3 comments on “Great MPD Video

    • the MPD is a great tool for the fire service, i agree. i like it in the main line and on a secondary capture on a high line or a skate block. how ever i do not like it as a belay. i find most people end up running the belay as a second lowering station. after a while this becomes habit. i still like the belay to be a virgin line unweighted, ready to kick in and save the day. i would consider a twin station lower if the drop was over 300′. the other down fall with the MPD, as a belay, is the belayer has to drop the orange handle to stop the fall and natural human reaction is to grab and hold. there is no one great belay device. we can only teach people to become good belayers. the double prusik belay is tried tested and true. what’s wrong with a little old school? (someone didn’t make money on a shinny tool?)

      • I’m still torn on how to use the MPD as a belay device; slack belay or not. The benefit of it, and the reason I was a convert, was the amount that the fall distance was minimized during a belay activation because the rope stretch was taken out.

        The whole concept of a loaded belay line was foreign to me until a few years ago when I saw some compelling video evidence of why a tensioned belay line was a good idea. There are a couple of ways to use an MPD with a tensioning element in front of it so you can still have a tensioned belay line, yet still operate the MPD without having to operate the handle.

        The tandem prussik is a great tool, but a mirrored system allows you to do things like pass knots through a high directional without having to use a knot passing pulley.

        There is nothing wrong with old school and I’m comfortable with a tandem prussik belay, however, I don’t want to be beholden to old school just for the heck of it. I think the MPD is a HUGE step in the right direction for rigging simplicity, shiny new object or not.

        As to your statement that we can only teach people to be good belayers: Truer words have never been spoken. I agree with you 100%

        Thanks for taking the time to post.

        Kelly

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