Valdotain Tresse problems

Gunslinger

Tall, do you have a photo of your setup?

jdog

jim1nz is on the money! The vt changes with different set-ups and I have found even as my split tail wears it changes the way the vt performs. When tied right with what ever combination of lines you are using, it is a very good hitch. The only time I have noticed a problem with the vt not grabbing the line is when I have free climbed over a limb and my weight has been taken out of the system, after removing slack from the line and putting weight back into the hitch , this is the time I pay close attention to setting into the line. I believe it has something to do with the line being slack and advancing the hitch it tends to bunch it up , almost the same as when a hitch starts to bind and you take your weight out off from it and free it up to allow it to work again. Old rule of low and slow !

FlashD

If you want to tend your slack, don't pull down on the rope as that's doing the same thing as pulling down above your knot. What you need to do is pull up on your tail below the pulley. This will pull the pulley up tight against your knot and tend your slack. The reason a belay works with this system is that the belayer is continuing to advance your slack through your knot thanks to the micro pulley. The belayer also isn't having to pull your entire weight as you're doing that for them. All they have to do is keep enough tension on the line to pull your slack down.

Just pull, pull, pull, stop, pull up on your tail, then repeat. Should work much better than your original technique.

FlashD

In response to the VT being a bit tricky:
Every time slack is placed in the system the knot undresses slightly or to some degree. This is the reason for that necessary little hand-check every time you want to set on your knot. The tresse portion of the knot does keep things in line slightly better than a standard valdotain, hence Sherrill doesn't recommend climbing on a straight valdotain.
For me I find the need for that little hand check to be quite annoying. I can retie my knot and not need that, but then it sets to tight and doesn't run as smooth when I need it to. I have long since lost most of my desire to make the vt work. I understand why it's such a popular knot and, if it works for you by all means keep using it. It's just not for me. I have climbed on a number of different knots and know what works for me personally in different situations. None of them need to be "checked", it's just my personal choice.

Treebeard

I've used VT for several years with no probs.
1/2" yellow jacket with 8mm beeline 4 wraps and 3 braids.
However when I'm right next to my friction saver it does get a bit finicky and
will often dump me a foot or so when I release it.

Iustinian

I started with Blake's, then moved into VT. I climb on Blaze bc it's the lightest rope still ANSI compliant (<5k lbs.), but Blaze also holds up under friction and heat very well. I've used Technora, 8mm Beeline, and Ultra-Tech as my split-tail lanyard using the VT and so far the Ultra-tech and Technora seem like they hold up longer, probably because they appear to be more tightly woven than beeline. Beeline seems to retain quite a bit of memory, and slightly glazes over, creating a rather "wet" effect; I switched to Ultra-tech the first time this happened, and have never had a problem since. If you're using friction savers, its important to realize that all of your friction is taking place at your hitch, so replace it often enough that this doesn't happen to you. -- I do use a micro-pulley 100% of the time, and to answer a previous question, you can do a number of things: use a pantin foot ascender to tend the slack as you reef the line hand-over-hand above your hitch; have a belayer, or do like the previous guy said and pull, pull, pull, tend slack, repeat. haha. Btw -- I also like Blaze because it flies through ascenders quickly on the days when I'm feeling fat and lazy. haha. Finally, I use only Oval symmetrical biners (like Petzl OK, or Rock-O, or Ultra-O) on my climb line and work positioning lanyard because they never get tangled up in each other, and the eyes of my split tail, along with the knot, never spread out over the symmetrical shape because of the way that it loads.

I did notice this weekend that Sherrill sells a double-pulley for redirects, which I think I'm going to try, because the last few times I've used them, my climb line crosses over itself between the redirect and the tie-in spot. Any one else use that or something similar?

(btw) I've used the schwabish and the distel, but find them inferior to the VT in that they are more complicated to tie, they tend to lock up similarly to the blake's, and they leave more slack at the two spliced eyes resulting in wasted effort each time you thrust. They are perfect for beginners though, and I teach those knots to them first.

Iustinian

Forgot to mention that I have heard of the knut, and heard tales that it is a phenomenal knot. It would be great if someone posted pics and easy to tie instructions or step by step instructions and pics. --

FlashD

I climb on the knut and love it. I'll get up pictures whenever I get around to dusting off my climbing gear. Haven't climbed for almost four months, since I broke my leg and foot.

dallmarg

I started with the tautline and moved to the blake's, experimented with the vt and I've settled on the Michoacan tresse. Love it!