Little tricks

[Limb It]

What are some of the little tricks you have picked up through the years?

Recently, I have started to use a retrieval ball on my rigging line in the place of an overhand slip knot. It means that i can leavr in in place when the rope gets pulled back up and it doesn't fall out of my rigging point of choice. Where it also comes in handy is keeping the rope away from the bottom of the limb duri g an under cut. This way i don't need to take the time to undo the knot in the line.

 

[SomethingWitty]

What are some of the little tricks you have picked up through the years?

Recently, I have started to use a retrieval ball on my rigging line in the place of an overhand slip knot. It means that i can leavr in in place when the rope gets pulled back up and it doesn't fall out of my rigging point of choice. Where it also comes in handy is keeping the rope away from the bottom of the limb duri g an under cut. This way i don't need to take the time to undo the knot in the line.

I have one. I'm sure we all have a few.
I like playing Indiana Jones when it is easier than climbing over there to grab a rope or a little piece of dead or a hanging sucker. If I take my 48" dyneema runner and girth it onto my biner on my lanyard with the screw lock I keep on it girthed on the other end, it grabs so much more reliably.

 

[tc262]

If you are sending a saw down to switch out or refuel pull a bite of rope out between your micro pulley and hitch and send it down in that loop. When sending up the saw the groundie can pull the tail of your climb line so you won't have to pull it up.

 

[wyatt spruck]

When working on spikes on smaller diameter stems/wood, configure your lanyard in a cinching configuration to prevent sliding down the stem if you gaff out. This can be achieved by simply wrapping your lanyard once around the stem and back to your D-ring, or if you have a thimble prusik installed on your lanyard, clip a carabiner into the thimble, and then connect it to the other leg of your lanyard to "cinch" both sides together closer to the stem.

Another skinny spar positioning tip (Especially if it's a leaning spar): Use your upper D rings for lanyard attachment, instead of forward/lower D rings AND position your lanyard so it's lower on the stem (just above your knees). In this configuration, you are basically pushing up against your lanyard, and down into stem with your legs, and I've found that it provides better balance than any other method. I've also noticed that the farther away from the stem you position, the less comfortable and less balanced I feel. Get up close to the stem, but not too close so you can still operate your saw comfortably. You don't want to be cutting a piece with the chain running 2 inches from your tummy.

Cheers!

 

[Magnum783]

When working on spikes on smaller diameter stems/wood, configure your lanyard in a cinching configuration to prevent sliding down the stem if you gaff out. This can be achieved by simply wrapping your lanyard once around the stem and back to your D-ring, or if you have a thimble prusik installed on your lanyard, clip a carabiner into the thimble, and then connect it to the other leg of your lanyard to "cinch" both sides together closer to the stem.

Another skinny spar positioning tip (Especially if it's a leaning spar): Use your upper D rings for lanyard attachment, instead of forward/lower D rings AND position your lanyard so it's lower on the stem (just above your knees). In this configuration, you are basically pushing up against your lanyard, and down into stem with your legs, and I've found that it provides better balance than any other method. I've also noticed that the farther away from the stem you position, the less comfortable and less balanced I feel. Get up close to the stem, but not too close so you can still operate your saw comfortably. You don't want to be cutting a piece with the chain running 2 inches from your tummy.

Cheers!

Can you explain the lanyard position part better. I always tend to move my flip line down to my lower Ds when I am only skinny and leaning stuff.

 

[wyatt spruck]

@Magnum783
Moving your lanyard adjuster and termination to your hips helps move your center of gravity upward, and allow your to leverage yourself against the stem with your legs better.

On your forward D's, your center of gravity is lower, kind of in the mid-hip area, and when you're on a leaning spar, there is more tendency to want to lean forward and drive the hips backwards to resist gravity pulling you downward. This is especially so when you're making a cut, and you're arms cannot reach far enough to comfortably hold the saw. With your lanyard lower on the spar instead of perpendicular to your body, you afford yourself a more upright, "tight" stance that feels more secure.

I'm not sure if I can explain this better without the aid of a video or physically showing you what I mean - It's one of those things you have to physically experience in order to REALLY get the physics of it, if that makes sense?

So, next time you're working on spikes, compare the difference between positioning with your lanyard in the forward D position, perpendicular to your body, and the Upper D positioning with lanyard lower on the stem (around knee level, just above the knee).

On paper it's kind of nonsense, but physically try it, and the difference in comfort is mind blowing on a leaning, skinny spar. It's still hard work, but this method affords you more security.

 

[Magnum783]

@wyatt spruck makes total sense well done. I was more asking for clarification before I chimed in. That is exactly what I have experienced. Just making sure I didn't assume, we all know what happens then.

 

[jmaher]

You're an ass, I'm an ass, we're all asses.

 

[jmaher]

Slipping the down leg of your climbing line through a caritool on your hip helps tremendously with avoiding gaffing your climb line.

When climbing srt, I'll tie a midline knot and clip my chainsaw into it so that the bar just hangs above the ground. This works as a fair lead in tending your foot ascender. Then.. To add some icing, your saw is already tied on for you when you hit the work area. Bam.

That's it for now.

