SRT Setup

[Woodwork]

Be advised! If you are climbing on a prusic or some other device that can or will bind or not release under load you will not be able to unweight to insert a belay device !

So what does one do in that situation? Put figure 8 on slack rope below you, then somehow transfer your weight from prusik to figure 8? Trying to figure it out from the comfort of my desk chair here...

Keep this mantra in mind at all times- do not climb up what you can’t get down from. If a climber is alone and gets bound up on a rope and is unable to move, it won’t be long before you are in medical distress.

Yes, I'm trying to think ahead that way. I just have this feeling that eventually I'm gonna screw myself and then have to figure out a way out of the hurt locker...

A good thing to do is a hang test. Get your harness set up nice and comfy and near ground level hang in it with a timer running, take note of how long you can hang in your saddle until it starts to get uncomfortable, then hang a bit longer and see what happens.

Interesting. Never tried this. I have a Buckingham Traverse saddle and it seems pretty comfy the few times I've hung from it, but have no idea how long that honeymoon lasts.

One thing that concerns me, particularly with SRT (which I've never tried yet) is getting inverted.

I read the section of "On Rope" about how to unfark yourself when inverted, and it sounds like you get "one try" and not much more than that to pull it off ...

No mountains around here, and few climbers...I wonder just how I would get down if I needed rescue. Who would they call? The local tree service guy? Someone from the power company or volunteer fire company / rescue squad? Put a wheelbarrow underneath me and cut the line?

 

[Woodwork]

Today, there is an explosion of gear, it’s bewildering the combinations that a climber can come up with. But the basic, easiest setups that are tried and tested need to be learned before you re invent the wheel.

That's the way I hope to learn – partially because I can't afford a lot of devices, partially because I don't understand them and therefore don't trust them, but mainly because I think "simpler is better" for understanding what's going on, and then building on that foundation of basic principles. If you know what you're trying to accomplish, and why, then you can find alternate methods when possibilities narrow. I think having this knowledge could also give you the confidence to fend off panic, which I believe (in general) is one of the biggest killers when people get into a jam, because it makes them make costly, cascading mistakes.

 

[Brocky]

Suspension trauma doesn't come into play unless the climber is unconscious, or for some reason can't move their legs. As long as you keep moving the blood doesn't pool in your legs.

If inverted and too top heavy to get upright, maybe reach down and loop the rope below you over your feet to add weight to that end.

 

[Stephen Moore]

Ok here’s a simple cheap way to unload a stick device. If you have a couple loops of webbing or cordage or tie a loo in the tail of the rope you can install a prusic above the stuck bit and hook into that to stand up on the loop. Then tie into that anchor long enough to install figure 8 and untie stuck device. That’s why I say you don’t need cam locks and expensive stuff, you need to understand how to use the stuff you have. And in doing so yo will have the stuff you need.

 

[Woodwork]

Thanks, Brocky and Stephen. I really appreciate you explaining this basic stuff.

Jeff

 

[Stephen Moore]

Suspension trauma doesn't come into play unless the climber is unconscious, or for some reason can't move their legs. As long as you keep moving the blood doesn't pool in your legs.

If inverted and too top heavy to get upright, maybe reach down and loop the rope below you over your feet to add weight to that end.

You will end up with other issues, panic being one of them. And you can squeeze the blood right off on a limb and still move it till it dies. Trust me, hanging for a super long time will suck. I live in an area that rescue won’t show up for at least an hour, then they will need time to formulate a plan and execute it. Depending on why you are suspended it could well be life threatening. You may have broken a hand and can’t operate equipment with only 1. You may be losing blood? You be having a stroke or heart attack? A new climber may experience a panic inducing situation, that can cause hyper ventilating and passing out! There are numerous ways a person can get in severe trouble while in a tree.

