We blogged about the end-of-the-line for the ART Ropeguide '07 last month - today we have the replacement Ropeguide '10 shown below.
The webbing on the '07 always caused problems when climbers coiled the unit for stowage on their harness - when it was unraveledthe twists remained in the webbing - not a major issue but annoying never the less. For the '10 ART have changed the webbing to parallel sewn aramid rope- more abrasion resistant and less tangle!The next obvious addition is the new 'tunnel ring'. The ring and rope rope work in tandem to a produce a combined break strength greater than 25kN. Theradius of the ring improves the break strength of the rope and the rope also improves the strength of the light aluminum ring - pretty clever!
The black plastic 'rugby ball' behind the eye ring is called the Fender. It helps to twist the ring into an upright position when pulling it through atight crotch.
The deflecting 'fingers' (on the cam) rotate the mechanical device when pressure is applied to retrieval Zip-Absorber - this helps release the cam whenit comes to removing the Ropeguide from the tree.
These are the first pictures we have been able to get hold of - there will be more information soon, including price and availability.
