Note the little biner coming off the Delta. See how it holds the rope right there and promises you a degree of hands-free control on the rope? This is called 'soft-lock'.
With the friction of the rope passing over the crotch, the oval quicklink didn't need to apply much in the way of friction to carry ~90% of my weight. When that little Black Diamond mini aluminum Hotwire (The micron) was applied, closer to 100% of my weight was supported. In this mode the friction you apply with your hand is forefinger, middlefinger, thumb. I can fall, and without the use of my hands, will be supported, possibly descend slowly, but I can control descent now with my feet, the rope pinched between my knees or even the rope sandwiched between the tree and thigh.
Descent with this simple quiicklink device can be, for all practical purposes, hands-free in 2:1 mode, or hands-optional. I am not suggesting any of you do this, unless you want to simply confirm that what I am saying is true. What I am saying is, this is possible with just this single oval piece of metal.
If you want to descend more speedily, with the exact configuration as is shown in the most previous picture, the 2:1 set up around the red biner, you would have to coax the rope along by assisting it. Light taps with the tips of your fingers about at stomach/chest level. |