Climbing In The Rain?

[Sgriff]

Who is doing this?
Where do you draw the line?
How do you manage with wet rope and hitch and well everything?

I found myself piecing out and rigging a crap tree in the middle of a (for us)massive downpour,i just kept on,thru lunch break even,just wanted it to be over. Now im questioning if thats just pushing my luck or if it's something lots of folks doin....coming into winter n all.
Previous employer had bucket truck,not to big deal but now im freelancing ...
all the different people I've worked with usually just call it and not work.
I have one guy who is kinda pushing the schedule through,i get where he is coming from as i am booked pretty full and he needs my capabilities but I gotta draw the line somewhere.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Generally, I only climb in the rain from October until May.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Sean, hardly enough to even get wet. Rain has lightning concerns, at least in these parts.Who isn't an afrady cat about lightning.

 

[Raj]

I'm no way a production climber, rain usually drives the groundhelp away, I prefer not to, seem to take longer to dry equipment out than the actual work. If I was pushed, spur/spar work light rigging seems doable. Extreme tips/end work/ high stakes rigging, perhaps I'd put off.

 

[Fiddler]

Done plenty of it but it depends on the job...not around any power, not without checking radar for lighting, not if it is pissing me off enough to interfere with keeping my mind on the job, and depending on the strength of the front coming through...strong differences in temperature can create some hellacious unexpected wind gusts.

 

[timbertramp]

I usually take a glance at my wallet, if it's not full money then I climb in the rain. And hate every minute of it.

 

[Fiddler]

 

[Raj]

Is the wallet waterproof?

 

[timbertramp]

Nope. I figure that keeps me from slowing down. Lol losing money one tree at a time.

 

[Sgriff]

I hear y'all for sure,but like southsound and tramp seem to be sayin,gotta pay the bills at a certain point,for me,i need to maintain my contacts. Its just super shitty,dealing with the rusty tools,dirty ropes,and then actually performing the task usually suks just as much.

I used a figure 8 to rappell from a pull line i set, seemd to wring more water out of the rope and right on my crotch than a pocket of water in an oak dumping out everywhere could have ever done

 

[Sgriff]

Not to mention I prefer to wear gloves! Definitely not happening in the rain😩

 

[timbertramp]

Yea I hear ya on the gloves in the rain. Usually have to remember what direction I threw them out of the tree

 

[Porkbrick]

we always worked in the rain. some trees are a really bad idea when wet due to becoming slippery as snot. oaks, eucs, cypress. i hate it and usually work through lunch to get it done. wind is a different story, and we almost never get lightning here on the coast.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Atlas latex gloves work in the rain for me. Just got to be new enough.

Really, good work positioning is a key to working difficult trees, I think. In rock climbing, you learn to do most things with as little effort as possible, and its all about body positioning (well, mind-positioning, too). Fiddling with traditional, removable rock climbing anchor gear, from funky stances, has paid off huge, in my estimation, for doing tree work.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I hear y'all for sure,but like southsound and tramp seem to be sayin,gotta pay the bills at a certain point,for me,i need to maintain my contacts. Its just super shitty,dealing with the rusty tools,dirty ropes,and then actually performing the task usually suks just as much.

I used a figure 8 to rappell from a pull line i set, seemd to wring more water out of the rope and right on my crotch than a pocket of water in an oak dumping out everywhere could have ever done

The thread is about climbing in the rain, not staying dry in the rain. haha. I try to stay warm and mildly damp in the winter. Dry is an illusion.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Do painters paint in the rain? Do they pour concrete in the rain?

No climbing in rain unless it's an aerial rescue!

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Rain keeps dust down.
Spurs stick in wet wood just fine.
Bring your good work positioning skills, spurless. Pick your battles.

 

[Burnham]

For me, like Sean, if you're going to work trees in the PNW, you're going to work in the rain to some degree or another. I would do almost anything to avoid it, but that's not an option for most of us. Now winter climbing, that I refused to do except for special circumstances, so even that I had to tackle at times. Freezing temps, snow and ice tree climbing...that sucks the hairy moose lips.

I'd happily work rain when the job was restricted to spurs on the bole, and a lot of my natural resource management work was so. But pick cones in rain, up high in the canopy, tiny wood, close up and personal with the boughs, and all hand and foot on limbs??? Not.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I melt in the rain unless they pay double

 

[MasterBlaster]

Word.

 

[Sgriff]

We have an array of funky trees here in san diego that are definitely not supposed to be climbed in the rain...

 

[Sgriff]

Don't get it twisted,i have been climbing for 16 years,i am just curious of other people's procedures and how/if there is a way to overcome some of the difficulties that arise from wet gear.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I can just imagine a euc in the rain. FUG that!

 

[Burnham]

I always was having to mess with changing wraps with my friction hitches when the gear was wet...never a constant level you could count on. Not fun. Avoided free climbing, which most of you already do always, anyhow. Use more triangulation to maintain position, via either second climb line (or the tail of the primary), and long lanyards.

 

[Sgriff]

I am super grateful for everyone's input here,thank you all. Sometimes i feel like maybe im just being a vajayjay for not wanting to go up in the rain,now i don't feel that way! 😜