O.C.G.D. Thread, part two

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I climbed one pole. Gaffed out at 15 feet and bear hugged my way straight to the ground. The creosote impregnated splinters were like nothing I've imagined. They were in my stomach, biceps, and chest. Two were about 3/8'' diamater and an inch and a half long. They guy with me used a pair of Sears robogrips in my toolbox to pull them out. Ruined my shirt with blood and rips. The burning of the creosote was so horrible I can't describe it.
 
I climbed one pole too. I was asked to change a lightbulb. Tree spikes do not work very well in poles! Gaffed out at about the same height but thankfully only went a foot or five. Those splinters do suck! I won't climb a pole without the right gear again.
 
I was messing around on a kid's wooden creosoted swing set and got a bunch in my hand. Not fun at all. Then the sliver down to the bone requiring surgery, from a pole we use to measure log lengths. I've had my fill of slivers.
 
MasterBlaster said:
I hate climbing poles. It's amazing how it's SOP for linemen to free climb those things. I use my lanyard from the ground up.
Click to expand...

Leaning against a lanyard and spurring out means a trip to the bottom, likely, whereas having your hands on the pole means grabbing, hopefully arresting yourself before the slide. A 540 degree wrap would make sense with a tree lanyard, but 180 degrees--no grip.

http://www.buckinghammfg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.home&showNav=1 now there's a fall arrest lanyard for poles.
 
It's hard to explain. I keep a tight grip on my lanyard with the heels of my hand against the pole at all times. If I kick out, I immediately grip tighter which holds me fast - no sliding.
 
Hands on flipline/lanyard at all times, near the pole, works best for me. Natural reaction to a kickout is to pull the lanyard tight to the pole (or tree, for that matter). I've spurred out more times than I can count, but I've never slid any distance at all, ever.
 
Saw a fella competing in the pole climb at lumberjack sports yesterday, he was zooming his way down and lost control of his feet, from about half way he used the lanyard with two hands and choked it best he could, got a bit of road rash on his left forearm though as he turned his body and exposed the left side to the spar pole. Better than hitting terra firma at full speed I think.
 
Ha. If you want to win, it's full speed on the way down. Just gotta touch the pole a couple of times with your feet and go inot sort of a PLF when you deck.
 
I'll stay with my long-held plan of avoiding the whole pole climb comp in the first place...guys get busted up doing that stuff :).
 
Risk taking at the logging events... It's the axe choppers between the feet thing that gets me. I can barely watch it. I use an adze, it isn't so hard to slip up if your grip changes.
 
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