Taking a fall
- Thread starter arborer
- Start date
OasisTree
Branched out member
- Location
- Central Missouri
Never climb a bradford pear! I was up about 15 ft, woring in the interior of the tree, when the branch i was tied in to busted. There was a lot of small branches to slow my fall, but I got all scratched up. It didn't help that I had an audience.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
About NOT falling? What whiz said... I can't be said any better. There's no reason why a climber should expect a fall in their career. It's a dangerous job but it can be done safely... the climber has to have a certain combination of characteristics, patience being a big one, but totally doable.
I do think that it's pretty much inevitable that a climber will be injured at some point, your exposure is very high and there's all these sharp things working around soft things that matter a whole bunch and big heavy wood swinging around. Sooner or later something personal gets cut or mashed. Good on'ya to the guys who beat the odds... lady luck's never been all that good to me.
I fell with a tree that broke right at the root base, spiked in about 40', tagged the corner of a two story house on the way down. Pretty bad concussion, torn left MCL, fractured right tibia, totally screwed up my teeth, broke my nose, blablabla... it hurt, I don't recommend it.
I do think that it's pretty much inevitable that a climber will be injured at some point, your exposure is very high and there's all these sharp things working around soft things that matter a whole bunch and big heavy wood swinging around. Sooner or later something personal gets cut or mashed. Good on'ya to the guys who beat the odds... lady luck's never been all that good to me.
I fell with a tree that broke right at the root base, spiked in about 40', tagged the corner of a two story house on the way down. Pretty bad concussion, torn left MCL, fractured right tibia, totally screwed up my teeth, broke my nose, blablabla... it hurt, I don't recommend it.
RyanCafferky
Been here a while
- Location
- Hood River, Oregon
I think in this industry it is good to think "I will never fall" but I think at some point some type of fall is inevitable. At some point your spurs will cut out, you will slip out of the tiny tree that is too brushy for a ladder and too short for a saddle, or you will break a TIP because your pre climb inspection couldn't see the invisible defect on the top of the limb. I have had all of the above happen to me and then some.
Some of my falls were back when I was either a no school old school climber that couldn't or wouldn't say no to a tree. But some of the more recent falls have been in the last five years which are the years that I feel that I have been the safest and the most careful. They have happened after going to Arbormaster, after spending countless hours on Treebuzz, after learning and refining countless techniques to make this work safer, and after becoming a safety conscious climber.
Staying mentally present, not becoming complacent, and not being pressured by production are probably the most important things in preventing a fall. The times I have fallen, my mind was likely elsewhere or I was mentally three steps ahead of where I was at that moment. Or I was thinking more about cranking the job out and moving onto the next instead of doing the job safely.
Some of my falls were back when I was either a no school old school climber that couldn't or wouldn't say no to a tree. But some of the more recent falls have been in the last five years which are the years that I feel that I have been the safest and the most careful. They have happened after going to Arbormaster, after spending countless hours on Treebuzz, after learning and refining countless techniques to make this work safer, and after becoming a safety conscious climber.
Staying mentally present, not becoming complacent, and not being pressured by production are probably the most important things in preventing a fall. The times I have fallen, my mind was likely elsewhere or I was mentally three steps ahead of where I was at that moment. Or I was thinking more about cranking the job out and moving onto the next instead of doing the job safely.
treebing
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Detroit, Mi.
the first day at a new job a brand new company i blew threw a removal very impressively. needless to say I left a small hanger in a 15 foot maple tree. being the thorough climber that I was, I swung up into the tree with no gear and monkeyed on to a branch that was dead. it broke, i tumbled out of the tree and severly sprained my wrist. happened so fast nobody saw me and i tried to cover up that i was in pain. couldn't hide the big wrist brace on my arm the next day and the whole following 10 days. I felt like a jackass.
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I've unclipped and jumped out before. About 15 ft. or so out of a red maple. Course......the continuous stinging of hornets will do that to a guy!!!
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I have done the same only it was a cedar and I cut my rope with my hand saw. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Still got over 50 stings. Good times!!
I've unclipped and jumped out before. About 15 ft. or so out of a red maple. Course......the continuous stinging of hornets will do that to a guy!!!
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I have done the same only it was a cedar and I cut my rope with my hand saw. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Still got over 50 stings. Good times!!
My only fall was gaffing out about luckily only 10' from the ground coming down a spar at the end of the day with only a flipline...slid all the way to the bottom and landed on the brush pile at the bottom...a few scrapes nothing serious...now I almost always choke my lanyard on a spar to arrest any slip or fall, and rappel the descent of any distance (20'+)
WHEN I FELL 30 FEET I ALSO HAD CHARMS ON ME, IT WAS TWO PLASTIC RINGS WITH RAINBOWS ON THEM THAT MY DAUGHTER GAVE ME. I HAD THEM ON MY SADDLE WITH A SHERRIL KEY CLIP. I DON'T CARRY THEM NO MORE SINCE ONE BROKE. NEXT TIME I DONT THINK LUCK WILL HAVE ANY THING TO WITH IT, SO I HOPE THERE ISNT A NEXT TIME!
I FELL 30 FT. ONTO A PILE OF LOGS. BROKE MY LEFT FEMAR, BUSTED MY ELBOW. I HAVE A ROD FROM MY HIP TO MY KNEE! YOU HAVE TO BE SURE ABOUT YOURSELF, YOU CLIMB YOUR BEST WHEN YOU GET COMFORTABLE, BUT YOU HAVE TO MAITANE CONCENTRATION AND AWARNESS ALLWAYS, IF NOT ANY ONE CAN GET HURT.
- Location
- Penticton, British Columbia
STOP YELLING!
I've slipped 6 feet on a vertical limb I was making some clearance cuts on in a griffin poplar. Double tie in, no spikes as it was a prune, but the stub I had left as a foothold busted and I slipped down into the next lowest union. Skeered me a might, got over it, but if anything made me more conscious of the risk. I've had my share of gaff outs on peeling pines and thin barked takedowns, but nothing that was potentially fatal. Check, double check and recheck. Now git up there and lets go!
I've slipped 6 feet on a vertical limb I was making some clearance cuts on in a griffin poplar. Double tie in, no spikes as it was a prune, but the stub I had left as a foothold busted and I slipped down into the next lowest union. Skeered me a might, got over it, but if anything made me more conscious of the risk. I've had my share of gaff outs on peeling pines and thin barked takedowns, but nothing that was potentially fatal. Check, double check and recheck. Now git up there and lets go!
