hamik wrote:
3) Rappel normally, except attach the carabiner on the ATC to a girth-hitched piece of cord or webbing on the belay loop--effectively, the ATC is now an arm's length above where it would usually be on rappel. Then attach a prusik or bachmann to the rope beneath the ATC and attach the friction knot to your belay loop with a locker. Now when you want to rappel, you slide the friction knot down, and when you want to stop, just let go and it will lock you off.
I think this is what you described here (skip to 0:37):
If my harness doesn't have a belay loop (BD Alpine Bod) can I use a large locker instead? Such as Petzl William Screwgate?
Does anyone know who still makes these old style auto-lock belay devices that this guy in the video is using? Just curious ...
Bigger locking biners would include the DMM Boa (my fav, the quicklock), and the Omega Pacific Jake.
I often use a small sewn runner (12" or so) on my BD Alpine Bod to make belaywork and rope handling easier. It connects the belay loop (attached to leg loop setup) with the belt. Some people don't suggest this.
Yep, the redgate. A buddy of mine in Scotland sent a few to me. They're my primary lockers. They're big, so they can handle a lot of crap before a magical climbing fairy jumps out of a bush smoking weed talking about world peace and the evil empire and tells you that you're gonna cross-load it and everyone's gonna die oh no.
Yup, that sums it up. The good thing about attaching to the belay loop instead of the leg loop is that you can transition quickly into ascending if necessary (whether self-belayed or by jugging or texas prusiking). I don't see a problem with attaching low load things like prusiks or clove hitches to a large biner used as a belay loop, but you should still tie (e.g., with figure-eight) in the standard way.
