Burnham
Woods walker
Swinging around on a rope, using leg power to ascend said rope? With a pair of 2 and a half inch gaffs on your ankles? It wouldn't be hard, Kevin.
World's Best (Most Expensive!) Tree Climbing Spurs
- Thread starter Bixler
- Start date
- Replies 95
- Views 14K
kevin bingham
TreeHouser
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2010
- Messages
- 4,788
Probably safer than footlocking with spurs.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
I've used my spurs to weight the tail off my line for rope walker ascents. If my spurs aren't quite right after first strapping them, they're easy to adjust.
Burnham
Woods walker
Impossible, huh? You just explained how it's very possible...one way. There are more than a few others, imltho
.But go on, have it your way. Best of luck.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
I don't often chime in on matters of climbing because I don't have much to offer. I read this thread and thought about it while I ate dinner.
I believe its dangerous. I wouldn't have anything to do with it. Gaffs need to be on wood. if gaffs aren't in wood, they are nothing but a hazard. That's why we take them off on the ground. Putting gaffs on in a tree is no big deal with a little practice, and the right positioning and amount of slack in your climb line. If a climber went to SRT up a tree and I said "Hold on! I'll send your gaffs up when you get to the top but do me a favor and strap these weights on your ankles for the climb up", that climber would think I was silly. Well, its no much different then taking your gaffs along for an SRT climb up. Its an injury in the making. One can say "You just need to pay attention". Well, most accidents don't happen because we wanted them to happen. Its just that, an accident. Unforeseen.
I understand that innovation and progress help to make our job easier. But sometimes you have to put in work. Its that simple. Just because combining these two climbing disciplines looks like a work saver, doesn't mean its wise. Logic and good sense will often over ride shortcuts.
Its easy to laugh off the old timers and think that us young guys are bullet proof. We aren't. Those fellas, like B, made it to the end of the road, intact, and functional. None of us young guys can say that yet. Absorb their knowledge. Its free safety. Not saying anyone has to mimic all their decisions and choices, but always remember this.... Those old bucks know and understand things that we wont be able to until we make it to where they are in life. Decades in the tree is enough time for a person to develop strong gut instincts on matters like this. Use their experience and knowledge as a secret weapon to help you get to where they are.......
I believe its dangerous. I wouldn't have anything to do with it. Gaffs need to be on wood. if gaffs aren't in wood, they are nothing but a hazard. That's why we take them off on the ground. Putting gaffs on in a tree is no big deal with a little practice, and the right positioning and amount of slack in your climb line. If a climber went to SRT up a tree and I said "Hold on! I'll send your gaffs up when you get to the top but do me a favor and strap these weights on your ankles for the climb up", that climber would think I was silly. Well, its no much different then taking your gaffs along for an SRT climb up. Its an injury in the making. One can say "You just need to pay attention". Well, most accidents don't happen because we wanted them to happen. Its just that, an accident. Unforeseen.
I understand that innovation and progress help to make our job easier. But sometimes you have to put in work. Its that simple. Just because combining these two climbing disciplines looks like a work saver, doesn't mean its wise. Logic and good sense will often over ride shortcuts.
Its easy to laugh off the old timers and think that us young guys are bullet proof. We aren't. Those fellas, like B, made it to the end of the road, intact, and functional. None of us young guys can say that yet. Absorb their knowledge. Its free safety. Not saying anyone has to mimic all their decisions and choices, but always remember this.... Those old bucks know and understand things that we wont be able to until we make it to where they are in life. Decades in the tree is enough time for a person to develop strong gut instincts on matters like this. Use their experience and knowledge as a secret weapon to help you get to where they are.......
Good thread Bix!
Just put protective caps/leather on gaffs...up you go, easy peasy, get to were you going take em off and put them on your saddle......is it just me lol
My gecko CF are so light no reason to send up....my old steel bucks mabey yes
Just put protective caps/leather on gaffs...up you go, easy peasy, get to were you going take em off and put them on your saddle......is it just me lol
My gecko CF are so light no reason to send up....my old steel bucks mabey yes
pantheraba
More biners!!!
We did a job today...60 foot maple, a curving and leaning tree over the back fence and deck towards the house. The base was surrounded by some kind of bush/shrub about 4 feet high, 6-8 feet around trunk with 1-2 inch thorns. I set a TIP (with the APTA, thank you) in an oak limb about 60 feet up, put on spurs, Pantin and Ddrt'd up my climb line about 5 feet out from the tree...my TIP was offset to keep me out of the thorns.
