This is the Akimbo
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pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
Cranes and Akimbo... every week I give a friend a day climbing with his crew on 'crane' day Tuesday.
As we finished the final tree (a beech we were lifting a damaged piece out of the top center of) two Tuesdays ago the crane operator, who started out as a climber (and contract climbs for the crane company when a small company doesn't have a crane-savvy experienced climber) asked, "Could you leave the rope in the tree, so I can try that Akimbo?" Of course I obliged, and now he has pre-ordered two of them...
As we finished the final tree (a beech we were lifting a damaged piece out of the top center of) two Tuesdays ago the crane operator, who started out as a climber (and contract climbs for the crane company when a small company doesn't have a crane-savvy experienced climber) asked, "Could you leave the rope in the tree, so I can try that Akimbo?" Of course I obliged, and now he has pre-ordered two of them...
Merle Nelson
TreeHouser
Hard not to love the thing.
chris_girard
Treehouser
How do you pre-order them? I thought RE was selling them on a first come, first serve basis?
Still trying to find the ideal rope with the one that I have. May try KMIII Max next.
Still trying to find the ideal rope with the one that I have. May try KMIII Max next.
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
What ropes have you used?
I run the Safari more than anything else. Good weight and flows through on the way up, and controls well for me on the way down.
I run the Safari more than anything else. Good weight and flows through on the way up, and controls well for me on the way down.
Porkbrick
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #1,282
I just want to take a moment to say thank you.
Thank you to all of you who have helped me get this project so much farther than I had even imagined.
Thank you to Kevin, Gordon, Paul, Richard and all the other inventors, innovators, and tinkerers who paved the way before me. All the guys who offered to help me make parts or break parts and who tested some of the very early prototypes, your awesome! I could never have done this without you guys and your support.
Thank you to all of you who donated to the Gofundme. What a wild ride that has turned out to be. So many of you guys gave me invaluable feedback and suggestions. Special thanks to the guys who got angry and vented their dissatisfaction with how I handled the aftermath of the fundraiser. You helped me to put things into perspective, helped to motivate me, and helped me appreciate the magnitude of the project I had naively embarked on.
Big thank you to Rock Exotica for taking interest and for being so incredibly supportive through the whole process. They have kept me involved in every step of the design and decision making process, much more so than I had imagined I would be. Working with the RE guys has been awesome.
Huge thank you to the Treehouse and TreeBuzz forums. That is where everything started for me. Watching Kevin Bingham post and discuss the early rope wrench prototypes, seeing and talking to Paul cox as he was developing the hitchhiker… no where else. Everyone I’ve met and come to know has been so supportive and I have learned so, so much about climbing and arboriculture from being a member of this community.
I look at the akimbo as it is now versus how it was when I posted the first youtube video and it has come so incredibly far. So many elements of the akimbo came directly from discussions, suggestions, and feedback from friends, acquaintances, and total strangers on the internet.
Thank you all. sincerely,
Jaime
Thank you to all of you who have helped me get this project so much farther than I had even imagined.
Thank you to Kevin, Gordon, Paul, Richard and all the other inventors, innovators, and tinkerers who paved the way before me. All the guys who offered to help me make parts or break parts and who tested some of the very early prototypes, your awesome! I could never have done this without you guys and your support.
Thank you to all of you who donated to the Gofundme. What a wild ride that has turned out to be. So many of you guys gave me invaluable feedback and suggestions. Special thanks to the guys who got angry and vented their dissatisfaction with how I handled the aftermath of the fundraiser. You helped me to put things into perspective, helped to motivate me, and helped me appreciate the magnitude of the project I had naively embarked on.
Big thank you to Rock Exotica for taking interest and for being so incredibly supportive through the whole process. They have kept me involved in every step of the design and decision making process, much more so than I had imagined I would be. Working with the RE guys has been awesome.
