Mark, I agree with your post. In addition, I would add that some of the less practicle "experts" and trainers appear to gather rules from the learners handbook, and in a misguided way, project these as benchmarks for all industry practices. By doing so they seem to fail to recognize the purpose of entry level guidence, and the progression of skills that may follow.
The sad part is that the result of their contrabution in the courts and educating learners, puts doubt onto some normal, reasonable work practices.
Some examples are,
Never climb with only spurs and flip lines, you must always have a climbing line set above.
Never climb with any rope unless it is nylon.
Always have a climbing line installed above you, even when scarfing the head you are attached to.
Never use a vehicle to pull over a tree.
Never use ......... spurs because they are dangerous
Only use ..... ....... binners, nothing else is safe.
When putting in a scarf, always put in the sloping cut first.
So the latest ones of, always use wedges when falling, and always put in the textbook scarf, are just as narrow I suppose.
Where will it end? /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif