Beginner Tree Climbing Tips

I did my 4 wraps on top then i take the tip length and cross over the bottom, then i go under then over then beener. Make since? I tie it just like Climbing Arborist guy on youtube show's.
 
I thought the top leg of the vt always went on top of the bottom leg when crossing- for every cross.

Works for me that way any how.
 
:violent1: <<<< That's me NICK. Lmao. Ima moron i just went and did it again. I took the top piece and keep it on top through out the cross-overs. thanks bud. Y in the hell did i keep doing that . Watch the climbingarborist on youtube he switches them, like over then the one on top the next cross over he puts on the bottom i keep doing that and it keept f'ing up,.. Thanks, and million bud.
 
Yep, I just went and did that Appalachian, and Your right and so is Nick. I can have 100' of rope tangled up and nothing pisses me off more then when my friction hitch mess's up when im trying something new. Just sayin.
 
That's, a tautline hitch Master that hitch is like 200 yr's old (j/j) But ,I'm guessing it's that old for a reason. I do like the Blake's hitch. I read some of the other post on here when i got home from Fla. And the blake's is nice. the tautline hitch on my xtc fire gripped way to much. Haven't tried the v.t. yet in a climb im just messing around in my weight room on my pull up bar. But so far im still going to say i like the schawabich so far better but like i said , I haven't tried the v.t. on a climb yet ill keep everyone on here posted.aka... (my new best freinds) . :dude:
 
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  • #59
You know more about you than anyone. Listen to yourself.

There are elements of this laid out in Bermy’s post #24 and Tucker’s post #43. When I had been climbing for a few months I came to be around an even newer climber named David. He was exuberant with excitement about climbing and tree work.

When David was up in a tree I pretty much just had to look the other way and focus on other things because it was too painful to watch his molasses slow progress toward completion. At one point he asked if I would teach him some things because he wanted to be faster like me.

I said sure and so the next time he was set up in the tree and we had a little time I started to ‘help’ him. He had one tie in point up high in the middle of this oak tree and had come down to a low level limb about 5 in. in dia. and 20 feet long. On the way down he set the other end of his climbing line out on a neighboring and higher limb so that if he slipped he wouldn’t swing back into the trunk.

So about the first thing I say is that he didn’t need that second line, he was just wasting time setting it and now fiddling with a hitch on it. “I need that, if I don’t have it I might SMASH into the tree trunk”, he said. So back and forth and finally he is not willing to drop that line out but, he will give it extra slack, so he is not fidgeting with it every few moments to eek out a little more distance out on the limb.

David is telling me how scary it is and how he is afraid he is going to fall. I’m telling him, “there is no where to fall to, just quit fussing about everything and walk out to the end of the limb so you can start trimming it”. Somewhere around that time I hear a big crack and David goes off the side of the limb and onto his TWO 6K plus lifelines. Cradled like a baby in mid air. I think, shoot we just irreparably broke the customers beautiful keeper limb, we screwed up how this tree will look. David is spitting and sputtering about how he told me so and he could have gotten killed etc.. He went on....

The point being David knew far more about what he was able to do than I did. I would go out there with an aggressive mentality, laying over sideways with 70+% of my weight on my top tie in point. I was only thinking from my perspective. David knew my advise wasn’t right for him with his current style. (He was standing up, weight on the limb.) Another person may have been doing something a little longer than you but, they are not you. Only you can decide if you are capable of something, you may need to adapt it to how you do things. Trust yourself.
 
Good story, great example.

I broke a wrist way back in the 70's...I took the experienced climber's advice about when to put my lanyard around a big oak on the way up (we used to free climb and at some point put the lanyard around the tree...usually just over the first limb...whether it was 5 feet up or 20 feet.

At 15 feet I was getting skittish...he convinced me to wait to put the lanyard over the first limb about 5 feet higher. The next step the spur kicked out (dead punky oak) and the rest is history.

I should have trusted MY inner voice.
 
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  • #61
Oh god, this is like a walk down memory lane. I had totally forgotten about free climbing. I used to have whole conversations with myself about why I was doing it on jobs that were time and material jobs...nothing to be gained, only endangering myself.
 
Whats, the best knot for a hitch climber pulley setup if you don't have a spliced eye? Askin cause i don't want the knot to interfere with the friction hitch.
 
are u wanting an open or closed system? if open you can just tie a blakes hitch with almost no bridge, and put a micro pulley under it. if a closed system I've tied anchor knots and they didn't seem to interfere.
 
Thanks for the advice Page. Yea i have done the blake's hitch before i like it also ....So anchor knot and connect it to the hitch climber pulley. As of right now i have been hooking both beener's to my rope bridge. I have a hitch climber pulley but the knot interfering was making me nervous so i went the old way ...What friction hitch do u tie? I use a schawabish, with that set up ...
 
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  • #65
Just got a call from a tree climber that is ranked fifth in the world. (That’s what he told me anyway.) He was looking for work. Anything, full time, part time - ground work even.

Probably best not to tell a person you’re the fifth best anything in the world.
 
Ive gotten many calls from the best climbers in the world looking for a job. Usually means they suck. Delusions of grandeur.
 
Soooo, what would qualify a climber as "good".....??? :dontknow:

First is having fancy gear and looking good while climbing. Second in my book would being well liked on the internet forums. After that comes honesty, production ability, attendance, skill, and courage - in that order of course.

And safety
 
While working the spar and using your flip line run your hand around each side of the flip just before making the cut. If it is too big take a couple of steps around to make sure your flip line is not hung on a stub. Checking to see exactly where your line is and know exactly where you are making your cut.Always have a climb line set lower in case somehow you do cut through the flip line. This only takes seconds once you become fluent with it and it can save your life.
 
First is having fancy gear and looking good while climbing. Second in my book would being well liked on the internet forums. After that comes honesty, production ability, attendance, skill, and courage - in that order of course.

And safety

.....I'll never make it..... :lol:
but I do have honesty and attendance covered! :D
I'm still working on the production ability, skill, courage, and safety..... ;)
 
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