getting used to climbing with spurrs

[AdkEric]

My apologies. It does get my blood boiling to hear such hard work and experience be called “pure nonsense” and “pure blasphemy on so many levels”. Nobody’s done more than the Treemagineers to advance our industry in terms of climbing technique and hardware. They’ve invented the Treemotion saddle, the Hitchclimber pulley, the eye to eye prussik, the Captain Hook just to name a few but they aren’t fit to speak on climbing techniques? They’ve offered their experience, expertise, and ideas often times at no charge. You may not agree with everything they say and that’s fine but they certainly don’t deserve to be disrespected that way but they don’t need my defense.
That said, I admit I have little to offer here and will gladly leave these posts to the rambling, negative chatters. I have little time and I prefer to use it climbing trees.

I agree the treemagineers have contributed to this industry in a huge way. I don't want to speak for anyone else, but I would wager that the member you quoted above in post #37 would agree with that sentiment as well, though he may disagree with some points of their spur climbing tutorial.

Most of us here are tree workers in some capacity, and sometimes we can be rough around the edges. No reason to take anyone's posts personally. Stick around, "get to know" the members a bit, and I think you'll like it here.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

My apologies. It does get my blood boiling to hear such hard work and experience be called “pure nonsense” and “pure blasphemy on so many levels”. Nobody’s done more than the Treemagineers to advance our industry in terms of climbing technique and hardware. They’ve invented the Treemotion saddle, the Hitchclimber pulley, the eye to eye prussik, the Captain Hook just to name a few but they aren’t fit to speak on climbing techniques? They’ve offered their experience, expertise, and ideas often times at no charge. You may not agree with everything they say and that’s fine but they certainly don’t deserve to be disrespected that way but they don’t need my defense.
That said, I admit I have little to offer here and will gladly leave these posts to the rambling, negative chatters. I have little time and I prefer to use it climbing trees.

Rico was taking aim at the concepts and techniques expressed in that article, not on the people who made them. Being able to look critically at these things is helpful and I took away some good information both from the article and from the subsequent discussion. I take time out of my day to check on here because I learn a lot of things. We have to be lifelong learners in this industry. I keep my mind open to ideas and some things I’ll incorporate, some things I won’t. Some things I read here feel like pure blasphemy on all counts, some things are brilliant breakthroughs. I do not take it personally or choose to attack someone personally because that gets us nowhere.

 

[rico]

My apologies. It does get my blood boiling to hear such hard work and experience be called “pure nonsense” and “pure blasphemy on so many levels”. Nobody’s done more than the Treemagineers to advance our industry in terms of climbing technique and hardware. They’ve invented the Treemotion saddle, the Hitchclimber pulley, the eye to eye prussik, the Captain Hook just to name a few but they aren’t fit to speak on climbing techniques? They’ve offered their experience, expertise, and ideas often times at no charge. You may not agree with everything they say and that’s fine but they certainly don’t deserve to be disrespected that way but they don’t need my defense.
That said, I admit I have little to offer here and will gladly leave these posts to the rambling, negative chatters. I have little time and I prefer to use it climbing trees.

You will get no argument from me concerning the legendary contributions that Treemagineers has made to the arb industry..Some of their tools/techniques have had a profound and life altering effect on my tree-life. HC pulley? E2E? Take to my grave tools.

With that being said, I read their article on spur climbing (hoping to learn something), but instead found what I believe to be some faulty info/advice. Since spur/flip-line climbing is near and dear to my heart I pointed out the 2 areas I felt were problematic, and explained why I felt so.

Please do not take it, or make it so personal...

 

[ConeCollector]

I’m going full de-rail here:
A few years back I cold emailed Mark Bridge personally and told him how much I appreciated his contributions to the arboriculture community and profession. He sent back one of the kindest and most charming emails I’ve ever received from a stranger. It really reminded me how much of a community we all are and how small and interconnected we are. Pretty cool...

 

[Jonny]

They invented the eye and eye prusik?

 

[treesap]

You will get no argument from me concerning the legendary contributions that Treemagineers has made to the arb industry..Some of their tools/techniques have had a profound and life altering effect on my tree-life. HC pulley? E2E? Take to my grave tools.

With that being said, I read their the article on spur climbing (hoping to learn something), but instead found what I believe to be some faulty info/advice. Since spur/flip-line climbing is near and dear to my heart I pointed out the 2 areas I felt were problematic, and explained why I felt so.

Please do not take it, or make it so personal...

