TIP location?

You’re right Stephen, I sometimes use the tied leg to help get into position and I’ve noticed that it flexes considerably. Much more slack than the leg I’m tied to.

Along the lines of a safe TIP, has anyone ever had a TIP pass the bounce with a buddy test only to have it fail later in the climb?
You can clip your down-strand to your bridge for positioning and moving the down-strand away from a limb you are positioning to cut.
 
I've had one that was bounce testedb y two of us and scared the daylights out of me, when I got up there.
Huge, very tall oak that we rec climbed.
I was first man up and saw that the rope was across a little sucker..............a dead little sucker.
Got a second tie in real fast and changed the rope for the next guy up.
 
I carry a set of binoculars in the truck, they do come in handy for checking TIPS.
I've bounced and broken twigs on purpose before climbing when I knew my rope wasnt where I wanted it, but never the double bounce and had a fail after, thank goodness.
 
Yep same ... one memorable when was still commuting double w taut line. About three feet to a large limb , knew I was safe yet dropping into my gear like that back then seemed scary
 
If I'm not positive, positive, I'll choose drenaLine over HTP.

If I'm Wraptoring and not totally positive, I'll use my stretchy Raptor rope.
 
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  • #35
I have a monocular in my arsenal as well and use it often.

I don’t mind dropping, say, 2 feet. It has happened once during ascent. No big deal. I have been getting more and more an appreciation for the strength of wood. It’s amazing how a 3/4” branch on a weak species can hold nearly double my weight.

Got to thinking about principals of keeping the tree in compression where it’s strongest. It usually applies to rigging (that I’ve seen) but it seems very applicable to climbing as well.

Take, for example, the situation of that co/sub dom at the beginning of this thread. The way I draped the climb line over the crotch and basal tied basically loaded that limb in a compression fashion. The rope tail closely followed the angle of the limb. While it was being pulled down, it was simultaneously being compressed. It was odd that with that much leverage and 2 people bouncing that there was very very little movement. Just me climbing showed no movement
 
It’s amazing how a 3/4” branch on a weak species can hold nearly double my weight.
Be extra careful here, it's deadly. If you realy have to use this stupid little thing, set your rope (and as all along the climb) like it isn't the small stuff which holds you but the bigger limb/trunk where it comes from. The tiny branch is there just to prevent the rope from sliding down. Never trust it to hold alone (pulled outside by the rope) and never never away from the crotch, even by a couple inchs, it will snap on you.
 
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  • #37
Marc, I should have clarified: It’s really just when over a 3/4” branch with a 6” + crotch less than 2’ below. I promise I’ve never been over anything that small without any immediate massive structure below.
 
Burham said a while ago that just a twig can hold an elephant if the rope is correctly placed. That impressed me!
 
You’re right Stephen, I sometimes use the tied leg to help get into position and I’ve noticed that it flexes considerably. Much more slack than the leg I’m tied to.

Along the lines of a safe TIP, has anyone ever had a TIP pass the bounce with a buddy test only to have it fail later in the climb?

Yes.

I did as per the recommendations. I threw into an Oak tree at about 60’. First shot, it was going too well, I should have known. The line was caught on a bit of epi and no amount of rolling, flicking sending a loop up and the old stick trick could get it to drop into the crotch. The epi was only about 10” away from the crotch and over something about 5“ diameter.

I shouted to a groundie who was about the same size and weight as me. We hung 28 stone approx off it and had a little bounce. It was Oak so I thought it would be fine.

I started ascending with a RW Mark 1. Got about 6-7 pantin pumps in the air and then I remember the rope going slack and I hit the deck from maybe 10’ up. The next crotch was just a bit too low to catch the rope before I hit the floor. I landed then thought, shit the top is coming down so did a commando roll towards a bush and small tree and the top missed me.

It was when I tried to stand up I thought I had broken my ankle. Drove back home in pain and then walked to the hospital and it was a ligament damage and a couple of weeks on crutches.

Zero decay in the snapped branch just the forces. I believe that the bounce test of 2 men is what weakened the branch then the repeated stress of the 14stone trying to get up there pushed the fibres past their point of elasticity and pop. Down I went.

I do a two man hang these days but never a bounce test. I often pull the line back out if it doesn’t look safe these days as well.
 
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  • #44
Rich, no sounds came from the tree during the 28stone test? Never heard of stone as a unit of measurement. Google said 1 stone =14lbs
 
Damn 🤪

I used stone as I thought you Americans would understand. I normally use Kg.

Whatever the unit of measurement, there was no sound from the limb.
 
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