How many active climbers use a blakes hitch all the time.

[treehumper]

It's the numbers game. When they look at the conversion to new techniques its a much bigger cost of training and equipment. If you get hurt on the job you'll still be covered. If your system is considered compliant with industry standards then not much they can do.

 

[August Hunicke]

Now August I want to say, I watch your vids with my 3 year old son and he goes completely wild with excitement.....he loves them....man I love them too....and vids don't hold me really....some folks just got that going on...I went from a blakes to VT hitch climber setup and now I only SRT, can't seem to DdRT anymore as it feels so strange....but believe me I am just an old guy who loves climbing....nothing special, just love discovering clean climbing systems...so I experiment on loads of stuff cause I get a lot of down time on this island....

Thanks Paul. I always know it's a success if my videos will hold the attention of a child. Pretty soon i'll be evolving to the hitch climber system.

 

[August Hunicke]

That's the very silo effect that the industry experiences, August!

I know, Ha! I could have saved some typing time and just typed ditto after your post. I think some personalities are more prone to the silo effect though. And that would be me. I am a MacGyver type personality who shows up and solves whatever the problem is with whatever I can find laying around there. That resourcefulness style that I inherited from my father comes in real handy on storm jobs. I'm tempted to buy some of the gadgety type stuff and then give it to my young climbers to play with and then have them teach me how to use it.

 

[islandarb]

August I see how you rip outta those tall conifers after taking big tops, oh how you would love a rope runner....lovely up and down device so ergonomic and economical......the BIG E's......lol

 

[paul phalloides]

I use the blakes hitch split tail anytime I'm doing removals on spurs and will not be tied in till I reach the top of the tree. Anytime I'm tied in from the ground I run a e2e distel with the 2 hole cmi micro pully for slack tending. I've been debating getting the hc for a while now. Would a hc v/t be a big leap forward from the distel/cmi mp?

 

[paul phalloides]

Asplundh forces us to use the tautlline while I "illegally" use the hitch climber and srt at my own disposal. My GF blind eyes it cause he doesn't have a clue but if something goes wrong I won't be covered. Any suggestions on how to fight the man?

I ran into the same problem with asplundh but if you look in the LCQS book it shows several alternatives including the blakes, v/t/ distel, ect. which are all approved once learned and signed off on. Most of the people I work with either use the tautline or the 'one under two over'. They are all older folks who don't really think about climbing outside of work and aren't quick to learn new systems.

 

[Jem4417]

I ran into the same problem with asplundh but if you look in the LCQS book it shows several alternatives including the blakes, v/t/ distel, ect. which are all approved once learned and signed off on. Most of the people I work with either use the tautline or the 'one under two over'. They are all older folks who don't really think about climbing outside of work and aren't quick to learn new systems.

Ours has the distel under knots and briefs on climbing on an open system with an eyeaneye

 

[islandarb]

I use the blakes hitch split tail anytime I'm doing removals on spurs and will not be tied in till I reach the top of the tree. Anytime I'm tied in from the ground I run a e2e distel with the 2 hole cmi micro pully for slack tending. I've been debating getting the hc for a while now. Would a hc v/t be a big leap forward from the distel/cmi mp?

The step up to a HC with Vt should be cool....just get a spliced rope to use with the HC....nice little upgrade you will like it...

 

[paul phalloides]

Is the v/t able to be tied with the same length cord as the distel? I remember not being able to get it set right with a 30'' e2e and ended up using the distel which works really really well for me.

 

[islandarb]

Hey just use your distel with the new HC and spliced climb line...I just love the VT....though I don't climb DdRT anymore .....

 

[TreeLogic]

Is the v/t able to be tied with the same length cord as the distel? I remember not being able to get it set right with a 30'' e2e and ended up using the distel which works really really well for me.

I think it all depends on what combination of hitch cord and rope you are using. For my liking though, a 30" eye to eye VT is a little long for any combo of hitch and climb line. Too much sit back. And the same knot reacts differently at that length, compared to a shorter length, say 28" eye to eye.

I personally would go with a VT over a Distel if given the choice. But that debate is like, "What's the best boot for tree climbing?"

 

[Richard Mumford-yoyoman]

When I do climb with a HC pulley I use a VT for a smoother long descent (rope wrench) but I don't actually do it that often. Set back on ascent is not that much of an issue as I'll be walking up the rope. I mostly use DdRT for positioning or traverse to pull myself over to another tree, in that case it is a distel of Michoacan to minimize setback and make it more compact.

 

[CutHighnLetFly]

paul i made a similar jump in systems to a hitch climber and loved the change. it was very similar, just better!
im not a huge fan of using a VT cause of sit back, and if you like your distel, just keep rolling with that. but try the VT cause you may love it.

 

[dogwood]

You might also want to try the Cooper's hitch with the HitchClimber. Just make your 4 wraps or so, then twist the tails up tight together and clip in. Real easy, and not fussy about the length of your E2E.

 

[Treezybreez]

Asplundh forces us to use the tautlline while I "illegally" use the hitch climber and srt at my own disposal. My GF blind eyes it cause he doesn't have a clue but if something goes wrong I won't be covered. Any suggestions on how to fight the man?

Wow! I am having a hard time believing that. Are all Asplundh climbers required to bring knives to a gun fight?