Best way to work spars

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  • #27
Marc-Antoine said:
The lanyard / spikes aren't a love affair for me and I always had a hard time to trust them.
Finally I adopted a way to be a little more confident, far from feeling comfy, but at least I can buck a spar without too much fear : the spikes and a wire-lanyard (or a secondary climbline as is, on the Ds) with my main climbline chocked short above the lanyard.
I know that's the contrary of the recommended way for safety, but that gives me some peace of mind, as I can go nowhere if I gaff out. More, the choked line is a stable/trusty point when I lower the lanyard and myself, no more hazard on the move.

Most of the time I buck the spar for firewood lengths, maybe two at once, so my choked carabiner stays at arm reach. If I come down more than one meter, I use my telescopic pole to get it back.
The leaning, twisty spars or the dog-legs are challenging. I deal with them staying on the underside, it's more stable for me and that's what I'm looking for. I tried to stay on the upper side, but no. I fear constantly to loose my balance and take a ride toward the underside. I would absolutely hate that. Plus I have more control of the logs on the hard leaning trunks.

The Hitch Hicker first and now the Akimbo are perfect for a short-choked line. The compactness and ease to adjust are a dream for this application.
I even use in the same way the Zigzag on my secondary climb line, which works surprisingly well in SRT mode all alone. That allows me to buck a long bare axis during a pruning (no gaffs) with my both climblines choked.
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Yeah. I would rather be tied in 90ft in my saddle than be 40 ft on just spurs and a flip line. Good ideas, thanks!
 
First I started w/ a climb line running bowlined around spar. Then took a prussic cord w/ a classic 6 wrap prussic to secure me if I gaffed out. Now that I got the HH2 I'll use that on my choked climb line. I like the idea of a long tail on the running bowline so I can descend on that then pull it down. I currently take a few steps down then slide the loosened climb line down. I will try the long tail RB this weekend since I can descend down on the HH2.
 
I think the HH2 will make life simper up there. Sounds like a good learning plan. Your confidence level will increase as you get some reps under your belt.
 
I'm not super comfortable on spurs still. Pole gaffs are way nicer for me though. Something about having my toes in contact with the spar with the points set in maybe? I always felt like I was in high heels on tree gaffs
 
NeSurfcaster said:
Now that I got the HH2 I'll use that on my choked climb line. I like the idea of a long tail on the running bowline so I can descend on that then pull it down. I currently take a few steps down then slide the loosened climb line down. I will try the long tail RB this weekend since I can descend down on the HH2.
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Tying a long tail can be unwieldy, you could try the simple, easy, strong, dependable alpine butterfly instead
 
Been thinking about having either a ditty bag of thin line or a retractable device like a dog leash so I don’t have to haul up the tail to retrieve from a spar or canopy tie. I usually down climb when chunking as it is fast, saves the rope from extra sap, and good practice. But I enjoy squirrel shoes so...

For folks uncomfortable on spurs, an early lesson I received is to climb with toes pointed up so they sink in well and lessen slipping.
 
Being comfortable in spurs, i simply walk/spur down to my next rigging and cutting point. usually, i am only negative blocking 8-12 foot of log until i get too low to take that length or weight. I will occassionally tie a longer tail so i can pull the knot down if i need the higher tie in point to be better positioned on larger wood, with a larger saw for the face cut. Pull down and recinch for the back cut. To be honest though, switching over to a Ddrt system on the HH or other hybrid through an adjustable friction saver/false crotch is just as easy to me. Especially when the AFS/FC has a small ring one one end, biner on the other. Easy to bring the line down on longer descents, just leave it on the climb line unclipped while you are cinched off, reconnect on the next decent; or just use it instead of the cinch. I never really try to work on just one type of system. Mix it up as needed.
Clear as mud i am sure.
 
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  • #34
CurSedVoyce said:
Being comfortable in spurs, i simply walk/spur down to my next rigging and cutting point. usually, i am only negative blocking 8-12 foot of log until i get too low to take that length or weight. I will occassionally tie a longer tail so i can pull the knot down if i need the higher tie in point to be better positioned on larger wood, with a larger saw for the face cut. Pull down and recinch for the back cut. To be honest though, switching over to a Ddrt system on the HH or other hybrid through an adjustable friction saver/false crotch is just as easy to me. Especially when the AFS/FC has a small ring one one end, biner on the other. Easy to bring the line down on longer descents, just leave it on the climb line unclipped while you are cinched off, reconnect on the next decent; or just use it instead of the cinch. I never really try to work on just one type of system. Mix it up as needed.
Clear as mud i am sure.
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Thanks! Good ideas all. I recently purchased a Petzl ID large and have been using that to keep me tight and close to the running bowline of my climbing line thats choked around the spar. I like that I can use it for extra stability or come down fairly quickly in an emergency. Great idea to use the higher tie in point to make the face cut. One comment about the Petzl ID large. It’s annoying that the new model is only rated for 12.5-13 mm rope. That’s a pretty small variance. The previous model ran 11.5-13 mm.
 
