Dave,
Actually in some places and some towers you can rest with your hands off
the tower without belting in. Simply place the upper part of your body
inside the tower and use your body and elbows to lock yourself in that
position. That actually is safer than hanging on with tired hands.
Maybe we should change some wording here. If anyone is following CQ
Contest there is a discussion again about what is assisted and what is
unassisted. How about calling free climbing unassisted and all others
assisted.
Doug
"Think of all the ways you can hurt yourself laughing."
-----Original Message-----
Doug, I didn't intentionally change what you said, but I'm having a
difficult time understanding the distinction since if someone can't
physically climb a tower at all none of this discussion applies anyway.
If someone was prone to acrophobia it would come into play whether
they were free climbing or constantly clipped in (trust me). About the
only valid distinction I can discern between "can't" and "won't" free
climb is if someone wasn't fit enough to periodically rest without
taking their hands off the tower. If that was your point, OK.
Your suggestions on how to negate forces beyond our control don't make
much sense to me, though. I wouldn't trust my life to any of them. A
simple strap makes far more sense.
I guess what I most don't understand about any of this discussion is
what any amateur has to gain by free climbing. Time to climb or descend
is typically minor compared with the time actually spent doing work on
the tower. It does seem idiotic to me to knowingly and significantly
risk one's life for no potential gain.
Dave AB7E
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