Adding a Micro Pulley to a Traditional System

Brandon:
I’m Brandon with Sherrilltree, and today we’re going to talk about adding a micro pulley into a traditional climbing system.

Here we have a Blake’s Hitch set up on a 16-strand climbing line. This system is very common and popular, but one of its drawbacks is the amount of effort required to ascend the tree. If you’ve ever used this system with a body thrust, you know that as soon as you pull down on one side of the rope, you then have to manually advance your prusik.

A simple way to fix that is by adding a piece of cordage in a loop—just like we have here. Sherrilltree also offers a kit that includes everything you need to set this up.

Here’s how it works:

• Tie your prusik hitch (in this case, an English prusik).
  
  

• Place a micro pulley underneath the Blake’s Hitch.
  
  

• Use an accessory carabiner to connect the prusik cord to the pulley.
  
  

• Make sure everything is properly tied, dressed, and set.
  
  

Once installed, as you ascend, the prusik will be self-tending—the micro pulley automatically advances it for you. This eliminates one of the main drawbacks of a traditional Blake’s Hitch system by reducing the amount of energy and effort needed to climb.

You can leave the micro pulley connected for the entire climb. On the way down, it simply floats below the hitch without interfering.