Can u pleas test another canyoneering technique like the one in the video called macramé knot? Here's a video explains how it works: ruclips.net/video/_mQylAy5cAE/видео.html
@@HowNOT2 I knew what you meant, it just came out sounded really funny. 😁 Real life for you is not real life for us as we're watching something in a vid - I think that's what you were getting at right? 🤘Also it was only being used to test if it works, not put in work at like a festival or something.
That hitch with the fiddlestick is also called a marlinspike hitch. I use it a lot for heaving lashing tight with a spike. We also use a similar setup in tugboat work as a quick release for dropping gear but we use a wood “toggle” that is slightly tapered like a splicing fid.
Subscribed for a while now, 52 years old and haven’t been up on the rock since my late teens. I climb trees to rig them before i bring them down and love learning about how ropes and gear interact. I love learning it’s my lifelong addiction!
I guess the difference between a rappel and a highline is the highline stays under tension even when you’re not on it. Would need to release some tension before fiddling the stick.
"It has a lot of great applications for situations you are never going to be in." Of all the nonsensical thing I have heard come out of your mouth, this is my new favorite.
The rope jiggling method sounds like the kamikaze knot: a sheep shank with the middle strand cut. It's solid under tension but comes undone when slack. Not something I'd ever want to need but I'd be interested to see you put it to the test (with a second safety rope or just in your machine).
I'm impressed with the creative engineering and performance of the fiddlestick. Thanks for testing and filming the device in use! Full length retrievable rappels is to climbers as turning lead into gold was to medieval alchemists - the impossible goal. If it weren't for the Beal Escaper, I would probably be using Fiddlesticks on a regular basis. Fortunately Beal came through for $50 with an amazing, safe solution that requires no extra retrieval cord. I've been making 60 M / 200 ft. length rappels with the Escaper for 3 years with great success. It is only for experienced, fastidious climbers who thoroughly understand it's use and limitations (it provides numerous loops and such to hang up on during retrieval). For this reason, I would not use it for every rappel, but it is a very powerful and oft used tool in my quiver. I have added a $160 Mammut 6mm x 60 Meter 16 KN aramid rappel cord kit that comes with Nano 8 rap plate and micro oval biner. Mammut authorizes only 30 Meter double strand raps, but I go off label and use it single strand. Add a DMM locking biner on my leg loop and a 4mm french prussik/autoblock and I'm capable of repeated 200 ft. rappels for 4.7 lbs/2.1 kg.
I've been using a variation of this design for years and it's bomber (for rappelling, not slack-lining). I've done tests with weight hanging on the rappel strand and had to pull quite hard in order to get the stick to come out. Our variation has additional holes to allow safety carabiners to be inserted so it's impossible for the stick to come out. The knot tightens on the stick with every person that rappels and only the last one down removes those 2 safety carabiners and rappels down after the knot has become very tight- your highline test demonstrates this very well. It's very safe if you do it right, and as you indicated, eliminates the rope dragging over the edge on retrieval, which then eliminates rope groves. Also, the "Fiddlestick" used in the break test looks a lot more like a "Smooth Operator" invented by Luke from Bluu Gnome Gear. The Fiddlestick itself was made by/for Imlay Canyon Gear out of Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah. He's been making these for years bg-gear.com/smooth-operator-v1.html or Fiddlestick www.canyoneeringusa.com/store/imlay-fiddlestick-advanced-anchor FWIW, I use the Variation we came up with called the "Rap-Sure" which is very similar to the Smooth Operator. Between the two marketed versions, I prefer the Smooth Operator over the Fiddlestick and have used both. Another thing you can do is use a tree or similar object as an anchor. If the anchor is abrasive or jagged (like tree bark) you can protect both the tree and your rope by using something like a Spiroll rope protector around the back of the anchor where the rope goes around the tree. If wrapped tight enough on the rope, it will stay in place and come down with your rope when you pull it down. Also, on the slackline pull test, it's not great to use carabiners to connect to the stick unless you don't mind them getting knocked against the rocks when you go to pull. This is more an issue admittedly, when you are pulling the stick down from a rappel, but just a point to make. When the pull cord is tied directly to the stick, there is not a lot of weight and no carabiner to come falling down. The stick itself will often flutter a bit and sometimes you can even catch it if you are lucky. The fluttering effect slows the fall of the stick down a good amount and if there is no carabiner on it, it doesn't hit the ground with much force.
Could you elaborate on the rap-sure method? I feel like I've heard it mentioned before but I've never seen any explanation of what differentiates it from the smooth operator.
@@pjjenks2144 Hi. Sorry for the delayed response, as I am not on RUclips that much these days. The "Rap Sure" is a slightly different device than the Smooth operator, but they function the same. The only difference is that the Rap Sure has 4 small holes (2 on each end) where the Smooth Operator has two larger oval holes (1 on each end). This (4-hole pattern) keeps the knot centered in the stick better and resists flexing if the rappel starts on a slop where the safety carabiners come in contact with the rock face. The Smooth Operator has a longer unsupported span between the carabiners on either side and if the slope of the rappel is such where the rope would be pulling down on the stick after the rappeler has weighed the device, the smooth operator will flex. Think of each carabiner being a leg on the table with a long span of table between the legs. The rap sure uses the inner holes for those carabiners and the outer holes are used for the pull cord. The Rap Sure has 4 holes (therefore it's the "holiest" device) and there is a religious pun in there, since so much canyoneering happens in Utah, religious puns are a thing. The slogan is "use the Rap-sure (pun on "Rapture") or get left behind. Hope all this makes sense. This is one of those things easier explained with a diagram than words.
i haven't even climbed in probably 20 years, and i still love this channel. i never really climbed with gear either. i don't know the terms, but i would go up a wall about 10 feet or so, then climb sideways all the way around. a fall would have been painful but not lethal (except for one climb i did across the side of a quarry... why did i do that)
I would love to see a video where you use random items as fiddle sticks (rocks, small logs, stuff you can find in the wild, etc.) thanks for a great video as usual ❤
About the shirt designs: i really like the "super good enough" slogan. But, as an non-highliner the disign is to highliney. Maybe an idea to add a climber-oriented design using this slogan?
RUclips stop recommending me the funny high liner challenge, I am afraid of heights thank you very much. I'll keep watching these even though I'm never setting foot on a mountain wall :-)
Very cool to see numbers on this. If you get into more canyoneering tests it would be interesting to see failure test for marginal anchors such as cairns, vs and bags, backpacks, etc.
Fascinating stuff. The problems with pulling it out of the webbing made me think of the skydiving industry - different use case, being a life safety issue if it DOESN'T come out, but the closing pin that secures the main and reserve parachutes are curved so that they release properly from the closing loop. But then I doubt that you want to be on a line that is held by a smooth round curved metal spike!
The Beal escaper is the expensive option, that is recommended by most guides! The poor option is a sheepshank with the middle stand cut, so that you only leave maybe a meter of rope behind. Apparently the sheepshank will collapse and fail after a certain weight.
Yes, I started vertical sports with canyoneering. I’m so stoked you are interested in it. You should break test an Omni sling and a macrame retrievable rope.
The jiggle method can be done with a sheepshank knot at the top as it won’t come loose under load, when tide properly. I’ve also used a Yosemite bowline loop around the rope with some paracord ties to the loop; when you pull the paracord the loop simply is pulled down just like using a double rope. You have to be quite confident and trusting in your pioneering skills to use the sheepshank method. When you tie the sheepshank you cut 1 of the 3 legs after you load the knot; this method does leave a short length of rope at the top which isn’t leave no trace.
"help"??? You'll still find some guys stupid enough to try the same "experiment" because they've seen a video on youtube. Seriously, they don't use any backup technique in case it fails
Just saw a TV commercial for Ryan’s new Discovery + series. The big quote from the commercial…. “They must live every moment cause they could die any second.” What a dramatic new tag line and T-shirt motto, lol…
Ryan is to be known as No Backup Ryan from now on!! Seriously doing an experiment on a highline and not having a super solid backup ? Backup and main both had hairpin triggers to pull cords!
Have become a fan of this channel over the last 10 or so days awesome stuff, im to much of wuss to try any of it but its really cool to see yall do it.
Thanks for the great work you do! ☮️❤️🌈 In skydiving we use a "stainless steel curved closing pin" to pass through a "closing loop" (just an eyelet or bite of 2mm braided nylon) that passes through a hole in the "closing flap" of the "main container" that holds your "main canopy". There, now you're ready to skydive. #PoesLaw Seriously though, you could use the same concept in place of a Fiddlestick in your highline webbing. It's like a Marlin Spike that is curved to accommodate the fact that you are pulling it parallel to the load instead of perpendicular. Words are hard. Find some photos. The internet is your friend.
This implementation of the fiddle stick into the highline seemed sooo sketchy, but I think it shows promise. I definitely don't think you should have the webbing wrapped around the fiddle stick, but maybe you could make a soft shackle with a long tail or strong climbing rope. The problem with the fiddle stick being too difficult to pull could be solved by using a soft release at the tension side. Also you could thread the release cord back through the bolt so after the fiddle stick pops you can gentle lower the line down. I would defo not trust the line you walked but with some modifications and a bunch more testing it could be viable for lines where one anchor is hard to access
I think the plastic is too soft, especially to use with loads this high. Make it an aluminum tube and it will not only be stronger but it will also pull out a lot more smoothly. On the downside it’ll have less friction while you want the friction to be high, as well, ie, the risk of it pulling out before you want it to will also go up.
@@tobiasbrewin4355 basically, it needs a lot of testing to find out what kind of material is a) strong enough b) has enough friction and c) has low enough friction. And the testing is most likely not a priori going to be valid for all rope/sling materials wrapped around the marlinspike, either. I wonder who we know that likes testing things? A thought I had is - metal snake solid? - What if you make a wavy metal stick, will that hold better and still be easier to remove by using a jerking pull? PS: I’m pretty sure the ideal technique for removing any of these involves jerking, if at all possible, rather than high continuous pressure with a winch. PPS: You might also consider dyneema line for the pull cord. The low friction might help it pass across the rock, , and high strength means you can use 2.4 or even 1.8 mm and still be stronger than 450 para. On the downside I guess there’s the chafing damage while using it, but generic UHMWPE cord in 1.8 or 2.4 is suuuuper cheap, and if it breaks, you don’t lose your life, just your rope, and as such, well... more easily worth taking a chance on, right?
Another Canyoneering anchor I'd love to see tested is the figure 8 contingency anchor that allows someone at the top by the anchor to lower someone on rappel in the event the rope is not long enough or their rap device jams
So the name of the knot is a marlinspike hitch. It's been used for pulling on line and Twine for about 400 years that we know of probably longer it's a wonderful night very stable.
Great stuff! One comment on the "will the fiddlestick come out at the wrong time" question. On a typical canyoneering rappel, with extra rope friction, it seems like the max load the fiddlestick will see is ~50-60% of bodyweight. In that situation I think it is much easier to accidentally knock the stick out by jamming it against a wall or pull it out by snagging the pull cord. I'd be curious to see what the combinations are of forces in the mainline and forces required to pull the stick out. Keep being sketchy so we don't have to!
I'd be surprised if this was the first time this comment has been made, but I would love to see the "Kamakazi Knot" tested for single sided repelling where you make a sheep shank and then cut the line that connects the two loops, and as long as you keep tension the knot holds itself together but once you get to the bottom you can, supposedly, shake the rope loose and only lose a little bit of rope.
