Originally Posted by
penmartens
Our group did No Kidding on 4/3 with completely dry conditions, lots of sunshine, and wind. We didn't notice the wind much once we dropped in. It was a perfect day to spend time experimenting and playing with potshots/sandtraps.
We used a sandtrap for the very first rap. We all were impressed with the ease of use. We made a small berm at the front edge to assist with geometry. It worked very well. It didn't move at all. To protect the pull, we slid two sections of webbing over the pull cord (I hadn't had time to order a rope protector) and positioned them at the two contact points with the rock. This worked very well. The rope slid nicely through.
That is the only place we used the trap. Unfortunately, the other places seemed less than desirable for a trap. From our understanding of traps, we felt the stations were too narrow to allow for dumping. It is obviously incorrect since both Spidey and Tom have used traps in those places, but we were not willing to give it a try.
We used one traditional deadman and retrieved that rope at the end of the day. We dismantled the anchor so others can enjoy playing.
We used a releasable knot chock at the last rap. It would have been a good place for a trap, but it also had a crack that the releasable knot worked well in.
The rest of the raps we used stacked potshots. They were all solid placements with no movement, except for one rap. It was into a semi-keeper pothole (Canyondevil had done a magnificent imitation of Spidey throwing a potshot across the pothole), but we just couldn't set the shots firm. They slid each time and Luke had to put a knee down to brace them when people went over a lip that was about halfway down. After much finessing, the only other thing we could think to do different was to move the shots and clean the sand from under them to give more friction. Luke rapped next and they still moved. I, as one of the lightweights and most experienced rappellers, had opted to go last. I rapped as gently as I ever have, didn't hesitate at the lip, and was down without anything moving. I guess that is the 40 pound difference between Luke and I.
Some of our observations:
Potshots seem to work well when hanging or almost hanging off the back side of a lip. They aren't so great on even slightly downsloping rock.
Potshots with pinky sized holes are not so good for holding sand.
Potshots should have some kind of sheath to protect the rock.
More shots partially full is better than fewer completely full.
It is truly mesmerizing to pull gently on a rope and watch shots come over the edge, colorful and swinging free like scarves out of a hat.
We were safe, but came away feeling less than proficient in shot placement and no further along in trap placement but sold on its use.
We are ready to go again for more experimenting and fun.
Penny