Climbing using the Rope Wrench System
NOTICE: PRACTICE “LOW AND SLOW”
Practice all of the instructions in this section “low and slow” before ever
attempting anything at height, regardless of experience or skill level.
Ascending
Descending
WARNING: DO NOT USE AS ASCENDER
Do not attempt to hang on the Rope Wrench as you would an ascender as this
may inadvertently release the friction hitch and can lead to serious injury or
death.
WARNING: UNDERSTAND SRT
The Rope Wrench must only be used by arborists who have received training
and have practical experience with climbing using the Single Rope Technique
(SRT). Using the Rope Wrench without proper training and experience with SRT
can lead to serious injury or death.
DANGER: NOT FOR LIFE SUPPORT
The Rope Wrench is designed to act as a friction control device. It is not a life
support device. The climber must always rely on the friction hitch as primary
life support. If the friction hitch does not engage, it cannot be expected that the
Rope Wrench will slow the climber’s fall. Using the Rope Wrench as life support
will lead to serious injury or death.
Before Descending.
Ensure that the Rope Wrench has begun to engage (refer to Figure 1b.) To do this, move the Rope Wrench
as far up the climbing rope as possible, and while holding it there, gently release the grip of the friction
hitch so that the body weight can be partially shifted from the climbing rope to the tether, which should
then begin to engage the Rope Wrench.
Descent.
To descend, simply pull down gently on the top of the friction hitch to release its grip on the climbing rope.
The friction from the engaged Rope Wrench and partially engaged friction hitch will allow the climber to
descend at a smooth, controlled rate. At no point during descent does the Rope Wrench need to be
touched.
The Rope Wrench is NOT an ascender and plays no part in ascending. It must, however, be pulled up along
with the rest of the system as the climber ascends, in order to keep the system clean and tidy. This can
be facilitated by attaching a harness with a chest attachment point to the Tether Attachment Point of the
Rope Wrench or to the tether itself. This will help keep slack out of the system as the climber ascends.
Ascend using any desired SRT method. Hand ascenders, foot ascenders, foot loops, and the footlocking
method are all acceptable means of engaging the rope. The sit-stand method helps keep slack out of the
system.
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