Thanks for the info, I thought this only concerned PETZL equipement, as I have seen the warning on the Fort L'ecluse  Via F.

The Petzl Scorpio problem involved a missing stitch.  This is a new problem that was discovered with an Edelrid product and now has the industry reconsidering testing and safety standards.  The important webbing part of the lanyard that actually takes the load during a fall, on these units, is concealed under a stretchy cover (highly technical term!).  The problem stems from the stretchy bit repeatedly rubbing over the lanyard and abrading the material.

I suspect the covers are nylon and the inner webbing of the affected units is Dyneema or similar.  Dyneema, while technically stronger, is more susceptible to abrasion damage.  The cover continues to pass visual inspection while the internal webbing is becoming shredded.

I also believe that the failed Edelrid unit from the Aug 2012 incident was very well-used.  The takeaway from this, IMHO, is to not push the envelope when it comes to lanyard lifespan. 

PDF (in German) of affected units here.  I've seen tons of these used on Glocals VF events.  Everyone doing VF definitely needs to look at this.

Please note that many of these "problems" are equivalent to problems of your Car's Airbag being faulty.

I am not saying that they should not be considered, but let's not make a big drama. Not many cars had airbag a few years ago and we still drove them.

When fear becomes worse than whatever we fear we should change something.

EducationalPaths.com, Learn to design your life.

I agree.  I would personally use a recalled unit (except for the pre-recall Scorpio) provided it's in very good condition.  So far this issue is one failure on one old, worn VF set.

That said, now is a good time to send away a unit for replacement.  Hopefully the replacement would arrive before VF season gets started.

Well, heuu.....if my air bag have a problem i solve it....

I think this is not a question of fear, it's just a question of security (complicate to explain in english, sorry)

anyway, fill you free to stay with a material not 100% safe. It's a personnal choice. ;o)

Luckily for me I have the cheaper Petzl

Some experienced climbers I know swear by making your own Y thingie from cord. It's simple, cheap and you can immediately see if it's worn and replace it.

Hi Catalin

Making your onw Y 'thingie' with cord is absolutely not safe at all.  You do not have the shock absorber mechanism necessary to absorb the newton/meters forces incurred in Via Ferrata potential falls.  I would never recommend this to anyone.  Much better off having the real thing.  These do not cost much (100 Euros at best) , which in my view is well worth ones life...

Agreed.  A homemade VF set is a bad idea.  Climbers have been killed taking ~one meter falls from the belay position because none of the gear was shock absorbent and something in the system failed as a result.  Taking a 3-5m VF fall on such gear would be suicidal.  The current standard for VF gear calls for an 80kg mass free-falling 5m and the resulting shock load never exceeding 6kN.  That's a lot of shock absorbance.  I don't know of any way to replicate this without a VF kit (or the industrial equivalent).

Has anyone returned a VF set to Mammut & actually received a replacement??

I know they received the one I sent in as they sent an acknowledegement but since then (about 8 weeks ago) nothing...

here's why.

http://www.mammut.ch/en/viaferrata_faq_why.html

Although any fall situation on a via ferrata is bad. Has anyone reading ever fallen on a VF?On steep ladders I take an, extra, short cows tail to rest rather than risk falling off, but it's rock fall that mainly worries me.

A friend took a short fall into free space on an overhanging section of Moléson.  He was fine but it could've been really bad.  I never want to take a VF fall.  I probably won't die; I'll just wish I had died.

I feel the role of the shock absorber is greatly exaggerated. 5m is the equivalent of a two stories building. Via ferrata sections are much shorter especially in the difficult sections, you would not be anywhere near those heights. Not that I ever want to find out if they work, but I can see how manufacturers would say anything to sell their products.

If you fall 2m in a harness on a static sling, you can break your pelvis! 

The manufacturers though are taking the mickey regarding the prices. for a short rope, 2 krabs and a stitch plate minimum CHF100... it can't be justified.

DMM tested falls on static gear not too long ago.  An 80kg weight falling 120cm on a 120cm Nylon sling generated over 12kN of force.  The same weight falling 240cm on the same 120cm sling (a factor two fall) generated over 16kN of force.

16-20kN is where gear failure starts to become a concern and anchors start pulling out of the rock.  Humans start breaking around 10kN.  :-/

Ah, ok. If you hear anything, perhaps you could update this thread :-)

Yes but that is what is called 'worst case scenario' in engineering terms hence the 5m.  To be honest in the dolomites you could ne confronted to that kind of height in some places ...

Finally, eh... That was Mammut wasn't it??

Petzl took less than a week for my kit. ;-). Trust the French to be good at one thing... To be fair they have a subsidiary near Lausanne so it's swiss employees doing the checks. 

Yes. Just got it the other day. They only started shipping the new units in the beginning of May.

They did a really nice job. The new unit is a real step up from the one that was returned (only 2-3 years old).