Just wondering how slow I am compared to you guys

J

jwp

I take it easy when I climb and average about 1 foot of climb per minute. I saw a guy using two hand ascenders with foot loops one each and something that he called an "M" system. With this system and SRT he was climbing 30 feet in 15 seconds.

It would be tough for me to just walk up 30 feet of stairs in 15 seconds. Some climbers just make climbing look so easy.

So I would like to know what kind of climbing speeds are you guys getting using DRT.
 
DRT is always pretty slow due to it being a 2:1 ascent ratio. You can max it out by making your ascent technique and gear configuration as efficient as possible. Many different ways to do that.
-AJ
 
Go as fast or as slow as you want. Your are out to have fun, the fast guys ae out to make a buck. When are you going to head over this way to climb?
 
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Go as fast or as slow as you want. Your are out to have fun...

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OOM, it's cool to have fun AND make a few bucks!
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Hope you guys get to rec it up. I imagine you've got quite a selection of trees in your area.
 
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I take it easy when I climb and average about 1 foot of climb per minute.

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So, a half hour for a 30' tree? Will you tell us more about your system? What hitch and rope?
 
I am using some 1/2" static line. I think that it is safety blue. I use a foot loop prusik and repositioning the foot loop takes the most time. But going slow keeps me from working too hard.

I hope to come and climb in February. I still have to get my robotic kids through their competition in Huntsville. We have a good team but it will be tough for us to win the state competition. If we don't win the state competition, then our season is over and I will be free to come and climb. Our state competition is on Jan 25 so we will know pretty soon when we can climb.
 
I consider a sloth a really great climber they see as much of the tree as anybody. nothing wrong with slow but we all want to be efficient. One idea might be to learn to do a loop over the toe type of foot lock. It's as easy as lifting your toe to pass the line over your foot and then pointing your toe down and stepping up so much easier than adjusting that cord. You will find it more efficient and you are using less gear and not wasting all your energy trying to adjust that foot loop.
next option is to spend 60 bucks and get a foot asender, you'll be flying up the rope then.
 
I am using the blakes hitch B53. Nothing in my system is self tending so I move slow.

I don't have any real big complaints about my climbing speed. After all I am doing the climbing for exercise and recreation.

I just wanted an idea of others climbing speed. If I ever get to climb with a group, then my climbing speed might affect the group if I was too slow.
 
jwp,
It'd help to see a pic of your system. I'm still a little confused over whether you're climbing DdRT or SRT. But based on using a Blakes hitch...I'll assume DdRT.

Are your average times based on ascent up an open rope, out and away from the tree trunk? Or are you getting your feet on the trunk to assist? Based on the footloop...I'm guessing open rope.

Thanks for putting up with the 20 questions.

Oh, jwp, most of the guys here have seen the M-System. The biggest concern is that it isn't backed up by a prusik of some sort. If a mechanical ascender fails, the climber falls. Thus a back up is needed.

Interesting system though and fast. I don't know if any advancements have been made to the original, but it had promise for long rope ascents, even if secondary-safety-belayed by another person.

Here's the thread where it was originally discussed here on TreeBuzz:

treebuzz.com M System
 
I like getting 20 questions. Questions help me learn more. I am using the double rope technique and a rope/cambium saver. I am not using a pigtail but I am tying into the rope and using the rope's end to make the connection to the down line.

I am not sure what DdRT means. I don't know that the d in DdRT stands for.

I have never tried SRT. SRT appears to be a faster way to climb. I guess that the DdRT is an easier and maybe safer way for beginners to climb but maybe the SRT is the way to go. I just don't know.

I will check out the link about the M system.

Thanks
 
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Oh, jwp, most of the guys here have seen the M-System. The biggest concern is that it isn't backed up by a prusik of some sort. If a mechanical ascender fails, the climber falls. Thus a back up is needed.

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Not to hijack the thread but that is incorrect, M system is two mechanical ascenders, if one fails the other is still on the rope. The safety complaint was about the way Michael Spraggon demonstrated passing an object on a rope (imnpressive), he was only on one ascender for a short time while he advanced the top ascender past the object on the rope.
-AJ
 
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I just wanted an idea of others climbing speed. If I ever get to climb with a group, then my climbing speed might affect the group if I was too slow.

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Not an issue, in group recreational climbs, it's all about the fun, climbers are up and down, there's no race. Some climbers go for ultimate slowness, take a nap in a nice perch. Climbing slow doesn't have any effect on any other climbers.

Important thing is to get up into the tree safely, after that it's all about being in the tree and enjoying it.
-AJ
 
Thanks for the correction Moss. My bad. My speed reading is not what it used to be. Words per minute is through the roof, but my retention has plummeted (:
 
I've climbed open rope with a blakes. It's pretty impossible. It didn't take long for me to realize the rope needs to lay against the trunk of the tree. It's called trunk walking. Look it up on utube. Anything other than a trunk walk and I go with at least a foot ascender. It's important not to waste all of your strength ascending. Once on top you need some strength do whatever...
 
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Thanks for the correction Moss. My bad. My speed reading is not what it used to be. Words per minute is through the roof, but my retention has plummeted (:

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Cool, just wanted to keep the info on the M system on the accurate side if possible.
-AJ
 
I could see the M-System working for many applications beyond tree work. I only gravitate away from it because I so rarely have a free open ascent in which to apply it. I find the HAAS/Pantin or Dual Handled/Pantin works best for what I encounter most.
 
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