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Walsh Mar-Bar
(#158)

 

Front Rear
Front Rear

Technical Details

Cam faceMike Walsh gave me his old Mar-bar rig at the 2001 NSS Convention.

Mike’s Mar-bar rig is 162 mm. tall, 306 mm. wide, 74 mm. thick, and weighs 451 g. It consists of a pine board attached to an old Jumar ascender. The rope is 3/8" (9.5 mm) Goldline.

Comments

Mar-bars are used in the inchworm climbing system, a sit-stand system that is particularly easy to teach, and one that worked rather well on long, free drops. Old Mar-bar rigs were homemade, and often crude. Cavers rarely use the inchworm any more, but recently some arborists have adopted it, and commercial Mar-bars such as the Buckingham are now available.

Thanks to the wood, Mike’s Mar-bar rig is lighter than many others that use metal for the foot bar. One thing that I do not like about Mike’s Mar-bar is that the weight is transferred to the ascenders by the screws - the wood bar does not rest against the bottom of the Jumar handle opening.

To improve efficiency, one should ensure that the rope loops fit tightly.

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