2 New Climbers, Need Advice

briand787b

briand787b

Location
Brookfield
Hey Everyone,

I'm a new climber who just bought gear for me and my girlfriend (also new to climbing). I bought a 200' New England Safety Blue rope with the intention of cutting it into 120' and 80' sections so that she and I could climb simultaneously on different ropes, yet in the same tree. Before I cut it, I started to question whether this was a good idea, considering we're beginners and she would probably not like it if i just tear off into the tree and leave her behind (or vice versa). On the other hand, i feel like having two sufficiently long ropes would provide redundancy in case she or I get stranded and require assistance from the other. If anyone who rec climbs with beginners has an idea of what to do i would greatly appreciate it.

EDIT: The other option I was considering was to cut the rope into a 150' climbing rope and a 50' extra long lanyard for secondary TIP and/or conifer climbing. If you have better options I would love to hear them.
 
Welcome Brian. With a 16 strand can I assume your going to be climbing doubled rope techniques. If thats the case I would agree with Ryan. How far are you planning to climb? If you just looking to learn and stay under 20 feet or so then you might get away with 2 100ft pieces.
 
Yeah, I'll be climbing DdRT, I have some pretty decent sized trees around here. It's hard to guess what height they are, but there are some massive oaks and tulip trees that have to be over 100'. I wouldn't go that high, but they're there.
 
Just remember it is 'doubled' rope. 80' will reach no higher than a ~40 foot tie in point while still allowing the climber to reach the ground.
 
That's why I mentioned 20ft John, add a redirect or a limb walk and descent and your a little short. Not where you want be, especially when just learning.
 
RopeShield said:
It only matters when descending. Endline tail knot and adjusting your tip so you always have enough to descend all the way to the ground.
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It's never fun running out of rope on your way down but if you plan for it then your good. I would just buy two hunks of rope that are 200'. That way if you two get the idea to climb higher and you will, you two are good up 100'. Just remember it's not a recreation, it's an addiction. Once you climb 50' you want to climb 60' and so on and so on. I will never forget the first time I climbed up an elm in Birmigham MI, and could see downtown Detroit like it was 3 miles away when it was actually much farther away. The best scenery is from the top of the tree not half way up. Good luck on your addiction. Climb safe and god bless cause not many people can get closer to god than tree climbers.
 
Brookfield, CT? Not much DdRT climbing you can do around here with an 80' rope except prune dogwoods, pears and crabapples. Now granted, I'm working, not rec climbing, but I gave up using 120' ropes years ago because they're just too short and switched to 150' ropes. For the $137 a 150' piece of NE Safety Blue costs, just buy a second rope and leave the 200' uncut - it'll be worth it. Besides, you haven't said if you're climbing traditional closed system, split tail, eye-and-eye prusik, mechanical prusik, etc, and if you're on a traditional closed system, you'll need the extra length.
 
Just as everyone else said, a longer rope is crucial. You want to be able to bail out of that tree at anytime, new to climbing or not. If you run into a hornets nest, you may be very happy you have the extra length of rope : ) Don't forget to tie stopper knot at the end of your rope! Good luck my friend.
 
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Please please please always check your length before rappelling to the ground every every every time. In Ddrt this means that a BIGHT of your tail has to reach the ground. Anytime you go on a multi-pitch climb (really, anytime you climb, esp for rec climbing), tie a stopper knot a few feet from the end of your line; rappelling off the end of it will ruin your day/year/life. It's worth the embarrassment of needing help if the knot gets stuck in a crotch.

These two safety issues are much more problematic with short ropes, so I will echo the call to leave the 200'er alone and buying another 150'. There are cheaper ropes than safety blue if cost is an issue. I think fly and blaze are both cheap. Skimp on other bells and whistles at first, but get the full length ropes. Consider 120' as minimum Ddrt main line length.

Having said all that, for small to moderate height trees, especially if you're going to be moving around or across the crown, a 120' can be nice, as it's less tail to pull through. I climb 90% of the time on my 150' ropes.

Finally, if you're ever unsure, check the Tree Climber's Companion (you do own that, right?) or ask here. Climb safe.
 
There's a lot of great advice from a lot of really experienced climbers in this thread. The only small thing that I would add is that it is my own personal habit to find the end of the rope, pull two full arm lengths (which for me equals about 11 or 12 feet), and then tie a figure eight stopper knot.

I'd rather find out I'm running out of rope when I've got at least ten feet left. If that happens, I'll still have enough rope left hanging below me to be able to attach a foot or knee ascender in order to climb back up and figure out what to do next. If your rope stops at your belly button, it might be really difficult to gain height using arm strength alone, depending on the circumstances.

That's about all I have to add to this conversation for now. Thanks for listening.

Tim
 
It came up at work today about length of rope. I didn't have the z 133 handy but is it a standard to be able to reach the ground at anytime when climbing?
 
damn close KYAPPLE, 8.1.26 states that: "When a climber is working at heights greater than one half the length of the arborist climbing line, a stopper knot SHALL be tied in the end of the arborist climbing lineto prevent pulling the line through the climbing hitch."

6.3.7 says to use a climbing rope AND a lanyard when chainsawing aloft, but does not address the issue of rope length.

Personally, I climb and teach others to ALWAYS have enough rope to reach the ground in case of an emergency, this trick has saved my life or at least my pride on several occasions.
 
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