[TowerTalk] Sad news N5IA SK in tower fall (Shawn Donley - N3AE)

[Matthew Kaufman]

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 at 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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