Freeclimbing...

Bermy

Acolyte of the short bar
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...when do you do it?

My last two jobs have been freeclimbing, now before you get all worked up...

Friday was a few hours 8-10' up in a big pittosporum hedge/tree, I had to take the top out so where I was standing my waist was at the top branches, plenty of branches to stand on and hold, no rope, no harness, it would have gotten in the way even.
Today was six smallish cedars, the highest was like 15-18', plenty of closely spaced branches, wiggle up to the top, and clip in with just a lanyard, use that to come down on. To try and set any kind of line first was unnecessary IMO.

Both jobs were hand saw and secateurs only.

Don't you find sometimes that the tree you have to work on is like a clone of all those ones you climbed as a kid, way before the days when you knew what a rope and harness was? Is this acceptable?
 
As far as I know freeclimbing is acceptable as long as 3 points of contact are made during the climb. Stopping to work you should be lanyard ed in though.
 
I've never used a lifeline when pollarding crepe myrtles. Same deal, too small and too tight wiggling around between the multiple trunks.
 
I climb with a lanyard or free when doing small trees. I use the lanyard for positioning. It's not as safe as roping up but it's not unsafe. I just don't want to be a guy who broke his spine at C6 because he fell 8'... that would suck.
 
stop free climbing when you get skeerd. If the voice in your head says "Holy Shat"....then tie in
 
Don't you find sometimes that the tree you have to work on is like a clone of all those ones you climbed as a kid, way before the days when you knew what a rope and harness was? Is this acceptable?

Yes I do get those trees from time to time.

I really don't have a care in the world for what OSHA demands or any other entity really.
But for me, I am working the laws of averages. I climb just about every day so I try to really pay attention and not take risks.
As a kid I climbed anything. Our favorite as kids was to climb the outside of these apartment buildings nearby.
 
My main fear of free climbing is if, in my old age, I stroke out or some such shit, I don't wanna hit the ground.

On another note, I always secure my work positioning perch.
 
It's not as safe as roping up but it's not unsafe. I just don't want to be a guy who broke his spine at C6 because he fell 8'... that would suck.

Blink, lotta respect here for your posts and input and experience. But, if it's not unsafe, yet could result in you becoming "that guy," why not rope up?

I'm playing devil's advocate here some cuz, while I have forced and trained myself to rope up any higher than 3 or 4' off the ground, I'm still temped to freeclimb, like in the old days.

I was in a big spruce the other day, and once I got into the upper half of the tree where the limbs were quite close together, I was thinking of Burnham and his posts re, I believe, the forest service lets them climb unroped in conifer tops where the limbs are close together because it is presumably safe.

But I just plodded on and stayed roped, doing ALT to the top.
 
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I climb with a lanyard or free when doing small trees. I use the lanyard for positioning. It's not as safe as roping up but it's not unsafe. I just don't want to be a guy who broke his spine at C6 because he fell 8'... that would suck.

Yes to that...my lanyard is 20' so today I could clip in when I got to the top, then use it like a lifeline. When I repositioned it I was sitting on a branch with both feet on other branches...a bum counts as one point of contact doesn't it?

So far the general concensus is little trees (less than 20') and clip in once you get to the top...I'd agree.
 
So far the general concensus is little trees (less than 20') and clip in once you get to the top...I'd agree.

That will definetly save time, until someone falls out of the 3000th tree and then spends weeks in hospital and months out of work....
 
Free Climbing, almost never.

When we were kids we played Sunt Dog.

Who could jump off the parking garage down the hills of ice plant.

Who could do the most stairs, or biggest gap on your skateboard.


So Free climbing, only if it's low and quick to grab a hanger or something.
 
That will definetly save time, until someone falls out of the 3000th tree and then spends weeks in hospital and months out of work....

thats why its "high ball" bouldering....dont fall, simple
 
I try to avoid it at all costs. But, it can be relatively safe to climb conifers. --Except for the Scotch Pines. They can be deceptively slippery with their thin bark. :O
 
It amazes me now that I was taught to climb by free climbing EVERYTHING. What I mean was we would put our hooks on and just hook on up. No lanyard no rope over a limb, NOTHING. I remember it really sucking on BIG trees 4' + DBH when you couldnt even begin to get your arms around em. A few times I would get up 40' to where it swelled to a big crotch and get the Elvis knees:lol:

So dumb........when we got to the top we tied in to work the tree.
 
From a supervisory aspect its taboo. Personally, at work I think its a really bad move. I used to boulder, and sometimes freesolo climbs, Noone was impacted by my choice, at work it's different.
 
I was climbing an ash tree the other day and got my throwball stuck while trying to set the rope from the ground. As I was fumbling with that, my 20 year old number two climber proceeds to free climb the trunk of the tree to its first branches 15' up. It was quite impressive really. I was of two minds on the matter, one thout it was pretty cool the other thought "Hey I pay comp on that kid." I really need to clip his wings some.
 
I remember it really sucking on BIG trees 4' + DBH when you couldnt even begin to get your arms around em. A few times I would get up 40' to where it swelled to a big crotch and get the Elvis knees:lol:

So dumb........when we got to the top we tied in to work the tree.

Same here...that's how I learned and that's how I broke my wrist...about 15-20 feet up, no lanyard on the tree yet, gut instinct said, "Strap in NOW"...Mike McCue, lead climber, said there was a better place to safety in about 3 feet higher. Next step and my spur kicked out. I hugged the oak as long as I could...about 8-10 feet above ground there was a big speed bump in the bark that kicked me out from the tree. I wasn't sure how bad I was hurt...went back up and tried to run the saw...couldn't even hold it. Spent the rest of the day under a bush...drove home in my Fiat 124 sport coupe and had to shift left handed.

Cleaned up, went to hospital and, shore 'nuf, I had broken the navicula...spent 3 months in a cast (but got to drop Economics 101 :D)
 
My first car was a 128 sport coupe.

I think the 'rope in when you get skeered' policy is a good one. Going through a parking lot full of 20' maples and 40' willow oaks I rope the oaks and lanyard or free the maples. The climbing is always easy on those trees.

Agree about working against the odds, the more you can make yourself safe, the longer you'll be climbing... statistically speaking anyway.

If I was paying comp on a guy I doubt I'd want him climbing anywhere without a lifeline.
 
Yeah, I don't want him free climbing. Still the kid can do some really cool stuff like jumping of off roofs and climbing brick fireplaces. I am always curious and cringing at what he will do next. Did I mention that his dad is a workman's comp. judge? I've told him that I want to keep my relationship with his dad on the non-professional level.
 
We still freeclimb under the FS Climbing Guide regs., actually teach proper methodology for it, including when and when not to do so. It's one of a few points where we diverge from ANSI Z133.

I freeclimb at any height that the tree form allows it to be done properly...and my cojones hold up :). Often times I have done so well in excess of 100'.
 
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