Help with emergency decent during srt ascent

saddle 001 (Small).jpg Like the others have said, i clip in my pantin and just push my hitch and rope wrench up with my hand for short moves upward. for longer ascents I use the lanyard over the shoulder trick to tend my slack. before the rope wrench I was using a "Work RADS" system that made those short move easy as well. it consisted of petzl RIG and a petzl Shunt.
 
rope wrench short move..... (this is from a while ago on a rec climb, don't mind the shorts.) when I push with the pantin, i put my hand below my slack tending pully and push everything up with me.

fathers day climb 2011 008 (Small).jpg
 
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  • #32
Don't underestimate the power of the SRT work system, young jedi.:)
Check out the Hitch Hiker thread started by PCTree.

While you may have to learn some new tricks, there are some really good advantages with SRT, whether at 20', 80', 150'...

I sorta dread climbing DdRT anymore, but that me. I actully did climb a screwy/ previously topped storm damage alder tree the other day, DdRT. First time climbing DdRT out of at least 10 or 20 climbing days.

Double TIP force on a bomber tie-in may not really matter that much. I'm 195 without gear. I just bounce test my TIPs, after a good visual check, either by my self, or also with my groundman. Been no problem.




Shane, feel free to tell us about yourself, your work, where you work/ self-employed, etc. Good group here, and a lot of cumulative knowledge. I don't know of any other members from Arkansas. What types of trees do you have there?---and feel free to share some pictures.

I want to get a wrench and try working srt out one of these days, but for now I'm happy with drt, and the business isn't really booming here in hicktown, so I've been trying to focus on picking up more rigging gear so that I can have enough hardware to do the job, instead of investing in a new climbing technique right now.

I'm 20 and grew up in a family of carpenters and old timer loggers.
I got into tree work about the time I turned 15, my friend and I became acquainted with an older man, who lived down the street from our highschool, that has been a climber for almost 40 years. We started helping him on jobs being his groundmen and not long after that he began training us to use the climbing gear..which his metods are probably concidered outdated now, but he's damn good at what he does.

I'm self employed, I have been trying to change my work focus into tree work, but still end up doing alot of brush clearing, property maintenance, construction, and pretty much anything else that pays. I work with a friend of mine since elementary school and we both climb, both have our own gear.

We have a huge variety of trees here, but the work is mostly on oaks, hickorys and pines. All the trees are small here, the tallest is around 100' MAYBE, very rarely does anyone get to work or climb in those though, most of those are on government land. My average climb for work is about 50-60 feet, drt with a 120' rope I usually am right at the end of my rope when I touch the ground.

No way can I be the only arkansas man in here!
 
:lol:Cool, Shane. Thanks for the intro.

Do you know that you can make a wooden rope wrench for free, or next to free?

My employee was taught by his friend's dad, who was taught by someone 30-40 years ago. He's been surprised how much easier it has been with some of the newer techniques.

Post up some pics when you get a chance.



My friend who is currently visiting us is currently living in Arkansas. We all really like the Buffalo River. I miss that type of area, at times, but not the skeeters.

I tried to go ultra light on a trip down the Buffalo River once, not anticipating the fogginess/ dampness. I had a fleece sleeping bag liner, fleece pants and jacket, and slept half in a dry bag and under tarps wrapped like blankets. I got over my ultralight kick with that trip.
 
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  • #34
A wooden rope wrench? I'm going to have to look into that..

I live close to the beginning of the buffalo river, it's my areas biggest tourist attraction. Awesome place usually, but this year it has been way hotter than usual here and no rain in the last 2 months...so going on a canoe trip is more like going on a hike and dragging your canoe down the river lol.
 
Kevin Bingham is a member here. As I understand it, the original prototype was a box wrench, which only worked to shred the rope and propel the idea forward.

I gave mine away, but the picture is up here someplace. A piece of hardwood with a 45 degree hole drilled into one end that's a bit bigger than your climbline, and a little hole drilled on the other end for a tether. I used a hammer handle. Drilled several tether holes at various distances from the rope hole, dial in the RW length, and trim off the excess length.

An early Bingham-vation
wooden rope wrench.jpg
 
Shane, nice narration.

Arkansas isn't the only place where people wait until the tree just about falls on the house to call someone. It's the American way to wait until something fails before fixing it.
 
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