Longest Fall or Swing

[top_notch]

Just wondering whats the longest fall or swing you've taken in a tree? It gets on my mind when ever I'm climbing and haven't taken up the slack on my life line, what if I fell? I'm sure it would hold me but definitely don't want to push it.

One fall that comes to my mind was probably 3 years ago when climbing small live oaks near Steinhatchee, FL, maybe 25 or so feet tall; working at my uncle's ranch. I was thinning the trees, and only had a hand saw. Was young "er" and stupid and not using a harness or rope, easy climbing though. Ended up suddenly losing my footing and then lost my grip...was only maybe 15 or less feet off of the ground, but definitely high enough to break a leg. Ended up only falling two or so feet then caught a branch under my right arm, right in the arm pit. Luckily I didn't dislocate my shoulder. Easy lesson learned...stay tied in!

 

[Husabud]

Climbing in Boulder in '91. Bucketed in and climbed from there to around 120'. Big Elm, was told 140 plus, I was probably at 100' out about 18-20 limbwalking and the branch broke. Swung fast and hard, breaking about every branch in my way trying to get a grip. I eventually stopped only when I hit the trunk. Ouch, three broken ribs and bruised from my hands to my armpits and down to my hips. I told the boss to take his measly $6.50/ and stick it in his ass. He offered me a .25 raise and I about punched him. I chose to smile and walk away. Asshole!

 

[top_notch]

Yowch! Scary stuff! Glad you were able to walk away from that one!

 

[Thor's Hammer]

56 foot straight down on a rock face. Not as bad as it sounds, but I ended up lower than the little guy belaying me

 

[gf beranek]

Came to the end of my rope without a stopper knot and paid the piper with a 40 plus foot fall. Landed flat face down in the redwood duff a foot thick. Left an impression. Right next to where I landed was an old top which would have busted every bone in body. Luck. I remember the fall but not hitting because I was knocked unconscious for a bit, but when I woke up unimaginable pain in every part of my body. took nearly an hour to be able to stand on my feet. About a mile and half to the truck. Which took about two hours to cover. Normally it would only take about 30 minutes if that.

 

[woodworkingboy]

You were working/climbing alone, Jerry? Mind if I ask, what is your feeling about working alone in the woods, the safety or lack of aspect? It is enjoyable I find, but.....

Thanks.

 

[flushcut]

Not very far in a tree maybe five feet or so and rock climbing around twenty.

 

[gf beranek]

I was with another climber, Jay. Rarely in my career did I ever work/climb alone. Never felt comfortable with it.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Always interesting to read your experience, Jerry. I have worked alone a few times, but have usually limited the degree of hazardous work to limbing and bucking down trees. That little edge of being alone I enjoy, and the quiet, but if you don't think it is wise, likely others shouldn't either,

 

[gf beranek]

Always has been that little thing, thought or feeling that ate at me when ever I worked alone. Which many times I just decided not to.

Safety is of course the big reason, but just dropping a rope or a hand saw out of the tree can require coming out and then going back up. Super big pain in the butt. Throw a chain, who's going to send a saw wrench up to you? All of those things have happened to me before and it's thoughts like that that tell me it's just not worth it.

 

[canadiantreeman]

I took a 25 foot fall while SRT'ing to remove a small hanger. The rope slipped from one of the smaller limbs it was over and down I went. Landed fine, no damage save a small rope burn on my pinky. Lesson learned was make sure you're in good unions before climbing, take your time. I became frustrated after spending 10 mins setting a line on a 50' tree with only one piece of work on it...the "F&*& it" attitude dang near got me busted up.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Always has been that little thing, thought or feeling that ate at me when ever I worked alone. Which many times I just decided not to.

Safety is of course the big reason, but just dropping a rope or a hand saw out of the tree can require coming out and then going back up. Super big pain in the butt. Throw a chain, who's going to send a saw wrench up to you? All of those things have happened to me before and it's thoughts like that that tell me it's just not worth it.

+1 Well stated ! Safety first thought... but...
I hate climbing a tree too many times.

