http://ozreport.com/12.78#2

From the HGFA accident report:

Inspection of the bridle system used by Mr. Zwahlen showed that he had employed some non standard equipment which included a single standard chain link used as the weak link tow ring. The bridle employed by Mr. Zwahlen was found to be water ski rope, the type that is a weaved braid spliced at either end.

Don't these two sentences seem a bit weird, even a bit more than a bit weird?

A piece of chain link as a weak link tow ring? What's with using a ring with a rough ridge as a weak link ring?

And then what's with the braided, spliced ski rope?

When I read this report the first few times I didn't get it. I was only after I got a report from Peter Bolton that it became clear (well not exactly clear, but my perception changed greatly). When I think of a ski rope I think of a thick poly rope with very loose braids. No way could I imagine that this rope was actually pulled through a ring or snap link. There had to be a three ring circus at the end of the bridle made of this rope. Turns out that this was not the case.

Peter Bolton (http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11569&start=7)
wrote to me and stated that the ski rope bridle was actually pulled through the snap link to release the pilot. No wonder it had a reasonable chance of being caught by the hook of the snap link in its loose braid.

But the question remains. What kind of ski-rope was Bernie using? How thick? What material? How loose the braid?

I just find this hard to imagine. How could any one use such a rope with a snap link or even a light weight non locking aluminum carabineer?

Since I have not seen a report on exactly what the ski rope looked like, perhaps Rohan Holtkamp, who has promised to get back to me after his next set of students go through his hang gliding class, can tell us.

http://ozreport.com/9.188#1

Tracy and Lisa use these thick ropes at Cloud 9, but, as I recall, they have rings at the end of their tow ropes.