CRITIQUE MY CLIMB! ...rope walking on 9mm HTP

Exactly what Monkey just said. Finding the right hitch combo for the cordage can be challenging. I personally won't tie into a toothed ascender, I love the fact that I can just bail on my hitch'n'wrench anytime... Just imagine getting pummeled by a flock of rabid geese trying to change over from ascent to decent mode. I'm a firm believer that any tree climber should know how to tie a blakes blindfolded, know a few friction hitches, climb with a handsaw, and climb on a system that allows the bail out option while in mid air (not having to laynard in)...

If that little 7mm hitch cord is biting, you can use that for your ascender backup. If you were to fall on your ascender, shred you line, the hitch would grab and hold (you wouldn't be descending on it).

I am not against mechanical devices, but there are so many options out there that allow you to go up and down a rope srt or Ddrt why not use them?
 
When I first started using ascenders three years ago SRT....they were scary...especially a handled footloop frogwalker setup above my wrench....those damn teeth...thank God for a HAAS....as for ropes and prussics...I have been the gautlet....can't tell you how many combos I have tried....now I am on a supple diet of Yale 24 strand sem static 11.7's that bring so much joy...with 10mm AP, 10mm Code Blue, 9mm RIT, 9mm Arbpro....all bad ass combos...break easy when weighted grab smoothly everytime...3/3 VT...lol get some better rope, a wrench and some sweet hitch cord...your set up is painful TBH fluffy that shit would scare me senseless....rope and cordage and wrench are very cheap....and damn safe IMHO...good luck and you sure are a tough dude to climb in that white horror.....:bananas:
 
I just started this a couple of years ago so mechanicals were already getting popular but I made sure I learned and climbed old school for my first 6 months just so I would learn about rope on rope. I still use it occasionally although I am more of a straight mechanical or hybrid guy usually. However I never climb without a split tail daisy chained to the back of my saddle. You just never know when you might need that Blake's hitch to save your butt.
 
Mechanicals are not my cuppa tea, even with two RR'ers I prefer rope on rope with my beloved wrench....rope is just so very sexy.....and reliable...just like a GOOD wife.....:numberone:
 
Now this is sexy, new wrench, new hrc ABR tether, new Ct fixed pulley, new sumac 11.7, new code blue 10mm....awesome combo 3/3 Vt....will work like a charm...lol what's that blue intruder in my sexy pic...
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Swing, I have been running Icetail with my RW and Vortex. Is there any wierd things I should know about Icetail, it's been good so far.
 
Nah, I like icetail....but as a hollow braid it gets funk quick....can bind occasionally for my weight...but some great strong stuff....I however cannot go back to 8mm....after getting hooked on 10mm.....and no wifey is out at the xmas school play on duty....Peter Pan....lol..I am home with the kids...they sleeping sweetly hence TreeBuzz....ha ha...and with Vortex I would try some 10mm code blue beeline or 10mm AP....maybe even 9mm arbpro....they will give you a different ride...less heat...get a 29"er made if using a VT try 3/3 like me...should be DOPE
 
Apparently rock and ice climbing has muddied up my perception of what is safe, haha.

I understand why I need to use a hitch above the ascender if I am tying directly to it. And I know the 7mm cord will work perfect since it bites hard (I dont need it for descending) which is why I will start incorporating it.

However I believe I will have troubles finding a cord that locks tight and releases easily on 9mm rope. A new rope is not an option so wish me luck! I have enough old pieces of cord that I should be able to at least find one that works!
 
FluffyFish said:
...However I believe I will have troubles finding a cord that locks tight and releases easily on 9mm rope. A new rope is not an option so wish me luck! I have enough old pieces of cord that I should be able to at least find one that works!
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I just checked and the RW is spec'd for 11mm to 13mm rope so it probably doesn't take as much friction/weight off the hitch as it should. That would make the hitch bite harder, be harder to release and take more heat. This is not a place for nylon accessory cord.

Out of curiosity and using what I have, I hung Edelweiss Speleo 9mm in the basement and with a Hitch Hiker, tried a few cords. I tied a distel hitch with all of them because I know it well and can fine tune the tightness of it quickly.

10mm Armor-Prus - used - tended to creep after some use even when tied as tightly as I could - fail

8mm Armor-Prus - new - worked well

8mm HRC - well used in good shape - worked well

9mm RIT - lightly used - worked well

Disclaimer - sometimes after a longer climb, a hitch that tested well will become harder to release and only time would tell with the above combinations.

Granted, apples to oranges, different device, tech cords and climbing rope. My point being, all three of the 8-9mm cords I tried worked with a 9mm rope. Experience with a couple of hitches and when to use extra wraps, etc. goes a long way toward making a combination work. Don't give up on the WR too soon. I leaned toward the 3/3 VT with the RW as many seem to do.

And like everyone says...try the 11mm rope (to shorten your learning curve).
 
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OK, OK, ok. Haha. I am an idiot for arguing with you guys about something that you all have WAY more experience doing than me. I will try not to be so stubbern:X3:

I got a LOT of info to sort through in this thread so hopefully I will have time tonight to pull out all of my gear and figure out something that solves my problems.

Thanks guys!!!
 
Fluffy, there is a TON of info out there in the world at your finger tips. I've got to say that everyone on this thread has offered you great information to go with, yet it's based mostly on our daily production environment.

You are recreational climbing, which means there are other possibilities that could really work well for you. The best advice I've seen so far in this thread is to use what you feel comfortable with, and to climb with other tree climbers. This is a great way to learn about other techniques and try other kit.

What I would like to add is to do your best to adhere to manufacturer recommendations. Pull up the user info on the web for everything in your kit. It's FAR more important to understand gear LIMITATIONS rather than capabilities. You need to know this stuff.

I imagine what might work best for you is to climb like Sillett & company. Use an access line as you prefer with ascenders (configured properly of course). From there, you can navigate the canopy as many rec climbers do with a "Spider Rope". If you want more on the topic, read the book 'The Wild Trees'. Our own Andrew Joslin was the illustrator. Good stuff in there, but by NO MEANS a training manual.

Your access line can be skinny, but your Spider Rope should be 11mm to 12mm 24 strand double braid. Roughly 40' long, and ready for use in DdRT configuration on both ends. Do not let the idea of a hitch freak you out. When set up properly, and used properly, you will be safe. DdRT allows your load to be shared by each leg of line, meaning your hitch sees 1/2 your weight, and if the hitch is an eye to eye, each eye will see 1/4 your weight.

Mechanicals are great, but a climber should know rope on rope in many different configurations. A hitch will not bite reliably on a very taught line (ie; during ascent while you are still "standing" on the line below your hitch). Once you unweight and deflect that rope below the hitch, it will most likely grab as it did if you tested it low and slow on the ground.

There is much more that I could add...I'd more prefer to come and climb with you when I'm might be passing through your neck of the woods.
 
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