Traditional Tie In

A

Arbor23

Many guys are changing to new bee lines and split tails. I have tried them, but still prefer a traditional tie in. Are there many guys who still use traditonal?
 
Do you mean a Blake's hitch or Tautline?
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I used those for a couple of months when I was starting off. (My foreman wanted me to learn them so that I could respect the V.T.) I then switched to a V.T. and never changed.

However, I am considering a change.

But, not back to the "traditional" stuff.
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Butch, what do you climb with?
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I use a split tail (single eye Tenex hitch cord) for my primary tie in and a rope bridge (is that what you mean by traditional?) when I double crotch with the other end of my rope. Blake's hitch on both.

To me a split tail means you have a separate connection to your harness with each side of your lifeline, a separate piece of hitch cord is used to make the bridge... you can unclip the end and re-crotch without untying your friction knot. A rope bridge is using just the rope and a biner with and 4' or 5' tail (bridge) for tying your friction knot, that is, no extra piece of cord. To re-crotch you have to untie your friction knot to open the loop and get it around the tree. Does that make since?
 
Yes Blinky that all makes sense. But what other advantages are there for using a split tail? I have fixed attachment points on my saddle so when I use a split tail the space between my life line is about 8in which gets in my way.
 
Hmmm, do you mean the rig is too close or too far away? I use a butterfly II and the whole rig is pretty far away from my body.

The rope bridge is definitely simpler to handle when crossing under branches and I need to unclip and flip my lifeline over so it stays at a good vertical angle. A split tail is only slightly more trouble, I clip the end biner to the hitch biner and flip the whole thing over.

The re-crotching thing is pretty big for me though. The trees around here are frequently tall have big spreads and it's not unusual for me to go through 5 or 6 TIPs in a single climb... even more if I'm working my way up by throwing intermediate TIPs.

If I had to pick out something else that's better besides re-crotching without untying it would have to be that you can use an alternative material for the hitch. Tenex is a sweet material for friction hitches. You will hear that it wears fast and that's true about the 'single end per carrier' version but the 'two end per carrier' version (Tenex Tec) lasts for at least a hundred climbs. It's cheap to buy 50' or so and splice your own cords... it's dirt simple to splice.

I used 8mm beeline for a while and liked it a lot, never really showed any wear other than some glazing that was easy to work out. I quit using it because I switched from a Distel to a Blakes and I needed a larger diameter cord.

The guy I climb with most has been using a traditional tautline on a rope bridge since before they built the pyramids and he gets around a tree as well as anybody. I just learned a lot of advanced stuff from a guy who uses a split tail Blakes and that's what I've used ever since.
 
I think he's getting at the space between the two sides of the rope. And the advantage of a split tail is being able to move it around limbs without tying and untying.
 
that is only one of the pluses of a split tail(by the way a "split tail" is exactly what it sounds like: any "tail" that is split from the climbing line ie: Eye-n-eye, single eye.)

there are about a hundred reasons to use a split tail... But Jamin's boss is right... you need to know how to work/exit a tree with nothing other than a climbing line
 
I agree with you 100% Wizard. I mean if something happens and you forget your split tail at a previous job or you cut it or something else you know the basics and know how to use it.
 
i know a guy that dropped his split tail out of the tree, and did not know any other method for a climbing system. I was there so i just sent it back up to him, but as soon he got down i taught him the blakes
 
another advantage the split-tail system has is that you don't continually have to shorten the climbing line when it gets worn in the place the blake or taught line is being tied. instead, the spilt-tail gets replaced.

i climb with a split-tail system and when I double-crotch i usually use a Blake on the second TIP because I don't always carry an extra split-tail eye in eye on each climb.

peace,

mk
 
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I used 8mm beeline for a while and liked it a lot, never really showed any wear other than some glazing that was easy to work out. I quit using it because I switched from a Distel to a Blakes and I needed a larger diameter cord.


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Why did you switch from a distel to a blake's?

jp
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[ QUOTE ]
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I used 8mm beeline for a while and liked it a lot, never really showed any wear other than some glazing that was easy to work out. I quit using it because I switched from a Distel to a Blakes and I needed a larger diameter cord.


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Why did you switch from a distel to a blake's?

jp
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I guess that might be regressive but the way it worked was, I learned to climb with a Distel. Even with 5 wraps it would seize on me after weighting it a few times... and 8mm distel is a pain to loosen.

Then I got a chance to climb with a guy, Brian Kotwicka, who taught me some advanced stuff... he used a Blakes so I decided to try it and bought a Tenex split tail. It was just a lot better for me. I weigh between 180 and 190 so I tie it 2 over 3 and it rarely seizes unless I have a sudden stop while lowering... and when it does, I can loosen it with one hand. I can buy 50' of Tenex and make 5 split tails for the price of one store bought one. I just haven't had a reason to change.

The Distel's a good knot, I use it on my lanyard adjusters.
 
i don't like the distel for the same reasons, but i love some of the other "high preformance" hitches (french, VT, Knut.....)

you should try some of these, you will probly never go back to the blakes
 
for a take down I use a distal it works good for a buck strapfor going up and around limbs.
for pruning I tie in with the tail of my rope w/a slack tending pully fixed to a swival rope snap. =blake hitch for me=
 
i just read this in the sherrill mag while i was on the toilet, i mean filing paper work, there are a lot of plus' to using a split tail, one being that it will save your climbin line bit by bit, just read the article if none of this is making sense, the other climber i work with uses only blakes hitch, no split tail, he loves it, he doesnt use a pully for slack tending either, he just likes it that way, thats what feels comfortable for him and honestly, thats what it all boils down to, feeling comfortable
 
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