You can use an alipline butterfly with a locking carabiner to do a single rappell and when you are done you pull on the other end of the rope, you are only rappelling on one side but you need to have both ends touching the ground so you can retrieve the rope from the bottom
Toggles are primarily in canyoneering. They help avoid rope groves and deal with rope pull issues. They been used for years in canyoneering and zero issues.
I'm like, "fiddlestick" oh that could be useful for some of my repels. Then Ryan throws it on a Highline and I'm like, F@#& THAT!!! Balls of Steel! Very interesting research for sure. Thanks Ryan!
For the release of the mainline, perhaps a quick detension, or a soft release on the tensioning side would loosen things up enough to pop out that fiddlestick
The "wiggle" method uses a sheep shank with the unstressed strand cut before you rappel. It works! and sometimes can be detached by shaking (sometimes not 🤨), but I'd love to see it stress tested. And maybe try fiddle sticks made from different materials (I assume yours were Lexan?) try wood, carbon fiber, aluminum, steel, etc. 👍
IDK if you've already seen it before but the Equivocation Hitch a similar single line retrievable anchor technique that using only the rap line. I've used it rapping off bolts, rap rings or simply slung a round a tree.
Is really interesting to see the difference between canyoning in the the States and (my own) Canyon technics over europe Good job! (Sorry for bad english BTW)
I'd like to see how much force you would need to pull the fiddlestick out of the knot when the rope is under tension. I feel like that's a more realistic scenario even if it's less entertaining than breaking it.
Big Fan Here! A bit concerned that you used a 'home made' Toggle, rather than an actual Imlay FiddleStick, or Bluugnome Smooth Operator. The homemade toggle is a rather crude. Also, you should point out that it is polycarbonate rather the the weak acrylic that is easier to find at the hardware store. Happy to send you any ropes or devices you would like to test. (Very concerned that Highlining produces higher loads. Canyoneering is a stupid sport... but highlining?)
@IHowNOT2 (or whom ever else actually knows how these "sticks" work :) I might be totally wrong, but my understanding of how the "fiddleStick" is "supposed to work is that while the rope that the "stick" is "jamming" is under tension, the rope is "pinching" the "stick" and preventing it from getting pulled. And if that assumption is correct You would need to "slack of " the webbing in order to pull that last "fiddleStick". Then again I might have totally misunderstood how this works (is supposed to work). How ever I really enjoyed the video, and that is all that matters since I neither climb, rappel or slackline :) Best regards.
This seems safer then the Beal escaper lol..I have one and have tested it about 10 times now on horizontal ground..Haven't had the balls to actually try it on a rappel yet..It does work it just seems slippery when new..I wanna get some friction fuzz on the system before I real world use it
I used it a couple of times in real life situations. It was just so hard to retrieve, I had to tug it for real like 20 times to get it undone. Pretty safe if you ask me.
@@moonti6820 huh..Mine comes out with just about 10 quick tugs...I wonder if the weight of the rope makes a difference too on how much easier it rebounds and pulls through the system
Or your could just tie it to your climb rope and do a rap like everyone else. Minimum MBS of static ropes is 20 kN and your amsteel only needs to be half that because its only doing half the work.
@@elmeradams8781 the fiddlesticks use a tagline which would never be in a life supporting role so I was making a joust that if you use 1/8 amsteel (10 kN) as a tagline you might as well use it to extend your rope instead. Canyoneers rap all day on 6mm 8kN rope. The one advantage the fiddlestick is supposed to have is that you wont have to pull a lot of rope but dropping a line extended with amsteel will zip right through. Retrievable slings are way less sketchy.
polished titanium tube with rounded over ends with the rope attachment going through a middle pipe all the way from one end to the other, rounded entry and exit, with a stopper knot on the end. could be 7075 t6 as well to lower the cost
I broke a smooth operator once on a rappel. While pulling the tag line to retrieve it the tip of the smooth operator broke on either side of the hole the rope went through and my tag line came falling down without the smooth operator. I wasn't even pulling very hard yet. The stick remained in the stone knot. BG was super nice and replaced it for free. Luckily I was able to get back up to my anchor to retrieve my rope.
Wow this is amazing. That plastic fiddlestick is not as strong as I would have hoped. You know most canyoneers rappel on 8mm static rope. I bet the thinner rope would cut through that fiddlestick at much lower force than the 10mm rope you used.
@Tom Jones Check out 8:51 when the fiddlestick gets cut in half with a sawing type motion. Please re-read my comment I never said anything about bending which is a different failure mode. At 19:27 a larger piece of webbing is used causing increased bending force and the fiddlestick only bends doesn't break. The breaking looks to be a combination of bending with that sawing type of friction from the smaller 10mm rope. An even smaller 8mm rope would produce an even more concentrated cut which could cause the fiddlestick to break at a lower force rather than just bend.
@A R Yes I do agree the fiddlestick is far stronger than it needs to be and perfectly safe in terms of it's durability. That said I was still surprised to see it cut in half like at 8:51 and think it might be halved sooner with a smaller rope (not because of horizontal bending). Overall the clear danger of the fiddlestick is not getting to these levels of forces and breaking but rather if it can be pulled out of the knot. It was quite reassuring to see it yanked on under load without coming out. So reassuring that I might even pick one up. Backing up all but last man on rappel provides even less opportunity for it to come out.
What if the fiddlesticks were kinda boomerang shaped or curved so that they would pull out a bit easier with the pull cord at an acute angle? Just a thought.
How about strength testing the equivocation hitch, aka macrame knot or hitch? My preference would be for a dynamic climbing rope of varying diameters. Thanks!!
Not sure what's scarier rappelling with a piece of plastic supporting my life or rappelling of of only one bolt. I know that one bolt is way good enough to hold me its just years of always making an anchor redundant that makes it scary to trust just one
I don't know, out sportclimbs here in northern Germany always have only one bolt. Even in sketchy sandstone, despite it being a extra long gluein, it is only one. Doesn't feel comfy at all, but that's how everyone does it here, and even out local climbing association says it is fine.
