First Time Cimbing

[Cupressaceae]

Greetings all! Been a lurker here for quite some time and this is a wonderful resource being a career-changer going to school for Forest Technology and hoping to get into Arboriculture and work from the ground up. So thanks for education here. That being said, I have a question, I have an opportunity to climb for the first time and wondering what I should expect? Will it be impossible? I see some skilled climbers out there and I want to be in their shoes. I know they have experience, but I just want to go into this opportunity without ending up being terrible. I imagine I will be using a simple system to climb, nothing advanced, so I just would love to hear people's experiences on their first time. I just would like to be able to get my butt up the tree somewhat.

 

[RacerX]

We can start with the pretty universal advice which is buy a copy of the The Tree Climbers Companion and read it through a few times. We can discuss basic equipment but you need to mention how much money your looking to spend. The absolute minimum basics that you'll need to get off of the ground are:

1-Saddle
2-Rope
3-Carabiner
4-Flip line

 

[Cupressaceae]

Thank you, I have purchased the book and have been reading it. It is a great book. I am now curious as to if I can actually do it. Haha. Hopefully I can do okay. All the gear will be supplied, as will basic instruction. So I guess I will be okay.

 

[046]

welcome to AS... warning... grow thick skin if you ask beginner questions around here.
nothing wrong with asking questions, but some folks around here act like they were born with it. everyone had to start somewhere... unfortunately some folks have forgotten that.

 

[Cupressaceae]

Thanks for that bit of advice. I have read it first hand here. Appreciate it. I spent some years in the military, so I have grown thick skin and understand and respect those who have put their time into their profession and field. I am not some young punk kid who has big dreams and aspirations. I want to work with trees, keep my mouth shut, pay my dues and rise through the ranks and be skilled in my trade. But anyways, enough autobiography nonsense. I just want some tips on my first time being introduced to climbing so I can be better prepared and possibly have some sort of efficiency when climbing. Kind of wanting to know what they wished they would have known when they climbed for the firs time. I know it takes practice but mentally being prepared is important too. Thanks again for the advice!

 

[Donald]

Overcoming heights

i've been climbing for about 2 years. The hardest part for me was to have faith in my "skinny" 1/2 inch climbing rope. Eventhough my bigfoot climbing rope is rated for 8,000 lbs, I just find it amazing that this rope can hold my 225lb body plus gear. Start small and work your way up. Pay absolute attention to your ropes and take care of them. I find myself getting out of my comfort zone when I climb higher than 50 feet. The more you climb, the more confidence you'll develop.

Be safe.

Donnie

 

[Zale]

Take your time and listen to your instructor. If you are not in shape, start working out. Get plenty of sleep and eat right. You are about to become a blue collar athlete. Be safe.

 

[Cupressaceae]

Thanks a lot Donald and Zale. Encouraging thoughts for sure.

I am glad to you mentioned being a bigger guy Donald, I am 225 too and have been given the impression that climbing is for the smaller guys. Nice to hear that.

In the military we climbed ropes (old fashioned single rope attched to a bar) and I was one of the run of the mill rope climbers so I think that is why I am nervous, I just want to be able to hack it and make it. I am hoping that having a saddle and thinner rope makes things a little easier for basic body thrusting climbing. We will see.

 

[RacerX]

There are guys here willing to help you even if you're a neophyte. Just ask questions, we all started not knowing how to climb (at least not the professional way).

Just remember, low and slow. It's better to screw up 5' off of the ground than 50'.

 

[046]

stick to a small set of knots ... which just happens to be the knots inside tree climber's companion. then learn to tie those knots really well!

your life depends on your knots being correct. pick one knot, then keep practicing until you can tie that knot blindfolded. it's not necessary to know a large number of knots. but it's absolutely necessary to know those small set of knots cold.

setting your knot can be just as important as tying it correctly. take the time to take all the twists out of your knots during setting. making your knots look "pretty" is for more than strength. it's to aid in identifying if knot is tied correctly with one glance.

this is a properly tied triplefisherman. which should be your first choice for a termination knot. the lashing is not required.

 

[TreeAce]

I agree with everything 046 just said. Although I have to wonder.....does the "new school" of climbing start with a closed system with a taught line hitch? Or do they just go straight into eye2 eye systems? Or split tail/ blakes hitch? I know that the taughtline is old news and not very efficient but I think its important to know cuz you can tie it one handed pretty easy. I dont mean to confuse the OP but I guess what I am getting at is that as good of a knot as the triple fishermans is..and its a good one...it may not be the best choice for just starting out, esp if you are using a closed system.
As far as advice for first time climbing....well, low n slow...for sure. but I will say this cuz its what an old timer told me when I first started..."Never get mad and dont panic". Now, this may seem silly (and prolly is) but I still think about these words from time to time. Here is what I came up with after many years of pondering these words..."never get mad" is important cuz after awhile, when u get used to climbing alittle, getting frusterated can make you mad and getting mad can make you careless. As for "dont panic" well, thats pretty obv but sometimes it helps to just think about not getting to freaked out. Just...be coooooollll ...man...lol...it s all good. Thats no subsitute for some things, like good safe practices, but it is more about getting over thinking like "what if my rope breaks?" Otherwise , just pay attention to ur instructor and have fun! I am sure you will. Go learn alittle and come back and ask some "more specific" questions...I know many here, myself included, will be happy to help you as best as we can.