 

[Limb It]

Slipping the down leg of your climbing line through a caritool on your hip helps tremendously with avoiding gaffing your climb line.

When climbing srt, I'll tie a midline knot and clip my chainsaw into it so that the bar just hangs above the ground. This works as a fair lead in tending your foot ascender. Then.. To add some icing, your saw is already tied on for you when you hit the work area. Bam.

That's it for now.

I have a caritool xl on my leg strap for that very reason. Works like a charm, and it runs straighter than running it through one on my hip

 

[SomethingWitty]

Slipping the down leg of your climbing line through a caritool on your hip helps tremendously with avoiding gaffing your climb line.

When climbing srt, I'll tie a midline knot and clip my chainsaw into it so that the bar just hangs above the ground. This works as a fair lead in tending your foot ascender. Then.. To add some icing, your saw is already tied on for you when you hit the work area. Bam.

That's it for now.

I didn't even think of that as a trick. Just SOP.

 

[jmaher]

When working on spikes on smaller diameter stems/wood, configure your lanyard in a cinching configuration to prevent sliding down the stem if you gaff out. This can be achieved by simply wrapping your lanyard once around the stem and back to your D-ring, or if you have a thimble prusik installed on your lanyard, clip a carabiner into the thimble, and then connect it to the other leg of your lanyard to "cinch" both sides together closer to the stem.

Another skinny spar positioning tip (Especially if it's a leaning spar): Use your upper D rings for lanyard attachment, instead of forward/lower D rings AND position your lanyard so it's lower on the stem (just above your knees). In this configuration, you are basically pushing up against your lanyard, and down into stem with your legs, and I've found that it provides better balance than any other method. I've also noticed that the farther away from the stem you position, the less comfortable and less balanced I feel. Get up close to the stem, but not too close so you can still operate your saw comfortably. You don't want to be cutting a piece with the chain running 2 inches from your tummy.

Cheers!

What am I looking at with that blue strap and a ring? Like a webbing daisy chain working like a snake anchor?

 

[SomethingWitty]

What am I looking at with that blue strap and a ring? Like a webbing daisy chain working like a snake anchor?

I missed that the first time I looked. Seconding this request.

 

[Simpleiowaguy]

I missed that the first time I looked. Seconding this request.

I'm not sure what his purpose is for it. Curious as well. I know before I started to incorporate SRT into my climbing system I had spliced up a long whoopie out of 5/16 amsteel that i would use to anchor straight to the bridge like that when I was blocking big wood down. I'd just keep my climbing system clipped in my back to keep it out of the way from chunking down wood.

 

[FreeFallin]

Could be mistaken, but it looks like this picture was taken during a transition while disconnected from his climbing line. In that case the cinched lanyard becomes primary, and the sling/snake anchor thing becomes a secondary to clip the bridge to using that revolver type biner. Maybe?

 

[Wood_Dog]

I have a drt trick. Most people know it already. If you are climbing on a closed system, with a snap tied on your rope, you can girth hitch the snap to your throw line to slide your rope down into a crotch to set your climbing line. Also, if your line is caught on a little sucker above your crotch, tie both of your tails together with a ball of rope to pull up there and break the twig so that your rope falls into the suitable crotch below it.

 

[jmaher]

Could be mistaken, but it looks like this picture was taken during a transition while disconnected from his climbing line. In that case the cinched lanyard becomes primary, and the sling/snake anchor thing becomes a secondary to clip the bridge to using that revolver type biner. Maybe?

It looks to me as if he has that adjustable petzl bridge.. It looks to be something like cool velocity running in a ddrt setup using the revolver. I also could be wrong, however. Seems like a lot of extra crap. Running bowline worth a long tail, rope wrench. Retrievable. If that is indeed what I think it is... It seems cumbersome and a pain in the ass.

 

[SomethingWitty]

I have a drt trick. Most people know it already. If you are climbing on a closed system, with a snap tied on your rope, you can girth hitch the snap to your throw line to slide your rope down into a crotch to set your climbing line. Also, if your line is caught on a little sucker above your crotch, tie both of your tails together with a ball of rope to pull up there and break the twig so that your rope falls into the suitable crotch below it.

Took me a second to wrap my head around that second concept, but I started picturing it and I like it.

I think I'm more inclined to carry a device on the truck for this that just breaks twigs. Maybe something conical? Or maybe just an old flat basketball with a clip point bolted through it... So the premise is that you might break it while climbing, but don't have the weight to do it right up against the trunk, right?
You widen the contact area with the twig so that you are exerting the same pressure, but because of leverage from a "ball" you actually can snap them out?

 

[SomethingWitty]

I've got another one that I forgot about.
I use a hand ascender at work.
It lives on my left hip. When I need to attach a rigging line, I just clip it in and it is there. No more tying and untying. One handed quick access.

 

[Simpleiowaguy]

I've got another one that I forgot about.
I use a hand ascender at work.
It lives on my left hip. When I need to attach a rigging line, I just clip it in and it is there. No more tying and untying. One handed quick access.

Really like this idea but maybe with something smaller then a hand ascender. Maybe a tibloc from petzl?