New Climber Advice

K

Ktw310

Location
Philadelphia
(Soon to be) New climber here and new member to the site. A little backstory. I am a relatively new first time homeowner and have two giant maple trees in my yard perhaps 60'-75' tall. The previous owners let vines grow up them. I would like to remove these vines so I find myself looking into climbing gear. I am a big time DIY'er and so I would really just like to do this myself. Having said that I am going to list out what I think will be a decent beginner gear list focusing on a minimal amount of gear needed and at minimal cost. Please forgive me if I misuse any terminology in the process.

I plan to use a DDRT setup.
150' 1/2" 12 strand Samson Arbor-plex for my main climbing line
30' 1/2" 12 strand Samson Arbor-plex cut into sections to be used for a safety lanyard(maybe 9' adjustable) and split tail (about 5')
8' adjustable ring and ring friction saver (uses a RIT prusick)
1 carabiner for climbing line to harness
1 carabiner for split tail to harness
2 carabiners for safety lanyard
I think I can rig up my own throw line with items I already have that will work with the friction saver.
I have a rock climbing harness that I can use.

I plan to practice extensively on some smaller trees in my yard before trying this out on the maple trees.
Would this setup be sufficient? Or are there any red flags? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly I have been googling videos extensively and this forum has some very good information. But, can anyone recommend some good doumentation or other valuable resources on spurless tree climbing.
Thanks in Advance!
 
How are you ascending, body/ hip thrust?
Gonna run the climbing line and lanyard on that single attachment spot on the rock harness?

Might be uncomfortable and tiring , but you can do it safely with that.

Did you already buy the arbor plex? This is a good price on a much better rope.

http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=4&item=1529

The vines might come off easier if you do it when they're not frozen. Could also get alot done with a pole saw but don't let me keep you from getting your climb on ;)
 
Nothing necessarily wrong with your list, However, I would recommend planning a little for your development and progression as a climber. I understand the idea of keeping the cost down, but it can also be a false sense of economy. Buy items now that are fairly inexpensive, but will see you to your next level of climbing. Spend a bit more on a quality 24 strand rope that works well for Ddrt (MRS) but will also work well for SRT (SRS). I personally like the yale 11.7 but there is a lot of info on many different brands and if price is an search for a sale for a reputable one. Also would recommend a hitch climber pulley. Again a versatile piece of kit that you can really progress with. Great for tending your hitch and awesome with a rope wrench. Split tails work fine but you will want a micro pulley to tend so might as well get the hitch climber and just buy 5 foot sections of tech cord (again, do your research and test what works for you) and tie double fishermans...keeps costs down and allows for versatility in cord lengths (26, 28, 30 inch...) for different hitches. Climbing progression can happen quickly especially when watching videos of pros. Gear lust is real. Knowing the basics is the best approach, but having gear that can get you to the next three levels or more is the way to go and is also the most economical...some great online resources for me have been climbing arborist, ISA you tube channel, educated climber, Richard Mumford and the list goes on and on. Luckily for you the best of the best grace these pages so you are in fantastic company. The tree climbers companion is also a must so add it to your cart from whatever online store you buy from.

Be safe and have fun
 
Id also like to suggest going to Sherrilltree.com and ordering one of their free catalogs. Yes, it's full of pretty much ANY of the gear you will ever use, along with tons of close up, color pictures of them and pricing, but it also has a bunch of useful informational like charts, and sketches with tips and tricks. Stuff like the different types of ropes (Kernmantle, double braid, 16 strand, etc...) rope size conversion charts, rope material info, knots, hitches, saddle fitment, choosing hardware, throwing lanyards, safety, comms, etc...
I have no connection to Sherrill but found their catalog very nice.

It's worth browsing through for sure!
 
Wear a helmet and eye protection. Maybe gloves, too.
Like in many other threads about new climbers, it should be strongly suggested that you seek out some kind of in person training or instruction.
Climbing is risky, procede with caution. It is extemely easy to sever ropes under tension (body weight) with sharp tools.
Call me captain obvious, but there are A LOT of ways to hurt yourself with ropes and trees.
All that aside, your basic kit looks good enough to get you off the ground. Maybe consider a foot ascender?
Work harnesses have hip D rings for positioning lanyards so you dont have to connect all your fall protection to the same connection point.
Good luck and stay safe.
 
@Ktw310; Welcome to the TreeBuzz forum! I think you are going to like it here!

@RyTheTreeGuy mentioned climbingarborist.com as a resource for videos, which I whole-heartedly agree with. I posted a couple of links below to the videos belonging to a guy named Daniel Holliday. His own website is first, followed by a link to his presence on YouTube. His own web site has the videos nicely divided up by category, but I think that there are some videos of his that are not in both places. Here are the links.

http://www.climbingarborist.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/ClimbingArborist1/playlists

One other thing I might add is that I once tried to approach a park service employee about the possibility of climbing some of the trees in the park to remove invasive vines from the trees. She told me that their approach to the problem was to just cut the vines at the base of the tree, and again about another three feet back away from the tree, to create a circle of no connection between the vines on the ground and the parts attached to the tree. It cuts off the nutrients and water for the vines, I think, and they just die and turn brown on the tree. She said that tearing the vines off of the tree would only cause wounds to the tree that insects and microbes could use to attack the tree. So I never ended up climbing in the park.

I'm not trying to discourage you from learning to climb, just suggesting that you might do it for the purpose of dead wooding or pruning the trees instead. That's all I've got.

Tim
 
YouTube’s great and websites like the buzz are great. If your gonna spend all that money on gear pick up the tree climbers companion book. Great information put in a simplistic form
 
I had bad vines on 3 ash trees, 2 persimmon and a maple after I moved into my first home. For the ash, I cut the ash trees down because they had EAB. For the persimmons and maple, I cut them off as high as I could reach with my polesaw. They started to fall off within 6 months and within a year they were pretty much gone. I would use a polesaw. A fraction of the cost and a lot less injury to the tree.
 
Take a ride out US 30 west to Gap PA and get with Ray at Gap Arborist Supply. He won't steer you wrong and will treat you right. I was there over the Christmas holiday and spent almost $400. The other great thing with Gap is no minimum free shipping which is nice when I don'y need a lot of stuff but the stuff I need, I NEED!
 
. Unless your doing it for the experience, hire a professional. By the time you spend the money on gear and your time and the risk it seems like a lot of effort to save money, if that's your motivation.A lot of homeowners get hurt and killed every year trying to do their own tree work. I know this isn't answering your question, but that's my 2 cents. Also removing vines really sucks, cut them and let them die 1st they come off way easier, like was already stated. Good luck
 
Talon Tree Service said:
I had bad vines on 3 ash trees, 2 persimmon and a maple after I moved into my first home. For the ash, I cut the ash trees down because they had EAB. For the persimmons and maple, I cut them off as high as I could reach with my polesaw. They started to fall off within 6 months and within a year they were pretty much gone. I would use a polesaw. A fraction of the cost and a lot less injury to the tree.
Click to expand...

Vines are easy. All you need is a handsaw. Cut all vines at your chest height. They will die and fall off. Cutting vines in a tree climbing is for professionals. Sure way to cut yourself out of a tree. If you want to learn to climb just choose nice short vine free trees. As for gear never skimp on nasty rope and cheap pulleys etc. Wesspur has some nice tree climbing starter packages. Choose one with a decent saddle. Have fun. Rec climbing is the sweetest. get a nice handsaw so you can practice some pruning.
 
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