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The Ropeman 1 was the brainchild of a climber and designer who had presented other good ideas to Wild Country before and when we saw this it was pretty obvious this was the real deal and would be a big hit.
And so it proved.
The initial success of the Ropeman 1 was that it was really the first device to challenge people to carry more than simply two bits of rope to make ‘prussiks’ for emergency rescue. This was due to it’s small size and light weight, and it’s easy to see why when two of them could be carried discreetly for less weight than some quickdraws.
However, the big leap for the Ropeman proved to be when guides and other climbers picked it up as having many more uses than it was initially thought and it became an essential mountain tool for a range of activities.
Not only was it being carried to replace ‘prussiks’ as a rescue tool but guides were using in combination with magic plates and on bolt belays to protect clients as well as a host of other activities. This meant that it’s use spread like wildfire across the European Alps and became Wild Country’s best export for a number of years. The only problem with this rise in use was the spread of ‘illegitimate’ use on ropes that were thinner than originally intended which sometimes could put too much strain on the system.
This is because the original Ropeman 1 features an alloy cam, with horizontal serrated teeth and was only rated for single ropes use – because in a shock load / fall situation these teeth would not pass UIAA standards on a half rope as it could damage the sheath. And it was precisely these illegimate uses with shock load potential that had hastened it’s spread.
So although sales were fantastic Wild Country had a moral dilemma – to let people keep using it (wrongly) and take the cash (tempting) – or to try to incorporate this new information into a refined version. | 