Lately, I've been reading a lot about belaying and descending and the devices used to accomplish such things. For those of you who are familiar with On Rope, you will know that the authors aren't fond of figure 8 devices because they twist the rope. Apparently, that is the same case with the use of a Munter hitch on a figure 8 or a biner. That is reason enough for me to consider other options, but not sufficient reason to consider something as expensive as a Petzl I'D. While the prospect of slowly returning to the ground with the use of Prusik hitches is very appealing, there may be occasions when a faster descent is required. I'm curious about what others have chosen as their method of quick descent. One very inexpensive option covered in the Smith/Padgett book is a device they call an Air Traffic Control (ATC). In the On Rope catalog, the same device seems to be referred to as a Kong Chuy. Does anybody have any experience with this device? I'll try to paste an image (courtesy of OnRope.com), but in case that doesn't work, you can try this _link_. http://www.onrope1.com/store/images/products/preview/432464.jpg



P.S. For those of you who weighed in on the discussion concerning floating D type saddles, you may be interested to know that I went with the NT Tengu. Thanks for all your input!

cambium

I have not used the ATC but it looks like a simple tool. Others with personal experience will share theirs soon. I gave my Figure-8 away a while back because of the Twisting of the ropes problem. I have a Grigri and that tool works well for many uses not just as a descending device. Read some of the reviews in the Gear Review section of this site.

I have recently used the atc. I started with a crabiner for rappelling and still use them occasionally. I don't think most people remember how to use them for rappel and belay. When 8's came out i didn't like them. After gaining experience i really liked them. I still have several, some with ears some without, i still use them. I didn't like the atc when i fist started using it. Now that i have been using it for a while , I like it , easy to hook up and great for control. I have probably a couple hundred raps on an atc and i like it a lot now. My latest has been the id and the gri-gri and i didnt like them the first few times, but the more i use them the better i like them. I guess the point is, not in a few words, get to know your gear, and know it well. Have several ways to do the same thing so you can get out of a jam. I was pruning a maple yesterday and dropped a carabiner, not the first time by far. Don't let dropped gear be your downfall, know your gear.
ATC is very good for ease of hook up and excellent for control and you don't get the twists in the rope that everyone talks about.
Climb safe, Dan

have two F8s that I use regularly and I am not a big fan, but I am too cheap to get a Grigri. One use for the F8 that I love is to anchor my ascent line at the _base_ of a tree for SRT. It works well for this purpose and I think using a more expensive tool for this application is not necessary. Some times cheap is good. I really dont like the F8s for decending because of how difficult it is to control the friction. It is just not a confortable decent because I alway have to hold the rope so hard. Maybe I am doing something wrong. If I add a second wrap on the F8 there is way too much friction.

The set up and use of the gri-gri, the I'D, and the Petzl stop are relatively easy to understand. Unless I'm mistaken, they can all be installed on a rope without much fuss. Is the same true for the ATC? It looks like a solid block with holes in it. Does it come apart to allow easy application to the rope mid-line? Or, is it a device that one puts on while on the ground and employs when needed? In any case, it is certainly affordable and light weight, but I have also been looking at the Simple Petzl Stop (as opposed to the automatic version). I wonder if anyone has had experience with that product.

cambium