It appears I don't need to tie my base anchor...

[moss]

Jeez Moss, had your testicles even dropped yet? You dont look old enough to pee hard there buddy.

Not me, my young pal Taylor. I was up in a tree in the woods, he walked by covered in slings and carabiners and rock harness, we went on to do some epic woods climb/adventures. Looking to hire? [haha] He's out your way, tough as nails.

Here's me in the weird angled top, same climb, back when I was just a kid

-AJ

 

[rico]

Sorry Moss. Its pretty clear your testicles dropped a long time ago.. Now i can put a face to your name. I recognize your mug from pics on the inter web. Do you or did you climb in a New Tribe Tengue?

 

[moss]

AJ, it looks like I could substitute the ZZ for the Blake's hitch in the picture. The weight of the line below the ZZ would be enough to pull it through the ZZ once I got up a ways. Until then, I'd have to hold my position with one hand while pulling the line through the ZZ with the other hand. I'll have to see if I can hold my position with one hand on the rope.

If you put a half hitch in the tail around your foot you can footlock with that and you can easily hold your weight wi thone hand while you push the ZZ up. A foot ascender makes it even easier than that.

I post this every few years, locking the tail wit hone foot, aka The Poor Man's Pantin, I climbed on it for a few years before I gave in and bought a Pantin:

More photos showing the lock on the foot, hand tend first 2 or 3 pushes then rope tail weight makes it self-tending.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/naturejournal/albums/72157600049534869/
-AJ

 

[moss]

Soory. Now i can put a face to your name. I recognize your mug from pics on the inter web. Do you or did you climb in a New Tribe Tengue?

Back in the day, yes, my NT Tengu was maxed out customized, had lent out my Butteryfly, then switched to a used first gen Petzl Sequoia SRT which I sewed NT leg pads onto, then finally a TM a few years ago.

My SRT semi-ropewalker kit with New Tribe Tengu 2008, god, the gear is so fresh looking, harness looks brand new ;-)

-AJ

 

[rico]

Back in the day, yes, my NT Tengu was maxed out customized, had lent out my Butteryfly, then switched to a used first gen Petzl Sequoia which I sewed NT leg pads onto, then finally a TM a few years ago.
-AJ

I am a spartan, minimalist type of climber and the Tengu always intrigued me. Tell me more.

 

[moss]

I am a spartan, minimalist type of climber and the Tengu always intrigued me. Tell me more.

Great harness, light, great quality sewing, you can sit in it all day if you have to. Center attachment point so once you're spoiled by a floating bridge harness it feels like you're a bit pinned down. I had NT modify it to give me a more leaning back hang angle which I like, kept the belt on my hips which is otherwise hard to do on old school NT harnesses. Never climbed an NT Onyx, it should be like a Tengu with a floating bridge but I don't know first-hand. I've never experienced anything better than a TM comfort and utility-wise so that's where I am for now.
-AJ

 

[moss]

I have two. One, I just bought for parts, and is a size small. Won't fit me, but I decided to fix it up and give it away to somebody small or who has an older kid that climbs. One of these days I'll finish it up... I just piddle with it when I get the urge.

I always thought that harness was ahead of its time. I think Nick flew one of those himself, for a long time, if I remember right (I seldom do).

If you ever get tired of looking at the size small Butterfly II give me a yell and let me make an offer. Yet another great harness. I would be f'n psyched to own one again.

I can see where this is headed for old age whenever that is, mint versions of my favorite harnesses hanging on the skilled nursing care room wall: "Goddamnit nurse where's my 10mm HTP, I've got trees waiting for me!", "There there Mr. Moss, try to stay calm, here, have some cold oatmeal". Bowl hits the wall, orderlies with restraints rush in...
-AJ

 

[southsoundtree]

Rope-walking!

Pulling your way up the tree with your arms is an ancient technique, that has wrecked many joints (in production climbing mode). Not easy on the body.

 

[moss]

Rope-walking!

Pulling your way up the tree with your arms is an ancient technique, that has wrecked many joints (in production climbing mode). Not easy on the body.

With the Croll low on the harness like that it is sweet, two hands on the handled ascender, sweet ride, no tougher on the arms then ascending with the best tuned multicender system, legs are doing the primary work. But yes, it can be climbed in a way that wrecks things if you depend too much on shoulders and arms.
-AJ

 

[moss]

Rope-walking!

Pulling your way up the tree with your arms is an ancient technique, that has wrecked many joints (in production climbing mode). Not easy on the body.

