Appendix B

Equipment Vocabulary

Ascender- a piece of equipment used to ‘climb’ a rope. Can be made of aluminum or stainless steel and usually has a plastic handgrip. The ascender has a molded semi circular area at the top for the rope to slide into. Next to this area is a locking mechanism which opens to insert the rope and locks closed to grip the rope. An ascender can slide up the rope but cannot slide down.

Belay Loop- one of the loops on a . This loop is in the front, middle portion of the harness, near the belly button and is bar tacked for maximum safety. This is the main clip in point for the . Harnesses can have a single belay loop or they can also have clip in points on the sides, back and even at the center of the back of the chest harness. Be sure not to confuse clip in points with gear loops. It can mean the difference between life and death. Belay loops can be fabric or metal depending on the type of harness.

Carabiner- triangular (or sometimes closer to oval) aluminum or stainless steel mechanism used to connect equipment to equipment or people to equipment. Contains a gate which presses open to insert a piece of equipment. The gate either has a self-locking mechanism or screws down manually.

Climbing Rope- Specially constructed rope that can be either static or dynamic. stretches a bit and static does not. In a circumstance involving a long, hard fall, dymanic rope can make an arrest less painful because the rope has a bit of stretch. For aerial dance, I always use static rope and I do not want any sort of stretching. Static rope contains a core composed of individual braided strands. A braided sheath covers the individual strands and protects them from wear and tear and the elements. The diameter of a climbing rope can vary from approximately 8.5mm to 16mm.

Double backed- A term used to define a belt buckle that is in safety mode. That is, a belt, leg, shoulder or riser that is threaded through the buckle and then the end of which is then threaded back through the start of the buckle. When double backed properly, the buckle looks like a “C”. When a buckle is not double backed it looks like an “O”. Many harnesses have permanently double backed elements to improve safety considerations.

Foot Loop- Although we use this term in class, the item used is actually called a Sling. This is a flat strand of polyethylene or nylon that is very strong, and thin and is sewn into a loop with heavy duty bar tacks insuring that the rope cannot come apart. Widths can vary from

12-18mm and lengths from 30-240 mm.

Gacflex- Product name for a spanset. This particular spanset is a continuous loop and has a core of metal wires (galvanixed aircraft cable) surrounded by a polyester sheath. Gacflex comes in various sizes to carry varying loads.

Gear Loop- Fabric loops attached usually to the back and sides of a harness. They are present to hold equipment for climbing but rarely used in aerial dance. We tend to loop our extra rope through them in class. They are not designed to carry the weight of a person.

Clipping into a gear loop can result in injury or death.

GriGri- Product name for a descender. A piece of equipment used for both maintaining position on a rope and assisted braking when descending a rope. Can be either stainless steel or aluminum. Front plate slides open for rope insertion. Once closed and attached to a carabiner, the rope slides through the GriGri when climbing and the cam pinches shut to lock your position on the rope and prevent falling. Handle opens and with pressure, allows for gradual release down the rope.

Harness- A fabric frame for the pelvis or pelvis/chest for use in carrying the body into the air via a rope or other means. Varying harnesses can offer padding in waist and/or legs and shoulders and most are equipped with adjustable leg loops, waist band, shoulder and/or chest loops and sometimes adjustable risers. Some models have pre-threaded, double backed waist belt, leg loops, shoulder straps, chest strap and risers. Geer loops and belay loop circle the waist. Most models come in XS, S, M, L, XL.

Leg Loop- Fabric loops on the bottom of the harness that are designed to fit around the thighs. Leg loops are sometimes attached to the waist band via risers in the back and tie in loops and belay loop in the front. Some leg loops are padded for comfort and most are adjustable to fit varying body sizes.

Swivel- Metal piece of equipment, either stainless steel or aluminum, that prevents the rope from twisting as a person spins. Consists of two pieces, each generally semi circular or triangular, joined at the center and containing ball bearings that create a smooth spinning motion. Swivel is generally placed at the top of the rig and connected to the rope via a carabiner through the top and bottom openings.

Waist Belt- The portion of the harness that encircles the waist and should sit above the hip bones. Contains a metal buckle that is either pre-threaded or permanently double backed but can be as simple as a long fabric piece that gets threaded through the metal buckle and hand double backed. Waist belt can have varying degrees of padding and size is a determining factor in the overall size of the harness.