Rope Rider I	Rope Rider II

Overview

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Frost Rope Rider I
(#558)

Front	Rear	Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Frost Rope Rider I from International Safety Equipment in 1999.

My Frost Rope Rider I is 178 mm. tall, 43 mm. wide, 42 mm. thick, and weighs 258 g.

The Rope Rider I consists of a central vertical shaft (reminiscent of the Sky Genie) with a spring-loaded V-slot stop mechanism, and a removable cover plate. The mechanism is similar to the one on the Rope Rider II, but with some key differences. Unlike the Rope Rider II, the Rope Rider I cover is held in place by a hex cap screw. The cover is tubular, with no slot in the side, so one cannot rig the Rope Rider 1 without threading the end of the rope through the cover. Another difference is that the lower rope guide is a hole instead of a slot, so the end of the rope must be threaded through this as well. Finally, the guides notches on the on the Rope Rider I force you to use an integer+a half number of turns, taking away the option of varying friction in half-turn increments as can be done with the Rope Rider II. (Note the difference between the rear of the spool at left and the front above).

Comments

Like its larger brother, this a clever design implemented with excellent workmanship. In this case, though, bigger really is better.

The Rope Rider I is designed to be used on 8 mm. (5/16 in.) braided rope only. This indicates that it is an emergency escape device rather than a general purpose rappelling device. It certainly is not worth serious consideration for routine industrial use, caving, rock climbing, or "sport rappelling," whatever that is. If it is used for emergency evacuation only, one must be sure to prepare it in advance. Anyone who doesn't and finds themselves in a blazing third-floor apartment better just jump, because by the time they find the proper size Allen wrench, take the screw out, thread the end of the rope through the proper holes in the proper order, find the screw and replace it, its too late: they’re already lemon barbecue.

The Rope Rider I is protected by U.S. Patent #5,131,491.

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Frost Rope Rider II
(#429)

Front	Right	Rear	Left

Front: Open for Rigging	Rear: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Frost Rope Rider II from John E. Weinel, Inc. in 1991.

My Frost Rope Rider II is 248 mm. tall, 59 mm. wide, 57 mm. thick, and weighs 743 g.

The Rope Rider II consists of a central vertical shaft (reminiscent of the Sky Genie) with a spring-loaded V-slot stop mechanism, and a detachable cover plate.

Comments

The following ascenders are variations of the same basic design, made successively by several companies under various names:

Frost Rope Rider II	Capewell Descender	Tech Safety Lines Capewell Descender	Tech Safety Lines RopeRider

The first of these was the Frost Rope Rider II, made by Frost Engineering out of Englewood, Colorado. Next, Capewell of Windsor, CT acquired the rights and added Velcro™ to the design. I have no idea why. Finally, Tech Safety Lines of Dallas, TX acquired the rights and produced the Capewell Descender before renaming it as the RopeRider. These are protected by U.S. Patent #5,038,888.

Not only is this a clever design, but these have excellent workmanship as well. Although these are not the cheapest devices around, they definitely deserve a star .

Rigging is simple: Press the release button and slide the cover off the top. Pull the sliding collar downward and press the button to latch it in the open position. The V-slot is now exposed. Slide it over the rope, then twist the collar and slide it back up, catching the rope in the slot on the collar. Rotate the collar until it is aligned as shown in the lower photo. Now wrap the rope the required number of turns (usually 3 to 5, depending on the rope material, diameter, construction, condition, and phase of the moon) around the rod, slide the cover back on, and make sure that the release button engages the hole in the cover.

Clip in, and get into a normal rappelling position. Prudes should stop here and find another device to read about. Grasp the cover with one hand, and pull it down. This slides the collar down, and moves the rope to a wider part of the V-groove. To slow down, move your hand up, to go faster, pull it down. The whole process works very smoothly…except it is still a vertical spool, and on a free drop, you will spin.

Warning: These are not complete instructions!! Obtain proper training before using this device.

This will not replace the rappel rack as the preferred deep pit device, nor is it light enough for serious consideration in rock climbing, but in an industrial environment, it may provide some more idiot protection than some other options would.

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