It’s a very simple step that even a relatively fit and healthy 53yo (what I was at the time) can do without any issue.
Obviously climbers rope is superior, but Paracord is all I had in my backpack.
The Paracord simply gave me the gumption to make the step/jump in the correct frame of mind.
It gave me a level of confidence that I wouldn’t have had if I was holding nothing.
The rope was wrapped around my hand as I didn’t have a harness.
There are climbers anchors near the ledge, so if I ever visit again I’m going to harness up, clip in, and sit right on the edge with my feet dangling.
Not only is climbing rope superior, it (if used right) might help your odds of surviving. I honestly think using paracord makes that jump more dangerous than using nothing - by quite a bit. It’s some chance of catching/tripping you/causing a loss of balance etc. and making a fall more likely. It’s a hazard. And in terms of risk mitigation it has - frankly - zero chance of arresting a fall. Well, if you quadrupled it (or more), protected it from cutting, and attached it to a harness - there’d be a slim chance. But honestly, if you got lowered as gently as possible on paracord wrapped around your hands until your weight was taken through those hands over a sheer edge, you would have no possible way to get back up. Even with a much thicker climbing rope, it’s not really possible to climb back up a taut rope without a belay device and Prussik loops (or similar) - and a lot of knowledge/practice.
Oh and clipping to the anchor with a harness would stop a fall - but whatever - don’t clip to lots of dyneema slings or static rope. If you take a high fall factor fall (which can be a short fall from above an anchor to just below it) on that stuff, the lack of stretch could break your back.
Great thing to have done. But if you are ever going to use any rope/harness/existing anchor just make sure you talk to a climbing shop or an experienced climber to understand the risks. Very experienced climbers have fallen to their death because they didn’t understand things like load multiplication at existing, safe looking bolted anchors…
I don’t want to sound too negative - but proper climbing gear used badly is really dangerous. Non climbing gear used as though it might be a substitute (when in fact it can’t be) is far worse - a lot worse than just being a placebo…
I did a couple of units in Rock climbing while studying a degree in Outdoor education years ago. I used to take school groups out climbing, and did abit of climbing myself. I haven’t done it for about 10 years, and there is no chance I’d go out climbing without an experienced partner…… simply for the fact that I don’t trust my knots and anchors, as I haven’t climbed for over a decade.
There are 2 types of climbing ropes. Dynamic and static. The dynamic rope is made partially with rubber, so when you fall there is a fair bit of give in the rope. It’s a much safer option when there’s a chance of falling.
The static climbing rope has zero give. If you’re dropping more than 1-2 meters from a static rope it will definitely cause injury. You only use the static rope for setting up the anchor system.
I also don’t put a lot of trust in anchors that have been left there by others. People have died setting up anchors from things like bolts drilled into the rock. At best you want to attach the anchor in 2-3 different places, so you’re not relying on one anchor placement.
On another note, I did a 23km hike today through the Otways around Lorne.
I’ve done this hike a few years ago, and love it……. But I forgot how brutal it is. The 23km doesn’t bother me, as I can walk for days.
This walk involves a lot of scrambling over rocks, through creeks and rivers. Also a lot of trees have come down over the track, so there is a lot of crawling to get under fallen trees. For someone who has had abit of back issues recently, it certainly wasnt a great to be scrambling and crawling.
This one leaves from Allenvale car park, across to Coralyn Falls, then to Erskine Falls, then back to Lorne. There’d be about 30-40 creek crossings on Wet mossy rocks, with no railing but my hiking sticks. The hike is hardly ever used, so it’s very over grown, and I got really wet just walking through Kms of overgrown ferns.
It’s fascinating how untouched by humans this whole hike is. One of my favourites tho!
