Ladder and skyline

[pantheraba]

I got the idea for this post from the "overhead line" thread...

I really don't like ladders; so when I have to use them, I try to safety up.

Last summer I painted our house, a trilevel which means some of it is pretty high if not protected (I remember MasterBlaster's "if it's over 10 feet it's hazardous, if it's under 10 feet it's dangerous). So anytime I got above step ladder height I roped in.

 

[pantheraba]

I climbed a big poplar in the front yard to about 50 feet high, took my bow and shot a blunt tipped arrow (a .38 cartridge case on the shaft) with small nylon cord across the house into the backyard. Then I was able to string a 2 rope skyline across the highest part of the house (2nd rope was backup). (I had the spare rope nicely coiled and hung on a limb...had several treemen come by to see if I needed help with any trees..that rope was like a bait).

Whenever I was on the side of the house not directly under the skyline, I would run a climbing rope out to where I needed protection and the TIP on the skyline would slide along to where I needed it via the "two biners, alternate/opposing gates" a la Tom's note.

 

[pantheraba]

I also used a fall arrester (pictured) on a vertical/horizontal rope I rigged on the side of the house. This helped hold me (with "tensegrity", Tom) at some of the areas that were hard to get to.

 

[pantheraba]

I only came off the ladder once...thankfully in the backyard where the neighbors couldn't see. While leaning back at the top of a 30 foot ladder to paint the under hanging soffit, the ladder was more vertical that it should have been. I got that slow tingly stomach ("itch ring" feeling from another post somewhere) as I realized I had passed the point of no return and the ladder slowly left the house...I had some "up tension" on the skyline to help with my position and that contributed to the sitchy-ation. It was a slow smooth arcing drop as the skyline tensioned up and saved my butt...the hardest thing was unclipping from the ladder (it had traveled with me...I had to snap into it to stay close to the house because of the overhang).

Once I lowered the ladder, I was able to descend.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

One thing about rigging self on ladder; if it is support and not just catch; you can take away the weight that stabilizes ladder and attaches you to it.