@@davidwarren719 The bolts usually don't fail, as they are replaced when dodgy or like I said, are bomber glueins. (Not always, not everywhere) The accidents happen when the part of the rock where the bolt is in comes down, especially in sandstone. I heard of this happening occasionally. I like to have redundancy when rappelling, but the DAV thinks it is not necessary for sport routes and rappelling of one bomber bolt would be fine. It has to do with the ethics to place as few bolts as possible in the rock.
@@GoodLuck-rh8tb Have you read about the accident last year in Frankenjura? Check it out: ig-klettern.org/2021/05/ammerthaler-wand-die-ursache-des-hakenbruchs/ Top roping on single bolt that was not glued flush to the rock, bolt broke. Now they replaced many of those single anchor points as a result.
Well, no, the marlin spike was there first. Sailors used it to dress knots and generally as a lever to work with highly tensioned lines (especially to open up knots to remove them). The marlin spike hitch comes after, by inserting the marlin spike in the place of the fiddlestick.
This is used alot for hammock suspension systems : called a "Marlin spike hitch" using a toggle / marlinspike (stick) ruclips.net/video/giumWY1zknU/видео.html
I don't think I would ever use a fiddle stock on a bolt. There are better methods of descending single strand. I carry my fiddlestick in every canyon but I only use it if I can't go off other anchors
Donkeys years ago for caving we were using a metal rod inside of a milled piece of Nylon or teflon, can't remember (i guess) in stead of that piece of plastic. i'd be afraid that plastic would break and i'd start flying unintentionally LOL! The milled plastic was thicker at it's ends than in the middle and the stainless rod, impossible to fail. U have balls going on that bit of lucite or whatever plastic it was.
Beal makes a system, it might be called the Escape, not sure though. hopefully you can find it and test it out because it is something I am interested in buying to use. Now that I am aware of fiddle sticks I may have to find or make one to try out. thanks for the cool content!
Your comments are hilarious. Keep them coming!
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Talking to people a little in the comments section helps encourage people to leave a lot more comments in later videos
Or so I've been told.
Cause I'd like to see this channel grow, so get on that "viewer engagement" game
Can u pleas test another canyoneering technique like the one in the video called macramé knot?
Here's a video explains how it works:
ruclips.net/video/_mQylAy5cAE/видео.html
HowNOTtoBIRTHDAY!!
Happy birthday man!!
The Beal Escaper is a product I would love to see!
I second this, it's the product he mentioned at about 10:55
Yep, was just googling to confirm this is the name of the product that he is talking about
This!
Yeap, have one and it works great. But it would be nice to have a test !
Ryan please test the Beal Escaper.
"I don't think I'd actually do this in real life"
He says after actually doing it in real life! xD
Took the words right out of my mouth!
I guess that doesn't make sense. "Do as I say not as I do" would have probably been better to say haha.
@@HowNOT2 I knew what you meant, it just came out sounded really funny. 😁
Real life for you is not real life for us as we're watching something in a vid - I think that's what you were getting at right? 🤘Also it was only being used to test if it works, not put in work at like a festival or something.
4:55 "luckily I made bit to the ground" let's just say if the fiddle stick had failed you'd have still made it to the ground!
True, but I was aware that I made it to the ground. That is the difference haha
That hitch with the fiddlestick is also called a marlinspike hitch. I use it a lot for heaving lashing tight with a spike. We also use a similar setup in tugboat work as a quick release for dropping gear but we use a wood “toggle” that is slightly tapered like a splicing fid.
Subscribed for a while now, 52 years old and haven’t been up on the rock since my late teens. I climb trees to rig them before i bring them down and love learning about how ropes and gear interact. I love learning it’s my lifelong addiction!
I guess the difference between a rappel and a highline is the highline stays under tension even when you’re not on it. Would need to release some tension before fiddling the stick.
"It has a lot of great applications for situations you are never going to be in."
Of all the nonsensical thing I have heard come out of your mouth, this is my new favorite.
Its good when you need to rapell using entire length of your rope and retreiving over area that has alot of friction
@@julianchavez3372 Even then you will manage to pull the rope😉
@@herpfar7651 no
@@julianchavez3372 If it's too strong, you're too weak😇
@@herpfar7651 if your to dumb your to dumb.
The rope jiggling method sounds like the kamikaze knot: a sheep shank with the middle strand cut. It's solid under tension but comes undone when slack. Not something I'd ever want to need but I'd be interested to see you put it to the test (with a second safety rope or just in your machine).
I feel like Andy's goto line is "so hopefully this doesnt kill me"
He's "adulting" now ^^ (00:53)
I'm impressed with the creative engineering and performance of the fiddlestick. Thanks for testing and filming the device in use! Full length retrievable rappels is to climbers as turning lead into gold was to medieval alchemists - the impossible goal. If it weren't for the Beal Escaper, I would probably be using Fiddlesticks on a regular basis.
Fortunately Beal came through for $50 with an amazing, safe solution that requires no extra retrieval cord. I've been making 60 M / 200 ft. length rappels with the Escaper for 3 years with great success. It is only for experienced, fastidious climbers who thoroughly understand it's use and limitations (it provides numerous loops and such to hang up on during retrieval). For this reason, I would not use it for every rappel, but it is a very powerful and oft used tool in my quiver.
I have added a $160 Mammut 6mm x 60 Meter 16 KN aramid rappel cord kit that comes with Nano 8 rap plate and micro oval biner. Mammut authorizes only 30 Meter double strand raps, but I go off label and use it single strand. Add a DMM locking biner on my leg loop and a 4mm french prussik/autoblock and I'm capable of repeated 200 ft. rappels for 4.7 lbs/2.1 kg.
