And there is only one "s" in prusik. It is named after Dr. Karl Prusik.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prusik

RR, you been hangin with Smike too long?

Apparently, neither of us can spell.

Nice.....I got a laugh out of that. I try to be the Spelling Police and I get the smackdown....gotta love it

That is quite ways to go prusiking - anyone who's done it knows that prusiks are only good in theory. Either carry a gri-gri 2 or some sort of mechanical ascender (WC Ropeman is small and light), or the leader could've helped - there seems to be enough rope to throw a biner down to do an assisted raise.

The slow, sickening spin of an all prusik free hanging rope ascent only counts if you go at least a half rope length. Less than that just doesn't get your money's worth.
Having fallen out of a couple of big bombay chimneys and off a big overhanging face has led me to carry a Tibloc all the time. It really makes the whole thing a lot easier and makes setting up a haul for the second a piece of cake with an auto-block.

I tried to ask that (lower my rope) after I couldn't get the ATC unlocked and was quickly told "no, i'm waiting for them to come up" he did not want to hear any more. So, since i was on a quite comfortable ledge and he was the one hanging I said whatever you want.

A Ropeman is 5 1/2 oz? Guess theyre appropriate if you think your really going for multiple long jugs, but how often would (do) you do that? Do you carry two of them? Id recommend a knot variation like the Klemheist before I started carrying mechanical devices heavier than a TiBloc.

The prusik is a thing not action. It is a type of friction hitch that can be used to ascend a rope amongst other uses. Though a foot or so of skinny cord tied in a loop is often referred to as a prusik, it is not (until it is). That piece of cord can be used to make a prusik as well as other friction hitches like a bachman, klemheist or autoblock. I like to refer to the skinny cord I carry as a rescue loop, just to keep my options open.

Climbing the rope with a pair of friction hitches is hard work but actually works great, is more than just "good in theory". It takes practice and some real fitness to master but is totally cool to do and incredibly handy to have in your bag of tricks. If you are going to climb a long ways up a fixed line consider tying hard knots (eight or overhand on bight) below the hitches every 3 or so meters and clipping into your harness so that if those skinny cords fail you won't fall all the way back to where you started. A clove hitch works well too.

If you want some instruction on friction hitches and other tricks consider coming to the FREE clinic I am doing before the 13th Annual Climbing Film Festival on October 8th @ 5:30 in the Uberfall (movies are in town). Even if you don't want instruction stop by and say hello as I have done these things for years now and the turn out is generally kinda weak.

Did I mention that it's free?

Not true at all. They are quite effective and workable, and super light to carry. Recall the number of big walls that were done with prusiks on the FA.