 

[Rborist1]

Fell on a 25-30 ft on a limb walk many years ago and abruptly slammed into the trunk of the tree 10-15 ft off the ground. I was pretty shaken up and ended up taking the rest of the day off.

 

[gf beranek]

Oh man those swing backs will rattle you like throwing a rag doll against the wall. It's happened to me a few times. the first was the worst by far because it caught me totally by surprise. the second time was totally my fault for going ahead with the traverse when I knew better. And the third time convinced me to follow my gut feelings about such matters.

 

[top_notch]

Haven't fallen on any big limb walks...yet. But when I was 13 or so went on a crappy rope swing that sent me right into the base of the tree I was swinging from. Fell right into the ditch. Probably swung a solid 15 feet to a dead stop, then five or so feet into muck.

 

[gf beranek]

I'd say that qualifies.

 

[Peter]

First and worst fall was from the top of a wooden step ladder, at the age of 8, while attempting a complicated stunt involving a rope swing. Broken arm, dislocated elbow.

Second and potential worst was out of a sycamore, free climbing, landed on my back in a compost heap inches away from a wall. Must of been about 12 at the time.

Happy to say I havent fallen out of a tree since then, although I have taken the odd swing.

 

[High Scale]

Cut myself out of a tree whilst working in Sydney, as I was putting the second cut into the tree I had a nagging feeling that I was doing something wrong, I cut my TIP out and landed on my feet/arse on top of my saw, I was wearing shorts, not a scratch, my co workers didn't even notice, I blame the Slab of Victoria Bitter that My mate and I shared the night before.

 

[top_notch]

First and worst fall was from the top of a wooden step ladder, at the age of 8, while attempting a complicated stunt involving a rope swing. Broken arm, dislocated elbow.

Second and potential worst was out of a sycamore, free climbing, landed on my back in a compost heap inches away from a wall. Must of been about 12 at the time.


Happy to say I havent fallen out of a tree since then, although I have taken the odd swing.

Guess its best to learn when young!

 

[Bermy]

I can remember doing back flips on a horizontal root in a ficus when I was about 10...lost my grip and landed flat on my back totally winding myself, gasping like a fish for a little while, but checked to see no-one had noticed and carried on...
Climbing was the swing I took when I got knocked on the head and off my perch by a dead branch in Tassie...no drop, just a long wide swing with luckily nothing in the way...upsidedown though...as before no-one saw it so my dignity remained intact!
That ficus I did last week flipped me twice, but both times I was lanyarded in and my main line was nice and snug so I didn't go far.

 

[top_notch]

When I get out from my TIP that lanyard is my best friend, I may even be a little too cautious with it. But damn, a wicked swing back to the trunk really scares me!

 

[Tucker943]

I never fell in a professional setting. When i was 10 I found a hemlock uprooted in the woods and leaning at a 45 degree angle into another tree. I figured it would be awesome to make a walkway to the top of the tree and sit up there. So I snatched a pair of lopping pruners from home and used them to nip limbs on the top side of the trunk all the way up so i could waltz right up the thing. I fell at 20 feet and landed on my face, on the blade of the loppers. Stuck in my chin. I went into shock and layed there for a bit until a friend found me and got me home to go get sewn up.

 

[sotc]

Been pretty careful while climbing residential. When I was logging though, I ran across the haulback to give the hook tender a hand, yarder engineer happened to tight line at a most unopportune time. One foot cleared the lines, second foot almost cleared the lines. Hooked me where my foot and leg intersect in the front (is the front considered ankle?) and flipped me 3 times, I came down head first in the snow brush all scraped to heck but never reached the ground. Had a heck of a time getting out while my "friend" laid down on a big punkin and laughed his tail off

 

[woodworkingboy]

My longest fall was a jump, really, about twenty feet off the roof of a junior high school under construction, to evade the cops. The thrown concrete dust attracted a patroller. Dumb one.

 

[Bodean]

I jumped about 10 feet down a stick on my flipline and spurs to avoid this oak lead railroading past where my face was. The stinger crane was overloaded and overextended, over my shoulder. Tacoed my 020 bar too.
Ha. The Rookie Days.....