These are super common in Canyoning and they do like 200ft rappels on the regular.
I've been using a variation of this design for years and it's bomber (for rappelling, not slack-lining). I've done tests with weight hanging on the rappel strand and had to pull quite hard in order to get the stick to come out. Our variation has additional holes to allow safety carabiners to be inserted so it's impossible for the stick to come out. The knot tightens on the stick with every person that rappels and only the last one down removes those 2 safety carabiners and rappels down after the knot has become very tight- your highline test demonstrates this very well. It's very safe if you do it right, and as you indicated, eliminates the rope dragging over the edge on retrieval, which then eliminates rope groves. Also, the "Fiddlestick" used in the break test looks a lot more like a "Smooth Operator" invented by Luke from Bluu Gnome Gear. The Fiddlestick itself was made by/for Imlay Canyon Gear out of Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah.
He's been making these for years
bg-gear.com/smooth-operator-v1.html
or Fiddlestick
www.canyoneeringusa.com/store/imlay-fiddlestick-advanced-anchor
FWIW, I use the Variation we came up with called the "Rap-Sure" which is very similar to the Smooth Operator. Between the two marketed versions, I prefer the Smooth Operator over the Fiddlestick and have used both.
Another thing you can do is use a tree or similar object as an anchor. If the anchor is abrasive or jagged (like tree bark) you can protect both the tree and your rope by using something like a Spiroll rope protector around the back of the anchor where the rope goes around the tree. If wrapped tight enough on the rope, it will stay in place and come down with your rope when you pull it down.
Also, on the slackline pull test, it's not great to use carabiners to connect to the stick unless you don't mind them getting knocked against the rocks when you go to pull. This is more an issue admittedly, when you are pulling the stick down from a rappel, but just a point to make. When the pull cord is tied directly to the stick, there is not a lot of weight and no carabiner to come falling down. The stick itself will often flutter a bit and sometimes you can even catch it if you are lucky. The fluttering effect slows the fall of the stick down a good amount and if there is no carabiner on it, it doesn't hit the ground with much force.
Could you elaborate on the rap-sure method? I feel like I've heard it mentioned before but I've never seen any explanation of what differentiates it from the smooth operator.
@@pjjenks2144 Hi. Sorry for the delayed response, as I am not on RUclips that much these days. The "Rap Sure" is a slightly different device than the Smooth operator, but they function the same. The only difference is that the Rap Sure has 4 small holes (2 on each end) where the Smooth Operator has two larger oval holes (1 on each end). This (4-hole pattern) keeps the knot centered in the stick better and resists flexing if the rappel starts on a slop where the safety carabiners come in contact with the rock face. The Smooth Operator has a longer unsupported span between the carabiners on either side and if the slope of the rappel is such where the rope would be pulling down on the stick after the rappeler has weighed the device, the smooth operator will flex. Think of each carabiner being a leg on the table with a long span of table between the legs. The rap sure uses the inner holes for those carabiners and the outer holes are used for the pull cord. The Rap Sure has 4 holes (therefore it's the "holiest" device) and there is a religious pun in there, since so much canyoneering happens in Utah, religious puns are a thing. The slogan is "use the Rap-sure (pun on "Rapture") or get left behind. Hope all this makes sense. This is one of those things easier explained with a diagram than words.
Daily uploads are doin it for me. It helps to feel more engaged with the channel and I'd say I've been more likely to watch the videos recently 👍
Stopper knots!!!!! Good to see you folks stressing the importance!
Andy is a skydiving/base jumping legend. Wasn't expecting to see him!
Fascinating! I feel this would be great in Moab where pulling long heavy ropes will groove the rock.
i haven't even climbed in probably 20 years, and i still love this channel. i never really climbed with gear either. i don't know the terms, but i would go up a wall about 10 feet or so, then climb sideways all the way around. a fall would have been painful but not lethal (except for one climb i did across the side of a quarry... why did i do that)
Hey Man,
Looks like you put some real effort into this one. Glad you had fun. Enjoyed it.
I would love to see a video where you use random items as fiddle sticks (rocks, small logs, stuff you can find in the wild, etc.) thanks for a great video as usual ❤
"Two hands is not going to get that out" That is what she said, and what Ryan said for the BPL
About the shirt designs: i really like the "super good enough" slogan. But, as an non-highliner the disign is to highliney. Maybe an idea to add a climber-oriented design using this slogan?
I need more shirt designs for sure!
RUclips stop recommending me the funny high liner challenge, I am afraid of heights thank you very much. I'll keep watching these even though I'm never setting foot on a mountain wall :-)
Very cool to see numbers on this. If you get into more canyoneering tests it would be interesting to see failure test for marginal anchors such as cairns, vs and bags, backpacks, etc.
I love that the fiddlestick makes the weirdest freaking bowline/sheet bend you'll ever see
Fascinating stuff. The problems with pulling it out of the webbing made me think of the skydiving industry - different use case, being a life safety issue if it DOESN'T come out, but the closing pin that secures the main and reserve parachutes are curved so that they release properly from the closing loop. But then I doubt that you want to be on a line that is held by a smooth round curved metal spike!
REALLY want to see you pull a Beal Escaper. I think it’ll slip rather than break outright, but I’d love to see what it does.
yeah, this is the "bounce" thing he references. I've seen a lot of testing of it, Yann from Bliss Climbing swears by it.
The Beal escaper is the expensive option, that is recommended by most guides!
The poor option is a sheepshank with the middle stand cut, so that you only leave maybe a meter of rope behind. Apparently the sheepshank will collapse and fail after a certain weight.
Everything will colapse and fall after a certain weight if the weight is high enough. 😁
Yes, I started vertical sports with canyoneering. I’m so stoked you are interested in it. You should break test an Omni sling and a macrame retrievable rope.
