Alternative methods to working a spar

[bradirt]

i get my rigging gear set while tied-in from above but usually get it down before notching.

 

[Arborist_Gator]

While doing spar work I tie a running bowline with the end of my climb line and leave the beaner on. Then to decend I route the tail of my line through the beaner which turns the system into an "inverted 2:1" system. You tend the tail with one hand, which manages your friction, and your hitch with the other. No long tail on my bowline for me to gaff into by mistake, no $120 piece of equipment. Only down side is that you should have 3 times your height in rope length in case of an emergency.