Beginner Tree Climbing Tips
- Thread starter Merle Nelson
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MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Arborkeith
TreeHouser
Butch. Have you worked with adjustable friction savers , with a split tail setup, on a slick pine spar, you can kick back and relax and get off of your spikes. I learned that last year, and I switched from logger boots with steel shanks to be able to do spar work, now I wear hiking boots with composite shanks and they are more comfortable.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I use my lifeline cinched up on the spar to somewhat get off my spurs, but still I'm never really comfortable. Thems the breaks!
Kiwi
TreeHouser
Total newbee - learning tons in this forum
I actually left the ground for first time today to do some minor tree pruning! I now understand why everyone says you quickly find bits of your climbing system that work for you, and bits that don't.
I got to this point via a strange route ... might be interesting for some ... I'm a sailor, and recently bought a bigger boat. The short version of this story is that I've realized there's a 45-foot tall 'tree' on my boat that needs regular inspection at all heights, and to have various parts repair and replaced occasionally, and I need to get the necessary climbing equipment to get up there, and the techniques to work up there safely and comfortably.
In researching various ways to get up and down the mast without anyone else's help, I found that most people use self-climbing systems based on rock climbing ascenders, which are very inefficient for descending later. My search for a suitable harness for this work, ultimately lead me to get 20 feet up an oak in my yard today to remove a dead limb that stretched over most of our deck.
I soon realized that regular rock-climbing harnesses are not suited for sitting in one place working on a project 45 feet in the air for up to an hour. I found harnesses for high-level professional 'rigging' work, and finally tripped on recreational tree-climbing - I'd never heard of it before, but they sure had comfy-looking harnesses. I bought a New Tribe Tengu saddle after lots more web research. After cruising the caving forums to learn about rope ascending techniques and equipment, and the arborist sites to learn about work-positioning, I settled on a Single Rope Technique system involving one ascender, a foot loop (actually a climbing 'etrier' for easier repositioning/standing up the mast and a single footloop for two-footed standing), and a Grigri self-belayer for getting back down.
I took this rig to the local climbing gym to try everything out in a controlled environment, with coaching from the staff (both my kids are keen climbers, but I've never tried rock climbing - prolly never will, either!)
In the meantime, I really got into everything I saw on the arborist forums: as a sailor, I've always been into rope and knots, and I should one day learn splicing. I eagerly read Jepson's "Tree Climber's Companion". Before I knew it, I was buying and practicing with throwing weights and buying a good length of static climbing line.
We have quite a few large trees that really need high-level pruning (hickory, pine, oak, maple), so I thought, why not adapt my mast-climbing/working need to be a bit useful around the yard? The recent over-enthusiastic growth of these trees needs to get reigned in!
So here I am, totally enjoying all the years of experience and impressive skills of the professional arborists - a whole new corner of You Tube has opened up to me!
Thanks everyone. This is going to be a fun (and safe!) ride.
Oh yeah - today I only used a hand saw up in the tree, but I lashed out this week and bought a mini climbing saw in anticipation of near-future needs ('loud scissors', someone called it: Stihl 150 TCE). My 16" rear-handle chain saw is too heavy and awkward, and way too hard to start for working up in a tree. However, I've got a lot of non-powered tree time to put in before taking the pruning chain saw up! ... one day, I'll get back to inspecting my sailboat mast, but I'm having too much fun learning about tree work for now.
I actually left the ground for first time today to do some minor tree pruning! I now understand why everyone says you quickly find bits of your climbing system that work for you, and bits that don't.
I got to this point via a strange route ... might be interesting for some ... I'm a sailor, and recently bought a bigger boat. The short version of this story is that I've realized there's a 45-foot tall 'tree' on my boat that needs regular inspection at all heights, and to have various parts repair and replaced occasionally, and I need to get the necessary climbing equipment to get up there, and the techniques to work up there safely and comfortably.
In researching various ways to get up and down the mast without anyone else's help, I found that most people use self-climbing systems based on rock climbing ascenders, which are very inefficient for descending later. My search for a suitable harness for this work, ultimately lead me to get 20 feet up an oak in my yard today to remove a dead limb that stretched over most of our deck.
