WHAT'S SO MAGIC ABOUT MAGIC PLATES? - Glenmore Lodge

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▲ FIGURE 2 From left to right:– Kong Gi Gi (similar to the New Alp Magic Plate); Petzl Reverso (this is the original model now superseded by the Reverso 3); Cassin PIU’; Black Diamond ATC Guide; Petzl Reverso 3 (one of the lightest guide plates currently available) it was a very steep pitch). In due course, he brought the other two of us up the pitch. I well mind it being steep and a couple of times as I was removing ice screws thinking ‘a tight rope would be good!’ When I got to the stance I was slightly shocked to see the plate simply clipped to the anchor and the rope clipped in such ▲ IMAGE 9 ‘...another option is to clip a sling to the breaking krab...’ that a way that it was just running through the krab with zero breaking or friction abilities whatsoever. So... moral of the story is read the instructions, or at least practice using your new toy before putting it to use on an actual climb. This next section will look at how these devices can be used, and illustrate some ways you can adapt what the instructions say to make some of the tasks you may wish to carry out on a stance a bit easier, as well as highlight some top tips and handy hints. I’ll not be running through how to use all of these devices on an individual basis, but will group them into broad categories, so the old style Reverso and the Gi Gi are devices that do not allow you to easily lower the seconds, whilst the brand new Reverso 3 and the ATC Guide all allow you to lower your seconds using the plate in ‘guide mode’ ie. when it is set up as a guide plate. Devices that do not easily allow lowers These are the older generation of guide plates. The Gi Gi from Kong is a development of the original Magic Plate but has a raised spine running its length. This fulcrum makes it easier, especially if using ropes of slightly different diameters, in the event of one rope being loaded to easily take in the other rope. The instructions for the Gi Gi show it being used for abseiling etc but I must admit I tended to only use mine as a guide plate. It’s very similar to the old school New Alp Magic Plate in how you use the device and how you set-up to lower. The old style Reverso is one of the first plates that allowed you to easily use it as both a guide plate and as a belay/abseil device. This type of Reverso is being replaced by the new Reverso 3 (see below). To lower one of the seconds down you can do the pump action as shown in Image 7 – remember you need to use a krab that has a square or T-section back bar to make this effective, and the rope has to be fully weighted. Ideal if all you have to do is allow a small amount of slack into the system. If you were to lower one, or both, of your seconds down the pitch, you may choose to use the method shown in Fig 1 A to C. The advantage of this method is that it allows a nice safe and controlled lower. Another option is to clip a sling to the breaking krab as shown in Image 9, clip this through the anchor as shown, then either clip it to yourself or stand in it. This releases the breaking krab and allows you to lower. HOWEVER, this method is either on or off ie. get this wrong and you can drop the second. It requires careful practice to get right. My own opinion is if I were going to lower someone back down a pitch, I would go for the method shown in Fig 1 A to C as it allows far more control. Devices that easily allow lowers The next category includes all these devices that allow you to lower using the plate in guide mode ie. self locking. They all have a similar design as you can see. All of these devices can be used as belay/abseil devices, and can be used to bring up two seconds at the same time. I’ll use the new Reverso 3 to illustrate how you can lower your seconds using the device. So you set the plate up in guide mode. Again, if you use a krab with a square or Tsection back bar, you still have the option of using that pump action to release some slack into the system if the rope(s) are weighted (I did notice though that, as the Reverso 3 is very light – 72g compared to the ATC guide’s weight of 102g – then using this method does tend to mark the back of the device as the metal is softer than the krab you are using). However, the real beauty of these devices is they allow you to lower, easily and quickly, using the plate. Image 10 shows how this is done, as per the instructions from Petzl, when one second has weighted the rope. You jam a krab into the small hole at the front of the device and pull up and back (Image 10A). This releases the locking krab and allows you to FIGURE OF EIGHT TO BACK UP LOADED ROPE UNLOADED ROPE SPONSORED BY LOADED ROPE ▲ IMAGE 10 ‘...the real beauty of these is they allow you to lower, easily and quickly, using the plate...’ smoothly lower the second. One of the things to bear in mind with this method is that it can still be a bit binary ie. off or on. Care should be taken to ensure you have a good hold of the lowering rope because when that load comes onto the breaking rope it will do so suddenly – which is why the other second’s rope has a back-up figure of eight tied into it, although another option would be to have the other second continue to climb to get onto the belay before you start lowering the stuck second. In practice, what I have found is that this can be awkward to do and, as I said, it is a bit on or off so care has to be taken. What I have found works just as effectively is the method shown in Image 11 – this time it shows both seconds being lowered. What I would suggest is to run the braking rope through the anchor as shown in Image 11. This then allows a more controlled braking force to be exerted on the braking rope. Note: I’ve changed the way the plate faces. By setting up the plate like so, it’s easier to clip your seconds into the belay without ▲ IMAGE 10A ‘You jam a krab into the small hole at the front of the device and pull up and back.’ AMInews SEPTEMBER ... 27
