Women Tree Climbers

[Burnham]

I know one gal arbo here in Portland...good climber, absolutely magic with a throwbag. Runs ropes with a nice touch. She knows what she's doing, is a cert. arborist. Same as some others have said, chainsaws is the weak part of the package.

I have worked with female climbers quite a bit in the Forest Service. I partnered with my wife for many years. I've trained a goodly number, and certified almost all of them. We do alot of work in natural resource management climbing that does not involve chainsaws, so that usually doesn't come into play. In the work that does, never have seen a woman do it.

I've worked with some female contract climbers, too. Mostly quite good, but they left the heavy work to the guys as well.

 

[Bounce]

I've never worked with any female climbers except my little sister. She's about 125 lbs of mean muscle and can climb quite a bit better than me. I hired her on for a little while when she was between jobs just to pick up the slack on bigger jobs, and she ended up doing a better job than everybody else (including me ). I tried to get her to stay on, but she had better things to do. I think she went rock climbing in Thailand for 2 months that time. She's a foot shorter than me, but I look up to her as a climber.

 

[stehansen]

I've never met one either.

 

[Old Monkey]

Right, everyone knows you're supposed to yell TIMBER!!!

Dang you guys gotta cut a sister a little slack.:what:

Its the same comment I would make if that was a guy in the video. Why treat a lady climber any different?

 

[Wagnaw]

Hey andrew,, why do folks at wwc start the 020 left handed? It looked like she started it on top of her leg Jack starts(trying to stop) a saw that way, now I know where he gets it. After he jerked the rope out a couple a times I told em to stop. GO GIRLS

...It's funny you say that. I try to let people do what feels most comfortable to them, but I often get butterflies in my stomach watching other Wilson people start saws in a tree. I think I know what it is though.

The forest service does all the initial chainsaw safety and felling training for students at the school, and I remember the guy teaching everyone to start the saw with their left hand on the crossbar, the saw pinched between their legs, and pull the cord with their right hand. Since many students have never used a saw in their life before coming to Wilson, I think little learned things like that are hard to learn out of people. I think it's funny that Jack still retained that.


About Cera's celebration... Most if not all of the people here are beginners in every sense of the work, and we try to be very encouraging. That was not Cera's first take down, but taking that top was definitely pushing her limits of comfort and experience. I think she's become good at working and climbing, but what she has in Knowledge, she lacks in experience and confidence. So, she was pretty excited about taking that top.

 

[No_Bivy]

...things like that are hard to learn out of people. I think it's funny that Jack still retained that.
.

i ain't beaten' him hard enough. I'll learn him though. You start your saw right hand on throttle handle...eh? Cera join up here yet? she should.....

 

[Wagnaw]

I'll ask her... but she has trouble enough staying off the internet long enough to do her school work. We were just laughing about that today

 

[No_Bivy]

WWC gonna have an in house comp yet?

 

[Wagnaw]

I would love to have one, and I've been working on it. The problem is getting insurance, which we would need if anyone not from Wilson competed in it.

...something unofficial... we could do that.

My goal is to get everyone out to local chapter comps in the area. Between Camille and Cera, Warren Wilson could probably sweep all the comps for women east of the Mississippi. ...hands down.

 

[squisher]

Its the same comment I would make if that was a guy in the video. Why treat a lady climber any different?

Umm because she's a lady? Call me sexist if ya want I don't treat women the same as men. Women are the givers of life, love, pleasure and I treat them with alot more respect then I do men.

 

[Wagnaw]

True to both of you. As hard as people try to be equal to both sexes, there are differences that must be accounted for with a great deal of thoughtfulness. Often, I see the ladies on my crew having difficulty where I know a less experienced guy on the crew would have no problem. The thing I have to remember is that there are more than a few mental and physical barriers that women need to overcome that men are not faced with. I think the best way to handle most of the situations I've come across is to be patient and encouraging but push them a little to prove to themselves that they ARE CAPABLE. Once those mental restrictions are broken through, I've seen some ladies do some awesome tree work.

 

[squisher]

Cool, I hear ya. I wasn't trying to be down on the Monkey Man I just thought it was so cool to see a woman doing that, and I thought good on her. Just wouldn't want her to read this thread and think anyone was being negative was all. We all start somewhere and if she felt moved to give a big yell good for her, nothing embarrassing or rookie about it imo. And if I ever get my crap together to make a vid, you can bet it's gonna have the mother of all rebel yells in it just for you Darin.

 

[Che]

Darin's just a brut....don't mind him.

 

[Old Monkey]

Ha and ha!

I was a wildland firefighter on coed crews. Everyone needs to hold their own on a fire crew. Tree work is much the same. I wouldn't chastise a newbie for over enthusiasm but I would tell privately the impression that gives folks who are watching. The only time I have had to do that was with guys. We had a very large job next to a county fire station. I got to the jobsite late and they had a couple of rookies in the trees. One had conspicuously frozen up twenty feet off the ground. The other took a big top and all the guys were cheering for him. The firefighters who were watching this from their station asked me when I showed up on the job if it was "the amateur hour." I was extremely not happy.

 

[sotc]

Cool, I hear ya. I wasn't trying to be down on the Monkey Man I just thought it was so cool to see a woman doing that, and I thought good on her. Just wouldn't want her to read this thread and think anyone was being negative was all. We all start somewhere and if she felt moved to give a big yell good for her, nothing embarrassing or rookie about it imo. And if I ever get my crap together to make a vid, you can bet it's gonna have the mother of all rebel yells in it just for you Darin.

you rookie

 

[RIVERRAT]

It was kind of embarrassing as he's asking the homeowner, 'Holy did ya see that!'.

This along with Carl's RULE is just chapping my but. My X climbed. Was at one time Davey Treecare's only woman climber. She's mean to. We met in the
in the tree bizz. Got married in our work boots.......& MY GAWD MY LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN THE SAME........
Just kidding..... OK only maybe just a little. Only because..well... she might... well..... you know read this & she's ornerier than a drunk ape with a pistol

 

[stehansen]

Maybe you should have kept the part about the drunk ape and the pistol to yourself then.

 

[RIVERRAT]

Maybe you should have kept the part about the drunk ape and the pistol to yourself then.

Well the snake is all ready out of the sack......she saw my post last night

 

[stehansen]

Oh well, at least she can't divorce you.

 

[Old Monkey]

Its a shame she didn't read that other thread where you were talking about her many fine qualities and how empty your life is without her. Your post their was almost poetic. I'll admit to being a bit teary eyed when I read it. I'll go and see if I can find it... I hope it wasn't in one of the threads we lost when the TH crashed the other night.

 

[RIVERRAT]

Oh I am joking around. She knew that.

Darin I dont remember that post. Hope you do find it. I wouldn't know where to start looking.