Broncman
Treehouser
How do you cinch your climbing line to the tree while working your way down the tree in gaffs? Going to get in some practice this weekend and looking for the least cluttered way to manage the climbing line while on the gaffs.
Cinching climbing line while on Gaffs?
- Thread starter Broncman
- Start date
- Replies 27
- Views 5K
Raj
TreeHouser
Are you SRT?
Broncman
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Yes. For this anyway. Plan on using my GriGri2 to my bridge. Just curious as to how most people cinch line to the tree. Carabineer or a knot of some sort etc.
I like the descents on the GriGri. I figure this will be less clutter than my ring cinch I use for DRT type redirect. Fewer carabineers and stuff up close to the tree.
I like the descents on the GriGri. I figure this will be less clutter than my ring cinch I use for DRT type redirect. Fewer carabineers and stuff up close to the tree.
Raj
TreeHouser
I'm not sure why I have this pic. I fly a HH, I love it for this use, the biner goes on the bridge and I flip both lanyard and climb line going up at the same time, great for passing limbs if need to. Cinch and load up (unlike my pic) and cut. (I usually make sure gate is up, and spar is suitable size not to cross load the spine) Tail end goes through biner at back of saddle. Minimal pitch/sap contact. Spike down, or DdRT down and use climb line to pull up a tag line to pull over spar.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
I'll use a 'biner or a running bowline, both with a long tail to pull my choke loose if I'm blocking down.
ArboriCole
Treehouser
The tail is key. If you create a choking anchor with the tail or retrieval side only as long as it needs to be for you to reach it from your next cut. You can then comfortably descend, get set up, and release your anchor dropping it to your new location. It works really well if you are repetitively cutting the same size sections working your way down a spar.
And yes, Hi, I'm new here.
And yes, Hi, I'm new here.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
Ha! Hello, New Here. Welcome to the House. Good first post, helping clarify things for the thread starter...and others, too.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
Yes, Welcome Cole! New here but obviously not new to climbing. Pretty articulate too.
Raj
TreeHouser
Welcome!
ArboriCole
Treehouser
Thanks for the welcome, I don't want to distract from the original thread topic...but it is nice to be here!
Also, the Singing Tree Quickie makes for an awesome midline attachable link for retrievable canopy anchors/choking anchors. I just tie a butterfly in my climbing line where I want it and then slip a link of some sort through the loop and capture the leg I will be suspended on. By pulling on the side with the alpine butterfly you retrieve your anchor... and of course by pulling on the other leg that is passed through the link/quickie you tighten the cinching anchor. I am sure I am spelling this all out more than I need to, but I just figured I would be thorough.
Also, the Singing Tree Quickie makes for an awesome midline attachable link for retrievable canopy anchors/choking anchors. I just tie a butterfly in my climbing line where I want it and then slip a link of some sort through the loop and capture the leg I will be suspended on. By pulling on the side with the alpine butterfly you retrieve your anchor... and of course by pulling on the other leg that is passed through the link/quickie you tighten the cinching anchor. I am sure I am spelling this all out more than I need to, but I just figured I would be thorough.
Grendel
TreeHouser
Nice! I like the quickie too.
Mostly just choke the stem with a biner and my HH. I'll release the safety and reset multiple times. . .
Mostly just choke the stem with a biner and my HH. I'll release the safety and reset multiple times. . .
Broncman
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
Thanks guys! I will look into the quickie. I tried the gaffs yesterday for the first time. Only went up about 10 feet . Did it quite a few times getting all my stuff set right. Flip line length, technique etc. I will try the butterfly. I fought the biner quite a bit. Anytime I lost tension on the climbing line it would loosen up and fall down some.
Right now I plan on advancing my climbing line up as far as I can reach each time I move my flip line up. At least until I get more experience.
Right now I plan on advancing my climbing line up as far as I can reach each time I move my flip line up. At least until I get more experience.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
Don't worry about distractions...we call them de-rails. Some of our best interactions are due to de-rails. See...this is one right here!
Sometimes de-rails morph into a separate thread...it's all good.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Welcome to the TreeHouse, Cole!
Don't be shy about filling out your profile!
Don't be shy about filling out your profile!
greengreer
TreeHouser
Hitchhiker is perfect for spar work, I went to the roperunner now and I miss the hh2 on the spar. The runner just feels like it could get side loaded or something, probably just me worrying too much but the hitchhiker is bombproof and instilled confidence.
Before I went srt I used a rock exotica mini 8 and locked it off. Another cheap and easy way is to tie a hitch that I have no idead the name of with a good heat resistant cordage, it allows you to run a single rope without any additional friction. There's a thread on tree buzz about it. I did one climb on it just to experiment and it works pretty well.
I use a steel oval autolock for that purpose. Either use the spliced eye if I am just spiking down a few feet at a time or a butterfly knot with enough tail to retrieve so I can descend on rope when taking bigger pieces or coming down to fell the stick.
Before I went srt I used a rock exotica mini 8 and locked it off. Another cheap and easy way is to tie a hitch that I have no idead the name of with a good heat resistant cordage, it allows you to run a single rope without any additional friction. There's a thread on tree buzz about it. I did one climb on it just to experiment and it works pretty well.
I use a steel oval autolock for that purpose. Either use the spliced eye if I am just spiking down a few feet at a time or a butterfly knot with enough tail to retrieve so I can descend on rope when taking bigger pieces or coming down to fell the stick.
flashover604
TreeHouser
Add-on question. I don't plan to dismantle any trees. That said, when you guys are taking chunks off of the top, how do you cover the possibility of the tree splitting and crushing you against the tree? Is that something you even worry about?
ArboriCole
Treehouser
Are you talking piece above the cut crushing the climber, or the tree splitting below the cut and crushing the climber?
Grendel
TreeHouser
In Oak or Aspen, absolutely. I've never seen a pine split. I've seen aspen move faster than your eye can follow. They're deadly.
ArboriCole
Treehouser
Here is a thread from TreeBuzz showing the "circle of death" scenario. He, as it shows in the picture, did not get crushed. http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/split-spar-suprise.18061/
Stig has already explained the worry and ways to mitigate this situation. If flashover604 is curious about how a climber keeps a cut section (above the cut) from falling and crushing the climber, then there are a great many ways to control those sections. One would be to tie a tag line at the top end of the piece and have it pulled in a safe direction. Also, judging the lean of the piece and cutting your notch in that direction and then get situated to the side of the hinge - the piece is likely to follow the hinge. But the best way to stay safe is to not tackle a cut that would leave you with an unmanageably large or long section that you are unsure of the direction it will fall. Take pieces you can handle and make sure the piece is influenced by some force to fall the way you want it to. But without being totally sure what the question was referring to I hesitate in getting too involved with explaining proper precautions that should be taken.
Stig has already explained the worry and ways to mitigate this situation. If flashover604 is curious about how a climber keeps a cut section (above the cut) from falling and crushing the climber, then there are a great many ways to control those sections. One would be to tie a tag line at the top end of the piece and have it pulled in a safe direction. Also, judging the lean of the piece and cutting your notch in that direction and then get situated to the side of the hinge - the piece is likely to follow the hinge. But the best way to stay safe is to not tackle a cut that would leave you with an unmanageably large or long section that you are unsure of the direction it will fall. Take pieces you can handle and make sure the piece is influenced by some force to fall the way you want it to. But without being totally sure what the question was referring to I hesitate in getting too involved with explaining proper precautions that should be taken.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
This is what you don't want to be lanyarded into when the top goes:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZ02XShWlNM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZ02XShWlNM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Similar threads
