Broken TIP

[data farm 26]

I climbed on tons of questionable stuff in my 20's. There was a time I thought that I was invincible and I also got a thrill from danger. Then I quit drinking and my nervous system flipped upside down. Looking back, I feel very lucky to have survived my younger years. I read stories here of experienced people going down. I'm not fooling myself into thinking that tree work isn't inherently dangerous, I'm just not trying to take any extra chances if that makes sense.

 

[data farm 26]

The weird thing about testing your anchor is…
If it did suddenly break, then I will fall down and be underneath a branch that is probably plummeting to the earth. I guess that’s marginally better than falling out of the tree

I hadn't thought of that!

But also, how can you properly observe whilst hanging on the rope? I don't think you can.

 

[evo]

I hadn't thought of that!

But also, how can you properly observe whilst hanging on the rope? I don't think you can.

I make a point not to be clipped in or use a footie when testing an anchor.

I bounce a little, and will sometimes do a two person or 2:1 with my lanyard. Not every time though. Frequently just to bust nubs or a small Epicormic

 

[Neill]

I’ll have someone else look at it, and pay attention to the feel of it. Which we all know that can be deceiving. Like evo and the twig over the union
I was in another willow oak the other day- that 5’ I posted a picture of with the big buttress. I hand threw into a top, blindly pulled my rope up and tested it. Felt quite solid. Called for a second to test it, still solid. Of course, it was in the very top of the tree, into 1-2” wood and over plenty of laterals to be safe. But not really what I wanted to be working on,so I tied in below and swung around happily. The center of that tree was totally dead. An unusual deadwood climb

 

[Matias]

All of this is why, no matter how bomber I think my TIP is, I first climb straight to it, inspect and adjust, frequently adding a canopy anchor to my base tied system, and ensuring that, if it is easy to route it in such a way, I run it over catch points.

After seeing what I have seen after thoroughly testing TIPs and then doing the above procedure, I will likely always continue to do that. It costs only a few minutes, and I always know what I am tied in to.

 

[data farm 26]

If I'm not sure I ain't goin up. That's just how it is for me. And if I'm sure and it breaks, at least I didn't intentionally tempt fate. Imagine how smart you'd feel going away in the ambulance after falling from a tip you knew was questionable, just to fulfill the work order. And bounce or hang alike, might just be the straw before the one that breaks the camels back. It's illogical to me. But hey, y'all do you. I don't do a lot of shit that most people are comfortable with, so I know I'm an odd duck.

 

[Daniel]

The weird thing about testing your anchor is…
If it did suddenly break, then I will fall down and be underneath a branch that is probably plummeting to the earth. I guess that’s marginally better than falling out of the tree

Are you serious? you might fall and bust your butt a little... If the branch is small enough to break, it's not going to be that heavy and there will be time to get out of the way... falling is no fun...

that said, a good client called to talk about trees and we were talking about the simple safety issue of not losing your balance and falling. She reported that her neighbor who was an elder got killed while pulling vines in the yard. The vine gave, he fell backwards, and hit his had on a rock. He was dead in less than 24 hours.

 

[Brando CalPankian]

After today I'm investing in good binoculars.
Landed a sweet shot on my first throw this morning in a big red oak. It was a bit bouncy but held me and my groundy and looked like it was over a 4" limb. When I was about 10' from it I noticed the shot threaded itself around three 1" limbs that were supporting my full weight on a cinch tie. I about pooped. I make it a habit to run right up to my tip and check things out, today it likely saved my life. It was hard to turn down a solid 75' shot, but may have been a good idea since I couldn't verify for certain what I was tied in on. Had one of those broke I'd have fell 4-6 feet.

 

[Neill]

Are you serious?

Yes

After today I'm investing in good binoculars.
Landed a sweet shot on my first throw this morning in a big red oak. It was a bit bouncy but held me and my groundy and looked like it was over a 4" limb. When I was about 10' from it I noticed the shot threaded itself around three 1" limbs that were supporting my full weight on a cinch tie. I about pooped. I make it a habit to run right up to my tip and check things out, today it likely saved my life. It was hard to turn down a solid 75' shot, but may have been a good idea since I couldn't verify for certain what I was tied in on. Had one of those broke I'd have fell 4-6 feet.

I’m glad it worked out for you!
Was it also around the trunk, or just isolated about the small limbs?
It’s hard to pass on those seemingly great shots, especially after testing them.
I’m looking forward to leaf drop, increased visibility and of course- less cleanup!

 

[Brando CalPankian]

Yes



I’m glad it worked out for you!
Was it also around the trunk, or just isolated about the small limbs?
It’s hard to pass on those seemingly great shots, especially after testing them.
I’m looking forward to leaf drop, increased visibility and of course- less cleanup!

It was around the main stem, but the limbs were spaced apart, and two were in different parent stems.