Skinny trees.

[MasterBlaster]

No climbline setting here, for the most part.

 

[Burnham]

Told y'all .

 

[ch74]

Me either . Thats y I wanna know how you "old school" fellas climb with flipline, your techniques, gaff out techniques on small and med trees etc.... I have done the climb line setting it sucks and its frustrating.

And dont say the work climb videos or ref me to some book. Sorry to say it they were no help. They briefly explain . Not enough info

Come on come on Burnham share that knowledge to some young blood like me.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Just keep your hooks sharp and git up there!

 

[ch74]

They're sharp. I keep up with all my climb gear.

 

[ch74]

Thanks.

 

[MasterBlaster]

If they're sharp, you're good to go!

 

[ch74]

 

[Merle Nelson]

Charles you were given several different 'answers' that seem like they would work well to safely perform the specified work. You've no doubt seen or heard of knowledgeable people pointing out to a greener person that we are given one mouth but two ears for a reason.....

It just occured to me what cemented my technique in place so well in my early days. I learned to climb in a way where we use to take down phone lines ourselves to make a job go quicker and then put them back up at the end of the day. A hard creosote or gas impregnated pole with dozens or hundreds of likewise impregnated splinters (from previous gaffings)set up to be injected into your arms and body if you did slide down is not something to be toyed with. I chose a method that would work, not might work, would work.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Gotta love those poles!

 

[ch74]

Yes, Merle my reason for not being motivated on the 540 technique is it is a pain to move I have tried it before , what makes it worse is I use a rope lanyard, wire core I see it's benefits in that instant.

 

[Merle Nelson]

I have a lot of gear that is job specific, it sits at home till I need it. Many items I don't prefer and they are not my first choice. But when it works it works. Get the job done safely and efficiently-collect the check. Take the tool home and put it on the shelf till the next time it can help me make money more quickly and easily.

 

[MasterBlaster]

K. I. S. S.

 

[Sgriff]

I am no vet,been climbing for 14+ years but I also wear geckos and climb alot of skinny trees. I utilize both wrap methods described,I haven't used my wire core in almost a year since switching to rope lanyards,on top of everything said in the first few posts i may suggest leaning back a bit more than normally...

 

[MasterBlaster]

Just keep your shit TIGHT.

 

[Maximalist]

On skinny trees I make two points of support -

 

[pete mctree]

On skinny tops & trees it helps to slow right down. Carefully place your gaffs & try and transfer weight smoothly. This really helps maintain stability. Oh and as per one of my Burnham lessons, if it's breezy, climb with your back to the wind

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Ok Sean that makes sense, hold your hand in the looped part with slack in flipline so if u slip it tightens (chokes) itself off. That sounds right.?

y

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

What about climb line above me choked, flip line normal, and hike to it and repeat?
Anyone do that, or is it always the wrap in lanyard?

With a high climb-line TIP, you may skip the lanyard if grabbing the skinny trunk works to climb the tree with hands and spurs, especially a slight leaner. Just use something to advance your hitch. Someone/ something (including gravity alone after a while) to hold your rope tail downward, while using an over the shoulder lanyard/ neck loop attached to the tending connection point.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Yes ma'am, I hate setting a line, well cause honestly I can be in the branches setting up, while one is playing with a ball n string. Just from my experience thats the way I have seen it.
Im going to try the x tomorrow and the 360. See which one I like best. But I think 270 is going to b my answer on smaller diameter trees.

Being efficient helps a lot. If you are F*cikng around with the throw line, taking forever its one thing. If you can throw or shoot a line, then pull in your rope, and not need to isolate it, you should move pretty quickly.

Getting brush on the ground ASAP is not the key to working efficiently or safely. IF you have a crew of 5 waiting for a limb to hit the ground, that's anther thing. Doesn't give you longevity, either.

Setting a line is also useful for spreading trees, leaning trees, ivy/ vine covered trees?

A lot depends on height and tree type. Also, risk-acceptance by the climber and company.

In Florida, don't you have wasps/ hornets/ snakes/ alligators in the trees? Well, maybe not alligators.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Old school here...if I'm on gaffs and flipline, no way am I going to bother with setting a climb line...waste of my time, and simply put, I'm a better spur climber than that .

Advice from a vet is nothing compared to the experience of vet. I don't know how long you've climbed Charles, but you don't have B's experience.

Everything is risk-acceptance. I'd rather have a high TIP than chaps in most situations, Burnham is the other way around.

He's an expert at both. Everyone has a different perspective.

I pay pretty little attention to where my spurs set, or how hard they set (and have to pull back out) with a HiTIP. With pole spurs, I sometimes don't even penetrate the wood, and very, very rarely gaff out. I don't want to stab myself in the leg with a spur while sliding a few feet.


Overhead support leads to comfort and less wear and tear on the body, even if you don't 'need' it.


Burnham, does this go for a slick leaning madrone, as well as rough bark, vertical conifer?

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Its very tempting to cut a stub here or there on ascent. With only a rope lanyard, and rushing where you might skip a second TIP, you could be playing with fire.


If I'm going to work my way up, and its not feasible, or worthwhile to set a HiTIP, I choke my climbing rope below my flipline, sometimes, advancing them simultaneously. If I slip, and let go, the choked line will stop me.


Lots of ways to skin the cat.

 

[MasterBlaster]

There's a short (Quicktime?) video of me on the portal page of me climbing up a pine just to set a pull line. I coulda broke out the throwline, but I was too lazy and it was just one tree.

It's upper right under "videos" called 'Going up.' Not much really, way old video tech.

 

[ch74]

I'm home from my job , about half way done out of the 20plus trees to take down, On the real skinny tree i used the 540 and my hands then advanced the wraps it was easier to just hold the skinny little thing and climb that way. On the little bit bigger tree (still skinny) i used the x wrap as burnham described and smoked up to the topping point. I even tested it off the ground a little ways up before i used it, it caught without question. Thanks to all i have a system now that is K.I.S.S. proven. Thanks guys to all i really appreciate the help. For fyi the first pine was so skinny i could almost choke my hands around it and touch finger tips, i went about 50' up in that and tossed the top. I did however use the 540 on that and just advanced it, grabbed tree with both hands and hiked up, advanced it, etc.....Ya'll are awesome. Basically i was over thinking the gaffing out shit and just need to keep it k.i.s.s. all the time. It's been working out so far.

 

[ch74]

I've seen it on your youtube page MB, i adopted your (step method) how you hike up keeping one a little higher then the other then, step, step , set (one higher) etc. thats how i do it now .
Step, step, set one higher , then flip.