Rope Climbing Race

My friend, Brock!! Great to read you, glad you finally got around to posting here. Look forward to more in the future.

You got it right re line setting in those tall old growth conifers...it can take hours, for some trees. That's one huge advantage spurring always has enjoyed.

But just to keep it fair, let's say not. I still bet a strong spur climber like Butch can beat the others in Nick's race, on a clean bole of moderate girth, say under 4 feet.

And btw, Butch...I wasn't challenging another spur climber, I was tweaking the SRT/footlock boy's ears :). I'm sure you'd beat me head to head.
 
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  • #29
Burnham said:
I still bet a strong spur climber like Butch can beat the others in Nick's race, on a clean bole of moderate girth, say under 4 feet.
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Most likely, those competition guys could for sure!

Brock Mayo said:
Is the rope install part of the race Burnham? I'd say you could spur up and down and back up before I had a line set in that tree!
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Properly equipped you might have a fighting chance! Although I have never tried setting a line in a tree like that.
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Lack of capability to accurately launch the line usually isn't the cause of difficulties in old growth conifers, Nick. More often it's the tree structure and surrounding environment that create the challenge. But I'm pretty sure your air cannon would be as good or better than any other alternative method.
 
You aim at the point where the branch unions with the trunk...even a couple of feet out on a 4-5 inch branch is too far away to trust completely, and branches may not be any bigger than that. Often there will be dead branches that obscure the target and foul the shot. Understory trees and brush are frequently in the way as well. Target branches can easily be over 150 feet up, and even seeing what your line is on can be hard.
 
A trunk cinch is somewhat reassuring, as compared to an SRT base tie (double body weight), or DdRT.

I think that the Stick Trick for flicking the rope closer to the trunk would be very hard pressed to work the rope closer to the bole at that height...more like impossible, I'd imagine.

Its time for a super light line and a reel at that point, or a tarp. We got about 150' with our bigshot, halibut line, and clean asphalt to flake out onto, in order to rip a large branch the rest of the way off an OG fir. It wasn't hanging by much, especially compared to the power of big diesel.

Nick, you'll have to come out to the PNW sometime.
 
Yup, Sean...I can move a climb line at 100 feet with a 4-5 foot stick if everything is in my favor, but once you get past 75 feet it gets mighty hard.
 
oh yeah, if I'm going for a trunk cinch from a distance, a throwline to be able to pull back against a running bowline helps with positioning, and repositioning. Counter tension helps to keep the running bowline away from the trunk and off little (and big) stubs where you wouldn't want it to cinch.

The same is true when setting pull lines from the ground. I'll double the throwline through the RB in order to retrieve the throw line before pulling the tree over. Cuts down on having a questionable pull where the rope might slip as the cinch gets tighter. Hope that makes sense.
 
Burnham said:
Yup, Sean...I can move a climb line at 100 feet with a 4-5 foot stick if everything is in my favor, but once you get past 75 feet it gets mighty hard.
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One of the 4' big shot poles comes in handy for this sometmes. I can really get a loop traveling... but as you said... favorable conditions and there is a height limiting factor.
 
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  • #47
I pulled a short clip out of my 'little big oak' time lapse and slowed it down, 40 seconds.

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The first climber with his line already set low in the tree, hip thrusts up the rope to the tie-in-point. He then advances his line and climbs to the final tie-in.

Concurrently a second climber, sets a line higher in the tree while the first climber is hip thrusting up. By the time the first climber makes it to the top and gets started the second climber has Wraptored up and is ready to work.

If you have ever climbed a tree you know which worker was less fatigued by the time they reached 75'
 
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