Cliffhanger (climbing)
A cliffhanger (also known as a skyhook , sky hook , cliff or cliff hanger ) is an aid in climbing .
Function and construction
A cliffhanger is a small metal hook that can be hung on small ledges or sheds. The climber can then hang on to an eyelet or a loop attached to it, for example with his climbing harness, in order to rest and find a new position. It is also possible to attach a step loop or rope ladder to the device in order to stand up further. The use of cliff hangers is counted as technical climbing . In modern free climbing , where the use of artificial aids for locomotion is rejected, cliffhangers are only used when setting up new routes. The cliffhanger is used here to enable the lead climber to set a bolt .
The device is only designed for the loading of body weight and cannot be regarded as a fully-fledged fixed point that could withstand a fall load. Usually, cliffhangers can only withstand a load of 1.7 to 2.8 kN . In addition, they also place a very unfavorable load on the rock (risk of breaking out) and loosen easily with only slight rope movements. They are therefore neither suitable as a stand nor as an intermediate backup.
history
The cliffhanger was developed in the 1940s by big wall climber and trained farrier John Salathé for climbing in the Yosemite Valley . For his first ascent of the Lost Arrow Chimney in 1947, Salathé first used a 6 inch long cliff hanger that he had designed specifically for this route. The name Skyhook was coined by Salathé's partner Ax Nelson on the occasion of this inspection.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Pit Schubert : Safety and risk in rock and ice . Experiences and results from the safety research of the German Alpine Club. tape 2 . Bergverlag Rother, Munich 2002, ISBN 978-3-7633-6018-5 , p. 222-224 .
- ↑ a b Lexicon for special terms in climbing. kleimbing.de, accessed on November 24, 2012.
- ^ A b c Matt Samet, Mike Tea, Dave Pegg: Climbing Dictionary . The Mountaineer Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-59485-502-3 , pp. 194-195 .