What is the Circle of Death?

[rfwoody]

What is the Circle of Death? ....And more to the point, how does one avoid the consequences?

NOTE:

Some of you may know those who have encountered this and have been hurt or worse by it.
I don't want to be glib or casual about asking questions of you pros about something so serious and life-changing, but if I do ever get into a tree I want to go armed with all the info I can on how to keep myself as safe as possible.

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[ruel]

Your flip line gets pulled by trunk separating and crushes you to death between your saddle and the trunk

 

[MasterBlaster]

Then, you slice your lanyard and take a swing with your primary TIP.

Don't ask me how I know...

 

[Altissimus]

Avoid running splits into any work , especially if it has something important right there

 

[rfwoody]

Your flip line gets pulled by trunk separating and crushes you to death between your saddle and the trunk

Thanks Sean. That is confirms exactly what I understood.

Then, you slice your lanyard and take a swing with your primary TIP.

Don't ask me how I know...

Butch, this assumes you have quick reflexes with a knife to slice your lanyard, right?

and/but what if you don't have a primary TIP ? .... what if there are no nearby trees to tie into?

Are there any good alternatives?

Avoid running splits into any work , especially if it has something important right there

Altissimus, would this be done by using the same tequniques to mitigate barber chairs? (e.g. bore cut)?

And (e.g. on a limb) cutting the sapwood(?) on the sides of the hinge to prevent tearing ?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Are there any good alternatives?

Pass on the job.

 

[rfwoody]

Pass on the job.

What kind of indicators are there of this happening that one could see and know to pass on the job?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hell, I dunno... it actually mostly happens when you have a heavy leaner and for some reason you back off on the cut, instead of going for it.

 

[surveyor]

If you terminate the lanyard back into the top teardrop attach point it would remove the climber from the circle.

 

[rfwoody]

Thanks Butch. I don't like the thought of it and wouldn't want to be surprised by it happening to me if I am ever in that situation.

 

[rfwoody]

If you terminate the lanyard back into the top teardrop attach point it would remove the climber from the circle.

surveyor, so with this device you don't have your lanyard attached to both sides of your saddle? .... but both sides of the lanyard attached to the device?

Would you please describe the setup for a total novice? Thanks.

 

[surveyor]

The lanyard would run from the top teardrop around and back through the stainless steel arms. the bottom teardrop would attach to your harness.
You could have the lanyard terminate at the side of your saddle also, but then you would not be isolated from the circle. You can adjust the BOLA
on the lanyard either way.

 

[SkwerI]

The lanyard would run from the top teardrop around and back through the stainless steel arms. the bottom teardrop would attach to your harness.
You could have the lanyard terminate at the side of your saddle also, but then you would not be isolated from the circle. You can adjust the BOLA
on the lanyard either way.

I've done treework for 30 years, climbed for twenty and have no clue what you just said. If you were trying to be confusing then you've succeeded.

 

[rfwoody]

The lanyard would run from the top teardrop around and back through the stainless steel arms. the bottom teardrop would attach to your harness.
You could have the lanyard terminate at the side of your saddle also, but then you would not be isolated from the circle. You can adjust the BOLA
on the lanyard either way.

Is the device designed to "give" and let your lanyard extend through the stainless steel arms in the tree splits inside the lanyard loop?

What is that device called?

Thanks.

 

[rfwoody]

I've done treework for 30 years, climbed for twenty and have no clue what you just said. If you were trying to be confusing then you've succeeded.

haha, as a novice, I don't feel so stupid now

 

[surveyor]

It is called a BOLA, I designed it as a lanyard adjuster that will release when weighted. Here is a video John made that shows its use better than my poor description.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNNaaQ_L_A8

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SNNaaQ_L_A8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[greengreer]

BOLA is awesome. Best lanyard adjuster ive used by far.
What Gordon means is that you clip back into the bola like you would a hitchclimber system. This isolates your body from a spar split but it makes for awkward positioning as you need to tie in to your bridge instead of the d's. You can do this with any lanyard setup by just clipping back into your bridge ring. As the spar splits it expands into the closed loop the lanyard makes that you are not a part of, and are free to unclip and descend on your backup/climbline.

 

[Grendel]

This can happen with tare-outs too, it's not just splitting. Just a big gob of bark can rip down your lanyard and slam you into the trunk. Terminating your lanyard on your bridge ring, along with a any number of other methods to keep your torso behind the loop, as opposed to in it.

There are a few cuts your can use to minimize this risk. Bore cutting and releasing, using stop cuts on the sides to prevent tear outs from propagating past a certain point, facing stuff up true to it's favor, binding the stem with ratchet straps, ext. . .

 

[treebilly]

You want to stay out of it is all I can add. Learning to cut for the situation is the biggest thing but isolating your lanyard and a separate tie in point should be used as well for those times you guess wrong.
And I'm guessing one doesn't need to be quick with a knife when the 200T is already in hand and running. It was for me. Cut the lanyard and take the not so delightful swing. Sucks but your intestines don't come out your asshole.

 

[SeanKroll]

Breakaway attachments are better than trying to cut your lanyard.

 

[MasterBlaster]

My 200 sliced through mine like butter.

There was no "try."

 

[SeanKroll]

You were prepared for it.

A person is not always able to prepare, with running saw, in a good/ good enough cutting position.

I use a steel-core flipline a lot, since I do a lot of conifer work. Hard to cut though, especially with a 193t. A big saw would be hard, as well.

 

[treebilly]

Not under tension Sean. I think Grendel posted a video with an old wire core that he just tapped with the saw and it went just like a standard lanyard.

Share this video
https://youtu.be/6iERnPNlWe8

 

[SeanKroll]

That was a very controlled cut with the saw, not at all like trying to cut while Sh*T is hitting the fan.

I don't consider a flipline cut-proof, by any means.

I've cut through two layer of chaps, into the log when set up in a similar way, for demo. ms440

I'll take some protection over no protection.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I wasn't prepared - just aware and reactive.