Vertical caving terminology and methods
A prusiking system is an arrangement of ascenders and possibly chest rollers, and the motions that can be used for prusiking as a result. Which major parts of the body they support, whether the feet control one or more of them, whether they are connected to the relevant part of the body directly or via footloops or tethers, whether the hands have to move them upwards, and whether they sit above or below each other. Different arrangements allow different body motions in order to prusik, and some can allow more than one type of motion.
This is not an exhaustive list of prusiking systems, as virtually every caver will know a few ways to tweak their prusiking rig to gain an advantage in one way or another. Features can be taken from any of the systems, and applied to another system. Pulleys and ascenders can be clipped to virtually any part of the body for stability or comfort, and there are countless variations that can be found in use around the world. Some cavers will add a third ascender to a prusiking system that only needs two, so that if one fails, they can construct a working two ascender prusiking system with the extra ascender. However, the various systems that are in use generally fall into one of these major categories. Some of these systems can be used with prusik loops, and all of them can be used with mechanical ascenders. Some work much better with lever cam ascenders than with eccentric cam ascenders, and some work best with eccentric cam ascenders. However, all of them can be used with either type of ascender.
It is also possible for a prusiking rig to be a hybrid of more than one of these systems, so that a simple configuration change can switch it from one to the other. This is most apparent with the Mitchell system, Plummer system and Texas system, which are known as the three phase system when used as a convertible rig between those three systems. The frog system and the another prusiking system are also readily convertible between each other. A frog system rig with the chest jammer positioned slightly higher than normal and a variable length footloop can also be converted to a singe system or Texas system with a limited range of motion. A Mitchell system with a chest jammer that is not normally used can also be converted into a frog system by enabling the chest jammer and disabling the chest roller and lower jammer. The pygmy system was intended to be convertible from a Mitchell system by using variable length footloops and an extra ascender, but the conversion is quite clumsy, since it basically means carrying around an extra half of a prusiking rig. A Plummer system can be converted into a pygmy system with an optional shoulder jammer. A rope walking system can be converted to a Mitchell system by disengaging the foot jammer, and adding a footloop from the top jammer, running it through the chest roller, and using the knee jammer as a lower jammer. A rope walking system can also be converted to a Texas system by disengaging the chest roller and foot jammer, and using the knee jammer as a lower jammer. A frog system with a foot jammer can also be converted to a rope walking setup by shortening the footloop of the top jammer, placing it below the chest jammer, and adding some bungee cord to turn it into a floating cam, though the chest jammer is a bit too low to be comfortable. This conversion is known as the stair climbing method.
See below for the full list.
The order in which these systems were developed, and which one was adapted from which other one, is quite convoluted, and many of them were recreated over and over again via different paths. Rope walking appeared in Euope but was forgotten. The hands and feet system then appeared in Europe, and dominated prusiking for two centuries, slowly spreading to other continents. A variation of the Gérard Alpine technique appeared in Europe at the same time, and was used for centuries too, but not with normal ropes, and its use was confined to just one city for most of that time. The inchworm system was also developed in Europe, providing a second option for the last two decades of the 1800s. Rope walking reappeared in New Zealand at the start of the 1900s, followed by some development in Europe 20 years later. The Texas system first appeared in 1905 with poles in the USA, but was not used on ropes until decades later. The frog system, the more complete Gérard Alpine technique and then the Jumar system all appeared between 1920 and 1931, in Europe. Virtually all other systems can trace their roots back to these European systems, even the really odd ones. In fact, all prusiking systems currently in use can be traced back to the Gérard Alpine technique and the Jumar system which was derived from it, both originally developed for mountaineering, for climbing out of a crevasse after falling into it. Most of the major systems were then developed for caving, and have subsequently spread into mountaineering, rope access, arboriculture and other disciplines. I have tried to be concise without losing the important developments. Prusiking, 1973 by Robert "Bob" Thrun is a great source of information if you wanted to learn more about all the subtle little changes that went into producing the systems that exist today in America, but sadly there seems not to be an equivalent for Europe, and this information was difficult to procure in some cases. I made the following flow chart while researching this. There may be errors; some dates and origins are guesswork. Most text and flags are clickable.
This history section only covers prusiking systems. This article also has a detailed history of many of the other devices and techniques that are used for vertical caving.
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