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| The winch was unworkable, slow and impossible to re-thread when changing ropes. A compromise had us use standard rope and rigging techniques. The "z-drag" or 3 to 1 system Maria is using here was one solution. |
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New jummar gloves. The biggest problem with jummarin' vs. winchin' is the hands issue. With jummars you have to be able to grab on a pull, then reset the jummar. |
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| Thus these prototypes. We used them only a few times, but were a necessary design step. Lighter plastics replaced the leather. |
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This project is a huge commitment. The time, effort and money involved is enormous—much more than we ever imagined. The team is made up of a small group of friends and family, supported by local businesses and non-profit organizations. The crew is not paid: they volunteer their time because they are excited to be involved with a world's first. |
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| My girl's first time jummaring ...she panics quickly we find. No we are not calling the fire men to get you down. |
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BC Place Demo. Thanks to Cliffhanger guys!
Adam, Rich, Maria, Me... sorry forgot the other guys name. |
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| BC Place Demo. Never use a "Wall hauler" for a live load! |
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Alannah—Maria's oldest—is in the haul bag acting as my counter-weight. Maria, being a mother, put my helmet on her. |
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| Overnight on a porta-ledge. GOTTA GET THERE FIRST—an epic, starting from the parking lot. Evil split rope carry in. We used counter-weighted hauls to make it up the steep trails. The rope goes through a pulley at the top—tied off to a tree—As we are getting pulled up, two guys are walking down on the other end of the rope. |
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This was heart breaking slow. At only a few inches per pull it was a long day doing a single rope. |
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| It did not take long to chew through my elbow pad, duct tape and my pull-over. |
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It was not easy to sleep, but the meds and food Maria brought down with her helped. She had a lot of trouble getting over the edge of the cliff. It is much harder when looking down at the ocean with all the wind blowing etc., compared to the gym! |
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| But, was it ever fun camping out on the new A5 ledge? Mark is always good for putting folks at ease. He was sleeping below Maria and I, cracking jokes. |
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Yes, Mark has a dumb grin on his face most of the time. See, we really spent ALL night out there in the name of testing out gear. Guess what? Porta-ledges are not comfortable for quads ... strange that? |
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| Ah, nice of Kelly and friends to show up in the AM. Kelly spent the AM drinking coffee and talking on his cell phone. |
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"Get me outa this torture device." Enough testing, the ledge is not going to be a feasible way to rest.
It is far too awkward to transfer into, or re-position. |
