Barrel Chested and Overweight Climbers:
Efficient climbing depends on the climber being able to remain as close to vertically upright as possible. As a climber assumes a reclining position while ascending rope all the effort expended while pumping your legs sideways has to be converted allowing the climber to rise. If only the climber were able to push straight down with his climbing legs then his body would rise straight up the rope maximizing the effort expended.
Standing straight up and stepping
straight down is the most efficient
way to ascend. Someone with a
barrel chest will typically be forced to
hang at an angle and when they
step down to ascend, they will
actually be ascending sideways. All
this misdirected effort will need to
be redirected to allow the climber to
rise up the rope. Positioning one’s
roller high on the chest is but one
way to hang as vertical as possible
#1: Double Roller:
It would appear the number one goal is to get
the climber oriented upright.
#1. A Double Roller allows the user to put their
QAS(safety) in the right roller and the main
climbing rope in the left.
Using a double roller, while climbing and resting
allows the rope to reeve through the left wheel
while the QAS reeves through the right one. This
allows the climber to remain upright especially
while sitting and resting.
This a great start in getting yourself oriented in the upright position. But if you currently use an adjustable QAS when you go to sit down and rest the chest roller will act like a PMP(Prusik Minding Pulley) and slide your adjustable Prusik to the bottom allowing your handled ascender to rise high over your head—often beyond your reach. Examine the picture below to see how the chest roller disengages the Prusik and allows it to slide.
Normal Failing QAS
When using a QAS and allowing it to run through the chest roller one problem occurs.
The roller can act like a Prusik Minding pulley and slide the Prusik down, when one attempts to rest, resulting in the QAS ascender rising out of reach of the Climber. Using a Reversed QAS fixes this problem. If this is still confusing watch the video and observe closely what happens to the Prusik on the QAS. Instead of resting, the climber is quickly thrown out of reach of their ascender resulting in a-no-rest-at-all situation.
#2: A Reversed QAS:
Putting the Prusik on the adjustable QAS above
your roller is the solution to this problem and
will allow you to sit and rest, thus allowing your
stomach muscles to facilitate breathing instead
of the opposite, which commonly results in the
first stages of suffocation. i.e. stomach gut mass
replacing the cavity reserved for oxygen intake.
This alone will not solve your climbing problems.
Typically, you’re still not climbing upright enough
to solve all your problems such as back pain and
excessive leg strain. The best way to reorient
your body position to vertical while climbing is to
have another climber tandem climb below you.
This additional weight will cause the rope to
stiffen up forcing you to assume a straight up
a
and down orientation.
This can be done in two ways. A person can
tandem climb below you or a person can hang
on the rope at the bottom near the ground.
The Second option involves some serious risks however. Anyone in the fall zone at distance from the climber is subject to getting injured with a falling object, i.e a mud ball dislodged from the climber’s boots. There is also risk if the two climbers tandem climb. As they approach the top the upper person will often need to transfer over to a pigtail. A
pig tail will facilitate a climber’s effort as they attempt to clamor over the edge.
When Tandem climbing the top station should have a pigtail rigged allowing the top person to transfer to a second line allowing both climbers the opportunity to safely finish their climb and get off the rope.
#3: Tandem Stiff Steps:
Tandem climbing has other problems. As soon as a climber tensions the rope from below the top climber’s right foot stirrup rotates toward the inside, repositioning the top of the stirrup. The problem is compounded when the stirrup’s tread ends up on the side of the user’s foot.
A tandem foot stirrup solves this problem. It
remains secure on the foot as planned, yet
allows the top of the connection point to pivot
to the inside where the rope passes allowing
drag free function.
A normal foot stirrup will rotate with the weight of a heavy rope or another climber.
A Tandem foot stirrup will sweep to the side,
adjusting for the load while keeping the
stirrup squarely mounted on the foot.
There you have it. The magic formula for ascending with a high center of gravity includes:
1. A Double Roller
2. Reversed QAS
3. Tandem Stiff Step
Other items that will benefit your efforts.
1. A Hammock Chest Harness can provide unparalleled comfort for the upper torso.
This is very advisable.
2. Never lose your breath, so you never have to catch your breath.
3. Pick a goal, then climb and reach the goal--Perhaps 40 steps is your goal.
4. Drink a gulp of water each time you rest. Water acts just like rocket fuel for the
rope climber.
5. Long climbs dictate eating carbs or fructose snacks.
6. Finally, and most importantly, when it comes time to rest do not plop heavily into
your seat harness, rather stop! Stand for about 15 seconds. Then sit and rest in
your harness. Plopping in a harness immediately after vigorous exercise causes
your harness to act like a tourniquet cutting off the chance of blood returning to
the cleaning organs and fuel renewal stations. Harness leg straps when tightened
during sitting can cause your legs not to rest or recover and upon standing to
climb the climber will only discover they are weaker and have less stamina than
before. Allowing your pancreas, spleen, and lungs do their jobs as efficiently as
they are able is the final and perhaps the most important goal of someone
ascending rope.