[JKCalhoun]

Didn't know what prusiks were — had to look it up.

The video for the Vertiwalk looks to me more like standing and sitting in order to ascend.

In standing the seat climbs up a bit to follow your bum, when sitting the floor climbs up a bit to raise your legs into a seated position.

Descending is a bit challenging for my brain to understand.

[qbasic_forever]

You do the same thing with prusiks to ascend a rope. Here's an example of a practical application, getting out a crevasse when climbing glaciers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px_m3qzHYTA

In an alpine scenario you'd descend by rappelling. I doubt folks in a home want to setup a munter hitch or similar though. :)

[goldenkey]

I hope I never have to use this. Knowing myself, I'd typo the knot and fall to my death.

[fingerlocks]

This is how it’s taught in intro mountaineering courses. In the real world experienced alpinists carry a lightweight ascender, like a Micro Traction or similar, that can also be used for other tasks like hauling or fall protection for simul-leading.

[goldenkey]

Is that essentially a one way rachet? All you need to climb easily is prevention of regress and maybe some mechanical advantage, right?

[sandworm101]

It is a bit more complex. Climbing means falling. The 'ratchet' needs to work under shock loads. And wet/ice ropes radically change the friction numbers. There is a reason why climbers, experienced ones, know and use a great many different tricks for accending and decending ropes. A "big wall" climber can make a belay device out of almost anything, or even nothing.

[hprotagonist]

like your hip!

“The leader must not fall.”

[qbasic_forever]

Aid climbing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aid_climbing It's using techniques like that to go up rock walls instead of free climbing the rock holds.

[fingerlocks]

Yes

[JKCalhoun]

I see. I tried to watch one video but they spent most of the time explaining how to create the rope/knots. I had assumed you eventually resorted to your arm strength to ratchet up the line. It does look like standing to ascend.

[ricardobeat]

The overdubbing in this video is creepy, like these auto-generated voiceover videos. Why show peoples faces over completely different narration?

[MauranKilom]

...because they didn't narrate in English?

[Avalaxy]

Subtitles are a thing

[copo233]

There's also a mechanical version of a prusik called an "ascender." That's what I think this thing basically is.

[throwawaygh]

> Descending is a bit challenging for my brain to understand.

You would typically descend by rappelling, but it is possible to descend using two prussiks:

1. weight prussik B / unweight prussik A

2. slide prussik A down

3. weight prussik A / unwieght prussik B

4. slide prussik B down

5. repeat

I've never seen this done with two prussiks, but a similar sort of thing is done with two ascenders when rope soloing (e.g., to practice a single move over and over without re-rigging each time).