The jiggle method can be done with a sheepshank knot at the top as it won’t come loose under load, when tide properly. I’ve also used a Yosemite bowline loop around the rope with some paracord ties to the loop; when you pull the paracord the loop simply is pulled down just like using a double rope. You have to be quite confident and trusting in your pioneering skills to use the sheepshank method. When you tie the sheepshank you cut 1 of the 3 legs after you load the knot; this method does leave a short length of rope at the top which isn’t leave no trace.
Loved the slowmo sequence of the rope being thrown, so unexpected and hilarious
I don't highline, I don't slackline. But I subbed because you seem like a nice person trying to help your community and I really like watching you.
"help"??? You'll still find some guys stupid enough to try the same "experiment" because they've seen a video on youtube. Seriously, they don't use any backup technique in case it fails
@@grosminetytp5520 uhhh, ok? not sure what that has to do with him trying to help the community with his channel.
I have to admitt that is a pretty slick highline setup!
Seams really light too
Nice!
Really great video. I never heard of a fiddle stick before. Props for walking a fiddled line!
Just saw a TV commercial for Ryan’s new Discovery + series. The big quote from the commercial…. “They must live every moment cause they could die any second.” What a dramatic new tag line and T-shirt motto, lol…
Ryan is to be known as No Backup Ryan from now on!! Seriously doing an experiment on a highline and not having a super solid backup ? Backup and main both had hairpin triggers to pull cords!
Have become a fan of this channel over the last 10 or so days awesome stuff, im to much of wuss to try any of it but its really cool to see yall do it.
Be cool to see some failure tests on typical rigging and anchors used by canyoneers, sandtraps, water traps, and contigency rigging
inb4 1 million subs, in all honesty this channel is super under rated. great content, always give me anxiety. nice work!
Very cool. Love when Andy is in the videos
Come on guys, let´s all subscribe so that our human test dummy (Ryan) doesn´t have to wear the same pair of yellow pants every day!
I was thinking of getting a 2nd pair of the same pants so i could wash them occasionally :)
@@HowNOT2 I know buddy, I know
Awesome! Perhaps use a wave bolt as the fiddlestick (break test?), and with a soft release on the tension side!
You we're talking about the Beal Escaper. The thing you wiggle and it get's loose ;)
Connect a short length of 10mm static rope to the end of your webbing. Fiddle Stick the static rope instead of the webbing. It'll release easier.
Thanks for the great work you do! ☮️❤️🌈 In skydiving we use a "stainless steel curved closing pin" to pass through a "closing loop" (just an eyelet or bite of 2mm braided nylon) that passes through a hole in the "closing flap" of the "main container" that holds your "main canopy". There, now you're ready to skydive. #PoesLaw Seriously though, you could use the same concept in place of a Fiddlestick in your highline webbing. It's like a Marlin Spike that is curved to accommodate the fact that you are pulling it parallel to the load instead of perpendicular. Words are hard. Find some photos. The internet is your friend.
Double rings as used in arborist work. and they are strong. Single point anchors is NUTS!
This implementation of the fiddle stick into the highline seemed sooo sketchy, but I think it shows promise. I definitely don't think you should have the webbing wrapped around the fiddle stick, but maybe you could make a soft shackle with a long tail or strong climbing rope.
The problem with the fiddle stick being too difficult to pull could be solved by using a soft release at the tension side.
Also you could thread the release cord back through the bolt so after the fiddle stick pops you can gentle lower the line down.
I would defo not trust the line you walked but with some modifications and a bunch more testing it could be viable for lines where one anchor is hard to access
I think the plastic is too soft, especially to use with loads this high. Make it an aluminum tube and it will not only be stronger but it will also pull out a lot more smoothly. On the downside it’ll have less friction while you want the friction to be high, as well, ie, the risk of it pulling out before you want it to will also go up.
@@JasperJanssen yeah that's a good shout, ideally the mbs should be around 30kN
@@tobiasbrewin4355 basically, it needs a lot of testing to find out what kind of material is a) strong enough b) has enough friction and c) has low enough friction. And the testing is most likely not a priori going to be valid for all rope/sling materials wrapped around the marlinspike, either. I wonder who we know that likes testing things?
A thought I had is - metal snake solid? - What if you make a wavy metal stick, will that hold better and still be easier to remove by using a jerking pull?
PS: I’m pretty sure the ideal technique for removing any of these involves jerking, if at all possible, rather than high continuous pressure with a winch.
PPS: You might also consider dyneema line for the pull cord. The low friction might help it pass across the rock, , and high strength means you can use 2.4 or even 1.8 mm and still be stronger than 450 para. On the downside I guess there’s the chafing damage while using it, but generic UHMWPE cord in 1.8 or 2.4 is suuuuper cheap, and if it breaks, you don’t lose your life, just your rope, and as such, well... more easily worth taking a chance on, right?
thought this would be just another break test video... but man it was a good one.
OMG! living on the edge! Good job Ryan :-)
Another Canyoneering anchor I'd love to see tested is the figure 8 contingency anchor that allows someone at the top by the anchor to lower someone on rappel in the event the rope is not long enough or their rap device jams
So the name of the knot is a marlinspike hitch. It's been used for pulling on line and Twine for about 400 years that we know of probably longer it's a wonderful night very stable.
Great stuff! One comment on the "will the fiddlestick come out at the wrong time" question. On a typical canyoneering rappel, with extra rope friction, it seems like the max load the fiddlestick will see is ~50-60% of bodyweight. In that situation I think it is much easier to accidentally knock the stick out by jamming it against a wall or pull it out by snagging the pull cord. I'd be curious to see what the combinations are of forces in the mainline and forces required to pull the stick out. Keep being sketchy so we don't have to!
