DdRT Injuries

Thanks Reg, I happened to be in a similar situation 4 1/2-5 years ago, and SRT has allowed me to continue doing what I love to do the most, and that's climbing! Great Video, mate!
 
I have been climbing a single rope for awhile, its hard to imagine having to go back. When I do climb doubled rope now and then it's always striking how much more difficult it is versus a well tuned single rope setup. Like you said, it makes sense to use the whole body. I know a couple of long time climbers who hate it, couldn't make the transition and even blamed it for injuries (shoulders). I dont know exactly why they couldn't get on with it but I suspect many people fail to adapt their style like you described. It's important to remember to stay vertical and use your legs. Hauling yourself around by your arms on a single leg of rope is fucking hard and just might lead to the type of injuries you've found relief from.
 
It's a martial technique, to maintain a grounded stance under your own COG. Wether rope walking or branch walking, it is the key to preserve energy and condense power. can this not be done with DdRT? Or perhaps there are implications in the function of it that allow climbers to haul themselves half-ass. Glad to hear your back and elbows are doing good Reg, hope the lessons from SRT can enable new ( or old ) techniques to flourish.
Just for the record, my injuries the last 2 years have been fingers and thumbs, over stepping at the very bottom of the tree, twice, causing me to gaff out and land on my pinkys. Such idiotic, painful and slow to recover injuries caused by lack of concentration on the task at hand. So I tell myself... "Breath slow, take it all in" !
 
SoftBankHawks said:
It's a martial technique, to maintain a grounded stance under your own COG. Wether rope walking or branch walking, it is the key to preserve energy and condense power. can this not be done with DdRT? Or perhaps there are implications in the function of it that allow climbers to haul themselves half-ass.
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It was called hip-thrusting, with good reason Paul. Half assed indeed, literally. Well said.
 
SoftBankHawks said:
It's a martial technique, to maintain a grounded stance under your own COG. Wether rope walking or branch walking, it is the key to preserve energy and condense power. can this not be done with DdRT?....
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No it cannot. For moments sure, but as soon as you initiate movement with your arms utilize the two to one DdRT advantage an off center shift is made. To be sure, SRT can be misused in the same manner. But with proper use SRT will allow centered and ergonomic movement.
 
Great commentary, thx Mr Coates. I injured inside elbow ligament both arms in my first couple years climbing. I was way overdoing it using primarily arms DdRT and over gripping the rope. I started using Atlas gloves to allow an easier grip and developed a more upright ascent style with legs involved DdRT and solved the elbow trouble. Body thrusting only for short moves, not continuous ascent. Even with that I can't stand DdRT ascent ;-)
-AJ
 
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Reg said:
My story. Feel free to add your own experiences. Thanks

Great story Reg. I have had the nearly identical ailment for my entire adult life, and I would not still be climbing if I was limited to DdRT. I look for every advantage I can get to keep climbing, and now that arborists have invented so many new single rope devices it has really made climbing a lot easier.
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Great words of wisdom, Reg.

I was beginning to have some serious elbow issues right before I switched to the rope wrench as well. I was luckily making the transition right in the nick of time, because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to continue with the amount of production work on my plate.

Within about 3 months after the switch to Srt, the pain had gone away and the elbow braces haven't been needed since. Srt has been a blessing to me as well.
 
Hi Reg

Thanks for the testimonial about SRT

You've given a current voice and visual to the things I found out many years ago too. Like you, I know that I wouldn't feel as fit for climbing as I am now had I not gotten off DdRT so long ago

Climbers who start on SRT now will have a much healthier and longer climbing cared ahead of them

Thanks for taking the time to share the message
 
Tom Dunlap said:
Hi Reg

Thanks for the testimonial about SRT

You've given a current voice and visual to the things I found out many years ago too. Like you, I know that I wouldn't feel as fit for climbing as I am now had I not gotten off DdRT so long ago

Climbers who start on SRT now will have a much healthier and longer climbing cared ahead of them

Thanks for taking the time to share the message
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Thanks all.

And Tom, I know you were saying this for many years before it caught fire. Not forgotten, thanks.
 
@Reg; Great video. Well spoken explanation about how your injuries came about, and the pleasant surprise of how the injuries left and never came back because of the fact that you embraced SRT climbing techniques.

Thanks again to @treebing, for his world changing invention.

Tim
 
It's amazing how it has caught fire, but with good reason. One of the things that bolsters the legitimacy of SRWP is the fact that both younger (perhaps less experienced) and older (perhaps more experienced) climbers are finding and praising the benefits. These benefits aren't limited to production, either. They go well into the longevity of maintaining a healthy physical condition.

@Reg , I appreciate your honesty in calling yourself a "know it all", and how that actually prevented you from adopting SRT earlier. I'm glad Rich Hattier got you to try it out. I'm also glad your injuries have subsided. Being that tree type and work order at hand can play a huge role in what system a climber might select, or their ability to adapt to something new. Thus, I also certainly appreciate that you were able to put your experience in DdRT aside for long enough to literally feel the benefits. Good on you for getting through it, and then sharing your story about it.

I wish you (and everyone else, really) many more years of joyous production.
 
Revisiting this idle thread, I've been flying SRT almost exclusively the last month and a half almost every climb, no matter the side. I even went up a 6" DBH yellow poplar the other day that was maybe 25' tall to the tip top upper most twig (read small tree) just to make some good structure pruning cuts, SRT.

Fast forward to Wednesday a small tree that was sort of bushy, I just tossed a dbrt set up across a lower limb and pulled myself on up. Immediately my elbows ached. They've ached ever since (also did a few crape myrtles today this way).

Definitely a lot easier using your whole body to move about the tree versus your elbows, and better using your legs going up as well.
 
MORE POWER TO YOUR ELBOWS REG!!

...My elbows BURN! They burn ALL THE TIME! But...It's not when I do hard things, like carry a tree trunk, or arse thrust up a tree! No, it's lifting a cup of coffee, or steering the car around long lefthand turns! ...it's those 'little gestures' that hurt! But this comes from doing the hard things the HARD way!! For TOO LONG!

Ddrt can be frikin' hard for long accents, sure, but add a foot acender and postures and muscles used are no different to SRT....for the accent at least, and if you don't mind taking your time!

For now, SRT doesn't give me the warm fuzzys!

...and I see chyropractors often!!

...don't judge! :(
I'll keep trying SRT as well!!!
 
I love SRT and will only climb DRT on some removals and/or to keep myself familiar with it.

My only complaint about SRT is long limb walk, particularly the return trip. I know, some folks set up MAs to gain a 2:1 or 3:1 for the way back....but is that really the most common? I find myself far too often relying on my arms to pull and yank myself back in while keeping the weight in my system. There are time when a quick double tie in is an option but it's rare.

So can anyone offer me some insight to this? I think there was a thread about it but didn't have any luck finding it. Just want to hear from the masses cause that's the only downside to SRT that I've found. I climb without gloves so my hands can get pretty work out from gripping and pulling the rope so much.

Thanks
 
I'm with Justin on this one. If you are doing huge lime walks on SRT, you are not utilising redirects to their full advantage. More and more these days I find my self setting high points over each quadrant of the tree and jumping from tip to tip.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
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