Finally, a useful reply to this thread

 

[rico]

Finally, a useful reply to this thread

Plenty of useful info in this thread if one is willing to listen.

1. Pushing your flip-line up a tree is for amateurs. Learn to properly roll a flip-line.
2. Use a pendulum motion, which is up and out, when pushing off of your power foot.
3. Use a light touch with your feet.
4. Do not stay too upright, or you will gaff out
5. Do not internally rotate your legs/feet as is suggested in the Treemaringer article.
6. Gaff placement/direction is dynamic and fluid depending on many variables. To suggest that you must put your gaffs in the same position at all times is asinine...
7. If you want to get good in spurs then you must spend a lot of time climbing in spurs..

 

[LordFarkwad]

First is his notion that our gaff placement/orientation/direction should always be pointed directly at the pith of the tree...Pure nonsense...Spur placement is fluid, depending on size of tree, lean of tree, what your are trying to accomplish at any given moment, ect, ect. Hell, many times one foot is doing something very different than the other foot depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

Second is his notion that we should create a point of contact with the inside of our toe area touching the tree....Pure blasphemy, and wrong on so many levels..Internally rotating the leg/foot while in spurs? Who would do such a thing? It will literally lead to more gaff outs, and will put undue and unnecessary stress on your knees...not to mention its completely unnatural and highly inefficient.

A truly good spur climber dances on the tip of his gaffs.

I'm in the east, with mainly pines, and one of the things I found on those about a year ago or so, is that with my toes touching the tree instead of ONLY the gaffs, I was dramatically more likely to gaff out.

Only thing I can ascertain is that the toe contact was resulting in the tip being levered outward from the tree. I wear Arbortec Scaffel Lites, and the boots are so heavy/thick, that I believe it also diminishes my ability to feel how much pressure I'm applying into the tree at the toe area.

 

[treesap]

7. If you want to get good in spurs then you must spend a lot of time climbing in spurs..

ive noticed im getting better with just about every climb, 2 months ago I was freaked out at 15ft, did a climb like 3 weeks ago, was atleast 45ft, and would have gone higher but the tree wasnt tall enough

 

[southsoundtree]

For whatever it's worth,

I drag/ slide my spurs up the tree, to some degree.
I keep this point of contact, informing my brain of more spatial information, and step down in a good spot.

I can feel my rope to a limited degree on top of my boot, directing it outward.

Very hard to spike a rope between these two things.

Also, I bag my rope and carry it sometimes, particularly a short standing- end (properly set-up base tie, and/or proper length of rope for the climb).



I don't look at my feet often.

You can feel the shape of the tree quite often.


Stomping spurs in means yanking them out. No thanks.

I'll set them a bit more before picking up a saw, as needed, particularly without an overhead TIP.

When I have an OH-TIP, I mostly sit during a removal, and use my spurs for light weight-bearing and positioning.



A 540* lanyard wrap has applications.

 

[treesap]

Stomping spurs in means yanking them out. No thanks.

I quite "Stopming" on them, but do heavy steps, only because 1, I know they arent filed to the right angle (Need to pick up a gaff gauge) and 2, im light as a feather, especially on hardwoods they dont like to stab into the bark very well

been practicing, getting used to fighting lean and rough bark, so far so good

 

[treesap]

I run my climb line around the tree, and choke it off (with a running bow or a locking shackle) when im climbing up and work positioning, then once in ready to come down I will either set a 10ft tail, descend to the end of the tail, then pull my rope back down, or I will run a tail all the way to the ground to retrieve once ive descended

 

[Stumpsprouts]

2, im light as a feather, especially on hardwoods they dont like to stab into the bark very well

I feel you. At 135# it’s still a struggle. I try to think heavy thoughts.

 

[Dan Cobb]

If your gonna become a good spur climber you must learn to OWN your flip-line. Make it your bitch.

I'm still fairly new to spur climbing. For whatever reason, this stuck in my head and replays every time I climb on spurs. "Make it your bitch!" FWIW, seems to help.

 

[Lemonjello]

I'm still fairly new to spur climbing. For whatever reason, this stuck in my head and replays every time I climb on spurs. "Make it your bitch!" FWIW, seems to help.

Nice! He's definitely comfortable in those "Girthy" trees. One note, it appears like someone on the ground is "tailing" his climb system as he is climbing (possible after lunch or 2nd day climb with lines set or set a TIP with throw line).

If you can set a line and have your Drt system tailed, that would be awesome! Can be done "belayed" while SRT by tending an SRT system with a neck tether if your line is along the path you need to climb.