On Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 2:11:46 AM UTC+12, Gen Shib wrote:
I have about 2,000 winch flights. Most damage to rope/cable is done after glider release when rope hits ground and being reeled in fast at the same time, not launch. Synthetic materials are great because they are light and impact themselves less on ground.

Yeah but on a regular winch launch the cable is off the ground along its entire length pretty quickly. There won't be anywhere near enough tension with a reverse pulley system to keep the cable between the pulley and the car off the ground, especially as the length of cable increases as the glider gets higher and the tension becomes less.

Interesting pics he

http://www.coloradosoaring.org/think...ey/default.htm