One more from the vault, I froze up my left shoulder, got too rambunctious on a free climb, climbed this way for a couple months until my left arm came back, reverted back to my Tengu so I could get a nice low attachment for the hitch on the center leg strap D, well below the chest roller. It was too easy, right arm just advanced the hand ascender/long foot loop. Lowest effort SRT setup I ever climbed on.

-AJ

 

[southsoundtree]

I'm not into one-way systems, personally.

 

[moss]

I'm not into one-way systems, personally.

Absolutely, I had a Mr. Bingham wrench prototype built out of a piece of white ash I think somewhere around that time but was completely confused by it ;-) I'd tried a Unicender but didn't like it. Picky picky.

For that setup I just switched to DdRT once I got where I was going, hitch was already on the rope.
-AJ

 

[southsoundtree]

...until you find stinging insects or the like.


Different strokes.

Just putting out the safer practices, IMO, for our new compadre.




People ask me if I'm scared climbing trees. Not much, and very, very infrequently.
Climbing and cutting doesn't really worry me. Very much under my control. Falling and insects, Bad and Bad!



I tell them I'm terrified of an express descent and immediate stop.

I've only been stung on the ground.

 

[Winchman]

I

I'm not into one-way systems, personally.

What is a one-way system? Does that mean you need to add or remove gear on the rope to change from going up to going down?

I've looked at SRT with the rope-walking stuff, and it just looked too confusing. My short experience with using a hand ascender and foot loop made me want the simplest system I could use with my limited arm strength. With my 3:1, both hands are always on the rope going up, and one hand moves to the ZZ release to go down. Doesn't get any simpler than that, instantaneous changeover, no fumbling around, no chance of dropping anything out of reach.

Since I'm only pulling a third of my 170 pounds up, the chance of massive arm trauma is pretty small. I've never had any discomfort at all from climbing, and my wife is suitably impressed with my newly developed muscles.

I should probably add that my physical condition is pretty good. I was a decent distance runner from my late 20s to late 30s, averaging about thirty miles a week with no problems or injuries. That was followed by periods of biking/walking and walking/stair climbing. BP is usually high 90s/low 60s with resting heart rate in high 50s. I'm incredibly lucky to be healthy.

 

[Winchman]

I had to put my planned climb for this morning on hold because I got my 40-ounce weight lodged sixty feet up in another tree I was prepping. I managed to get a suitable TIP after a bit of futzing around, and I had a nice 45-minute high climb this morning to retrieve the weight and trim a bunch of dead wood.

The carabiner/pulley doesn't interfere with the ZZ release, and the ropes don't rub together when the system is fully loaded.

I found out I can hold myself up with one hand on the rope and the ZZ fully released. That might be useful at some point.

I switched the 200-foot rope end-for-end, and gave it a careful inspection in the process.

The other tree is on the schedule for tomorrow morning.

 

[climbstihl]

I had to put my planned climb for this morning on hold because I got my 40-ounce weight lodged sixty feet up in another tree I was prepping. I managed to get a suitable TIP after a bit of futzing around, and I had a nice 45-minute high climb this morning to retrieve the weight and trim a bunch of dead wood.

The carabiner/pulley doesn't interfere with the ZZ release, and the ropes don't rub together when the system is fully loaded.

I found out I can hold myself up with one hand on the rope and the ZZ fully released. That might be useful at some point.

I switched the 200-foot rope end-for-end, and gave it a careful inspection in the process.

The other tree is on the schedule for tomorrow morning.

You use a 40 oz. weight?

 

[JeffGu]

If you can throw that into a 80' crotch, you don't need the 3:1 stuff on the climbline.

 

[moss]

40!!!! oz?

Awesome.

Something to think about in general, arm strength etc. To climb efficiently you need legs as number one muscle driver, then core, then arms and shoulders. Once you get whatever climbing system you use tuned, start focusing on getting your legs into the game.
-AJ

 

[Burrapeg]

You use a 40 oz. weight?

A f*king cannonball!

 

[Winchman]

That's funny...the 40-ounce weight is only used to isolate the limb I want when the throwline goes over several. It's very reliable about dropping when hanging on a line between limbs, except when you get careless about flipping it over a limb. I didn't have quite enough tension on the trailing line, and it swung below the second limb and around the line there.

I use a 12-ounce Weaver throw weight and 200-pound braided nylon twine with the Big Shot.