Happy birthday Ryan! Thanks for the videos
I'd be surprised if this was the first time this comment has been made, but I would love to see the "Kamakazi Knot" tested for single sided repelling where you make a sheep shank and then cut the line that connects the two loops, and as long as you keep tension the knot holds itself together but once you get to the bottom you can, supposedly, shake the rope loose and only lose a little bit of rope.
This has been great, confidence building video for friends. Thanks so much guys!
1:45..... I agree 100%, pulling out before your done totally sucks.
You can use an alipline butterfly with a locking carabiner to do a single rappell and when you are done you pull on the other end of the rope, you are only rappelling on one side but you need to have both ends touching the ground so you can retrieve the rope from the bottom
Toggles are primarily in canyoneering. They help avoid rope groves and deal with rope pull issues.
They been used for years in canyoneering and zero issues.
I've wondered about these for so long! I'm so glad you torture tested them!!!
I'm like, "fiddlestick" oh that could be useful for some of my repels. Then Ryan throws it on a Highline and I'm like, F@#& THAT!!! Balls of Steel! Very interesting research for sure. Thanks Ryan!
Love the videos! So informative and fun to watch.
Tests the breaking strength on the highline setup AFTER he goes out and tries it, seemed like that’s what he alluded to at least.
I love that rope color, it's either purple or my favorite color Royal Blue.
For the release of the mainline, perhaps a quick detension, or a soft release on the tensioning side would loosen things up enough to pop out that fiddlestick
The "wiggle" method uses a sheep shank with the unstressed strand cut before you rappel. It works! and sometimes can be detached by shaking (sometimes not 🤨), but I'd love to see it stress tested. And maybe try fiddle sticks made from different materials (I assume yours were Lexan?) try wood, carbon fiber, aluminum, steel, etc. 👍
IDK if you've already seen it before but the Equivocation Hitch a similar single line retrievable anchor technique that using only the rap line. I've used it rapping off bolts, rap rings or simply slung a round a tree.
Guys if you’re getting free information from this awesome channel and you’re not subscribed then we can’t be friends 🤷🏻♂️
Im subscriber for 2 years love the channel
"I've never dont this before, this is (turns head, sketchy AF sticker shows)"
perfect
Is really interesting to see the difference between canyoning in the the States and (my own) Canyon technics over europe
Good job!
(Sorry for bad english BTW)
I'd like to see how much force you would need to pull the fiddlestick out of the knot when the rope is under tension. I feel like that's a more realistic scenario even if it's less entertaining than breaking it.
Happy Birthday back when this was filmed, Ryan!
Big Fan Here! A bit concerned that you used a 'home made' Toggle, rather than an actual Imlay FiddleStick, or Bluugnome Smooth Operator. The homemade toggle is a rather crude. Also, you should point out that it is polycarbonate rather the the weak acrylic that is easier to find at the hardware store. Happy to send you any ropes or devices you would like to test. (Very concerned that Highlining produces higher loads. Canyoneering is a stupid sport... but highlining?)
As you have shown, works with rope, not so much with webbing.
(later) Good job showing that this is not a Highlining device.
This is one of your best vids!!
If you are doing marginal canyoneering anchors you should test the sandtrap and the CEM knot
@IHowNOT2 (or whom ever else actually knows how these "sticks" work :)
I might be totally wrong, but my understanding of how the "fiddleStick" is "supposed to work is that while the rope that the "stick" is "jamming" is under tension, the rope is "pinching" the "stick" and preventing it from getting pulled.
And if that assumption is correct You would need to "slack of " the webbing in order to pull that last "fiddleStick".
Then again I might have totally misunderstood how this works (is supposed to work).
How ever I really enjoyed the video, and that is all that matters since I neither climb, rappel or slackline :)
Best regards.
This seems safer then the Beal escaper lol..I have one and have tested it about 10 times now on horizontal ground..Haven't had the balls to actually try it on a rappel yet..It does work it just seems slippery when new..I wanna get some friction fuzz on the system before I real world use it
I used it a couple of times in real life situations. It was just so hard to retrieve, I had to tug it for real like 20 times to get it undone. Pretty safe if you ask me.
@@moonti6820 huh..Mine comes out with just about 10 quick tugs...I wonder if the weight of the rope makes a difference too on how much easier it rebounds and pulls through the system
Super Good Enogh shirts and caps with graphics related to climbing, or no graphic at all would be nice.
1/8 Amsteel is far superior to pull cord for pulling a fiddle stick. It’s way stronger and the zero stretch creates less of a projectile hazard.
Or your could just tie it to your climb rope and do a rap like everyone else. Minimum MBS of static ropes is 20 kN and your amsteel only needs to be half that because its only doing half the work.
@@numbers1606 please explain. (I'm a noob, trying to get into climbing).
@@numbers1606 Toggles are to reduce rope grooves, reduce the chance of stuck ropes and ghosting canyons.
@@JohnnyYuma405 you wont make grooves in any of the self belay methods.
@@elmeradams8781 the fiddlesticks use a tagline which would never be in a life supporting role so I was making a joust that if you use 1/8 amsteel (10 kN) as a tagline you might as well use it to extend your rope instead. Canyoneers rap all day on 6mm 8kN rope. The one advantage the fiddlestick is supposed to have is that you wont have to pull a lot of rope but dropping a line extended with amsteel will zip right through. Retrievable slings are way less sketchy.
polished titanium tube with rounded over ends with the rope attachment going through a middle pipe all the way from one end to the other, rounded entry and exit, with a stopper knot on the end. could be 7075 t6 as well to lower the cost
Hi. In contrary, I think pulling it parallel to the rappel line can produce a wrench motion that might release the grip on the fiddlestick.
