There was once I was with a climbing guide, and he expressed some distrust in the patented Climbing Technology Multi Chain personal tether I was using. And that's while following the unique hitch that Climbing Technology advises using - because a girth hitch will cause Dyneema/Spectra to lose 50% of its strength!
"That basket hitch is going to wear your harness away," he said. "All the rubbing will wear away at your tie-in points."
"You're referring to Todd Skinner's death?" Apparently I had nailed it - although I might not be seen anytime soon as a climbing instructor, I was reading a bit too much perhaps due to my kiasee nature. Most recreational climbers have never heard of the incident, much less Todd Skinner's name.
After I got back to Singapore, I followed up and did copious amounts of reading if I could search for it.
Oct 29 2006 - https://www.snewsnet.com/news/remembering-todd-skinner-tragic-end-to-a-brilliant-life
15 Sep 2007 - http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/top_stories/no-contamination-on-skinner-s-harness/article_063110b5-d64b-5fd3-93af-74ada3319875.html
So it seems that Todd Skinner was using the Arc'teryx Targa harness - hey, it's an Arc'teryx that got him killed! Not the brand that killed him, it was his assumption that he'd be fine for one more climb... until it indeed was the last.
Some other links that also carried the same related news - I guess this is a compilation of stuff that most people wouldn't bother to read...
Jan 2016 - https://rockandice.com/climbing-gear-tips/belay-loop-myth/
11 May 2016 - https://mojagear.com/learn/2016/05/11/shouldnt-use-daisy-chain-personal-anchor/
7 Sep 2016 - http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en/experience-story?cid=qc-lab-strength-of-worn-belay-loops
11 Oct 2016 - https://rockandice.com/master-class-climbing-tips/ask-the-master-personal-anchors/
Feb 2017 - http://rockandice.com/climbing-gear-tips/whats-the-correct-way-to-girth-hitch-to-your-harness/
Nov 2017 - https://rockandice.com/demo/gear-guy/can-i-make-a-belay-loop-2/
14 Dec 2017 - https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en/experience-story?cid=qc-lab-personal-anchor-systems-explained
20 May 2018 - https://www.theclimbingguy.com/girth-hitch-a-sling-to-your-harness/
"Also, if you were to girth your tether to your belay loop, then really what you’ve done is limited its ability to rotate. This can result in excessive wear on the underside of the belay loop which is not easily visible. In the worst case, this could lead to an accident similar to what tragically happened to Todd Skinner many years ago when he had a daisy chain semi-permanently girth hitched to his belay loop which eventually wore through." - Kolin Powick, Black DiamondHave you gotten your reassurance yet? The forces required to break a belay loop is going to get us really injured or even dead - before it breaks.
Summary:
- NEVER use a daisy chain for personal tethering. That's for aid climbing.
- As far as possible - NEVER fall on your personal tether. It's not exactly dynamic enough...
- Use a quickdraw to link up one of the loops of your personal tether to the second bolt for redundancy.
- PAS is a trademark of Metolius. Call them "personal tether" to be brand-neutral.
- Dyneema/Spectra tethers are possibly more resistant to abrasion. But the material does NOT absorb shock like nylon.
- A girth hitch will cause Dyneema/Spectra to lose 50% of its strength, and expose one to high risk!
- Nylon personal tethers are made by Sterling Rope (Chain Reactor), I'm not sure which other brands make them in nylon.
- Always girth hitch your personal tether as soft goods (rope etc) around the tie-in points, NOT the belay loop!
- Belay loops - keep all your metal hardware here; the tie-in points are used only for soft goods (rope, slings, personal tethers etc)
"That basket hitch is going to wear your harness away," he said. "All the rubbing will wear away at your tie-in points."
"You're referring to Todd Skinner's death?" Apparently I had nailed it - although I might not be seen anytime soon as a climbing instructor, I was reading a bit too much perhaps due to my kiasee nature. Most recreational climbers have never heard of the incident, much less Todd Skinner's name.
After I got back to Singapore, I followed up and did copious amounts of reading if I could search for it.
Oct 29 2006 - https://www.snewsnet.com/news/remembering-todd-skinner-tragic-end-to-a-brilliant-life
15 Sep 2007 - http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/top_stories/no-contamination-on-skinner-s-harness/article_063110b5-d64b-5fd3-93af-74ada3319875.html
So it seems that Todd Skinner was using the Arc'teryx Targa harness - hey, it's an Arc'teryx that got him killed! Not the brand that killed him, it was his assumption that he'd be fine for one more climb... until it indeed was the last.
Some other links that also carried the same related news - I guess this is a compilation of stuff that most people wouldn't bother to read...
Jan 2016 - https://rockandice.com/climbing-gear-tips/belay-loop-myth/
11 May 2016 - https://mojagear.com/learn/2016/05/11/shouldnt-use-daisy-chain-personal-anchor/
7 Sep 2016 - http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en/experience-story?cid=qc-lab-strength-of-worn-belay-loops
11 Oct 2016 - https://rockandice.com/master-class-climbing-tips/ask-the-master-personal-anchors/
Feb 2017 - http://rockandice.com/climbing-gear-tips/whats-the-correct-way-to-girth-hitch-to-your-harness/
Nov 2017 - https://rockandice.com/demo/gear-guy/can-i-make-a-belay-loop-2/
14 Dec 2017 - https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en/experience-story?cid=qc-lab-personal-anchor-systems-explained
20 May 2018 - https://www.theclimbingguy.com/girth-hitch-a-sling-to-your-harness/
"Also, if you were to girth your tether to your belay loop, then really what you’ve done is limited its ability to rotate. This can result in excessive wear on the underside of the belay loop which is not easily visible. In the worst case, this could lead to an accident similar to what tragically happened to Todd Skinner many years ago when he had a daisy chain semi-permanently girth hitched to his belay loop which eventually wore through." - Kolin Powick, Black DiamondHave you gotten your reassurance yet? The forces required to break a belay loop is going to get us really injured or even dead - before it breaks.
Summary:
- NEVER use a daisy chain for personal tethering. That's for aid climbing.
- As far as possible - NEVER fall on your personal tether. It's not exactly dynamic enough...
- Use a quickdraw to link up one of the loops of your personal tether to the second bolt for redundancy.
- PAS is a trademark of Metolius. Call them "personal tether" to be brand-neutral.
- Dyneema/Spectra tethers are possibly more resistant to abrasion. But the material does NOT absorb shock like nylon.
- A girth hitch will cause Dyneema/Spectra to lose 50% of its strength, and expose one to high risk!
- Nylon personal tethers are made by Sterling Rope (Chain Reactor), I'm not sure which other brands make them in nylon.
- Always girth hitch your personal tether as soft goods (rope etc) around the tie-in points, NOT the belay loop!
- Belay loops - keep all your metal hardware here; the tie-in points are used only for soft goods (rope, slings, personal tethers etc)
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