ROPE RUN THROUGH TOP KRABS STUCK SECONDS ▲ IMAGE 11 Note: Reverso 3 is attached other way round to facilitate easier clipping of seconds onto belay. having their ropes coming underneath the device and mitigates against any tangles. I would not just read this though – nothing beats having a play around with your guide plate before heading out onto the crag to try it out with your mates or clients. One issue of lowering your clients is what do they do when they get back down to the stance they’ve just left – assuming of course they have stripped the belay? On balance, it might be better to assist them in climbing past the section they are struggling with. One advantage with guide plates is it is very easy to set OTHER SECOND ON STANCE & CLIPPED IN PULL UP ROPEMAN OR PRUSIK ATTACHED TO LOAD ROPE STUCK SECOND ▲ IMAGE 12 ‘...in this example the other second has made it to the stance and is clipped in.’ up an unassisted hoist. Image 12 shows this in action using a Ropeman, but you could just as easily use a prusik – in this example the other second has made it to the stance and is clipped in. Using an unassisted hoist allows you to give a great deal of help to a struggling second. This has the advantage that if one or both of your seconds are struggling then you can quickly and easily give them a very tight rope. It’s easy to set up and equally as easy to remove so they need never know that your superhuman strength came not from superpowers but from slick improvised rescue skills! top tips and handy hints Tip No 1 When using the device in guide mode, always use a krab with a square or T-section back bar as the braking bar. This allows you to pump the krab to lower a loaded rope. In addition it provides better bite when using iced up or muddy/wet ropes. Krabs with round back bars do ▲ IMAGE 13 ▲ IMAGE 14 not bite so well and it is possible, with icy ropes, that the device does not lock as the broad section of the krab’s back bar fails to bite through the icy covering on the rope, causing it to not lock but run. Tip No 2 If you set your guide plate up as shown in Image13 you’ll find it easier to clip your seconds’ ropes into the belay without crossing them or getting into a muddle. Tip No 3 You don’t always have to clip the seconds’ ropes into the belay. If All this talk of lowering or hoisting seconds does beg the question – could you have avoided this drama in the first place? That question takes us back full circle and the first paragraph of ‘In the beginning’. The starting point to operating effectively with two clients is addressing the ‘What to do’ – finding out where they are at in their current climbing performance and experience – then addressing the ‘How to do it’ – choice of climb appropriate to the clients aims and abilities; what rope type and system (single Vs half; parallel Vs Series); belay method (Direct belay Vs Semi-direct); how to rig the stance and so on. In addition, good and easy to understand communication between all members of the team is vital. In effect, the seconds understand what is to happen, how it should happen and when it will happen. So you see, although we get new toys to play with as the years roll on, some things just don’t change – it’s still, and always will be, about making the right call at the right time. you have two guide plates, you can leave your seconds clipped to the first guide plate as shown in Image 14. Then, at the next stance, you whip out the other guide plate you are carrying and bring up your team. This method has the advantage that it is very quick. However it does presuppose that you are planning on bringing both seconds up at the same time, or at least ensure you have both on belay as, once they unclip that braking krab from the plate, then both are no longer secured to the anchor. Tip No 4 Strive to use high anchor points as shown in Image 15. It makes pulling in the ropes easier and makes subsequent stacking of your seconds easier. SPONSORED BY Acknowledgments Thanks to Allen Fyffe, Ian Sherrington and the guys on the MIA Training Course at the Lodge in late July 2008. Sources www.kong.it www.bdel.com http://en.petzl.com Summary As we have seen the use of guide plates is a comparatively modern idea. They’ve come a long way from the basic flat metal plate of the New Alp Magic Plate, yet methods such as using belay plates and body belays, still have a place in any instructor/guide’s technical repertoire. Guide plates do make the whole process of bringing up two seconds more efficient, but they still rely on the instructor/guide making sound judgements about where, why and how they use these devices. Given that guide plates work best off direct belays, we do have to ensure the belay we are using is totally bomb proof. If in doubt, best to use some other method, and consider bringing up your seconds one at a time. Technical considerations aside, we still have to make appropriate judgements about the nature of the climb we are undertaking with our clients and whether it is appropriate for them. I’ve bundled a collection of top tips and handy hints for using these guide plates below. ▲ IMAGE 15 AMInews SEPTEMBER ... 29
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Page 3: IMAGE 6 ▲ The New Alp Magic Plate

WHAT'S SO MAGIC ABOUT MAGIC PLATES? - Glenmore Lodge

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