Vertical caving terminology and methods > Rigging methods and equipment
A special pull-up cord setup, using a vertically oriented eyelet anchor, with a second eyelet positioned above it. The pull-up cord passes through both eyelets, with the upper eyelet serving to pull the cord upwards from above the lower eyelet. The rope and cord are connected to opposite ends of the skyhook, which is a metal attachment that will pass through the first eyelet only when the cord is pulled upwards, and will lock into place on top of the eyelet. This allows the rope to be pulled up the pitch and locked into place. Before descending, the locking part of the skyhook is manually passed back through the eyelet, and a different piece is manually rotated sideways across the eyelet. Afterwards, the cord is pulled again, releasing the skyhook completely, and the rope can then be lowered down the pitch. Popularised by its use in the British Ogof Ffynnon Ddu system, on The Skyhook pitch. This should not be confused with a Petzl Sky Hook, which is a brand of progression hook.
The original skyhook was created by British caver Peter Harvey in 1953, originally intended to be used to pull a ladder up pitches that had been accessed using a maypole, a purpose which it was commonly used for in a few caves, particularly Ogof Ffynnon Ddu and Dan yr Ogof. It was most famously used on The Skyhook pitch, which was discovered in 1968 from above, and remained configured for access that way for several decades. A second one was placed in the entrance porch of the South Wales Caving Club, so that visitors could see how it worked, and practice before putting it into use underground. Some other clubs copied the designs so that they could use their own one, and not have to borrow the one belonging to the South Wales Caving Club.
This history section only covers the skyhook. 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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