Mast climbing control

[roverhi]

Looks like he is using mostly arm strength to climb and pulling up the two ascenders with the hand strap. Works if you have a lot of upper body strength. At 70 years old, that ain't me. Use the foot straps on my Mast Climber to provide the propulsion.

Use the Dyneema main halyard run up as tight as I can with the winch. Makes using the Mast Climber ascenders way more efficient and limits the swinging about as the halyard pretty much stays in line with the mast. The Mast Climber foot straps are linked together so my feet are either side of the mast with the link strap on the mast. That also helps in controlling motion on the climb. When I first got the system, had a StaSet X halyard and wasted a lot energy because of stretch in the halyard limiting the amount of gain in height for the ascenders with each iteration and flailing about the mast.

Watched a rigger in Port Townsend go up and down a mast with full mountain climbing gear. Whatever system he was using was way quicker than just ascenders as he came down in one continuous motion. Believe that requires different hardware than for just going up.

[taildragerdrive]

I use ascenders and use two halyards to go up mostly alone with nobody below except an observer in case I have a problem. I have done a fair amount of rope work so am pretty comfortable.

I basically solve the swinging problem by a short stout line attached to my harness. I wrap this line around the mast and tie back off to my harness limiting the swing by the length of this line once tied off. I have tested and with this soft line I tie it in such a way that it will tighten on the mast and stop my decent very quickly.

This serves two purposes as an additional safety if one of the halyards should break or release for some reason along with limiting the swings.

It is a bit time consuming because as I go past my spreaders and radar dome I have to temporarily release the line and retie it above the obstruction. I can do this pretty fast and I have good control. I have also tied myself off at the end of the spreaders as I replaced the spreader end covers this way.

Works good for me.

[GILow]

Actually, looking at that video again, I note he is using two feet on the one ascender, I am using one foot to each ascender. His way is the same as the ATN mast ascender, and perhaps it will make things easier, though my gut feel tells me it will be harder to control.

Matt

[sirkus]

I guess the important thing is to get up there. But....
Use a halyard you trust. If you dont trust it, you should change it. Use a bosun chair. Your wife only take in the slack from the halyard who goes thru a closed cleat and one or two rounds on the winch (depend on the surface of the winch). You do the climbing if theres no electric. How hard can it be?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Looks like he is using mostly arm strength to climb and pulling up the two ascenders with the hand strap. Works if you have a lot of upper body strength. At 70 years old, that ain't me. Use the foot straps on my Mast Climber to provide the propulsion.

Use the Dyneema main halyard run up as tight as I can with the winch. Makes using the Mast Climber ascenders way more efficient and limits the swinging about as the halyard pretty much stays in line with the mast. The Mast Climber foot straps are linked together so my feet are either side of the mast with the link strap on the mast. That also helps in controlling motion on the climb. When I first got the system, had a StaSet X halyard and wasted a lot energy because of stretch in the halyard limiting the amount of gain in height for the ascenders with each iteration and flailing about the mast.

Watched a rigger in Port Townsend go up and down a mast with full mountain climbing gear. Whatever system he was using was way quicker than just ascenders as he came down in one continuous motion. Believe that requires different hardware than for just going up.

Than you Roverhi, I think you have nailed one of the critical points, feet either side of the mast. This combined with some other suggestions here might just do it. I am also dependant on my legs to do the heavy lifting, long gone are the days I could do this on arm strength. My arms were like jelly by the time I got down yesterday, and that was just from steadying myself.

Matt

[GILow]

Originally Posted by taildragerdrive

I basically solve the swinging problem by a short stout line attached to my harness. I wrap this line around the mast and tie back off to my harness limiting the swing by the length of this line once tied off. I have tested and with this soft line I tie it in such a way that it will tighten on the mast and stop my decent very quickly.

This serves two purposes as an additional safety if one of the halyards should break or release for some reason along with limiting the swings.

It is a bit time consuming because as I go past my spreaders and radar dome I have to temporarily release the line and retie it above the obstruction. I can do this pretty fast and I have good control. I have also tied myself off at the end of the spreaders as I replaced the spreader end covers this way.

Works good for me.

I always take safety related advice from a pilot seriously, even if they cannot afford a proper undercarriage. Thanks for the suggestion.

Matt

[a64pilot]

A tailwheel airplanes undercarriage is referred to as "conventional gear"
So what's that make a nose dragger?


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[GILow]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

A tailwheel airplanes undercarriage is referred to as "conventional gear"
So what's that make a nose dragger?

Some of the budget airlines?

[Tessellate]

I'm in the same situation as you, having climbed the mast for the first time last week. Did it with climbing gear, self-powered (ascenders) with a backup halyard winched from deck helper. And boy was it hard! I'm in good shape and have years of rock climbing experience, so I didn't expect ascender inch-worming to be so tiring and slow.

I didn't have much trouble with swinging though. When I was raising an ascender I basically hugged the mast. Descending is where it was harder not to swing, in that case I just grabbed on to a side stay or spreader in some spots. I also had the climbing halyard anchored 3-4 feet out from the mast base.

For descending next time I want to try rappelling down instead. (that's probably what the Port Townsend rigger that roverhi referred to earlier in this thread was doing)
For some rappel devices (I have an ATC device) you need to be able to disconnect the rappel line or have a separate halyard end at the top, so that means anchoring in using other means at the top until you have your rappel set up.

[markpierce]

I wouldn't prefer to climb the mast without being attached to a halyard controlled by a reliable person even with mast steps. Prefer to employ someone to do it.

[goat]

GRIGRI® 2 - Belay-devices--descenders | Petzl


A grigri makes coming back down a lot easier and more fun.


goat

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Tessellate

I'm in the same situation as you, having climbed the mast for the first time last week. Did it with climbing gear, self-powered (ascenders) with a backup halyard winched from deck helper. And boy was it hard! I'm in good shape and have years of rock climbing experience, so I didn't expect ascender inch-worming to be so tiring and slow.

I didn't have much trouble with swinging though. When I was raising an ascender I basically hugged the mast. Descending is where it was harder not to swing, in that case I just grabbed on to a side stay or spreader in some spots. I also had the climbing halyard anchored 3-4 feet out from the mast base.

Hey Tessellate, did you put both feet on the one ascender like RoverHi, or one ascender for each foot?

And yes, coming down was a bit more work thank going up, but I wondered if that was simply because I was getting tired. Our mast is only 50 feet high, but it felt like more.

Matt

[GILow]

Originally Posted by goat

GRIGRI® 2 - Belay-devices--descenders | Petzl


A grigri makes coming back down a lot easier and more fun.


goat

I looked at those, and I wondered what, if any wear they would put on the halyard? What do you think?

As it was, the ascenders I am bought were less aggressive than another brand I looked at, and all else being equal, I figured that was a good thing when it came to not damaging my halyards. I know my brand are not recommended on icy ropes, but that's unlikely to be a problem for me down here in Oz.

Matt

[goat]

I use my halyard to haul up a climbing rope. Safer and no damage done to the halyard

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[Tessellate]

Originally Posted by GILow

Hey Tessellate, did you put both feet on the one ascender like RoverHi, or one ascender for each foot?

Matt

I did one ascender for both feet connected to a line in a Y shape that I made foot loops in. Other ascender on a 2-3' line connected to climbing harness.

I initially tried having the foot ascender above the harness ascender (read that somewhere) but that have me really short movements so I switched. The length of the lines which determines spacing between ascenders is really important. Still need to fiddle with that more.

I used climbing rope for ascending (to avoid wear on halyard) but I had to pull it really taut. Next time will use an old halyard and maybe bring the climbing rope up for descending, like someone else suggested.




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