Philipp Strasser - Ropes in Trees

Ropes in Trees

A Guide To Better Temporary Rope Elements

By Philipp Strasser

Publisher’s Note: The publisher has tried to identify all copyright holders of quotations, texts, images, figures and illustrations. Unfortunately, this was not always possible. If we forgot someone, we kindly ask the copyright holders to contact us.

The authors are responsible for the form and contents of this book.

Bibliographical information of the German National Library

The German National Library lists this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographical data can be found in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de .

ISBN 978-3-940 562-92-0

© All rights reserved. No part of this book must be reproduced (print, photocopy or other techniques) or processed, copied or distributed with electronic systems without written permission of the publisher.

eBook-Herstellung und Auslieferung:

HEROLD Auslieferung Service GmbH

www.herold-va.de

Special thanks are due to Walter Siebert who provided the Standard Operating Procedures for many elements and performed the final check on this book. His indefatigable pursuit of safety and his will to question everything over and over again – combined with the ability to listen to other people’s arguments and experiences and change his opinion if necessary – are very impressive.

Additionally, I would like to thank:

… Petra Schuster, whose presence gave me inspiration and her beautiful Ennstal house was the perfect location to write this book (and who also took the picture of me …)

… Anita Nemeth, Ursula Schürer, Traude Steurer, Veronika Wassertheurer, Andrea Obereigner, Rainer Kudrna, Andrea Pfeiffer, Barbara Tegtbauer, Sandra Wehowar and Thomas Wielander for their support at building numerous prototype elements

… Gert Schweiger, who owns the best forested land for temporary rope elements and made it available to us,

… Barbara Kleemair, Nora Schütz and Sigi van Bosche, Phillip Rehberger (cover photo) climbing models

… Michael Rehm for proofreading, his suggestions, and “a swift kick in the butt” to get this book eventually published

… Bahman Azarm and his team to get this book ready for the English speaking world

… All those who provided feedback to the first edition (in German) of this book and now made this second edition even more comprehensive, informative, and practical

Philipp

Contents

Preface Preface About 20 years ago, I introduced the term “zero accident” for high rope courses. As a mountain guide I found myself increasingly in a bind: my customers had great experiences but I was also confronted with serious accidents year after year. So I was very happy when my friend Bill Daniels introduced me to the “zero accident” concept. I wanted to share my enthusiasm with other colleagues … and met with widespread refusal! So it goes, sometimes, with new ideas! I am very happy to see that, with this book, Philipp Strasser refutes a frequent argument: that it is actually possible to set up numerous elements while applying the Zero Accident concept. One example: He recommends spotting the Mohawk Walk and similar Low Elements with 4 spotters for every participant. It is known that this element is often done without any belay at all. So reading this book, how does a facilitator feel? A logical consequence would be to change the belay concept and from now on work with a team of four spotters. Unfortunately, my observations of some rope course operators in Europe have, all too often, shown that, although there are accidents, there is often little motivation on the part of the operators to correct the situation. “If a child breaks his arm, well, that’s part of the game”. Such accidents do not have to be “a part of the game” anymore. And such attitudes will not be acceptable as ropes courses gain popularity in the United States, where there is less public tolerance when it comes to operator liability. This book will help show how we can keep the participant’s experience exciting and rewarding while simultaneously reducing accidents. In this book Philipp Strasser has only included established elements and processes, to which he has added a new level of safety, while, at the same time, preserving the essence of the participant’s experience. By adopting his ideas, future courses can be built that promise both great experiences, accompanied by reduced risks. Walter Siebert

Introduction

Risks and Hazard Notes

Redundancy, Zero Accident and Other Safety Issues

What Is a Temporary Rope Element or Temporary Rope Course?

Material Stress on Temporary Rope Activities

Participant Safety Near Ground Level

Low V

The Wrapping Knot

The External Multiple Advantage Pulley System

Express Two-To-One Pulley System, Klemheist Knot, Munter Tied Off with Half Hitches, Mercedes Knot

Steel Maillon Rapide Versus Locking Carabiner

Postman’s Walk

Attaching Activity Elements To Tightened Ropes

Low Buckets

Pizzeria, Car Tires, Wobbly Logs

Attaching a High Rope Without Climbing the Tree

Hour Glass and Ship’s Crossing

Attaching a Heavy Duty Round Sling at Height Without Climbing the Tree

Multi-Vine Traverse

Pulley Walk, Deep Buckets

The Mohawk Walk

The Forest Playground

Low Wobbly V

The Alpine Butterfly Knot

Figure Eight Knot Sling Versus Alpine Butterfly Knot

Low Drawbridge

Steps On the Moon

High Temporary Elements

The N Belay

The Belay Triangle

Participants Belaying Participants

The Elevator

Long Way Up

Beko N Belay For Two or More Participants

The Giant Ladder

Lashing

The Vertical Maze

Static Top Rope With a Canopy Above the Element

Climbing The Crates

The Internal Two-To-One Pulley System

The Elevator With Internal Two-To-One Pulley System

The Fire Ladder

Revolving Top Rope For One Participant

Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

Get Ready For Beaming

Assisted Wobbly Logs

Revolving Top Ropes With Canopies Above the Element For Two Participants

High Drawing Bridge

References

About the Author

Preface

About 20 years ago, I introduced the term “zero accident” for high rope courses. As a mountain guide I found myself increasingly in a bind: my customers had great experiences but I was also confronted with serious accidents year after year. So I was very happy when my friend Bill Daniels introduced me to the “zero accident” concept. I wanted to share my enthusiasm with other colleagues … and met with widespread refusal! So it goes, sometimes, with new ideas!