I soon realized that regular rock-climbing harnesses are not suited for sitting in one place working on a project 45 feet in the air for up to an hour. I found harnesses for high-level professional 'rigging' work, and finally tripped on recreational tree-climbing - I'd never heard of it before, but they sure had comfy-looking harnesses. I bought a New Tribe Tengu saddle after lots more web research. After cruising the caving forums to learn about rope ascending techniques and equipment, and the arborist sites to learn about work-positioning, I settled on a Single Rope Technique system involving one ascender, a foot loop (actually a climbing 'etrier' for easier repositioning/standing up the mast and a single footloop for two-footed standing), and a Grigri self-belayer for getting back down.
I took this rig to the local climbing gym to try everything out in a controlled environment, with coaching from the staff (both my kids are keen climbers, but I've never tried rock climbing - prolly never will, either!)
In the meantime, I really got into everything I saw on the arborist forums: as a sailor, I've always been into rope and knots, and I should one day learn splicing. I eagerly read Jepson's "Tree Climber's Companion". Before I knew it, I was buying and practicing with throwing weights and buying a good length of static climbing line.
We have quite a few large trees that really need high-level pruning (hickory, pine, oak, maple), so I thought, why not adapt my mast-climbing/working need to be a bit useful around the yard? The recent over-enthusiastic growth of these trees needs to get reigned in!
So here I am, totally enjoying all the years of experience and impressive skills of the professional arborists - a whole new corner of You Tube has opened up to me!
Thanks everyone. This is going to be a fun (and safe!) ride.
Oh yeah - today I only used a hand saw up in the tree, but I lashed out this week and bought a mini climbing saw in anticipation of near-future needs ('loud scissors', someone called it: Stihl 150 TCE). My 16" rear-handle chain saw is too heavy and awkward, and way too hard to start for working up in a tree. However, I've got a lot of non-powered tree time to put in before taking the pruning chain saw up! ... one day, I'll get back to inspecting my sailboat mast, but I'm having too much fun learning about tree work for now.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Welcome to the TreeHouse, Neil! My name is Butch... make yourself at home.
Concerning your handsaw - maybe you haven't thought about it - remember it can cut you like a ragged razor! Just a heads up.
Concerning your handsaw - maybe you haven't thought about it - remember it can cut you like a ragged razor! Just a heads up.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Welcome to the TreeHouse, Neil! My name is Butch... make yourself at home.
Concerning your handsaw - maybe you haven't thought about it - remember it can cut you like a ragged razor! Just a heads up.
Don't be shy to fill out your profile!
Concerning your handsaw - maybe you haven't thought about it - remember it can cut you like a ragged razor! Just a heads up.
Don't be shy to fill out your profile!
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Neil, you seem intelligent and calculated. You'll make a safe climber of yourself in no time. Yes, I co-sign what Butch says, handsaws are wicked.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
So... two new Kiwis... Welcome to the house.
Arborkeith
TreeHouser
The only cuts that I have are from hand saws. Ouch
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Just wait... 
Arborkeith
TreeHouser
Yeah, a few friend have been on me lately to start wearing either chaps or chainsaw protective pants. I think I'll go with the latter.
Cold Logging
TreeHouser
MB. You must be driven. But if your contract climbing I can see it. . On this job I'm hourly and the boss. So when I've put a bunch on the ground I'll take a seat while the ground guys clean it up some. . Gives me a break and they get something to do to burn some energy off
bonner1040
Nick from Ohio
Welcome Guys!
Ditto on the sail boat mast climbing! I used to go up on a homemade plank seat with a chest harness before I was a tree climber.
I've done a few inspections for friends since, and tree climbing harnesses are the best!
For an additional safety though, if you are going up SRT or are being winched up...have at least one lanyard on your harness, and keep it wrapped around the mast as well, that way if your SRT goes pearshaped you won't fall. Also it helps stabilize you if a wake comes by and rocks de boat! doesn't take long to unclip and move past spreaders and stays and reclip.
I've done a few inspections for friends since, and tree climbing harnesses are the best!
For an additional safety though, if you are going up SRT or are being winched up...have at least one lanyard on your harness, and keep it wrapped around the mast as well, that way if your SRT goes pearshaped you won't fall. Also it helps stabilize you if a wake comes by and rocks de boat! doesn't take long to unclip and move past spreaders and stays and reclip.
