Canyon Rope System Break Tests

Episode 10 of 10

Canyon Rope Systems

Break Tests: EMO vs MMO, Stone Block, Clove Hitch and 8 Block

This is a free course featuring Brent Roth about different ways to set up rappels through a canyon. This considers ease of rigging, abrasion, ease of rescue and how efficient it is to move people through the canyon.

Our courses are A-Z content in blog format, glued together with an overarching blog we call a textbook. A blog format is easy to read, easy to update, and easy to translate. Be sure to begin at the TEXTBOOK and at the end of each episode we'll point you to the next.

Knot Block Break Tests

Will knot blocks slip through the rappel ring?

Is the MMO (Munter Mule Overhand) or the EMO (Eight Mule Overhand) stronger?

A stiff rope is hard to cinch down with a clove hitch on a carabiner, but once cinched we found we couldn't get it undone. Even a slippery Dyneema rope held a clove hitch in our slow pull tests. Knots will pull through the rappel ring, but if you install a carabiner in the knot it will break the rope at “full strength”. All these tests use a new Sterling C-IV with technora sheath and the rope broke between 10-11kn.

When you are rappelling at 1-2kn you are super good enough... assuming you don't drown, have a rappelling accident or cut through your rope with abrasion. Be careful canyoning!

Spoiler Alert:

EMO and MMO break at the same force. The stone knot was easy to undo regardless of the force we took it to.

You are at the End!

Congratulations on getting through all that! Now what?

👇🏼 👇🏼 👇🏼 👇🏼 👇🏼 👇🏼 👇🏼

Continued Education

V7 Academy

We made our HowNOT2 course because this material wasn’t available online in this way and we like to help spread knowledge in the extreme sports community. There is another great canyon resource that can show you how to move down the canyon, the stuff you need and how to be a better participant on a canyon trip. The first V7 course is free and we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you take it. Their 2nd course is more advanced and

is only the cost of a rope. Go sign up and see if you benefit from the first course!

Seattle Mountaineers Canyon Program

For local training and information, the Seattle Mountaineers has a canyon program that is a great way to get plugged into canyoning in the PNW. Their curriculum follows the V7 course and has great hands-on training with a great group of people….

Mazamas Canyon Program

If you are a bit farther south, the Portland Mazamas has a canyon program as well. Kevin Clark wrote an extensive book, Canyoning in the Pacific Northwest: A Technical Resource, that is available from a lot of places these days (NorHex in Portland, Ascent Outdoors in Seattle, Valhalla Outfitters up in Squamish -- and a bunch of others including Imlay, On Rope Canyoneering, Adventure Plus, CanyonZone, Canyon Store, etc. Amazon delivers fast, but one can probably get it a bit cheaper and help support local canyon businesses at the same time. 🙂