Decking at the Lode...

[toad857]

10.5 is old-geezer style. Hip kids use a nano 8.6 now. It's tre' cool.

[Saxman]

How susceptible is the SUM to dirt clogging up the mechanism?

[TradMike]

10.5 is old-geezer style. Hip kids use a nano 8.6 now. It's tre' cool.

The nano and sum seem to be pushing the limits a bit much vs. the old tried and true more simple designs. Not that advancements are good but you can take it a bit too far. I have cut a 10.5 down to the bone before and had it been an 8.6 I'm not sure it would have turned out so well. I have not problem rolling geezer style.

[Howie Feltersnatch]

Art has in the recent past "happily" whipped all over my SUM too.

I can't read that without it sending my mind in the gutter.

[caribe]

Art has in the recent past "happily" whipped all over my SUM too.

I can't read that without it sending my mind in the gutter.

[dustonian]

Sir Arthur is one of the happiest whippers I know.

[steep4me]

Man, these things really freak me out. My list of partners is narrowing each season. No SUMs and no. Cinches. Every single incident involving a gri gri or ATC had to do with pilot error. If there is ANY chance that a competent belayer could have their hand on the brake and deck me anyway....I'm not willing to take that risk.

[Meadows]

The jury is still out folks ... it could've been pilot error.

[Andrew]

I think the point that people are trying to make is that the SUM is a device that... because of its design provides many opportunities for it to not work (pilot error) and eventually stops working over time.

[Meadows]

I can relate to that and awhile ago, I remember the exact words being spoken from ATC users about the grigri. I even switched back to the ATC after witnessing an incident on Mercy in '06 in which I was told that the cam on the grigri failed to engage.

But because I love the SUM and have caught many of falls with it (with I feel better friction than the gri), I want to understand the situation.