SoftBankHawks
Branched out member
- Location
- Japan
There is potential to feel less and less hindered by gravity, to see lines of movement so fluid and free from friction that the climber can begin to forget the technical structures that let them climb in the first place.
Technique underlies movement but it should never be the reason to tree climb, to do tree work. Tree climbing is potentially a means to uniquely understand structure and the surrounding environment. As a climber gains fluidity they learn through osmosis. Climbing fills one with chemical, biological, entomological and aromatical wonder.
Rope points set parameters for ‘air-fracturing’. As the body moves it creates localized fractals that emerge and vanish at points of friction. This is imaginative conjecture, images help form new process and ideas!
As the body moves through air, fine lined and quickly reforming fractals emerge and disappear. While walking, the contact friction between foot and ground produce different shapes and colours. Suspended in equilibrium between 2 anchor points with contact friction at the belay and anchor (friction at the belay = single rope…friction at belay/anchor/other rope contact points = doubled rope).
Heavy friction and slow movement producing dark red/purple fractals which contrast to light blue/green with low friction and fast movement.
The fractured air and tree interplay zone. Feet, legs, balance, grounding.
Learn to balance as the tree does, shift mass along well structured skeletal frames, to the floor. Try not to create stress vectors between body parts.
Between rope points.
1 anchor : Gravity places the climber directly beneath 1 anchor point. There is potential for pendulum movement dependent on rope length, rope angle from the anchor and available branch structure. The climber uses applied pressure at the waist/rope/anchor point to create a balancing leverage that enables mass sharing and 3 dimensional movement. Positioning must be monitored and maintained. Gravity tries to return the climber to beneath the anchor point.
Capacity for movement = Rope length + potential energy/rope angle + available climbing structure.
2 anchors : Gravity places the climber at a point of equilibrium between the opposed anchors. Movement UP Left and UP Right with no available structure is accessible with some knowledge of configuring multiple belays. Movement DOWN Left and DOWN Right with no available structure is extremely easy. When climbing on structure 1 anchor point may be allowed to contain slack.
It makes sense to manage 1 belay while moving on structure. Because we can in-line rig doesn’t mean that we should in every scenario. Balance, control of the body-centre, sensitivity of feet and the physical experience of navigating through a tree crown with nothing more than a pull from your waist gives knowledge not available through reading, listening or thinking and so the filter of rigging technique can be harmful in this respect. Before rigging to abate falling we must work off of a pendulum system as by definition the pendulum gives FREEDOM of MOVEMENT. Falling off a branch gives a surprising amount of technique to the climber.
2 belays create suspending points when balance options become unavailable ie no structure, large rope angles and complex work positions.
3 anchors : 2 anchor systems give smooth left/right movement, combining this with the pendulum gives 3 dimensional movement but combining this with a 3rd anchor gives 3 dimensional equilibrium. The climber can move easily and safely through the structure or air to risk abate complex work positioning scenarios.
Anchor setting technique
Setting a 2nd or 3rd anchor with the Epple Hook is ergonomic and simple. The technique becomes so easy and useful that new work positioning options begin to show themselves to the climber. Climbers learn to quickly find and map routes. Every strategy is remembered and carried into the next tree.
The hook stows compactly on the harness, always available for quick anchor setting.
Technique underlies movement but it should never be the reason to tree climb, to do tree work. Tree climbing is potentially a means to uniquely understand structure and the surrounding environment. As a climber gains fluidity they learn through osmosis. Climbing fills one with chemical, biological, entomological and aromatical wonder.
Rope points set parameters for ‘air-fracturing’. As the body moves it creates localized fractals that emerge and vanish at points of friction. This is imaginative conjecture, images help form new process and ideas!
As the body moves through air, fine lined and quickly reforming fractals emerge and disappear. While walking, the contact friction between foot and ground produce different shapes and colours. Suspended in equilibrium between 2 anchor points with contact friction at the belay and anchor (friction at the belay = single rope…friction at belay/anchor/other rope contact points = doubled rope).
Heavy friction and slow movement producing dark red/purple fractals which contrast to light blue/green with low friction and fast movement.
The fractured air and tree interplay zone. Feet, legs, balance, grounding.
Learn to balance as the tree does, shift mass along well structured skeletal frames, to the floor. Try not to create stress vectors between body parts.
Between rope points.
1 anchor : Gravity places the climber directly beneath 1 anchor point. There is potential for pendulum movement dependent on rope length, rope angle from the anchor and available branch structure. The climber uses applied pressure at the waist/rope/anchor point to create a balancing leverage that enables mass sharing and 3 dimensional movement. Positioning must be monitored and maintained. Gravity tries to return the climber to beneath the anchor point.
Capacity for movement = Rope length + potential energy/rope angle + available climbing structure.
2 anchors : Gravity places the climber at a point of equilibrium between the opposed anchors. Movement UP Left and UP Right with no available structure is accessible with some knowledge of configuring multiple belays. Movement DOWN Left and DOWN Right with no available structure is extremely easy. When climbing on structure 1 anchor point may be allowed to contain slack.
It makes sense to manage 1 belay while moving on structure. Because we can in-line rig doesn’t mean that we should in every scenario. Balance, control of the body-centre, sensitivity of feet and the physical experience of navigating through a tree crown with nothing more than a pull from your waist gives knowledge not available through reading, listening or thinking and so the filter of rigging technique can be harmful in this respect. Before rigging to abate falling we must work off of a pendulum system as by definition the pendulum gives FREEDOM of MOVEMENT. Falling off a branch gives a surprising amount of technique to the climber.
2 belays create suspending points when balance options become unavailable ie no structure, large rope angles and complex work positions.
3 anchors : 2 anchor systems give smooth left/right movement, combining this with the pendulum gives 3 dimensional movement but combining this with a 3rd anchor gives 3 dimensional equilibrium. The climber can move easily and safely through the structure or air to risk abate complex work positioning scenarios.
Anchor setting technique
Setting a 2nd or 3rd anchor with the Epple Hook is ergonomic and simple. The technique becomes so easy and useful that new work positioning options begin to show themselves to the climber. Climbers learn to quickly find and map routes. Every strategy is remembered and carried into the next tree.
The hook stows compactly on the harness, always available for quick anchor setting.
