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2Autopsy of the Gibbs Ascender by A. GrignardCasually translated by the staff of the AMeS Activities Letter fromSpeleologia Belgica, No.3, 1975.At the present time the speleological world of Belgian is infatuatedby the Gibbs ascender. This is due in my opinion to several factors: inthe mind of the public, that which is made in the U.S.A. is necessarilybetter, more carefully constructed; a clever publicity blow has done therest. Among 99% of Belgian cavers the choice of these ascenders has notdepended on practical observations on the ground but has been influencedin a totally subjective manner.In fact, what is the Gibbs all.about? Is it the solution to ourproblems? I answer no and I will give my reasons:This ascender IS light and more sturdy than other existin~ types andapparently well conceived. It is true it will permit extraordinarily fastperformances on long lengths of rope rigged away from all walls. Thus inthe deep pits of Central America (200, 300, 400 meters even) this equipmentis absolutely without equivalent. These grand pits are nothing butholes in the ground in which the entrance is in most cases in the open airand is not followed by any cave system. I admit that this kind of pit isfar from abundant on our old continent. Will all the Belgian c~vers whobought Gibbs go to Central America?Let us first look at the classic aspect of big European systems: theseare successions of pits separated by horizontal passages, sometimes long,difficult, and/or narrow. In other words caves are complex and acrobaticsar~.~ometimes required. These circumstances are often aggravated by thepresence of water and always mud which handicaps the equipment.Having set the scene. let us turn to the ascender itself and to itsinconveniences.1. The method of using the Gibbs to ascend implies bearing them on the legs.Those who climb with jumars will see immediately that the manuvers ofunhooking and of re-hooking with Gibbs involve more yoga than speleology.2. Moreover. the manipulation of Gibbs (rigging and derigging of the ropes)is rendered still more laborious by the fact that it is composed of severalindipendent parts. The builder having thought about it and having solidifiedtheM by charming little pieces of twine (or flexible metal). I invite youto consider the unhappy user: don't-Iose-the-pieces, don't-make-knots withthe twine, don't-twist-them-around-the-rope. etc.3. We will add further the presence of mud, already mentioned as veryimportant in the question of the functioning of these new inventions. Oneof my friends had a bad experience in the chasm Jean Nouveau (more than10 pits, -573m). It is a Question of G. Badino of Turin who. interested inthe method, quickly passed into the camp of the enemy. I myself made manyattempts (pit Vincent. -480m, in the Loubens-Henne system). I almostjoined the Prussiks~4. Also. if one uses as usual for ascending a Dressler and a jumar, they canduring the trip be used for a multitude of other purposes.Construction of hoistin~-p,ear: in this area I don't want to do injuryto my readers, all experienced cavers. to brin~ to mind the many and welltriedpossibilities of the Dressler. However, in spite of the words of thesellers, the possibilities of the Gibbs are practically nothing (the morphologyof the instrument will teach you that).And safety? Everyone knows the safety of the Dressler. ~~ny use it, someowe it even the pleasure of prac~icing cavin~ elsewhere than in the localcemetary; in brief, it works! But the Gibbs? These fanatics say: it slidesbetter on the rope than the Dressler. It's true but I find that what isn'tsaid is-that it slides in two directions.
35. I personally had the following experience in the R.A.C.: on one ladderI had several falls (voluntary!) depending on the Gibbs: these attemptsseemed more like free falls than like any other sport. I was never successfulin stopping a fall (not arranged of course). These attempts weredisplayed before reliable witnesses who were there to care for my multiplecontusions.Conclusions: The Gibbs is incomparable in all great verticals. In Europeone can conceive their use in certain systems: pits of Aphanice (328m), firstdrops of certain abysses: Pretta (130, 110m), Juhue (302m), Rabanne1 (130m),etc. The Gibbs is inconvenient and dangerous for all other uses.CommentGibbs ascenders are apparently being used in Europe for pruposes forwhich they were not designed. Europeans frequently use Jumars as a selfbelayon ladder climbs, and assume that Gibbs ascenders can be used in asimilar manner. The manufacturers failed to advise users that Gibbs ascenderswere not suitable for a self-belay, as few American cavers useladders for long drops and it apparently did not occur to anyone that aGibbs would be relied upon to catch an unexpected fall from a ladder. Thetests by A. Grignard should inform both American and European cavers thatGibbs are not suitable for use as a self-belay.* * * * * *Social Notes From AllOverAustin is the crossroads 0& ~peleology. Yesterday at the Kirkwood':aver House Michel Siffre was talking to Barbara ~cCloud. Michel was onhis way from France to cave in Guatemala and Barbara was on her way fromBelice to a summer job in Alaska. Barbara told Michel that he should pickup the books he left at her house. Michel said that he would try to cornethrough Belice on his lA'av home. 'achel' s ne'v book Dans les Abimes de la Terreis worth having just for- the pictures even if you c~nit read French.t-lantedA house in late August near the University to be filled with caversor a space in some caver house near the university. I figure I'll tryAustin living for a while (like 2 years), beginning September 1.Bill StoneEach map of Hoya de las Conchas has a personaly handicrafted north arrow.The north arrow was omitted from the original copy that was sent to theprinter so Peter Sprouse drafted an original north arrow on each of 200copies.
