![]() ![]() Users can opt-in to the program while checking out on or at one of our stores or at any time within 30 days of purchase to accrue the MJ$ earned on that purchase. The program is FREE to join and membership is ongoing until or unless the user requests to be removed or is removed due to abuse of the program. ![]() Web.All users must accept these terms and conditions and create an account with Moosejaw to opt-in to the program and earn, accrue, retain and redeem Moosejaw Reward Dollars (MJ$). » L’association Développement et Promotion des Métiers sur Cordes (DPMC). « Guide des Nœuds et des Ammarages dans les Travaux Sur Cordes: Resistances et Applications. ¹ Marc Gratalon, Vincent Lecomte, Isabelle Fouquet, Sylvain Borie, Chris Bouilhol, Antoine Heil. Maybe it’ll be just another gimmick, or maybe it really could change the face of the Canyoning Quickdraw. In a few months, I will report back on the performance of the ACQ. Luckily, the northern hemisphere canyoning season is upon us, and the ACQ will join the ranks on my gear loops. The true test of any piece of equipment is time in the canyon. But it’s less easy to imagine where it will lack. It’s easy to ramble on about how this piece of equipment is superior to other methods it’s lighter, more compact, more versatile, yada yada yada. What remains now for the Alpine Canyon Quickdraw is in-field testing. With a simple construction of two mini-HMS carabiners and a 60cm sling, the versatility and utility of the ACQ is a matter of the user. It could be used for many things for example, making a simple deviation on a rappel. Of course, the ACQ doesn’t have to be resigned to creating belay anchors only. The above are the basic techniques for creating belays with the Alpine Canyon Quickdraw. Though, the advantage of the simple overhand knot is also the technique’s greatest disadvantage, as the overhand knot can become difficult to untie after a heavy load. Equalized, the Vertaco Belay boasts an astounding 23kN breaking strength¹. ![]() This is because the technique uses minimal amount of sling to create the focal point, a significant advantage over the standard pre-equalizing technique. When extension is a possible concern, the Vertaco Belay is the best option for a 60cm sling. The Vertaco Belay Anchor is redundant, equalized, and non-extending. After, a carabiner is clipped through both loops on either side of the knot. The knot is then adjusted until it is equalized at the focal point of the anticipated load direction. It is created by tying an overhand knot with the sling, and connecting each loop to the anchors. The Vertaco Belay Anchor is a lesser known technique which probably deserves more credit (The name is adapted from French, but I’m sure there is another English name for it somewhere). ![]() As well, what if the rappel had a big swing in it? How do you equalize that? Lastly, and most importantly for me, it was a damn clunky piece of kit. For one, the semi-static rope anchor would bounce, increasing rope rub. I’ll admit it was effective and safer, but it wasn’t ideal for me. The new school was using this piece of rope to make bolts redundant and equalized. He would clip this piece of rope to two points, and then he’d tie a master point. He asked me why I still used my Canyon Quickdraw? It was old school. He used this rope for everything, from extending his cowstail to the anchor, to equalizing two bolts. A good friend, Benjamin Buchy, was the first to show me in 2013 a ~1.5 metre piece of semi-static rope with two figure-8s at each end (Side note* Ben has an excellent blog at ). Some french professionals have already been facing this problem. Redundancy alone is inadequate in these scenarios. Why keep using the quickdraw at all? Sure it’s quick to make two bolts redundant, but what about equalizing? If one point breaks under load x, the other point might receive load x + a Fall Factor. Laurent’s question was the icing on the cake to a number of debates I had with other great canyoneers. In Part I of my column The Canyon Quickdraw, I ended with a question that Laurent Poublan, Head Training Master at ICOpro, had asked me: Could I think of a way to use a quickdraw to create a central point between two unlinked anchors? Using a quickdraw, is there a way to create a Master Point between two bolts? His question was largely directed at Ross and my’s T-Quickdraw experiment, and quite simply, the T-Quickdraw was weak at solving this problem. ![]()
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