Having fun whilst checking our kit
Trawling through endless krabs and metres of rope may not be everyones cup of tea but hey, its kit we all use and its kit we regually dangle on and put our lives (and others) in the hands of so we should make sure its good right?
On Wednesday 6th February a small gang of us entered Dan and Lisa's living room and declared war on the tackle. Well, most of us did and some people just looked at surveys on the computer, but i wont say who....
Fumbling through the some old kit and instantly deciding it was for the bin was the easy bit, its the decision making around the ropes and crabs that are close to their end of life but do still have some miles left in them which provided the best conversation and debate of the evening. With a wide range of experience we were able to inspect and record our findings on the papertrail account and also make some important remarks and comments about other aspects of kit function and its use. To top it all off we had a beer too!
So, a few key points to raise and some new kit to buy!
Kit to buy:
We are now looking to replace an SRT kit and keen for people to give us ideas about othre brands and makes of kit that is now more common place than the Petzl Standard (Alp kit, MTDE, AV etc.)
We also need to replace some rope lengths and a few crabs but these can probably wait until the next AGM to make final deciisons
Key points for members:
Please look after the gear
Please wash the ropes and dry them properly after use (check manufacturers instructions if you are not sure, but 30degrees and pure soap flakes works well)
Ensure you are properly PRE-USE CHECKING the kit you use, if you are not sure how kit works, looks or should function ASK!
Most of the gear is Beal (rope), DMM or Petzl so you can find out all the instructions for pre-use checks and functions online with great videos and resources to support
Finally, if you notice any damage or something that is not right - OR - you damage it or end up doing something epic with the gear please INFORM THE TAKLE MASTER ASAP and put the gear in a place where is CANNOT BE USED until final inspection has taken place.
If you are new to kit checking or need any more information or advice please drop me a line!
Thanks for hosting Dan and Lisa and thanks to those who turned up!
Tom
