Foot Lockin versus Rope Walkin

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Sit on the ground with your legs crossed in and sit down and stand up. The joints, ligaments, bones and muscles are all being loaded improperly or against there intended design plus the larger muscles are not being utilized effectively.
ItS the same thing as trying to handsaw in weird positions
Running with side kick out
lifting weights with your back
improper posture
etc.

Not enough money in it for me to do it much
 
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When a climber is young FL seems to make sense. Young bodies tolerate abuse...when they're young. That abuse though will catch up as years go by. At some time the abuse will 'break the paperclip'. Then what?

To me, stopping FL when I was in my early to mid 30's .

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Amen to that Tom. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, how many 65-75 year old foot-lockers do you see out there climbing? I’ve never seen them.

Oh, and I too refuse to show anyone how to foot lock…and to go one step further, I agree with Paolo (inventor of the TreeFlex) saddle that the foot lock should be banned from competitions, but to each their own.

Like smoking, some can get away with it while others will suffer from it later on in life.
 
Just since we're on the topic just wanted to ask... any good competition footlocking rope that would be recommended... just for competition not something I would work with... just asking
 
Chris,

Come down tomorrow morning. I'm heading up a 120+ white pine removal.

Nope...no FL. I'm 59, well beyond my FL'ing years.

Today I did a 118' removal...but I rode the cable up! Still had to hang the Stihl 066 from my hip for most of the removal.
 
How can you refuse teaching someone to footlock? So in order to climb a rope you need ascenders? I don't know how to climb a rope without footlocking without pantin and ascenders. Or a very slow Prussic system. God I would be lost in a tree without that skill.
 
Kevin,

To be clear I am talking about double rope foot lock as a major ascent method. I "foot lock the tail" of my rope quite often for short ascents. A foot ascender is another method. Lots 'o options.

Tony
 
A new climber in my charge would learn, first, to ascend using a rope walking system. Then, when they can get into the tree I'll take the time to teach FL'ing. It's a fundamental skill that should be known and used when its the best choice. More times though it isn't the best or only choice.

The same new climber will also, at some time, be taught how to climb with just a rope. Triple loop bowline, monkey fist into the tree and body thrust or FL to ascend. This is another fundamental, but not to be used routinely. In my almost 40 years of climbing I've only had to use a rope harness once. You can bet I'm glad that I knew how. It made me $80 that day! My climbing gear was in another truck and we were doing the rake up when a neighbor asked about a small takedown.
 
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...
Footlocking in the comp is like the 100 meter dash of the Olympics, it is the pride event of the contest.
How fast can you frog walk up that rope?

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I do not agree in the importance of the FL Event, it seems outdated to me.
Thats not to say footlocking isnt important to know or a not cool ascent technique!

Did you ever hear of the "Open Ascent Event"?
That would be an alternative, although I think it is to complicated right now.
I am sure it is already described somewhere here on Treebuzz.
 
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Kevin,

To be clear I am talking about double rope foot lock as a major ascent method. I "foot lock the tail" of my rope quite often for short ascents. A foot ascender is another method. Lots 'o options.

Tony

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Same here Kevin, I'm with Tony in regards to this method.
 
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[ QUOTE ]
...
Footlocking in the comp is like the 100 meter dash of the Olympics, it is the pride event of the contest.
How fast can you frog walk up that rope?

[/ QUOTE ]

I do not agree in the importance of the FL Event, it seems outdated to me.
Thats not to say footlocking isnt important to know or a not cool ascent technique!

Did you ever hear of the "Open Ascent Event"?
That would be an alternative.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed.
 
alright you guys are scaring me.
I had added footlocking to my exercise routine plus I wanted to get better at it. around the same time I had stopped taking my glucosamine chondroitin msm supplements routinely. I started to suffer debilitating symetrical joint pain, so it wasn't this or that or the ole football injury as some call it. If I could squat all the way down I couldn't get back up. well needless to say footlocking stopped. Did all the usual tests and checked for lyme..
no answers.....find out from a runner friend that said an old rugby buddy says once on glucosamine chondroitin msm supplements you can never stop. It took a few months to get back to no pain and able to do everything again.
So what I am saying is do you guys feel footlocking was a big contributor or more the cause and are you saying it should not be part of an exercise routine? not asking you guys as doctors, just wanting your opinions.
 
Scrat,

I am not a doctor. Nor do I play one on T.V.
grin.gif


What you described is pretty much what I observed when I was still competing in TCC's, although to a much less of an extent.

As soon as I stopped footlocking practice in a few weeks my knees felt better. I just choose as a competitor to focus on other events that had a higher point value.

Tony
 
Tony,
Thanks for your feedback. sorry to hear you don't play adoctor on tv, I hear it pays well and less reported kneee issues
grin.gif

Todd
 
When you're footlocking your toes are turned in which means when you stand on the rope and load up your legs, your knee and hip joints, especially your knees are not aligned well to take the load. Knees hate side-loading even more than carabiners do. Your knees will be very happy if you can keep your feet pointed straight forward when you're standing up on a rope. Which of course you can't do with secured footlock technique. Not to say secured footlocking shouldn't be used - but in moderation if you want to sustain climbing for many years.
-AJ
 
I agree with Moss...learn better ways. We don't ride horses to work...and few even have carburetors in their every-day vehicle. Why is anyone still FL'ing routinely?
 
I can do both, pretty fast too, but 90% of the time I use a pantin, i have a left and right that I swap on and off.

keeps it balanced, but there is no way a good footlocker can beat a good ropewalker on a regular basis, there are too many variables at play, route, weather conditions, wet ropes, missed locks....

plus i like to work on the system I ascend with.

CDG
 
I came late to this discussion, but here it goes.... I would say the majority of my work days go like this......isolate the highest suitable crotch I can throw to, set up my friction saver, set up my Ddrt( hitch climber or spiderjack)) then body thrust if my first work station is within 10 to 15 feet.

If the first work area in is a bit further, say 20 to 30 I footlocker off the same setup ( which is actually a great way to teach or learn how to footlock). But that's how it goes for me, working my way up to different work stations redirecting and getting the job done that way.

I save my rope walker setup... for work which we all had in the north east in the storm of October 2011....Upper canopy broken limbs just hanging on. It seemed liked every job was several 60 to 80 foot climbs.

My rope walker setup came in handy on those days, that and the times when your friction saver or rope guide gets stuck and you have to climb all ALL THE WAY BACK UP to retrieve it. Real bummer that is ill tell ya.

Be safe out there guys, God Bless.
 
Honestly I ahve only ever single rope footlocked but Off the top of my head the higher you go the lighter the rope should be.
Your footwear would be the most important and interms of gription the foam sole you see for steel workers makes sense to me.

I had a pair foam sole boots many yrs ago from TSC they were called Gorillas you could walk on ice, slippery clay/mud and never lose a beat.
Do any of you know broom ball? They use foam sole snickers on ice. what ever happened to that sport.
What a derail. FL-RW-foam soles-broom ball
laugh.gif

Hopedis helped!
 
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Honestly I ahve only ever single rope footlocked but Off the top of my head the higher you go the lighter the rope should be.

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How do you figure? More rope = more weight. For a very long foot lock sections of rope would be preferable, but of course once past the first section you have reached "the point of no return"
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Tony
 
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