Vie Ferrate with the Chain

I remember how it was yesterday the first time I walked a chain with the chain. I was over Lecco to take one of the most beautiful routes in that area, so rich in aided itineraries and magnificent limestone. There Ferrata degli Alpini at the Medale it is in fact one of the most logical and climbable via ferratas for its level of difficulty. And yet, that day I was uncomfortable and I remember the climb very tiring and unpleasant. I was still inexperienced and, if my memory does not betray me, it was my fourth or fifth train, little or no climbing experience and a very rough progression technique. I often climbed looking at only the first two meters above my head and unconsciously progressed quickly, perhaps for "to get out of trouble"Instead of thinking about it. To make matters worse the strange and new feeling that the chain gave me during the progression. Accustomed as I was to using the rope much more than necessary, this fixture was less useful than the strained wire ropes of the ferratas I had traveled in the Apennines and in Trentino until then.

 

After the climb, while my partner and I descend from the steep slope Aided path of Medale I complain and I say that I don't understand why they use a chain that is so springy and not very useful. We discuss it together and almost ignore how beautiful and logical the climb was. The right amount of air and adrenaline, with exciting traits that I would have only reappreciated later. Despite the disappointment, the afternoon we climbed along the shores of the lake to walk the beautiful, pleasant and more aided Via Ferrata of the Morcate Tunnel. Back home I put "the via ferratas of the Lecco area"In a drawer for the future.

 

In the meantime the most natural and desirable thing happened. My partner and I are increasingly there "hungry”Of rock and we started to attend a climbing course, to then practice regularly on single pitches and then multitiri. We have not abandoned the via ferrata, indeed. We started reading them with new eyes and more educated. We have better understood how to distinguish between via ferrata with logical ascent lines and very athletic ones. Looking for handholds and foot rests was no longer a support for the use of the rope, but thereal essence of the climb which in the meantime gave much more satisfaction than before. We were also aware that a correct use of supports and holds greatly reduces the necessary physical effort. By knowing our body better and the balance required in a passage it could be done better, with less effort and therefore able to go up in difficulty.

 

Let's go back to the via ferratas with chain, theme of this article. My thesis on this topic is the following:

• take a via ferrata with chain without reading it It is the way worse and undoubtedly the more tiring to follow it, and
• generally we should not have a hand on the chain during the progression, but both hands on the rock and try to climb wherever the grade grants it.

I will go on to better explain my point of view dictated by the experience I have gained.

 

Pros and cons of the chain as a support

Except for those who grew up in the Lecco and Como areas, the via ferratas you are used to have a variable diameter wire rope. The change from a chain rope leaves everyone a little surprised the first time they walk down a path aided with a chain.

 

So, let's start with the undeniable negative aspects of the chain:

1. the chain is loose while the rope is stretched: true. The chain is generally more spring by nature (the meshes have play) and, since it is heavier, it follows the force of gravity much more than the rope. This is evident in the traverses where the chain tends to push more, not being in the ideal place to be used (... the traverse of the Gamma 2 requires a good dose of strength ...).
2. Milk a chain it is much harder than the rope: absolutely yes. When the rock is smooth and the progression occurs in pure adherence, the stretched rope gives back some of the strength we give it and rising is less tiring than the chain. The chain in fact does not return any force and "milk"Means raising one's arms counting on one's biceps. A Ferrata like the Pisetta, with many steps in adherence and a constant difficulty of little climbing passages, it would become even harder if it was aided with the chain!
3. The anchors are distant: while walking along the Via Ferrata Aquile I remember changes of carabiners every meter and a half, sometimes too many. Then I walked the Range 1 and I remember a quick shirt every 6-7 meters. The chain is less "flexible"In following the rock with respect to a rope then it is better not to be fixed with anchors that are too close.
4. THE carabiners do not slide well: absolutely true. The carabiners do not slide as freely as in the wire rope and sometimes even fit together. In some via ferratas with large mesh chains (for example la Via Ferrata of Monte Ocone) it can happen, in the passage of a carabiner, to close the carabiner in a sweater instead of around the chain. Another classic situation is that the carabiner has trouble unfastening itself from the chain in the passage, perhaps overhanging, with attached curses ...

 

 

With these 4 versus well clear, there are as many pro for chains as self-insurance in via ferrata:

1. Generally the links of the chain can be clipped: this means that if you were in difficulty you could get more or less anywhere (more information on how to build a lanyard in this article). Be careful with having narrow carabiners, such as those for quickdraws, and not large ferrules for materials.
2. Although it is true that milking the chain is more difficult than milking the rope, the chain offers one greater adherence to the hands and the risk of cutting or blistering is less. The meshes in fact offer superior hold to the hands and it is more difficult for them to slip or run on sweaty hands or on gloves.
3. If on one side the carabiners slide with greater effort upwards, this also occurs downwards in the event of a fall. Although I haven't tested it in practice :), the chain reduces part of thekinetic energy that we carry with us during the fall. Furthermore, in the event of a fall along a diagonal traverse, since the chain is less taut, the risk of overturning is reduced. A suggestion is to take the carabiner with you during the climb to avoid leaving it under our feet with the possibility that it gets stuck in the less opportune moments.
4. The rope is generally anchored with quick links compared to nails with clamps. In the event of a fall, anchoring with a quick link reduces the risk of high forces on the karabiners. It must be said, however, that today rubber cones are often inserted which reduce that risk to a minimum even in rope ropes. I would add that in some very demanding passages, where the climb is mainly in adherence, both the chain and the rope have been inserted, such as in the Ferrata al Corno RAT or along the Torrione della Discordia in the Ferrata Contessi.

 

A tested antidote: climbing

The ascent lines on which the routes in the Lecco and Como foothills are developed are very logical and traced by those who have experience in climbing. Going through many of these routes, you realize that, if the brackets or stairs are present, if they were routes to climb in free climbing they would be on the third degree, maximum quarter. Only in very demanding passages (traverse Gamma 2, Variante Zucco Pesciola, Torrione della Discordia etc.) it rises sharply in grade. The vast majority of the passages require you to climb the rock and I suppose that the trackers wanted to push in this direction using a chain that, if milked in excess, is counterproductive and exhausting. Obviously having a hand on the chain takes away a quarter of our limbs with which to climb with the result of making climbing a climb much more expensive or impossible. To enjoy the via ferratas with chains, one must take off the fear and use the rock as much as possible for the progression chain, taking into consideration that one can always move along the chain. Of course, to proceed climbing is a good idea do climbing practice to understand its logic and begin to grasp the balance and the strength it requires. A good climbing course and getting to know a climbing expert with someone expert can be extremely fun and rewarding. I would say the natural development after the passion for via ferratas ...

 

 

To avoid misunderstanding, an essential rule in via ferrata is “do not fall"So that must be our starting point. Climbing and climbing without over-using the chain is the preferable progression in the routes aided with a chain and, the result of personal experience, we will pass from hatred and repulsion towards the chain to a real appreciation. The progression will be fun and satisfying. Seeing is believing…