teaching new climber?

Jeff_Cochran

Jeff_Cochran

New member
Location
Memphis TN
please post some of your methods. Mine: here is a snap, this is an anchor bend, this is a taunt line, this is a figure eight now tie them until you can tie them wrong handed with your eyes shut. Once they pass the tie in test, now get up that tree with that speed saw and go to work.
 
Read 'The Tree Climber's Companion' and take the tests at the back.

Read Ed Gilman's Pruning book...and pay attention to my style of pruning.

Use a handsaw to make cuts.

Prune small trees with pole pruner/saw.

Climb small trees...using SRT.
 
Tcia makes a series of books to teach guys everything from groundwork on up. I use those as training tools. There are tests in the back they have to take. When they pas they get a certificate from TCIA. I also usually give them a 50c raise for each unit. There are like six different units. So far its been a great way to train guys. I also took one of my guys to a ISA chapter meeting that talked about pruning. I think he learned alot from there. The thing that is hard about teaching treework is there is so much to learn. I'm still thinking about trees and learning new things 16 years into it.Good luck!
 
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please post some of your methods. Mine: here is a snap, this is an anchor bend, this is a taunt line, this is a figure eight now tie them until you can tie them wrong handed with your eyes shut. Once they pass the tie in test, now get up that tree with that speed saw and go to work.

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Maybey show them how to inspect the tree and surroundings before they go up to.
 
I believe the right of passage should be that they fully comprehend the majority of the concepts involved with Young Tree Training(Temps, Perms, Scaffolds, subordinating, spacing, aesthetics etc.)

No point in them learning to climb if I have to yell up to them every freakin cut.

Best arborists I have worked with are the ones keen about pruning.
Now thats the guy you want climbin.

Next step is strictly double lanyard climbin small trees or ladder types.

Next is rope and saddle.
I guess if you want just a climber than thru em the spurs too and watch em go.
Nothin wrong with a removal machine but the pruning machine is as good or better at producing.
 
Have to climb at least one tree using only a rope/bowline on a bight. Make sure they are suspended and sit that way at least one hour. If they show up to work the next day they are keepers and you can continue with their training.
 
Ive always felt that climbing tandem with a new climber helps them overcome the initial shock of being aloft. It also helps explain to the new trainee the minute details of climbing operations.
 
One of my first experiences with rope n saddle, the instructor predicted correctly the first moves made in my attempt to climb the tree and soaped the tree up slippeery.
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So when I reached up and tried stepping into the tree I instantly fell into my knots and harness.
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Instantly giving me the confidence in the gear.
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The transition from climbin trees to good rope climbin skills is the key and this little fall really threw me into high speed.

Cool little trick. Eh!
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The most critical aspect of teaching someone is that you are trying to set up HABITS that will keep them safe throughout their career. So give them a PROCESS that they follow EVERY time that is as safe as possible.

Re: ascent and tie in point. It has already been mentioned that pre-climb inspection is critical. But with the advent of throwlines (not something someone as old as Tom grew up with) tie in point failures have become much more common. So TIP inspection is also critical. Some guys even use binocs to inspect it. Give the climbing rope some really big honks after you install it to be extra sure.

How are they ascending? Are you requiring body thrust? If so, some type of friction saver will be important for any thin barked tree. The old leather hose is the easiest to install from ground, but far from the best in terms of reducing friction.

If they are footlocking, they need to know a klemheist or prussik, and the importance of a safe transfer once aloft, which brings me to the number one rule to teach anyone going up: REMAIN TIED IN AT ALL TIMES!

And as several others have said, it can't be overemphasized how important it is that their pruning skills be absolutely impeccable.

Hope things are going well for you, Jeff. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
 
These are all excellent tips. And I'm happy to see pruning or cutting skills addressed. Too many people want to climb before they know how to cut.

One more thing, that I did for myself to get a feel for things early on was to deliberately 'fall' off a limb walk and feel the swing. Do it low with respect to the tie in point where there is nothing nasty to bang into, but preferably with some exposure.
 
There are many things I teach easily. I can teach a complete knucklehead how to cook a good meal.I can teach linear algebra to a chimpanzee. I can not teach climbing from scratch to a certified mensa member given three days and a powerpoint presentation.

For some reason, it takes me forever to teach the blake's hitch, anchor hitch, figure 8, and body thrusting to someone brand new to climbing. If a person already has a basic knowledge of those techniques, I can show them a whole crap load of new techniques in a single afternoon....heck in a single hour....and they retain it.

For this reason, I've given up teaching someone who has never been in a saddle. I don't do tree work full time anymore, only as a sideline gig and heck, I do all the climbing on the job site anyway, I just want my groundie to be able to do a rescue if I need it. I hope to work for myself full time with in the next year....probably this spring, but until then, I'll just keep paying a premium for folks who already know a little climbing rather than try to teach someone from scratch.
 
I am completely with you and just more frustration on both peoples side. Why I prefer the idea of an intro month of studying for complete new comers and a 2 week study time for those already working in the industry. Similar to the idea of how driver licenses work. Get the basic concepts down from books/videos/forums and watch others climb to demonstate work practices for the first 2 weeks. That way the following 2 weeks can be spent climbing to generate a comfort level and reenforce the climbing, pruning and rigging subjects already studied. Trying to bombard someone with everything at once between gear, knots, tree biology, gear inspection, tree inspection, etc. is just too overwhelming.
 
what kit does a new climber get? i.e. someone who has learned the groundie thing, and wants to climb. Do you supply the harness, rope, biners, cordage etc? Can the climber take that gear home and practice, or should they supply their own basics?
 
they get a rope, two snaps, a sliding bridge leg strap saddle, a two in one lanyard, a 12' pole saw. a hand saw and a climbing saw once proficient with the use on the ground.
 
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Tom did you use a blue homelite to do the trunk..LOL

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The Blue Goose Homelite may have made the felling cut, I can't remember
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More than likely though, another rip snortin' Mac~!
 
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