By: douglas lee November 28, 2009

I was a climber back in the 80's, and am unfamiliar with some of the new terminology and equipment usage. Could somebody please explain to me what is meant by a "bailout" ring, or "use for bailout"?, such as the Omega Ring? I recently purchased a whole new set of climbing hardware, etc, to get back into the sport. I bought three Omega rings, even though I didn't know *exactly* what they are used for, largely because they are just so damn beautiful, and they were so inexpensive. I gave one to a friend who has cancer, as a good luck charm. He appreciates beautiful hardware (not just climbing hardware) and he loved having one of these. I hope somebody can give me a thorough explanantion of how these rings are used. And why can't they be used as a ring for belaying where a bight of rope would go through the ring, with the bight of rope then through the anchoring carabiner, similar to a Sticht Plate? Hard to dexcribe, I hope you know what I'm saying, since ther is no way to put a diagram in here. attached to an achoring carabiner, or as an additional friction device, located above a figure 8 with both sides of the rope through it, attached to the belayers harness (backed up by a direct to the ground anchor, of course). Does the ring overheat if you are lowering somebody with a bight of rope through it, similar to a figure 8 ring, etc? Thank You to any expert who can explain. If you wish, I would really appreciate an email if you would, in case I have trouble getting back to this page (finding it). -Douglas in Minnesota douglas1000@comcast.net

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes | 0 No