OSHA requires 100% tie-in to structure. Can't meet that with a belay technique.
Of course if you are a fire department doing a rescue and not an antenna
installer, different rules apply.
Matthew Kaufman
(Sent from my iPhone)
> On Jun 15, 2016, at 6:10 AM, N3AE <n3ae@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> It's with some trepidation that I respond to this thread, but there''s one
> other climbing technique I have not seen mentioned in this forum.
>
> For modest height towers, say up to 75 feet, why not climb it like a
> top-roped rock climb? Have two (redundancy) mountaineering grade locking
> carabiners secured at the top of the tower with a suitable temporary rope
> loop (like 3/16 Dacron) going to the ground through the carabiners. On the
> day of the climb, use the temporary rope to pull some 9 to10mm static line
> (like BlueWater Assaultline) through the carabiner to the ground.
>
> Attach your harness to the climbing rope and have a competent and properly
> equipped belayer on the ground to take up the rope and protect you during the
> climb. "Competent" in this context means someone you trust your life to and
> vice versa...i.e. a fellow climber.
>
> Advantages:
>
> 1. Always on slight rope tension (provided by the belayer) so minimal fall
> distance and shock loads.
> 2. No energy expenditure (or fatigue related mistakes) hooking and unhooking
> safety lanyards to the tower during the climb.
> 3. Can concentrate on the climb with less distraction.
>
> Disadvantages:
>
> 1. Need to climb in a conventional safe manner once to get the carabiners
> installed.
> 2. Carabiners will need replaced periodically
> 3. Need a competent and experienced belayer
>
> Some comments on rope:
>
> A typical "dynamic" climbing rope with zero slack (belayer has slight
> tension) will elongate by about 10% with a 180 lb climber on it. Example: 60
> ft tower. Say you are only10 ft up the tower. So ~ 110 ft of rope between you
> and the belayer. If you fall, the rope will stretch about 10 ft (but like a
> bungee) and you WOULD land on the ground but softly. Fall near the top: ~ 60
> ft of rope between you and the belayer. So you'd bungee down about 6 ft. In
> either case, there could be risk of injury if an arm or a leg was across a
> tower brace prior to or during the fall.
>
> A "static line" typically used for mountain rescue or rappelling into caves,
> has an elongation < 3% (for a 300 lb load), so in the above example, the
> "fall distance) would be < 3 ft and <1.5 ft.
>
> A "dynamic" climbing rope will be better at reducing shock loads in a fall,
> but I'd be concerned about possible arm or leg injury if either got across a
> tower brace member prior to or during the fall. That's why I'm thinking a
> "static" type rope and zero slack at all times (belayer responsibility).
>
> I've climbed towers and rock for many years. Not so much rock now that I'm
> older. Always felt safer on a top-roped rock climb, even compared to climbing
> towers with conventional "always attached" technique and gear.
>
> So how DO I climb towers? I use conventional methods and gear following the
> "always attached" philosophy only because I rarely have an experienced rock
> climber around to belay. Nevertheless, having been on both towers and rock, I
> wonder which technique would be better (safety and efficiency)?
>
> OK. Ready for the incoming stones and rocks.
>
> N3AE
>
>
>
>
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