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ASSCCIATION FOR MEXICAN CAVE STUDIE
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3So the large-entranced sotano whic
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5MINA OTATES, T&~.: DSC. 25, 1974,
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MERIDA, YUC.: OCT. 1974, David McKe
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AMCSMEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES LETTEREdi
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3Michael Schulte has been working o
Page 17 and 18: 5To the right of the partition in t
Page 19 and 20: 7Diamond Cave RevisitedAndy Grubbs,
Page 21 and 22: 9CHE~-VEN-SIL-MUTSYSTEM\+--1000 ft.
Page 23 and 24: Cave Map Symbols11On the following
Page 25 and 26: 13I NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL ISOCIETY
Page 27 and 28: ASSOCIATION FOR MEXIC&~ CAVE STUDIE
Page 29 and 30: 17Discussion of Map Symbolsby Bill
Page 31: 19in a 90 meter pit could collect d
Page 35 and 36: AMCSACTIVITIES LETTEREdited by Bill
Page 37 and 38: 3After leaving Valladolid we went t
Page 39 and 40: CASI UlL 5By Bill Stone as told to
Page 41 and 42: June 97Dear AMCSRE:Diamond CaveAfte
Page 43 and 44: Anyways we speleo-boppedEstrella an
Page 45 and 46: The adrenelin still pumping through
Page 47 and 48: 13Sotano Hondo de Pina1itoBy Steven
Page 49 and 50: CAVE MAP SYMBOLS(continued)15The AM
Page 51 and 52: mechanical shading -- the dots, con
Page 53 and 54: morphogenetic feature involving gra
Page 55 and 56: height variation, say. across the w
Page 57 and 58: 23that list to include a broader se
Page 59 and 60: 25be represented by rigidly p,eomet
Page 61 and 62: 27..• D. 0. ȯGravelFEATURENOTESS
Page 63: ASSOCIATION FOR MEXICAN CAVEUAP Snm
Page 67: AlfCSACTIVITIES LETTEREdited by Bil
Page 71 and 72: volunteered to rescue the bag. They
Page 73 and 74: one large black hole near the top o
Page 75 and 76: The next day we left camp at dawn a
Page 77 and 78: 11First Exploration of NogalThursda
Page 79 and 80: '"entire passage has·solutional ro
Page 81 and 82: 13Date: January, 1975Destination: A
Page 83 and 84: 15Trip Report, Christmas-New Years
Page 85 and 86: THEOTATES MINE AREA17SIERRA DE EL A
Page 87: large storms, this arroyo sends flo
Page 90 and 91: 20but the handholds are unstable re
Page 92 and 93: 22Diamante received its name from t
Page 94: jer_I') CIRCLE ROOW•LA CUEVA DE J
Page 97 and 98: elev 1310mmeters 0Hoya de las Conch
Page 100 and 101: AMCS ACTIVITIES LETTEREdited by Bil
Page 102 and 103: 3View across the botto~ of Hoya de
Page 104: dubbed "The 170" quickly led to ano
Page 107 and 108: Roy dropped 3 pits an'i :l cave nea
Page 109 and 110: which would have been hazardous hol
Page 111 and 112: \I0YA DE LA LUZProfile B-B'Located
Page 113 and 114: 12hotic DiseasesThe August 1976 iss
Page 115 and 116: 14San Juan Area Nov 1976"eo?le: Tr~
Page 117 and 118: 16Caving in Puebla, Vera Cruz, and
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RETURN TO HUAUTLA~Jith t~e 1976-77
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20SCHOOL BUS SCOOPSZOaUITLAN AREA~)
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enU~«
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2April 1, 1977, marks the 10th anni
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TRIP REPORTSDestination: Cueva del
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5uestination: Sierra las Alazanas a
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The Fissure t..as located by T.P.
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11The next morning Francisco "Kissi
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12could scamper up a wed~ed log and
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14This idea was thwarted given an u
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16NEW YEAR'S DAY IN SAN AGUSTINan t
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1'1later Jim and I began the long c
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20Our group of six intended on rapp
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22here and poked around for leads.
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24and myself about trash and abando
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line didn't cross; nylon against ny
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...'"1IIc.21II .._1II~(,),-• c..'
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30Medical Report On The April 1977
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'32One caver alInost lost her voice
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34considered normal. The diabetic d
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36Jim Smit~ Has followinp, Blake Ha
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3~the spot would make a smaU slip.
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AMCSACTIVITIeSNewsLe TTe Rno. 7
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'International NewsTHE SIERRA DE GU
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International Newsin the entrance a
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The Ten Deepest Caves in Mexicoby B
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to a drop. t returned and dropped a
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to the entrance. From San Andres we
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stove in a semi-catatonic state. He
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above the roaring cascades. At time
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With two leads 'beckoning we began
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Chaining a passage in Cueva de Infi
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the cave. We pulled our rope down b
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increased the cave's depth to -197
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series of parallel ascending (+30 0
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La Sistema Purificacidn: a theory a
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Between the Cold and the" GlorybyTe
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Back tothe Bird PitsbyBill StoneSum
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'Getting Down in Peiiaby Bill Stone
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CUEVADELAPENAPROFI LEmetersoRanc ho
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