Huge thank you to the Treehouse and TreeBuzz forums. That is where everything started for me. Watching Kevin Bingham post and discuss the early rope wrench prototypes, seeing and talking to Paul cox as he was developing the hitchhiker… no where else. Everyone I’ve met and come to know has been so supportive and I have learned so, so much about climbing and arboriculture from being a member of this community.
I look at the akimbo as it is now versus how it was when I posted the first youtube video and it has come so incredibly far. So many elements of the akimbo came directly from discussions, suggestions, and feedback from friends, acquaintances, and total strangers on the internet.
Thank you all. sincerely,
Jaime
Burnham
Woods walker
We all thank you in return, Jaime. It's a brilliant piece of gear you imagined, developed, and built.
gf beranek
Old Schooler
Congrats on following through with your dream, Jamie. A work with form and function. A piece of art. It's beautiful.
kevin bingham
TreeHouser
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2010
- Messages
- 4,788
Congratulations Jamie! Well done.
Marc-Antoine
TreeHouser
Indeed, beautiful and so useful. User friendly too.
Merle Nelson
TreeHouser
Great post Jaime. If you're ever bored with inventing and want to teach other inventors how to go through the process and have people pulling for you the whole way you have a lot to offer in that area as well.
Absolutely, I've told many people how cool it is to have been able to watch your idea gain form and reality here at the house. I've been priveledged to climb on two devices that had their birth in the House, I think that's pretty neat. Nothing like knowing the guy who designed the Gizmo you trust your life to every climb!
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
Jaime,
I love the reaction I get when someone notices I am climbing on the Akimbo. The crane operator this week was like, “Whoa! what is that device you’re using?”
Before I could answer the guy who owns the company I was climbing for said, “He knows the guy who made it!”
My other gear is sitting in my bag. Especially crane days. It makes me smile every time I hit a pick, sling it, then rappel down to cut height, open the Akimbo, give a pull and catch the end of the rope, re-insert it in the Akimbo, and am ready to cut. It is so fast and convenient.
I love the reaction I get when someone notices I am climbing on the Akimbo. The crane operator this week was like, “Whoa! what is that device you’re using?”
Before I could answer the guy who owns the company I was climbing for said, “He knows the guy who made it!”
My other gear is sitting in my bag. Especially crane days. It makes me smile every time I hit a pick, sling it, then rappel down to cut height, open the Akimbo, give a pull and catch the end of the rope, re-insert it in the Akimbo, and am ready to cut. It is so fast and convenient.
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
Akimbo used to mean: “flung out widely or haphazardly”; now it means: “the most amazingly refined climbing device known to humankind”
I might have told this one before.
Last month we took half a day off to visit the local arborist shop.
It was raining and cold, so we decided that it was better to go buy some gear and drink some free coffee.
I was going to buy a new rope, and wanted to try the Akimbo on it, so I hung one of ours from my belt.
As I came into the store, the guy in charge said" Is that an Akimbo, where the hell did you get that"
So he got the whole story and ended up asking if he could take a picture to put on their homepage, to show all the impatient customers, who are waiting for one.
Last month we took half a day off to visit the local arborist shop.
It was raining and cold, so we decided that it was better to go buy some gear and drink some free coffee.
I was going to buy a new rope, and wanted to try the Akimbo on it, so I hung one of ours from my belt.
As I came into the store, the guy in charge said" Is that an Akimbo, where the hell did you get that"
So he got the whole story and ended up asking if he could take a picture to put on their homepage, to show all the impatient customers, who are waiting for one.
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
Haha, that is great!
I had a little fun with another of the crane ops. I think I mentioned earlier he asked if I would leave my rope in the final tree (we just took a storm-damaged part of the top), so he could try it once the crane was wrapped up and ready to roll. As he got ready to rope walk up I stepped forward and snapped my long lanyard to his saddle. He was all like what is that for? I said, “Brice, it’s a thick tree and I don’t trust anyone out of my sight with my Akimbo”
I removed my lanyard, he had a go at it, and once he came down he ordered two of them.