 

[Woodwork]

I read Tom Dunlap's article at

http://www.treebuzz.com/pdf/SingleRope.pdf

where he says to leave 2/3 of the rope length (double your height in the tree) available for rescue. At first I thought I understood how someone could lower you in that situation, but now I'm not sure. Seems like if a climber got into a jam, and knew this technique, he could instruct someone on the ground on what to do, and they wouldn't need a lot of climbing knowledge...

Can anyone help me understand how this is done?

 

[Stephen Moore]

This year I experienced heat exhaustion that forced me to evacuate the tree or risk passing out. My breathing was fast and I couldn’t slow it down. That requires fast thinking to self rescue and make the right moves under stressful circumstances.

 

[Stephen Moore]

I read Tom Dunlap's article at

http://www.treebuzz.com/pdf/SingleRope.pdf

where he says to leave 2/3 of the rope length (double your height in the tree) available for rescue. At first I thought I understood how someone could lower you in that situation, but now I'm not sure. Seems like if a climber got into a jam, and knew this technique, he could instruct someone on the ground on what to do, and they wouldn't need a lot of climbing knowledge...

Can anyone help me understand how this is done?

There are videos that explain rescue setups. Some where the groundie can unweight the basal tie and lower you, but that means you can’t be using a fixed tie in point at the top. Or the other way is to provide a length of rope that the rescuer can use to get to you and lower from. It depends entirely on the anchor type.

 

[Brocky]

You don't need the loops if you use the single foot footlock to take the weight off of your hitch, or device. I think moss is calling it the overhand footlock.

 

[Stephen Moore]

I read Tom Dunlap's article at

http://www.treebuzz.com/pdf/SingleRope.pdf

where he says to leave 2/3 of the rope length (double your height in the tree) available for rescue. At first I thought I understood how someone could lower you in that situation, but now I'm not sure. Seems like if a climber got into a jam, and knew this technique, he could instruct someone on the ground on what to do, and they wouldn't need a lot of climbing knowledge...

Can anyone help me understand how this is done?

This where de weighting becomes useful to understand, both as a groundie and as the climber. You can use the same rigging to pull trees too so it adds versatility in your understanding of rigging, just as pulley work does, how to set a 2:1 or 5:1 etc.

 

[Stephen Moore]

You don't need the loops if you use the single foot footlock to take the weight off of yout hitch, or device. I think moss is calling it the overhand footlock.

Footlock does not secure your body to the rope. You must be secure at all times.

 

[Stephen Moore]

If you footlock to unweight you still need to tie in so you can add rap device or whatever you plan to use. But yes footlock replaces loop. The concept is still the same

 

[Woodwork]

There are videos that explain rescue setups. Some where the groundie can unweight the basal tie and lower you, but that means you can’t be using a fixed tie in point at the top. Or the other way is to provide a length of rope that the rescuer can use to get to you and lower from. It depends entirely on the anchor type.

Thank you. I need to read up on this more and mess with it. This should probably be the next thing I learn!

 

[Woodwork]

I read Tom Dunlap's article at

http://www.treebuzz.com/pdf/SingleRope.pdf

After reading that article, I ordered a copy of "High Angle Rescue Techniques" (recommended by Tom) which just arrived in the mail today. Looks like it contains a heck of a lot of good info in a very small book. Thanks, Tom!
Oops...looks like I bought "Field Guide to ACCOMPANY High Angle Rescue Techniques"...maybe the actual book is much bigger.

 

[Stephen Moore]

After reading that article, I ordered a copy of "High Angle Rescue Techniques" (recommended by Tom) which just arrived in the mail today. Looks like it contains a heck of a lot of good info in a very small book. Thanks, Tom!
Oops...looks like I bought "Field Guide to ACCOMPANY High Angle Rescue Techniques"...maybe the actual book is much bigger.

Nice to have, but really there is a wealth of info on the net free of charge. Still though there is no replacement to finding someone in your locale to stretch some rope with. It’s always a good idea to climb with a partner anyway! I’m sure a quick search will dredge up an interested person.