Tree Climbing

You should try chainsaw undies, they chafe like wearing a hornets nest but you feel so safe in them, it's amazing. If you work in super high-risk situations they make a special Depends add-on, just velcros in, endorsed by NASA.
-AJ
 
moss said:
You should try chainsaw undies, they chafe like wearing a hornets nest but you feel so safe in them, it's amazing. If you work in super high-risk situations they make a special Depends add-on, just velcros in, endorsed by NASA.
-AJ
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Protection where it matters!

I'm sorry Shawn for getting off topic, but I guess I would suggest wearing something other than the harness. ;)

But for real, can you explain in more detail about what you will be doing. How are you getting into the tree? Are you interested in climbing out to the ends of limbs and such or are you more interested in a vertical up and down sort of activity? Furthermore, when you say you would like to do recreational climbing but also to cut trees down... that's a lot of breadth to cover all at once. If you started just getting comfortable reaching the top of a tree and rappelling down and then you could branch out from there. A -> throw line etc. is a great way to get your climbing line up in the tree, but it does take a lot of practice and you want to be sure you get a suitable TIP (Tie In Point) which can be hard to see from the ground. One thing you should definitely have is a -> Lanyard! If you can climb the tree with a lanyard while advancing your TIP as you go you can reach a high point and set your line for rappelling. If you are rappelling with a F8, here is an option for a good retrievable canopy anchor at about 4:50:
 
Thanks guys! Just to clarify I did mean a rated cord for the prusik. I have heard that the prusik cord should be roughly half the size of the main line so it bites properly. I have also heard it should be thicker. My main dynamic line is 9.5 mm. I am just looking to climb up high in a tree and then rappel down. I have a F8. I want a cambium friction saver to save my rope and the tree but they are SO expensive! I also wanted your guys opinions on the best way to ascend without ascenders. I will get that book. By the way what is X2, X3, X4, etc.?
Thanks.
Shawn.
 
X2 means "Times 2". Rather than repeat what the previous guy said, if you agree with it, just say "Times two!" If you're in Pitt, you MUST go to the national TCIA Expo next month since its in Pitt this year! You'll learn SO much just by being there!
 
I'm not a hitch climber but I think you want a hitch cord that's more than half the diameter of your climbing line - more like 70-80%. And when you say dynamic line, I picture rock climbing line, and I suspect a hitch would bind tight and work poorly on such a line.

Ascending without ascenders means foot locking or hip thrusting. Have fun with that.

Also get the book Recreational Tree Climbing by Dick Flowers:

http://newtribe.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=35

And a pair of grippy gloves.

And update your will, medical power of attorney, and/or medical directive.
 
Shawn Welch said:
I want a cambium friction saver to save my rope and the tree but they are SO expensive!
Shawn.
Click to expand...

You could go with a rope sleeve which is less expensive. You put it on your line and when you get your rope over the desired limb you can tie a slip knot behind the sleeve bring it up over the union and when it is in place pull on both sides of the rope to untie the slip knot. Technically you wouldn't need a friction saver while Rappelling, it would really only be necessary for the ascent...if you were hip thrusting or something like that. The friction saver would also be a good idea if you were climbing around in the tree on a doubled rope.

Ascending without ascenders: If there are the necessary branches, simply climbing up what is provided could be the answer. If there are no/few branches than you will have to -> foot lock or -> hip thrust or use a ladder...shudder.
 
About the "half diameter of the climbing rope" for your prusik spec., that's for alpine/rock. In that use the hitch is only for ascent so it's ok if it bites down super hard. For tree climbing the hitch needs to grab and release easily/smoothly when you want it to. For example I've used 10mm Oceans Polyester as a hitch cord on 10mm Sterling HTP static rope, worked just fine.
-AJ
 
Another thing that should be mentioned is its pretty important to know some tree biology (indentification, wood (tie-in) strength, hazard ID, etc..) so that you can best judge the general safety of your climb. Leaving the ground is un-humanlike, and in turn becomes inherently dangerous. Our gear is built stronger than some trees...
I've never read the TTCC but I assume this is talked about by Jepson.

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk
 
Worthaug said:
Another thing that should be mentioned is its pretty important to know some tree biology (indentification, wood (tie-in) strength, hazard ID, etc..) so that you can best judge the general safety of your climb. Leaving the ground is un-humanlike, and in turn becomes inherently dangerous. Our gear is built stronger than some trees...
I've never read the TTCC but I assume this is talked about by Jepson.

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk
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Yep, got to assess the tree before take-off! It's not trivial. The Peter Jenkins basic tree climbing DVD I mentioned has a good section on tree assessment.
-AJ
 
moss said:
About the "half diameter of the climbing rope" for your prusik spec., that's for alpine/rock. In that use the hitch is only for ascent so it's ok if it bites down super hard. For tree climbing the hitch needs to grab and release easily/smoothly when you want it to. For example I've used 10mm Oceans Polyester as a hitch cord on 10mm Sterling HTP static rope, worked just fine.
-AJ
Click to expand...
So are you saying I could use the same mm rope for a split tail? I was going to REI this weekend to buy some rope for the split tail and wanted to know what material, size and length I should get. I will be using a foot loop as well as a split tail with a pulley assist.
 
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