Kiwi
TreeHouser
Thanks, Bermy.
Yeah, reading the arborist forums, I've totally bought the 2-points-of-attachment rule. Plus, as you say, a lanyard helps maintain a good work position. The lanyard I used yesterday was fixed-length - I learned the (many) limitations of that design. I'm gonna get/make one of those adjustable lanyards involving a friction hitch (trying to get consensus on which one to try first) and a micro pulley, and will re-hook after passing each spreader. My mast has 2 sets of spreaders, about 15' apart - that's still a long way to fall on a static line, but way better than going the whole way down onto a bunch of metal hardware and a rock-hard deck
Yeah, reading the arborist forums, I've totally bought the 2-points-of-attachment rule. Plus, as you say, a lanyard helps maintain a good work position. The lanyard I used yesterday was fixed-length - I learned the (many) limitations of that design. I'm gonna get/make one of those adjustable lanyards involving a friction hitch (trying to get consensus on which one to try first) and a micro pulley, and will re-hook after passing each spreader. My mast has 2 sets of spreaders, about 15' apart - that's still a long way to fall on a static line, but way better than going the whole way down onto a bunch of metal hardware and a rock-hard deck
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
540 degree wrap will provide fall arrest from your lanyard, or use an SRT choking set-up. Since its your lanyard on the mast, it won't really matter much if you need to adjust a friction hitch on an SRT lanyard as it would if using as a DdRT climbing system, you can use any friction hitch. For your purposes. A DdRT lanyard with a Distel is a fine choice that can tend itself on the 'biner without a micro pulley.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
Agreed on the Distel...that is the first lanyard hitch I ever used...works great. These days I have a Knut on my lanyard..does at least as well as Distel, maybe better.
You are on the right track. Do find a way to arrest your fall as you go up...sliding down 15' to the next "stop" point is way too much instant aerobic effect on your system (scared shotless!) in a hurry. The 540 lanyard wrap sounds do-able.
You could instead use a prussic on the pole and advance it as you go (attach prussic to your harness). If you are climbing SRT up the already in place halyard line (proper terrminology) you need protection in case it fails...it is always in the sun (UV) and salt...our climbing ropes get nice cozy clean (?) rests in bags between climbs...not like your sail ropes. You don't want a lifeline failure and then have to fall 15' until your lanyard finds a stopping point.
You are on the right track. Do find a way to arrest your fall as you go up...sliding down 15' to the next "stop" point is way too much instant aerobic effect on your system (scared shotless!) in a hurry. The 540 lanyard wrap sounds do-able.
You could instead use a prussic on the pole and advance it as you go (attach prussic to your harness). If you are climbing SRT up the already in place halyard line (proper terrminology) you need protection in case it fails...it is always in the sun (UV) and salt...our climbing ropes get nice cozy clean (?) rests in bags between climbs...not like your sail ropes. You don't want a lifeline failure and then have to fall 15' until your lanyard finds a stopping point.
kevin bingham
TreeHouser
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2010
- Messages
- 4,788
I have yet to find a climbings system that works for me. I have never been completely happy with anything. For this reason pretty much every climb is tweaked somehow from the last. Sometimes for the better sometimes for the worse. No matter what's going on there has always got to be a better way. It's funny because sometimes I end up in circles and I find myself using a style from five years ago, thinking this isn't so bad after all. There are many many right ways and only one wrong way.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
hahaha...very astute observation.
Cold Logging
TreeHouser
I use a simple prussic on a lanyard. Older lines that have been in the sun, salt, bird poop. Are pretty scary for me to trust. You may consider bringing up a climb line on your saddle in the rare case the line you r on fails and you have to come down from the point your lanyard stops you. . Make sure you wear gloves as repelling down rope gets real hot on the hands.
ClimbMIT
TreeHouser
Welcome Climbernz and Kiwi! My name is Mark
ClimbMIT
TreeHouser
I do this as well. I tend to over complicate things and soon realize if I had just done it the way I already knew it would have been faster. If I had time to practice a new method before trying it on the job then that would likely help.
NHlocal
TreeHouser
Kiwi
TreeHouser
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