by standing up in your foot sling. Examples include the MPD, 540° Rescue Belay, Petzl I’D, and Tandem Prusiks to name a few. It plays well with a wide range of rope diameters from about 8mm to 11mm. )Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram via the icons below; we try to post Tasty Tips daily! You can use it as a third hand / French prusik / autoblock backup beneath your rappel device anytime you’re doing a lower or rappel (similar to a Sterling Hollow Block). You should get a confirmation email soon; please click it to be added.There’s lots of fancy knots you could tie with the VT prusik, but there are only two essentials:You can use it as a personal lanyard; clip one end to a locking carabiner or quick link on your harness and the other end to a locking carabiner.Made by Blue Water Ropes, it looks like an extra thick Sterling Hollow Block. Because of this, you can use it for some creative configurations.Backcountry tips and navigation resourcesYou can use it as a quick draw, either halved or at full extension.In the unlikely event you might ever need to “rappel” a rope that’s under tension, a VT hitch lets you do this, because it's releasable even when loaded.Note: unlike a symmetric prusik, which holds equally well in either direction, an asymmetric prusik like this only holds on the rope when pulled in one direction. Note, it’s best to do this with a rappel extension. However, for teams with specific mission profiles that place a high value on lightweight, multi-purpose equipment, the single VT Prusik configured as a Max over One, appears to be a superior alternative to the traditional Nylon Tandem Prusik Belay.The laboratory style tests (i.e.
Because of it’s width, the VT prusik is less likely to get sucked into the pulley like a standard prusik loop. Since the 2014 ITRS presentation, three primary areas of inquiry include:This just allows me to drop the JS for popup maker on all pages, for use with the generic “popup” shortcodeAdditionally, tests were conducted with the tensile testing machine on drop test sample ropes and Prusiks.The human operated tests we conducted produced results that compared favorably to other tests we have either witnessed or been made aware of utilizing Nylon TPB (with human operators).Mechanical devices with purpose-built fail-safe mechanisms will undoubtedly prove more reliable for fall arrest versus a user-configured system such as Tandem Prusiks or the VT Prusik. Now slide the barrel of the top Prusik knot up the climbing rope until it’s tight against your harness. This being pretty handy if you want a hands-free, one direction rope grab to protect you on a fixed line in fairly easy terrain.Thanks for joining the AlpineSavvy mailing list. It costs about $25. Sit down in your harness, tightening the knot and allowing it to bite into the rope.
(There’s some very similar gear made by Sterling, called the “Flex Hitch cord.” I don't have the one by Sterling, but I’d guess that it acts pretty much the same as the Bluewater version. In a hauling system, like for 3:1 “Z drag”, you can use it as a progress capture device on a non-prusik minding pulley. See image below.Instead of a classic single tied or sewn loop prusik, the VT prusik has a sewn eye at either end. Rope rescue teams typically operate redundant two-rope systems with inclusion of a fail- safe mechanism for fall arrest.
It has a Technora (similar to Kevlar) sheath and a nylon core, and it’s stout - the end-to-end strength is about 20Kn, and basketed it’s about 30 kN. VT Prusik for Rescue Belays – Abstract.