I can testify that's too easy to forget when you are focused with something, the cut, the wood's balance, the targets, the rush...
You have the rope just in front of you but you don't see it. Strange brain fart.
It happened two times to me. Both times I was tied in ddrt at the very top, luckily not cinched as often now, and the rope was freed when the log flipped during it's fall. It gave still a good jerk.
Worse of it, the second time, I have just explained a few minutes ago to the young groundy what was precisely the risk with the ease of cutting the notch still tied up top. I don't know if he even noticed it (I didn't ask) but I was at the same time moraly shaked and felt pretty dumb.
 
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  • #38
Marc-Antoine said:
I can testify that's too easy to forget when you are focused with something, the cut, the wood's balance, the targets, the rush...
You have the rope just in front of you but you don't see it. Strange brain fart.
It happened two times to me. Both times I was tied in ddrt at the very top, luckily not cinched as often now, and the rope was freed when the log flipped during it's fall. It gave still a good jerk.
Worse of it, the second time, I have just explained a few minutes ago to the young groundy what was precisely the risk with the ease of cutting the notch still tied up top. I don't know if he even noticed it (I didn't ask) but I was at the same time moraly shaked and felt pretty dumb.
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I hear you. Every time I’ve made a face cut while tied in like that, Ive felt a deep unease. Glad you weren’t hurt!
 
I have not dumped a piece still tied in but have come close...have gotten ready for the back cut and realized I was still DDRT'd into the top. Tied in surely makes it easier to make the face cut on big wood...and there is that risk, too. Ideally the groundie is paying attention to the work flow. Marc-Antoine gave a good description of how it happens...lots to be considering...and if you are tired, hot, already stressed...it's a perfect storm for a fack up. Glad you got so lucky with those events....sharing helps get others "woke" to what is possible.
 
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  • #40
Absolutely. Thank you all for sharing these experiences. I think most of us have had close calls. Lose focus for a second and the consequences can be terrible. I remember years ago doing a removal the morning after a bout of insomnia. I was so groggy. I cut a limb in the canopy that snapped up and pushed my topping saw right over my head. Scary close to a scalping.
 
When I cut this one, I couldn't reach through with the 30" bar.
So I made the face with that, hung the saw off a branch, got a smaller saw up and cut the backside of the backcut with an 18"bar.
Since that was a lot of fiddling about, I stayed tied in with my climbline and worked from that.
As I'm running the 18" through the backside, something went " Creeeeaaak!!!" and Richard suddenly yells on the intercom: " She is starting to go!!!!!!!!!!!"
Sure got my blood pressure up!
Quickly disengaged my climbline and switched to the SRT line in the tree behind it.
Cut the rest and everything went according to plan, but that was a hairy moment.
Reason I had a second line in another tree was there was a massive Fomes fomentarium attack about 15 feet below where I had to cut the tree, we feared the whole thing might break at that point and take me with it.
So a lanyard break free P1030957-001.JPG and a bailout line was used.
 
There is a long story behind this.
The castle where it was had hired a moron to build a long series of ziplines for people to enjoy ( And pay for using, of course)
The deal was, we had to ok every tree they used.
So I pass by one day and they have already installed the wires.
Largest one, some 400 meters, was set in this tree, which had severe fomes.
So I went ballistic and asked the guy what he was doing.
Well' he had brought a certified arborist in and he had ok that tree and an Ash that was so compromised, that I could kick my boot about a foot into it, when I showed it to the owner.
So they had to redo it to the cost of some 40 grand.
Castle ended up paying, since the certified arborist maintained that he had done nothing wrong.
They didn't want to take it to court, fearing bad publicity.
So I got hold of the Danish arborist association and wrote the whole story to them, with pictures of the trees and the schrooms.
I asked them to at least de-certify the asshole but was told that they really couldn't do such a thing, they went completely wishy-washy on me.
So I wrote them a letter and called them a bunch of gut less chickens.
That was why I was railroaded twice when I went up for certification and ended up doing it in Germany instead.

So I had to make that top jump far enough to clear another wire running below me.
 
[QUOTE="pantheraba, post: 1001406, member: 186]
Ideally the groundie is paying attention to the work flow.
[/QUOTE]
I never look to another person for my safety. Easy way to get hurt.
 
So lemme get this right Stig...as the top started to go, you had time to disengage from a system you were on in that tree? What happened to that system...did it ride to the ground with the top?
 
The top started to creak and move, but didn't go.
I was on a double rope, so I just let one end loose and pulled it out, then got the other saw and finished the cut.
I was not using a cambium saver, beech is really smooth barked, so all I had to do was pull the rope through.
 
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