Mexican fan palm climbing question

[Alexmc11]

Hi! First post and new to climbing so I may not have all the term right. I’m hoping to get some tips climbing a Mexican fan palm. I use spikes and and a line around the trunk to climb and I also use a throw line over the top and pull a rope through that I use to anchor at the base of the tree and pull a rescue pulley to the top and have a rope through a Petzl zigzag for extra safety while climbing and to get back down. I tie A clove hitch on the rope I’m pulling through the top, but I can’t always pull it past that point where the line is tied to the rope and it gets stuck on the petioles. Any tips or tricks to pull it through there so it won’t get caught or stuck?

 

[Chaplain242]

Clove throw line about a foot or more from wend of line, and put a heap of half hitches spaced 1-2 inches apart including two very close to each other near end of line (can be another clove). That way tries to create a narrow a profile as possible to pull it through.

Also pull line up and over from as far back from the palm as you can so that only fighting fronds on one side of the palm...

 

[Alexmc11]

Clove throw line about a foot or more from wend of line, and put a heap of half hitches spaced 1-2 inches apart including two very close to each other near end of line (can be another clove). That way tries to create a narrow a profile as possible to pull it through.

Also pull line up and over from as far back from the palm as you can so that only fighting grinds on one side of the palm...

Thanks! I’ll give that a try.

 

[Batla]

Clove throw line about a foot or more from wend of line, and put a heap of half hitches spaced 1-2 inches apart including two very close to each other near end of line (can be another clove). That way tries to create a narrow a profile as possible to pull it through.

Also pull line up and over from as far back from the palm as you can so that only fighting fronds on one side of the palm...

If it still gets stuck, you may want to try this couple of tricks from @Tom Dunlap and Dan Holliday (Climbing arborist on YouTube and other places on the net).
The sticks and the double funnel help the rope (or the throwline) to jump above the obstacles.
You don't need to use both at the same time. The double funnel might be just fine without the stick in your case.

 

[jeremywht2008]

I've never seen the double bottle before.
The small throw line can get wedged in deeper than your climb line can making it very hard if at all to pull through. I had a piece of aluminum tube I partially filled with jb weld and drilled a hole for throwline and made it pointy to do the same as the double bottle. I've heard of some getting a copper stub out(plumbing dept) drill a hole in the end to do the same thing. Helps smooth the transition between the different diametersbut still it'll get stuck sometimes. I have a stopper knot a few feet up throw line to help pull the aluminum piece back if it gets stuck(learned this tip the hard way)
I shoot at the top of the fronds and try and get it though the middle of afew and keep line from getting down into the middle until it's pulled to the ground, then a few hard pulls gets it set in there deep.

 

[Batla]

Instead of a piece of metal I used a shrinkable electrical connection sleeve (? not the right term I guess...) which only required a small hole to be drilled for the throwline. I also tie a stopper knot or I use a DIY plastic bone tied to the line with a cow hitch. See pictures... After use, I store the bones (1 spare...) inside the ?... thing.

 

[southsoundtree]

If you're not killing it, spurs are damaging it. Consider spurless approaches.


IDK what kinds of palms have skirts that collapse on people. Are you familiar?

 

[climbstihl]

I have a cover only splice on my line, making streamlined throwline connection pretty easy. If you don't have a splice in the end, or use a kernmantle rope, you can burn a small hole through it to attach the throwline. That works much better than any type of knot around the rope.
Another thing I've experimented with is the cones from fireworks. Just cut off the top enough to get your throwline through, then attach your line and pull it into the cone.

I have a pointier cone that works without the cardboard, but I don’t have a picture.

I wonder if a thicker throwline would get stuck less in a palm?

 

[Alexmc11]

Thanks for all the replies. I was able to get it trough easily enough just by putting my clove hitch farther down and then putting half hitches every few inches up to the end. Balta, thanks for mentioning that climbing arborist guy. I did watch some videos on the climbing arborist and learned how to use my throw line properly and also uses the hip thrust method to climb one with out spurs and I think I liked that better. I was throwing the weight like a baseball and that underhand pendulum throw works a lot better.

 

[Alexmc11]

If you're not killing it, spurs are damaging it. Consider spurless approaches.


IDK what kinds of palms have skirts that collapse on people. Are you familiar?

Mexican fan palms and California fan palms can get those skirts. I’ve always kept mine well trimmed using an extension ladder until they just got too tall for the ladder. I have read to climb on the outside of the skirt and trim from the top down on those to prevent it from falling on you.

 

[climbstihl]

Thanks for all the replies. I was able to get it trough easily enough just by putting my clove hitch farther down and then putting half hitches every few inches up to the end. Balta, thanks for mentioning that climbing arborist guy. I did watch some videos on the climbing arborist and learned how to use my throw line properly and also uses the hip thrust method to climb one with out spurs and I think I liked that better. I was throwing the weight like a baseball and that underhand pendulum throw works a lot better.

Hipthrusting gets pretty strenuous, a much better way to ascend a rope is using a foot ascender. Unlike hipthrusting, it will work well when fully suspended without being able to rest the feet on the trunk. You can even continue to use your Zigzag in a doubled rope setup, but using a single line (SRT) setup would eliminate the extra rope with the pulley and make the ascent twice as fast and efficient. You can't use your Zigzag on a single line though, unless you use a rope wrench or petzl shitcan (I mean Chicane) above it.
A helpful addition to either system is a knee ascender such as a SAKA variant.

 

[Chaplain242]

Mexican fan palms and California fan palms can get those skirts. I’ve always kept mine well trimmed using an extension ladder until they just got too tall for the ladder. I have read to climb on the outside of the skirt and trim from the top down on those to prevent it from falling on you.

Just be wary that climbing on outside of skirt won’t prevent skirt collapse but make slightly less likely.

Trimming from top down reduces weight again making much more less likely of a serious incident.

The line over the crown is the only real safety.

Unless using break away lanyard and a big skirt collapse occurs you will need to cut your lanyard (or have your lanyard cut by someone) - whilst being asphyxiated - to be released.

Sure you’re on to it with setting lifeline, just making sure. Have had people I know caught and luckily live though skirt collapse - although could have been very different outcome...

 

[southsoundtree]

(I'm in my armchair) A very minimalist rope-grab/ ascender that should work...

a foot-loop sling with two OVAL (when I read it in Climbing magazine or Rock and Ice magazine, it specified always OVAL) biners, making a garda hart/ garda hitch on the tail of the rope, allowing sit/stand. Only have enough tail on the standing-end to get to the ground, with the excess rope on the base-tie side, giving you rescue rope.

Hey, guess what Google knows about
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The Treebuzz Articles section has this

TreeBuzz | Where Arborists Tie In

I like the last one.