RIP John Bradstock

 

[troythetreeman]

good stuff in there
when i first started i spent a lot of time thinking, i go over what i wanted to have happen, how to do it and all the different ways it could go wrong and how to react
im not really sure when i quit doing this but i pretty much have, and my reactions are all automatic now, things dont always happen the way you want, keep yourself safe first and then worry about whats below you
im also a big fan of control, i like to eliminate as many variables as possible in a tree
trust your gear, buy quality gear that is comfortable for you, makes sense to you and then take care of it
knots, knots are huge, i use like 6 different knots, i like the taughtline because it can be tied with one hand
every knot i choose i choose because i can tie it with one hand, with the exception of a figure 8 and the bowline, which i almost never tie in the tree
a knot needs to do two things, it needs to hold and it needs to come out again
simple is better imo
the other climber on our crew is much the same way, he only has a couple different knots he uses, and they arent the same ones i like, though he has adopted one of mine, something i took from the tree climbers handbook and modified slightly, i use it almost exclusively in rigging, it doesnt slip, doesnt tighten up and if you tie it in the middle of a piece it doesnt matter which end is heavier itll hold either way

 

[chad556]

From what I remember from my first few times climbing was the importance of the right gloves. My first climb I went up with heavy cowhide work gloves. Could not grip the rope at all and body thrusting was the name of the game. I literally only made headway up the rope with the movement of my body, my hands were worthless except for advancing the friction hitch up the rope. I got about 20 feet up and felt like I just did 1000 sit-ups, ouch. Second time up I did a little better but I used mechanic type gloves. Better grip, but they slipped so much I kept fumbling around with my feet to keep from slipping back down the rope and it became another energy inefficient activity.

The solution:

Don't let this happen to you! Lol, learn from my mistakes. I discovered atlas gloves on my own, but then later learned that a vast majority of tree climbers wear them. The difference is like Peter Parker turning into spiderman! They are like vice grips for your fingers. Try them out if you don't already have a pair, you'll never want to pull yourself up a rope without them ever again. Don't worry they are dirt cheap. You can get them off amazon for like 3 bucks (they wear out quick though so I would get a couple pairs.) : Amazon.com: Atlas Fit 300 Medium Rubber Coated Work Gloves 1 Pair: Home Improvement Hope this helps you out! Good Luck and be safe!

 

[TreeAce]

Man...I really am getting old. I cant believe I am gonna say this, but here goes...When I first started climbing, we didnt have those fancy shmancy gloves....lol...man...but its true. You just keep at it until ,when your hand gripped the rope, all the callouses on your hand came together to give a solid grip on the rope! Thats no sh*t. But as far as good advice for a newbie....def get good gloves. I wear em most of the time. My hands arnt anywear near as rough as they used to be...thats a fact. Sometimes it makes me feel like a wuss... but I know my wife prefers it

 

[troythetreeman]

i like to say gloves are for sissies and cold weather, but my hands are like old boots
my gf claims she prefers that....

 

[RacerX]

The rubber palmed gloves are great, even the $2 cheap ones outlast the $20 leather gloves that I used to use. Just don't use them if the rubber starts to separate from the cloth. I had a big piece peel off and get stuck in the hitch. As you know rubber don't slide very well.

 

[Zale]

Buy a good pair of boots! No Walmart specials. If you don't have the money, start saving now. I've tried a lot of brands over the years but a good quality boot will be $200-300. Your feet will thank you.

 

[sgreanbeans]

All good stuff, just remember, it is YOUR life. Make damn sure you under stand how to tie in and dress your gear while you are up there, always checking your knots and biners as u work.
Welcome BTW! What branch were you in?
Another good book is "The Art and Science of Practical Rigging" by ArborMaster

 

[TreeAce]

i like to say gloves are for sissies and cold weather, but my hands are like old boots
my gf claims she prefers that....

LOL I hear ya! I had some GFs back in my 20s who would agree with ur GF. I think my wife is happy with how they are now. You can sure as heck tell I work, n work hard, with my hands. But they arnt like sandpaper like they used to be.

 

[Cupressaceae]

Thanks so much everyone. I like the advice, from the equipment advice such as gloves and boots, to learning knots and then the mental aspects of being calm and collected. It gives me a lot of digest and take to heart as I begin to learn more.

The branch I was in, was the Army.

Thanks again for the advice and I will let you know how my first time goes. Take care!!