Canopy TIP

RyTheTreeGuy

RyTheTreeGuy

Branched out member
Location
Canada
Hello all,

Going back to the well of knowledge (you guys and gals) for some insight on your canopy anchors. I have only had a handful of SRT climbs and my previous climbs were with base anchors. I did a prune on a younger locust that was overhanging the neighbors property. The only access I had was from the neighbors yard so I ascended SRT with an alpine butterfly cinched around a solid 8 inch limb. My issue was then trying to advance my climb line. I didn't need to advance it far...maybe 10 feet, but pulling all of my rope back through the alpine was a pain in the ass...I know I also could have undone my rope wrench, hitch, and hitch climber pulley but that would also be a pain to do. There must be a better way. I was playing with some rope and discovered a running bowline would be mich better because the tail can be pulled back through to untie then advance but is that condidered a safe practice?

Thanks for the help as always
 
I will use the running bowline with a Yosemite finish for all my end line ties. Butterfly gets the nod for midline ties most of the time.
Using hardware makes advancing things in the canopy easier. I'm not sure how it would be possible to reach system failure loads that averaged 4630lbs on tree canopy entry without a gross miss-use.
 
DSMc said:
I will use the running bowline with a Yosemite finish for all my end line ties. Butterfly gets the nod for midline ties most of the time.
Using hardware makes advancing things in the canopy easier. I'm not sure how it would be possible to reach system failure loads that averaged 4630lbs on tree canopy entry without a gross miss-use.
Click to expand...

I agree that no one should be reaching failure on ascent. I think it was personal pride for me that my go-to got top scores- you know, the important things in life ;). The butterfly with hardware used to be my favorite setup for midline, but I’ve become a fan of using a bowline for that as well, just for simplicity.

If I’m tying a bowline at the end of my line, I will either use the other rope tail set as a retrieval line, or use an 80’ that I have for retrieval. Either way, I always send it up at the beginning in case the line tries to twist itself as it’s being cinched. I use the rope tail if I’m switching to ddrt with my steel thimbles, so I can drop it where I want it once I set up my thimbles. I use the other rope when it’s a tall tree that will require redirects during the climb. Having the full length of the main rope makes retrievable redirects easier, which are more desirable when canopy anchored. Also, working with the end(s) of your line mean you don’t have to fish any line through forks when advancing to a different TIP.

We all have our preferences, and this is just a description of mine. These methods are better for me, but what I find usually works best for a person is what they’ve practiced and become proficient with, which is ultimately what makes them most productive. If something works, great. That leaves headspace for other important calculations that get us home every day.

Tangent- I wonder if that’s why we tree guys get rather emotional about our preferences (general observation, not this thread), because challenging what works for us requires us to use more focus on something that is not the main thing running through our heads when aloft, namely, let’s stay alive today.
 
I use a Quickie with an Alpine butterfly about 4 or 5 ft from the eye splice. When I reach the tie in point I can clip in Ddrt without ever being untied from the climbline. Or if I want to leave enough tail to pull it down from the ground I still use a Quickie on an Alpine butterfly.
 
There is so much we have available now. Being comfortable is what the deal is for most folks that run old school everyday. Now don't you get me wrong when i say that. These old school folk know whats up I've learned so much from shutting up.

Sent from my Z965 using Tapatalk
 
I was old school for 20 years. Willingness to learn and adopt new techniques has added years to my climbing. A nice trick using the quickie or delta link is to connect it to your splice and it makes a nice weight for advancing your climb line. Be sure to have your hard hat on and be ready to duck a time or two.
 
Quickies are cool, but a simple bowline wit a backup of your choosing will be super dooper! The Butterfly is a good knot though and remember that you don't always have to break down a TIP if all you need is the tail end. You can just link TIPs if it doesn't get in the way of things.
 
Just a heads up on the $30 quickie. The last I checked only one major store still carried it, and as of about a month ago they only had a handful left. Not sure if they are out of production or just slow manufacturing.
 
Jehinten said:
Just a heads up on the $30 quickie. The last I checked only one major store still carried it, and as of about a month ago they only had a handful left. Not sure if they are out of production or just slow manufacturing.
Click to expand...
For what it’s worth, after owning the $30 version, I’m going for the milled version next. The smooth edges make for peace of mind when loading a rope between hardware and tree.
 
You guys have heard of a clevace or a shackle with a locking pin right? They come in all sizes. I carry 4 different ones for connecting to excavators, dozers, vehicles with odd hitches and cable grabs. They work too at a fraction of the cost. 60 bucks is pretty expensive! I can sell you a rack of clevaces for that!
 
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