# close call fall



## 1I'dJak (Feb 16, 2008)

I've mentioned b4 i do forestry climbing here on vancouver island....I windfirm, which invlovles pruning or topping trees along the leave patches of the cutblocks to reduce windthrow...To increase productivity and reduce constant climbing, we swing from tree to tree by using our rappelling line and another, slimmer line attached to a grapple hook....basically we tie into the tree we've just pruned/topped, throw our grapple into the next tree, ensuring the grapple line is over a strong branch, snug against the stem, and that the grapple is secure as well...I was set up to swing over, not very far, perhaps 15 feet...the grapple line gets is run through a petzl hand ascender which is attached to my D rings....i tightened my line and was swinging over when my grapple (or claw as we call it) lost its grip...i'd just had it made and the welding wasn't up it snuff, as one of the hooks gave out... as i was tightlined over and it was very wet out, my blakes had lost its bite on my rappelling line... down i went... I was probably about 100' up....sickening sound hearing that rope whizz through, falling, hands fumbling through all that rope to grab my knot... eventually it bit and a 
i slammed into the stem feet first...bent the crap out of both shanks on my spurs, which probably saved my knees...lucky there were no stubs on the stem either, as i hadn't climbed this tree but had clawed over to it from another (sometimes you can be up in the trees all day with only 1 or 2 climbs)...i was very lucky (i did have a figure 8 on the bottom of my rope)...it was a scary experience...the foreman measured my fall and it was close to 60' ....i shut 'er down for the day and climbed pretty tentatively for the rest of the week...lesson...check gear...especially fabricated gear, and after every shift of position recheck your friction hitches, especially in the wet weather and always have that figure eight...
climb safe...


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## techdave (Feb 16, 2008)

*Glad you OK one eyed!*

Sounds like you got a tough as_ed job amigo! Part Tarzan and part Bunyan.

Mine If I ws drinking right now I bet xi could put out a hell of a rap built around that phrase!


Dudes Tarzaning from tree to tree(you all on Vancouver Island), dudes in youtube video doing what all the other fallers do but on snowshoes(Cedar around Revelstoke), and all the crazy muthas who fish them tree littered coastal waters(Read the book fishing with John by Edith Iglauer)!

Just another reason why BC is a definitely the Major Leagues of tough outdoor jobs!


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## clearance (Feb 16, 2008)

Glad you are ok Jak. When I was windfirming on the Charlottes I swung from a taller tree over to a shorter one I had already been in to pull hangers. I was using that Yale red rope, its good rope but does not hold a tautline to well as I found out. A long way down untill it grabbed, terrible feeling I know what you mean. Thanks for the advice, check and check again, you know it.


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## JeffL (Feb 16, 2008)

Good to know. New to climbing/tree work here, and its good to read/hear these experiences in hopes I can avoid learning the hard way.  

Glad it was nothing worse than a set of stained undies.


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## Justice (Feb 17, 2008)

Glad ot hear your OK. I would say thats a wake up call! Good post too, gives us a wake up call.


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## RedlineIt (Feb 17, 2008)

1I'dJak,

Big respect for the work you do AND for posting your close call.

What Treeco said, called "spiking your line". It's a contract between your Blake's and you that says "I will fall this far, but no farther".

But honestly, can I interest you in a more advanced friction hitch? Snow, rain or frozen rope, an eye-to-eye spliced loop properly tied won't let you "down" like that.

They give them away where I work. PM me, I'll send you one w/instructions.

FWIW, I Deadwooded 7 BigLeaf Maples over a children's playground area, using a grapple, and traversing, my feet were on the ground just twice.



RedlineIt


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## Dadatwins (Feb 17, 2008)

That does not sound like fun at all, glad you are OK. I wonder if the same would have resulted had you been using a different tie-in than the blakes. I went from a tautline to a distel and never looked back. I know the blakes has the advantage of not rolling out like the tautline, but it still has to be 'tended' and tightened. The distel is pretty much hands free once tied and with a micro pully self tends.


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## safeT1st (Feb 18, 2008)

*Mid line stopper ?*



TreeCo said:


> On the occasion where I'm worried my friction hitch might slip.....or where a slip could get me in serious trouble....I tie a mid line knot in the tail of my climbing rope a few feet below my friction hitch. I've never had my friction hitch slide down to this knot but I still tie it. Remember of course that if you are going to have to 'slip a little rope' to get into the next tree that this knot may have to be a little bit down the tail.



As a learner I have been using the Blakes on my Split tail . Still a little leary of ever really depending on it as it does need tending . I don't think there are alot of choices but what knot are you using mid line ? I'm thinking just a slipped overhand knot for ease of removal .


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## 1I'dJak (Feb 18, 2008)

just use a figure 8 for the end line stopper, putting a mid line knot might be a bit of a pain as i've got 180' of line in a rope bag, and coming to the knot in the middle of your line in the middle of a 'claw shot' or a descent doesn't seem feasible...maybe pulling some line out of the bag and making a quick overhand on a bight might address this problem....however, i do think its near time to switch to a more advanced hitch...thanks for the replies...knee is still a bit sore...i wonder how much force was behind me when a slammed into the stem spurs first...enough to bend em both though...hopefully i can post some pics of them...


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## moss (Feb 18, 2008)

The only problem I've ever had with a Blake's is it seizing up, not slipping. When you loosen it up to make descent easier then you have to be paying attention.

I climb primarily on "advanced" hitches, it is possible for them to slip on a wet rope too. Clearly you need to know how your system behaves and have it tuned properly for the conditions you're climbing in. The good thing about a closed hitch split tail is that you can tend it (carefully) on descent one handed, one-handing a Blakes is asking for trouble.

I wonder if the slipping Blake's soaked up some of the force in your drop, you still hit hard but may not as hard as if you were doing a total free swing.

I take it that you "overcooked" the steel rod and weakened it when you were welding up the grapple? Did it break just above the weld?
-moss


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## 1I'dJak (Feb 18, 2008)

It definitely didn't totally feel like a free fall...there's the friction of the rope on the stem as well as what little was on the blake's till it finally caught... plus i think my rope caught on some limbs which snapped...as i was grabbing at my mess of rope in front of me i was thinking i can do this...i'm gonna hit the stem and its gonna break some of my fall...uuggghh...crappy feeling remembering it...regardless my figure eight backup would have caught it as well...but still...what if's and all...as for the grapple...i had it custome made... the design is such that the idividual grapple hooks open an close... when hung from a ring on top of the grapple, it closes so it can be hung from your belt without catching... when hooke the grapples open and the hooks rest against the 'stem' of the grapple at a desired angle... the welds which enabled this gave way...the grapple is aluminum and it looked as if the fabricator had filed some of the weld in order for it to function properly... hard to explain but i'm attaching some photos of my grapple...


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