Skylotec Rider 3.0 Via Ferrata Set: Adventure with Safety

If you're on a via ferrata, you want to be well secured. Skylotec is presenting the Rider 3.0 via ferrata set at the 2017 Outdoor trade fair, making it the Gold Winner of the Industry Award. Messe.TV presenter Jürgen Groh, who gets weak knees when going via ferrata climbing, wants to know if this would be something for him. He talks to Florian Wahl from Skylotec to find out: What makes via ferrata belaying so special?

Skylotec Rider Rider 3.0 - Via ferrata belay with rope brake

Jürgen Groh: I'm always terrified when I go via ferrata climbing. Can you take away some of my fear? Florian Wahl: I think we can take the fear away. With our Rider 3.0, we have been able to significantly reduce the fall heights because we have installed a brake that prevents you from falling down to the next anchor point. Jürgen Groh: In concrete terms? Florian Wahl: It's best if I show you. You have the device into which you clamp the wire rope, which works between 12 and 16 millimeters. You clamp it here on the rope and it moves normally with your movement. If you fall, it brakes and stops immediately. This means you don't have the depth of fall that you have with a classic via ferrata set up to the last anchor point. Jürgen Groh: But now I would be interested to know why there is a difference of 6 meters? That's quite enormous. Florian Wahl: The difference is 6 meters because you don't have an instant brake on the classic via ferrata set. With the classic via ferrata set, you only have two carabiners. There is a difference of up to 5 meters between the anchor points and, in the worst case, you are at the top, fall and drop 5 meters to the previous anchor point. You are connected to the climbing harness via a rope and have the distance plus the additional distance that the shock absorber triggers. And you fall over 6 meters. You don't have that with the Rider.

Innovative via ferrata set with significantly less fall height

Jürgen Groh: The longer the distance... Florian Wahl: ... The more the belt shock absorber is triggered. Exactly. Jürgen Groh: It then adds to the distance. Florian Wahl: Here in the shock absorber you practically have a coiled strap and the strap absorbs the energy from your fall by stretching. Jürgen Groh: At 9.60 meters on a via ferrata, it can also be fatal if things go badly, right? Florian Wahl: It definitely hurts like hell. That definitely won't happen with the Rider. To answer your question, you have 3.80 meters on our scale. This means that if you climb up and, in the worst case, attach the harness above you and fall, the Rider remains blocked and the shock absorber does not release as far due to the fall height. And that's why you have the reduction.

70 years of expertise & experience, also in the industrial sector

Jürgen Groh: I have to say, that's a great invention! How did you come up with it? Florian Wahl: How did you come up with it? Well, Skylotec has been around for 70 years and we are working on making work or pleasure at height safer. There are similar systems in the industrial sector where we are relatively successful - to mention this by the way. Except that they are static and simple. The via ferrata conceals several facets. Our technicians thought about this and found a solution and implemented it 1:1 in the Rider. This earned us the Gold Award at Outdoor Industry. Jürgen Groh: There are very rustic via ferratas with chains, does that also work? Florian Wahl: Yes, fortunately there aren't too many of them any more. That also works, but without the brake. I can do the via ferrata the classic way. In other words, in this case I would use a carabiner on the device and I can then descend the via ferrata in the classic style and hang around. That's classic. Jürgen Groh: What does this ingenious system cost? Florian Wahl: The ingenious system costs €245 at RRP. Jürgen Groh: How much more expensive is it on average than a normal climbing set? Florian Wahl: Normal via ferrata sets are around €100 to €120. Jürgen Groh: But that can definitely pay off? Florian Wahl: Definitely, because it's the safest via ferrata set on the market. Jürgen Groh: We can only hope that you can continue to draw such great ideas from the industry and present something new next year! Florian Wahl: I hope so and will pass it on to our developers. Thank you very much.