Vertical caving terminology and methods > Ladders, climbs and older techniques
Manually pulling a person or equipment up a pitch using a rope. This is commonly done while derigging a pitch, lifting tackle bags containing previously derigged rope. For light loads, it is common to simply pull up the rope using hands. However, for heavier loads, a progress capture pulley, or a combination of pulley and ascender, might be used to avoid dropping the tackle bag back down the pitch, and having to start all over again. This is only possible for pitches with no rebelays or deviations, and lowering the rope back down again risks accidentally catching it on a ledge so that it does not reach the bottom, leaving other cavers stranded. So except in the case of derigging, it is an approach that should not be relied on, and cavers are normally expected to take their tackle bags up with them while prusiking.
Manually hauling a person was traditionally one of the main ways to ascend a pitch, and might still be used in improvised rescue and organised rescue. This requires a lot of strength, and is prohibitively difficult for long distances. It comes with the very severe risk of running out of strength, and dropping the person, so an ascender, belay device or other progress capturing device is essential. To avoid both problems at once, a Z-rig might be used, since that reduces the strength needed, and also saves the progress. However, it does so at the expense of speed. In general, hauling people up pitches should be seen as an absolute last resort, to be used for rescue purposes only.
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