I broke a smooth operator once on a rappel. While pulling the tag line to retrieve it the tip of the smooth operator broke on either side of the hole the rope went through and my tag line came falling down without the smooth operator. I wasn't even pulling very hard yet. The stick remained in the stone knot. BG was super nice and replaced it for free. Luckily I was able to get back up to my anchor to retrieve my rope.
the version we use has more material (i.e. smaller holes) so less likelihood of that happening. Pretty interesting to know, though.
Great video! I do a lot of canyoneering and have always wondered how strong those are!
Glad to see the strength of the marlin spike (aka fiddler stick) considering how much I use it in hammocks
Yep. So commonplace in the hammock community. Usually a marlinspike hitch on a length of webbing.
Wow this is amazing. That plastic fiddlestick is not as strong as I would have hoped. You know most canyoneers rappel on 8mm static rope. I bet the thinner rope would cut through that fiddlestick at much lower force than the 10mm rope you used.
Uh, no. Smaller rope actually puts smaller bending forces on the stick.
Are you kidding me?? They're stronger than cams.
Wit thinner rope the knot would be smaller and the levers eventually breaking the stick shorter, so I'm not sure if it would actually be weaker.
@Tom Jones Check out 8:51 when the fiddlestick gets cut in half with a sawing type motion. Please re-read my comment I never said anything about bending which is a different failure mode. At 19:27 a larger piece of webbing is used causing increased bending force and the fiddlestick only bends doesn't break. The breaking looks to be a combination of bending with that sawing type of friction from the smaller 10mm rope. An even smaller 8mm rope would produce an even more concentrated cut which could cause the fiddlestick to break at a lower force rather than just bend.
@A R Yes I do agree the fiddlestick is far stronger than it needs to be and perfectly safe in terms of it's durability. That said I was still surprised to see it cut in half like at 8:51 and think it might be halved sooner with a smaller rope (not because of horizontal bending). Overall the clear danger of the fiddlestick is not getting to these levels of forces and breaking but rather if it can be pulled out of the knot. It was quite reassuring to see it yanked on under load without coming out. So reassuring that I might even pick one up. Backing up all but last man on rappel provides even less opportunity for it to come out.
What if the fiddlesticks were kinda boomerang shaped or curved so that they would pull out a bit easier with the pull cord at an acute angle? Just a thought.
How about strength testing the equivocation hitch, aka macrame knot or hitch? My preference would be for a dynamic climbing rope of varying diameters. Thanks!!
So sketchy doooooood! Can't believe you tested both your line and backup on an unproven setup. Wooooof
It was a redundantly bad idea haha
I'm part of the twenty%.. It really should be the other way around. 80% subbed..
I mean like its 2021 people come on!
You hang out with Sketchy Andy for one day, one day! Now this...
Guys just fiddleing their sticks. Seems like a nice video.
Not sure what's scarier rappelling with a piece of plastic supporting my life or rappelling of of only one bolt. I know that one bolt is way good enough to hold me its just years of always making an anchor redundant that makes it scary to trust just one
I don't know, out sportclimbs here in northern Germany always have only one bolt. Even in sketchy sandstone, despite it being a extra long gluein, it is only one. Doesn't feel comfy at all, but that's how everyone does it here, and even out local climbing association says it is fine.
Good luck-any accidents that you know of? I visit Germany occasionally, and I’ve always wanted to go climbing while there
@@davidwarren719 The bolts usually don't fail, as they are replaced when dodgy or like I said, are bomber glueins. (Not always, not everywhere) The accidents happen when the part of the rock where the bolt is in comes down, especially in sandstone. I heard of this happening occasionally. I like to have redundancy when rappelling, but the DAV thinks it is not necessary for sport routes and rappelling of one bomber bolt would be fine. It has to do with the ethics to place as few bolts as possible in the rock.
@@GoodLuck-rh8tb i like that logic cant place one more bolt for rappelling to safe lives put can put 10 bolt in for the Climbing route.
@@GoodLuck-rh8tb Have you read about the accident last year in Frankenjura? Check it out: ig-klettern.org/2021/05/ammerthaler-wand-die-ursache-des-hakenbruchs/ Top roping on single bolt that was not glued flush to the rock, bolt broke. Now they replaced many of those single anchor points as a result.
Test with rope instead of a fiddle...and that hitch is called a Marlin Spike hitch...as you can guess it's where the Marlin Spike came from.
Well, no, the marlin spike was there first. Sailors used it to dress knots and generally as a lever to work with highly tensioned lines (especially to open up knots to remove them). The marlin spike hitch comes after, by inserting the marlin spike in the place of the fiddlestick.
Happy Birthday Ryan!! 🥳
What about detensioning the system from the side you are pulling from before fiddling your stick?
This is used alot for hammock suspension systems :
called a "Marlin spike hitch" using a toggle / marlinspike (stick)
ruclips.net/video/giumWY1zknU/видео.html
Yeah, but trusting my life on it at 100ft is different than sleeping on a hammock 3ft from the ground.
I'd rather just buy another rope...
marlin spike hitches are 100+ years old, they are very reliable.
It would be really interesting to test an aluminium, or steel fiddlestick... Though sharp burrs would suck.
I don't think I would ever use a fiddle stock on a bolt. There are better methods of descending single strand. I carry my fiddlestick in every canyon but I only use it if I can't go off other anchors
Donkeys years ago for caving we were using a metal rod inside of a milled piece of Nylon or teflon, can't remember (i guess) in stead of that piece of plastic. i'd be afraid that plastic would break and i'd start flying unintentionally LOL! The milled plastic was thicker at it's ends than in the middle and the stainless rod, impossible to fail. U have balls going on that bit of lucite or whatever plastic it was.
Yeah, I was thinking once the plastic hits the ground there may be a micro crack in it, and you may not see the crack.
Beal makes a system, it might be called the Escape, not sure though. hopefully you can find it and test it out because it is something I am interested in buying to use. Now that I am aware of fiddle sticks I may have to find or make one to try out. thanks for the cool content!