I couldn't even get to the trunk to spur up...I could have used the 200T to clear an area but am now glad I did not (once I had it down to a 20 feet spar Alex was clearing the thorn bush around the trunk so I could fell the spar. He stirred up a yellow jacket nest about 2 feet from the spar, in all those thorns, got stung once and we left that site for the rest of the day...pretty mad buggers they were. I went back after dark, found the hole in the ground and gassed the nest...hope to fell spar tomorrow).
Anyway, I left the gaff covers on, went up the rope to my first cutting position, took off guards and used spurs from then on. I have put gaffs on while in the tree but it is not as easy as on the ground. Keeping the guards on seemed to work well. Rope climbing with a foot ascender and naked gaffs/spurs does seem dangerous, I agree. I can definitely see where one could gaff themselves. With gaff guards on...seemed to work fine.
This has been an interesting thread.
I couldn't even get to the trunk to spur up...I could have used the 200T to clear an area but am now glad I did not (once I had it down to a 20 feet spar Alex was clearing the thorn bush around the trunk so I could fell the spar. He stirred up a yellow jacket nest about 2 feet from the spar, in all those thorns, got stung once and we left that site for the rest of the day...pretty mad buggers they were. I went back after dark, found the hole in the ground and gassed the nest...hope to fell spar tomorrow).
Anyway, I left the gaff covers on, went up the rope to my first cutting position, took off guards and used spurs from then on. I have put gaffs on while in the tree but it is not as easy as on the ground. Keeping the guards on seemed to work well. Rope climbing with a foot ascender and naked gaffs/spurs does seem dangerous, I agree. I can definitely see where one could gaff themselves. With gaff guards on...seemed to work fine.
This has been an interesting thread.
Attachments
I don't often chime in on matters of climbing because I don't have much to offer.
Yea, right
Did you take one too many self deprecation pill this morning?
kevin bingham
TreeHouser
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2010
- Messages
- 4,788
There are definitly times during a removal that it would be faster to ascend the rope than the tree. I can think of a time recently where my new ground guy pulled up my rigging rope and it slipped out the block. I had to reascend. I have footlocked a single line with spurs which kind of sucks. I can't say that I have ever gaffes myself but I reckon that is one of those things you only do once and if you do it twice you need to check yourself.
kevin bingham
TreeHouser
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2010
- Messages
- 4,788
Thinking about it and looking at several pairs of pants I own, I have come awful close a few times.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
When you post fullscreen, the right hand side of the video gets clipped out.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5KoX7sNrhiE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5KoX7sNrhiE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
chris_girard
Treehouser
I haven't had a chance to read through the 9 pages on this thread yet, so I'm not sure if anyone has posted these climbers yet.
http://www.bartlettman.com/NEW-HOOK-N-GRAB-ASCENDER_p_1409.html
http://www.bartlettman.com/NEW-HOOK-N-GRAB-ASCENDER_p_1409.html
chris_girard
Treehouser
Ok...I'm obviously out of the mainstream of posters to this thread. But eff me, I'd NEVER rope climb with gaffs on. NEVER, EVER. Hang 'em on my harness and put them on once aloft, or have them sent up after I make the ascent, sure...but y'all are begging for grief, imo. Ropes, ankles, calf muscles, etc. ...all at high risk.
I'm an old climber that has had the good fortune to keep injuries to a minimum, and I intend to keep it that way.
It's all in the way you ascend. I've been using a Pantin strapped over my rt spur and using an open-air SRT ascent system for years and it worked ok. Who the hell wants to flipline up a 5' dbh tree when you can SRT? I just had a local welder weld and bolt a Pantin to my spur and it's awesome.
When I got SPRAT trained, they taught us to keep an upright balanced position by keeping you opposite leg out straight. This position would also keep you from gaffing yourself should Pantin slip out.
chris_girard
Treehouser
No worries here. Honestly I'm more afraid of gaffing myself while spurring up in a small tree than SRT.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
I'd have to find some heavy duty gaff guards before I tried it. Leather and flesh are no match for a sharp gaff, trust me on that one.
Raj
TreeHouser
Hmmm.... poly clamping SRT gaff guards.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Just get up there and get it done.
