A highline is not only made by a webbing, a backup and 2 anchors. The link between you and the highline is as important as the rest. The impressive leashfall should not be feared because of the gear, but only because of your fear.
For a 80kg highliner, we measured that a “static” leashfall generates 400kg on the leash for a 7m long highline. Nevertheless, we miss a lot of tests to confirm this value for any type of leashfall, every highline length, every place the leashfall occurs.
The mechanical chain that will stop a leashfall is made of:
- the rings
- the leash
- the harness
- the knots to set everything together
The rings
The connectors that will follow you during the walk are very important.
The only fatality on a highline was caused at this stage. A unique carabiner opened during a leashfall. 2 mistakes leading to this accident.
It is important to be clear on that 2 things:
- Don’t use carabiners or any system that can be opened to link your leash to the highline
- Use at least 2 connectors to link your leash to your highline.
The right connectors are:
- Rings stainless or aluminium rated at 2T or more, forged, not welded
- Eights.
Important notes:
Use the same 2 connectors, to prevent them from the little one to go inside the big one and force badly.
The bigger the diameter, the less risk they have to be stuck because of oscillations.
The second hole on the eights increases the oscillations and the twists of the leash around the highline.
Tape them together to stop the annoying “ding-ding”.
The leash
The leash is the rope linking the rings to your harness.
It must be dynamic, to avoir too important shockloads on the highliner and the highline itself.
Leashes used today on highlines are:
- Climbing ropes “single” with more than 9mm diameter
- A piece of tubular webbing with a piece of “single” or “double” rope inside, which adds redundancy but reduces the stretching
- 2 “double” ropes, taped together in order to have a single link annoying you on your legs.
A 3m long leash is the best, as you are able to make the knots (plan 80cm for each knot) and you have enough length so that it does not annoy you while walking and is not too long while falling.
Depending on highliners, the leash will be placed between legs or on one side. It’s important to situate your leash at any time to plan your falling pattern.
The numbers of falls a leash can bare has not been tested yet. It is important to stay safe on the number of falls. We advise:
- To change the leash every 15 leashfalls, since we have no tests yet
- To untie and re-tie the knots on your leash after each leashfall to detect any problem, as burns, tears, “emptyness” of the sheath
- Let a rest time for the leash between leashfalls, to get the streching back.
The harness
The harnesses are from the climbing experience. It must be used as in climbing, that is to say making knots with the bust and leg safety points, and not the sling even if it can theoretically hold the force. Each safety point holds generally 12kN, so 1,2T (worst force a grade 2 fall can produce while falling directly on a belay).
An other way to practice highlining is the use of the “swami belt”. The harness is replaced by several turns of a sling around the bust, and the leash is attached on the back. Even if it is technically possible to fall on this last resort harness, sometimes with some brocken ribs, the use of this technique should be better seen as a way to reach a easthetical purity than a safe way to be attached. Everybody will tell you, while walking with a “swami” if you fall, you catch.
Between the harness and the free-solo, there are several other ways to be attached to a highline. We will not show them here.
The knots
First of all, the knots used to link the rings and the harness should be trusted by the highliner.
He can then use the climbing knots he prefers:
- The figure of eight: Classic, difficult to mismake, easily checkable but difficult to untie sometimes
- The bowline (best in double) with a stop knot: easy to untie, but confusing to make and unties itself if not stopped by an other knot. It should be done only by absolutely sure people.
- Some shops make splices on the rings. Splices are more resistant than knots, but cannot be untied. Anywy, you will have to make a not on the harness.
A lot of things can be found on the knots strength, and it is difficult to know “the truth” for your leash. Here are some keys:
- Figure of eight and bowline knots reduce the force of a new rope by 40%
- Erosion and age of the rope can reduce up to 70% this force
- Used only as a leash, and regularly changed, it is logical to think that your leash will keep its best capacity.
Conclusion
Don’t hesitate to check regularly your gear, rings, harness, leash.
If you have any doubt on your leash, or if you experienced a very hard leashfall – you’ve seen stars – change your leash.
Our physical strength is less than the gear, too much leashfalls in a short period of time may cause important troubles on your intern organs. So, the best is to catch when you can.
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