21.01	21.03	21.05

Overview

There was another version (the 21.02) that I was not able to obtain - nor was Serguei Khramtsov of Ural-Sport. This was a custom limited-run version for a construction firm. I was able to get an image of one, so perhaps someday I will make a copy for myself. Serguei never mentioned a model #21.04.

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21.01
(#916)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

I acquired this descender from Ural Sport in 2002.

The 21.01 descender is made from three pieces of 10 mm. steel rod. One piece is bent with an 18 mm. teardrop-shaped eye at the base and a 38.5 mm. wide hook at the other. A 38 mm. straight cross-piece is welded inside the hook to form a closed rope hole. The first piece extends 29 mm. below the cross-piece. A 90 mm. straight piece is welded to this, forming a V-notch along the outside of the rope hole. All welds and rod ends are smooth. The descender has an anti-corrosion coating.

My Ural-Alp (21.01) is 123 mm. tall, 90 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 46 mm. high and 38 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 37 mm. and 10 mm., respectively. The eye measures 22 mm. by 18 mm. The ears are 63.3 mm. long. My Ural-Alp (21.01) weighs 252 g.

One side of the 90 mm. piece is stamped "URAL-ALP <-4000kg->."

Comments

The Ural-Alp is reminiscent of the figure eight descender, especially the Vertical Supply Offset Eight LS. The extra piece on the side provides a convenient way to lock the device off.

The user can vary the friction by varying the number of wraps, much like on a figure eight. Normally, one wrap is sufficient for standard 11 mm. rope, while two raps will probably be needed for 9 mm. rope. The best method for locking off also depends on the rope diameter. The figure at right shows Ural Alp’s recommendations. I consider 6 mm. line to be too small for safe rappelling, but the method shown for 6 mm. is a good starting point for 9 mm. line.

The Ural-Alp (21.01) is too heavy for my taste. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.

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21.03
(#948)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

I acquired this descender from Ural Sport in 2004.

The 21.03 descender is made from four pieces of 10 mm steel rod. Three of these are welded in the same pattern as on the plain 21.01 version, the fourth forms cross-piece at the base of the "V." All welds and rod ends are smooth. The descender is painted.

My Ural-Alp (21.03) is Mine is 123 mm. tall, 117 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 41 mm. high and 36 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 45 mm and 10 mm., respectively. The eye measures 20 mm. by 18 mm. The ears are 56.9 and 20.2 mm. long. My Ural-Alp (21.03) weighs 300  g.

There are no markings on the 21.03.

Comments

The 21.03 provides more lock-off options than the plain 21.01 version, but at the expense of increased size and weight. I don't like the painted finish; instead, I prefer the oxide finish on the plain version. The Ural-Alp (21.03) is also too heavy for my taste. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.

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21.05
(#987)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

I acquired this descender from Ural Sport in January 2005.

The 21.05 descender is made from four pieces of 10 mm. steel rod. One piece is bent with an 16 mm. teardrop-shaped eye at the base and a 40 mm. wide 90° bend at the other. A 46 mm. straight cross-piece is welded between the eye and top bend. The third piece is 106 mm. long. It is welded to the ends of the first two pieces, extending 33 mm. above the top of piece #1 and 26 mm. below piece #2. A fourth (90 mm.) straight piece is welded to piece 3, forming a V-notch along the outside of the rope hole. All welds and rod ends are smooth. The descender is painted.

My Ural-Alp (21.05) is 148 mm. tall, 80 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 35 mm. high and 44 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 45 mm. and 10 mm., respectively. The eye measures 16 mm. by 20 mm. The ears are 53.6 and 33.2 mm long. My Ural-Alp (21.05) weighs 289 g.

There are no markings on the 21.05.

Comments

The 21.05 provides more lock-off options than the plain 21.01 version, but at the expense of increased size and weight - although not as much of either as the 21.03. I still don't like the painted finish; instead, I prefer the oxide finish on the plain 21.01 version. The Ural-Alp (21.05) is also too heavy for my taste. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.

[ Top | 21.01 | 21.03 | 21.05 ]