Some gear.

I'd like write for a moment about some gear items I've purchased and used over the past few months.

First, the Matt Cornell Rope Saddle. I'd like to say that the concept behind this saddle is awesome. The aesthetics of the saddle is what sold me, just a beautifully crafted piece and so reminiscent of the gear of old. Also, the lasting guarantee of the pads and the ease of replacing the nuts and bolts of the saddle is a wonderful advantage.

On the downside however, the saddle is extremely heavy, without any gear on it to begin. The leather of the waistbelt/back support, once saturated with sweat, presents an irritable situation on the lower ribs and hips. Also, because the rope that is the true rated support of the saddle is not actually connected to the waist belt, when you rotate while lanyarded in to the D-rings, the saddle itself moves while the rope of the waist belt does not, causing a heavy amount of friction on the scaffold knots that anchor the hip rings (or side D-rings). Just after a month of constant use I noticed heavy wear on the right side scaffold knot of the hip ring.

As far as it being customizable, there is really no end to the creativity that the saddle allows for. You pay for what you get, and with the MCRS, you get a whole lot of material. If lightweight is your thing, this is at the opposite end of the spectrum. If you're a badass, then this is the saddle for you.

Next, the Sidewinder lanyard management device by Ropetek. I just love this piece of gear. I was so plagued by a good approach to managing my lanyard. I tried coils, knots, clips, you name it. Nothing was as quick and easy as the retractable features of the sidewinder.

As far as the downside, it is a bit bulky and exposed on the side of the saddle. Also, every so often I find myself having to un-hockle the back end of my lanyard, even with a swivel-style rope snap, because of the back end of the lanyard being fixed inside the device. On this piece of gear though, the  good outweighs the bad.

Finally, I've just recently picked up the Omni block 1.5 from Rock Exotica. Although I've only had it in circulation for about week, I've used it for light rigging applications such as hauling up my polesaw and pole clip, lowering light pieces of brush, re-directing rig lines and re-directing speed lines. Also, being that I have it girth hitched to a piece of HRC hitch chord, I can install it above my climbing system in-line on rope and create a 3:1 mechanical advantage while climbing. The midline attachment quality along with the swivel feature make this piece of kit super well rounded. Thumbs up here as well.

That's all for now. Climb high and stay safe.

Pittsburgh Climbing Competition 2015.

I Had a blast competing this weekend in Pittsburgh with some great friends, both old and new. The Western comp is always an excellent event and despite the rain, there was some outstanding climbing! Great set-up, my hat goes off to everyone that made it possible. Here is some footage of the action.