In order to stop the council putting another statutory notice on my building to remove some loose slates they have now decided are a hazard that need urgent action despite it being 2 months sine I told them about it I got Bikepawl to help me abseil off he roof to pick them up
No way could I ever feel safe on there. Two ropes – one safety rope on an automatic device thingy that locks off by itself and is being tended by a experienced climber and one rope with an ordinary ab device and I still shit myself big time.
I do get worried when I see things like that. How many H&S regs were broken? I’ve seen too many amateurs come croppers in situations like that, and it’s not pretty.
I’d dread to think what would happen if everyone decided it would be a good idea to abseil down their roofs. I’m gald you got off safely.
Bruneep – its dodgier than it looks – its a dead fall off the edge and a lot of loose slates – I didn’t replace them – I didn’t have any slates to do so but its now safe as in no slates are going to fall on anyone below
davidjones No H&S regs were broken – its my roof. A very experienced climber controlling the situation ( not me). ab rope and safety rope separately tied off to parts of the roof that ain’t gonna shift. perfectly safe. Far safer than most rock climbing where you would only have a single rope.
It’s funny how even though logically you know that you are safe with two ropes and a harness – your head doesn’t always go for it. It makes me uncomfortable just to look at that but I know ‘real’ climbers wouldn’t have a problem 🙁
Well done TJ. I wouldn’t have done it myself cause I have a heights thing too.
With such unusually sunny weather in Scotland why weren’t you out in some spectacular mountain location instead of your shitty roof!
Hasn’t in the 2 months its been like that – the loose slates were all lying in the valley gutter.
Its a scottish roof – sarking boards and felt under the slates not just slats
Obviously it needs a proper repair an I have just got a quote for that – and will have to argue with the council about liability for it. It will be repaired soon. Any leak would not going into my property anyway
It makes sense to have the experienced chap controlling the situation and hes a bastid and wants to see me suffer so he made me. thats his payment – watching me suffer
No way could I ever feel safe on there. Two ropes – one safety rope on an automatic device thingy that locks off by itself and is being tended by a experienced climber and one rope with an ordinary ab device and I still shit myself big time.
What a big girl!
It makes sense to have the experienced chap controlling the situation and hes a bastid and wants to see me suffer so he made me. thats his payment – watching me suffer
Done something similar on a tenement roof in Edinburgh many many years ago. No rope, telly aerial needed put back up.. Twin peaked roof so out the roof hatch a few feet onto the peak and in between both peaks to the chimney.
Absolutely one of the stupidest things I have done (ok, top 5) but the reception was great afterwards..
Try abbing off ‘soft pro’ – basically a knotted sling jammed in a crack with a very wobbly peg as back-up… one of the least pleasant things I’ve ever done. I would willingly have swapped pretty much everything I owned for a teleporter or even just a bomb-proof anchor. It always makes me laugh when people talk about abseiling as if it’s some sort of adventure sport in its own right. Bleurgh…
Lots of climbers hate abseiling and for good reason, lots of them die that way through gear failure, innatention to detail, anchor failure, rockfall etc.
It is more dangerous that the actual climbing.