I had a little fun with another of the crane ops. I think I mentioned earlier he asked if I would leave my rope in the final tree (we just took a storm-damaged part of the top), so he could try it once the crane was wrapped up and ready to roll. As he got ready to rope walk up I stepped forward and snapped my long lanyard to his saddle. He was all like what is that for? I said, “Brice, it’s a thick tree and I don’t trust anyone out of my sight with my Akimbo”
I removed my lanyard, he had a go at it, and once he came down he ordered two of them.
Burnham
Woods walker
Works fine on my Blue Streak. The easy adjustability is the key. For the BS, it's all the way open, both cams...unless it's wet. Then it needs to be tightened up one notch, both cams.
BTW, I'm a lightweight...could...well would certainly, be different for many others.
BTW, I'm a lightweight...could...well would certainly, be different for many others.
Tim_B.
TreeHouser
As others have said, a huge congratulations on seeing your vision through to fruition! You have been amazingly diligent in your pursuit of perfection for the Akimbo. I was glad to hear how great the folks at Rock Exotica have been to work with.
This will be a smashing success. Best wishes.
Tim
Merle Nelson
TreeHouser
Cory I put some retired climbing 1/2 safety blue lines in trees to pull them. And as I wanted a comfortable ride down tried my (earlier) Akimbo leaving the settings as they were for use with Tacyon. Worked great. (Flip line was around stems for life support.)
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Busted out my old PI to ride yesterday. Gotta dial it in.
Per RE
Do Not Exceed this weight on the ropes listed below!
MANUFACTURER, MODEL, DIA. (mm):
Samson, Voyager Cool, 11.8
Teufelberger XStatic 11.7
Yale Poison Ivy / Blue Moon 11.7
WLL: 130KG (286LB)
Do Not Exceed this weight on the ropes listed below!
MANUFACTURER, MODEL, DIA. (mm):
Cousin Atrax 11.6
Sterling Scion 12.5
Sterling WorkPro 12.5
Sterling HTP 12.5
Teufelberger Fly 11.1
Teufelberger Drenaline 11.8
Yale Scandere 11.7
Per RE
Do Not Exceed this weight on the ropes listed below!
MANUFACTURER, MODEL, DIA. (mm):
Samson, Voyager Cool, 11.8
Teufelberger XStatic 11.7
Yale Poison Ivy / Blue Moon 11.7
WLL: 130KG (286LB)
Do Not Exceed this weight on the ropes listed below!
MANUFACTURER, MODEL, DIA. (mm):
Cousin Atrax 11.6
Sterling Scion 12.5
Sterling WorkPro 12.5
Sterling HTP 12.5
Teufelberger Fly 11.1
Teufelberger Drenaline 11.8
Yale Scandere 11.7
Burnham
Woods walker
If I had to pick an all-time favorite rope for DRT, I think Poison Ivy/Blue Moon is it. For SRT, still very close to the top .
.I had an interesting thing happen coming down on the akimbo the other day...you know the bottom part where your biner clips, and that bit has the 'tongue' that presses on your rope...it normally is oriented in a nearly vertical plane, with a deflection for friction...
Well the bottom deflected to almost horizontal on the way down, I could not pull hard enough on the top to release, I had to go up release my weight, and then slowly, slowly come down feeding my rope...it was wierd.
Does anyone else climb on Tachyon 11.5? What setting do you have?
Up to now my experience on it has been good, going up is so smooth, I'm still adjusting the cams to make descent smoother, I have to haul on the top a bit to get going down, then ease off...
Well the bottom deflected to almost horizontal on the way down, I could not pull hard enough on the top to release, I had to go up release my weight, and then slowly, slowly come down feeding my rope...it was wierd.
Does anyone else climb on Tachyon 11.5? What setting do you have?
Up to now my experience on it has been good, going up is so smooth, I'm still adjusting the cams to make descent smoother, I have to haul on the top a bit to get going down, then ease off...
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