Ice rain.

[Treespotter]

Any news from the guys working in the Ice covered parts of the USA?
I've seen some footage from the winter conditions in Oklahoma.
Ice rain covering trees and power lines.

 

[treebear]

Seen it too. How do you spike on those?
Svein

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Use crampons for removals, they work GREAT! Front pointing on ice covered wood is similar to some true ice climbing conditions.

 

[Kevin]

"Their faces peppered by the falling ice".
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/12/11/sims.ok.survivor.tree.koco

That's what PPE is for.

 

[RDMOTT]

In 1998 I worked for Bell Atlantic in Plattsburg NY for 2 months following a devastating ice storm. 10,000 utility poles were snapped off. Power was out for weeks.
Some homes in outlying areas were without power for 5+ weeks. Countless trees were destroyed. This was like living and working in hell frozen over. Then we had several pretty good snow storms. Lucky for us most of the work was bucket truck accessible.

 

[No_Bivy]

[ QUOTE ]
Use crampons for removals, they work GREAT! Front pointing on ice covered wood is similar to some true ice climbing conditions.

[/ QUOTE ]
no way.....don't climb an ice coverd tree. Wait till it warms up. Ice gear will serve no purpose in those conditions. Deal with removals from houses. etc. Deal with sketchy stuff later. I have climbed ice, and lots of trees. The two are very different.....dont fool yourself. Wait till that shat melts.......this is what ice tools are for..

 

[No_Bivy]

Im am surprised at your post Tom. Ice climbing is dangerous, climbing and ice coverd tree is insane. The two should not be compared. In a day or two ice will melt making safer conditions for removals. be fricken careful.

 

[Crazy_Jimmy]

We worked last years ice storm in Oklahoma pretty fun.Honestly I think 2 guys are still left from 7 or 8.Some guys swore they would never set foot in OK again ever.Rain,sleet,snow freeezing temps we didnt miss a day(12 hour days) in 3 weeks except Sundays.You just except it and do it you dont need any gadgets just learn to use your rope and lanyard more.Its amazing the things people can do when they have to.By the way Im not looking forward to another one but I did get a call from ok today wanting us to send a crew.Just as last year the guys are all eager(well except those who went last year)and really pumped about goin-well we'll see if it takes half a day out to change all that.

 

[guymayor]

Biv, sometimes we can't wait for ice to melt. We climbed icy trees after our last bad ice storm. The right gear and good care got the job done.

Pretty risky bizniss, carolina guy telling a minnesota guy about winter work.

 

[No_Bivy]

stop making it a personal thingy. Most tree can wait IMO. Crampons make no difference in safety. I don't care where someone is from, doesn't make a difference when it comes to safety. A lift or a crane are better choices for an ice covered tree. Looking at the footage on TV, no way would I send one of my guys up a tree covered like that. You must be a real bada$$, Guy. This is my 20th year climbing, rock, ice, wood. I will make to 21.......

 

[Colin]

I've climbed ice covered trees at 12 midnight under the floodlight from the utility truck.

NOT fun at all!!!

 

[easyphloem]

Well,


I have to agree with NoBivy here. Unless an icy tree is threatening to kill someone, why would you try to climb it?


Go for the bucket or crane first, and when that doesn't work out, wait for the ice to melt.



Climbing around in ice covered trees is a recipe for disaster.


SZ

 

[Tom Dunlap]

NB,

You're right...treework 'could' wait until ice melt but not always. Half a tree had to be removed from a house to get roof repairs started so that more melt water didn't get inside. On another job the limbs had to go before the powerline could be restrung.

When I did all of this crampon work I had a traditional DdRT setup. On the first day I used climbing spikes...didn't work. Next day, crampons and I had VERY stable footing. Much safer...but!!! I've had instruction and experience with crampons before.

There are plenty of slip-on caulks available with small studs in the bottom to increase traction and not have to worry about boots with vampire teeth ready to bite a leg.

I do triage, or treeage, all of the time. Using extraordinary solutions after doing a proper risk assessment is the way to safely solve problems.

Besides, after the limbs were broken they were mosty horizontal so it was just a lot of fun French Technique and less front pointing to move around. Sometimes I'd almost rather play around with FT than do vertical ice, it's like having suction cups on my boots.

 

[Crazy_Jimmy]

I think its melted at this point.My brothers got a crew in tulsa and Im taking a crew and my new boxer friday.Some people do not own bucket trucks or cranes sometimes you have to get the job done-it must be nice but we have to climb.I never put my guys in any tree I want do myself and if they dont want to- I'll do it.

 

[mdvaden]

Been a few years since I experienced one of the notorious Portland ice weather events caused by Columbia River Gorge winds and Pacific moisture.

Never knew why they called them "storms" as there was hardly one of them that qualified as a storm.

Sure is nice to look at when it coats just enough that breakage does not occur.

 

[Toparboring]

High 5 to RDNOTT I was working from Hannawa Falls NY to Messena opening up roads and homes ahead of the utillity comps.
Most of the trees up in the northern Ny area are softer woods hear houses, Basswoods, Birches,Cottonwoods, all kinds of Pines, and Spuces. It was a frozen waste land up there from where we started in southern area ice was 2 inches thick as we headed north the ice became thicker.
As for temps you where working in 10 degrees to -20 degrees. I feel for the ppl in Olk.no power in winter well get used to lots of BBQs,on the grill.
The hazzards the they are going through stinks as ya cut the ice desides at the time to break and blow off shooting all over. We used the rubber logging boots with ice caulks,crampons,and mallets to break the ice before cutting.In some areas we had to fitt the the trucks with heavier chains with ice spikes you find on skidders and we also used skidders just to get down the roads fitted with deep mudd chains.
Coolest thing was at times of above freezing temps you would hear this boom then silence sounding almost like a gun. It was the ice cracking some times miles away.
Nate