I disagree. If he doesn't atlEast know the basics then what happens if something fails in the tree or he forgot his shiny piece of gear at home an he's an hour away?
Hey man,
Did you start out SRT like
@D x D and I? "The basics" sounds like (and I do not mean this offensively) good old boy talk. To me, the basics are if you can go up and go down without hardpanning.
I think I understand your argument about simplicity (1 less piece of gear) being better. However, I cannot assemble a Blake's hitch tied to my harness and the rope - the way it's "done". I've done it and felt dazed, probably by the ratio of complexity to lack of motivation. That knot/hitch complex, plus the slow ascent and (for a newb) awkward body thrust performance are big turnoffs. I went up 7 feet that one time, noted that mrt was not for me, and begged off. I honestly feel sorry for beginners who enter their first tree that way.
In 8th grade, I climbed my first roped tree, ascending SRT on two loops with prusik knots to ~40' in an oak. I probably changed over and used an 8 on the way down. For me, it was a natural circumstance then, and still is, to climb srt.
To address your questions:
What happens if something fails in the tree? Hopefully, the climber has a backup plan or three for that. Honestly, that is a bit vague to answer and has the "if", too. Tibloc, atc, biner - everyone should have their simple bailout kit. One can ask parallel questions of mrt - what happens if the single isolated anchor fails? That, too, is simpler in mrt than in srt... What happens if the rope gets caught in a natural crotch (does that happen?)? So, I've quickly arrived at a very low odds event, of which there are an infinite number, making prediction difficult. Have beginners been documented messing up srt more than mrt?
Forgotten gear: same as if they forgot rope, saddle, or socks.
I'm getting ready to mrt professionally for the first time, for crane work. It seems palatable/easier with extra gear, but I'm honestly not looking forward to "climbing the sand dune". If you've never known anything else, it is a big buzzkill to lose half your forward progress, as if your canoeing partner were back paddling to turn.
In the end, I feel like mrt is often more of an srt gatekeeper rather than a good thing to know. That's because climbing is sometimes cast as a lineal evolution, rather than a pre-existing web of interrelated techniques and gear that awaited uncovering.
I really do appreciate that mrt has great value to those who employ it, especially in its gear-intensive form. I'm looking forward to learning it, since I have a reason to.
