EQUIPMENT FOR FIX ROPE STAGES

General Technical Requirements for Mandatory Equipment for Fix Rope Stages

All equipment to be used by racers on technical stages has to meet the CE EN and/ or all-Union State standards for industrial alpinism. During the whole fix rope stage the use of helmet and clothes protecting elbows and knees are obligatory. Competitors must use gloves admitted by the Technical Committee of the race.

All participants must undergo a pre-race gear check to get admittance to the race. If equipment does not fulfill safety standards the competitor will be excluded from the race until fulfillment of all safety requirements.

Each of the items listed below has to meet ALL obligatory standards. Information about standards must be indicated/ printed on the item. Only officially manufactured equipment is allowed and all items must have factory marking. In case of disagreement competitors have to show the manufacturer's certificate of the respective item.

ATTENTION! Equipment soiled with chemicals, paints or other impurities, or showing damages and wear, like tears of webbing, anguishes or cuts of threads and stitching is discarded.

The harness can be a sit harness, full-body harness or consist of two pieces (sit and chest harness), connected by a rope. Only manufactured harnesses with marking (eg, CE marking) are allowed. Harnesses with anguishes, cuts and shreds of threads, remains of chemicals, paints and other impurities are discarded.

Slings and webbings must be sewed and stitched in industrial facilities and have markings (eg, pictures). Slings for self-belaying cannot be connected by knots!

Self-belaying slings made of static dyneema, spectra, aramid and similar webbing with less than 14mm width are not admitted!

The use of a daisy chain is also prohibited.

A self-belaying sling can not be more than 1 m long (considered from external points of carabiners). It can be made of dynamic or static rope or sling.

A self-belaying rope can be made of static or dynamic rope of 10-11 mm diameter only, either factory-made or self-made using admitted knots.

For fixing to harness are admitted: figure-eight, bowline knot. Clove hitch, prusik knot and others are prohibited.

It is absolutely forbidden to use one carabineer for fixing of self-belaying and descender.

Carabiners with twist lock, screw-gate and ball lock are admitted for the use on self-belaying and descender. Carabiners without locking or "Petzl Vertigo Wire Lock" type are not allowed.
Only carabiners with factory marking of existing standards (strength, UIAA, CE, manufacturer) are admitted.

Descenders can be: figure-eight descender, belay/ rappel devices, auto locking grigri, chinch, eddy.
Descenders must have factory marking with indication of strength and diameter of rope which can be used.
For figure-eight descenders, the maximum inner diameter must not exceed 80 mm, and the diameter of cross section of material of the ring must be not less than 9 mm.

The rope schould be static or dynamic to meet the requirements for single ropes. Diameter - not less than 9.0 mm. Rope should have marking 1 in a circle.