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In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Re: In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Postby simon-b » Sat May 15, 2021 9:15 pm

gaffr wrote:Yes, I am from a past generation when climbing walls were not available to practice on. We all went to quarries, small sea cliffs and the Traprain Law crags to practice on. As far as I am aware all of the control when using a wall is from the bottom of the climbing holds for ascent and descent. I ask the question is it possible to practice abseiling on a climbing wall? when all control is from the bottom of the wall. So it follows that a lower is the means for getting back down the floor of the wall.
With getting down from the Pin a lower could be used instead of abseiling ....well a lower from the top instead of from the bottom. So I guess if you are practiced on a climbing wall lowering using the belay plate would be second nature....alternatively the use of an Italian Hitch would offer good control.
Although today I use all the modern gear when ascending and descending rock but when I first went for a traverse of the Skye Ridge all we had was a rope and a couple of rope slings and biners. The descent from the Pin was using a classic abseil wrap around system with the rope making your clothing fairly warm when descending but it was the only way that we knew of. I would not advocate the use of this today. The comfort using a harness came as a blessing to me at least.

The climbing centre I visited had an abseiling wall, with a platform at the top, accessible from an upper floor, where the instructor stood and where the control was set up. So it was a fair representation of abseiling down a building or a cliff. Including the start, stepping from the horizontal onto the vertical. Of course, the In Pinn itself has a sloping ramp before things get vertical; I found that made it easier.
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Re: In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Postby Sgurr » Sat May 15, 2021 10:54 pm

It was my husband's last Munro, and I knew it was the big obstacle to me ever compleating, but I would rather(at that time) not have compleated than faced the exposure. However, when the day came, the guide (Mike Lates of Skye Guides, whom I cannot praise enough) just assumed we would both be doing it. We had palled up with another client at the last minute as we had had so many awful rainy call offs. I was wearing a floppy sunhat, and Mike just rammed the helmet on top, which very handily gave me blinkers, so I couldn't see what was going on at either side, and I just followed him up, the 2 more experienced guys coming along behind. I recommend learning to abseil first (sure you know that) we had practiced on a wooden tower at an outdoor centre. I was 64 at the time, and we booked Mike to give me confidence on Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir the following year. I don't know if I traumatised him, but 14 years and probably several hundreds of clients later, he recognised me in Broadford Co-op. Go for it. Book Mike if you can, but all are recommended.
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Re: In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Postby St Pedro » Tue May 18, 2021 12:36 pm

Another advocate for Mike Lates of Skye Guides
i love scrambling but hate exposure when get to the top i.e. cannae look over cliff edge unless on my belly

Mike and his trainee guide took 5 of us roped up Inn Pinn in 2007 (most they had had together before)

i wore some old rock shoes rather than my hillwalking boots and was surprised how comfortable i was, i just focused on the rock in front of me and my hands and feet,and was not aware of the exposure until standing on top, but then had some rock to hug closely until abseiled off - this bit was over to quickly, on the ground before you know it.

The high once you've done it together will be worth it

enjoy
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Re: In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Postby Joey » Fri May 21, 2021 9:27 pm

Thanks everyone for your brilliant advice and words of encouragement!
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Re: In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Postby Marty_JG » Sat May 22, 2021 12:26 am

Have you done any indoor climbing? That'll give you a bit of experience and thus confidence with the rope and the abseil.
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Re: In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Postby Walkinmyfootsteps » Sun May 23, 2021 10:35 am

I did it last year and quickly found out how immobile I was. Practice some stretching!
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Re: In Pinn - will it all go horribly wrong?

Postby simon-b » Sun May 23, 2021 11:15 am

Walkinmyfootsteps wrote:I did it last year and quickly found out how immobile I was. Practice some stretching!

Good point. Hillwalking is great for cardio health and lower body endurance. But I've found from personal experience it can stiffen you up if you don't stretch afterwards. Stand alone static stretching sessions are also good, but modern advice is not to do static stretches as a warmup, and keep that dynamic.
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