LOW IMPACT FORCE

For more security

Lower impact force and higher number of falls held, so better security.

The more the impact force is lowered:

The more your fall is cushioned.
The more you protect your anchor point (particularly important if it is questionable).
he easier it is for your second to hold you.

Raided number of falls

Although the UIAA requires a minimum resistance to 5 falls at factor 1.77, BEAL greatly exceeds the requirements of the standards and goes well beyond this number of falls

The maximum shock force

All mountaineering ropes are characterized by their maximum impact force, measured in the laboratory under extreme conditions which do not meet typical climbing scenarios: in essence it is a metal test mass fixed to a belay rope that is attached to a fixed anchor, so very little movement in any component other than the rope itself.

This is the value that is indicated on the records.

Under these conditions, all the energy of the fall is absorbed by the rope, and not at all by the friction, the harness or the deformation of the human body.

So it is a good indication of the maximum impact force of the rope.

The pulley effect

In the event of a fall, the last anchor point is subjected to both the shock force transmitted to the climber and the force coming from the belayer.

These two forces are added. This is called the pulley effect. The force coming from the belayer is weaker than the shock force transmitted to the climber because of the friction in the carabiner.

This is why, in the end, the total force exerted on the last point is equal to about 1.60 times the force on the climber!