Footlocking ???

[BigJohn]

You guys say I'm bad. Yo Nick I had the same problem to with my Kongs when I first got them. I too was haveing the rope twist problem It is something you can correct. Not so sure on how I did but I haven't that problem in over a year.

The prussic doesn't have to less smooth than the ascender just don't tighten it down at all or stop and sit on it. Who wants to do that. I too would rather the ascender.

 

[jkrueger]

Originally posted by BigJohn
You guys say I'm bad. Yo Nick I had the same problem to with my Kongs when I first got them. I too was haveing the rope twist problem It is something you can correct. Not so sure on how I did but I haven't that problem in over a year.

The prussic doesn't have to less smooth than the ascender just don't tighten it down at all or stop and sit on it. Who wants to do that. I too would rather the ascender.

Bad? Where is this self doubt coming from. Dah, I told you Mickey Ds does funny things after awhile.

Oh, ya, now you tell me about the prussic stuff. There I was 40 or so feet up and stoped for a moment and put weight on the prussic. Geez, it was as teight as super glue. Boy did I use your name in vain. Fotunatley even with life theatening body cramps I was alble to take care of it.

Jack

 

[Tree Machine]

Locking up your hitch, just because you want to sitback and rest? Kinda puts a damper on efficiency.

I've been footlocking so long that it's more or less automatic. In trying to help those guys still learning, I had to deliberately focus on my technique to see what I was doing at every part of the footlock sequence to see if there was some nugget of insight that I could share.

In paying attention to what I'm doing, I sit back and weight the ascenders between every stride. Why? Because it's the natural way to do it. I'm not sharing anything new here for guys who are using ascenders.

While ascending, you are in direct opposition to the ways of gravity; there's no way around that. But to have to fight your prussik, or hitch, or have to hold yourself up on the rope with arm strength so you don't weight your hitch, or stand in a footlock while unbinding your hitch..... those who are doing this are climbing with a serious handicap.

With backed-up ascenders, you can footlock up a rope with one arm behind your back, and this is no exaggeration. With good footlock technique, you don't do much pulling up. Good footlocking guys let their legs do that work. Your hand(s) simply push the ascender(s) up, in concert with the stride of your lower pistons.

Ascenders allow you to save your arms for critical crux moves while in the canopy. You need your strength when you need the strength. It shouldn't be wasted on the way up.

 

[glens]

But sitting on the hitch/ascender every stride deprives me of some serious headway.  Sitting each time I get only about a foot advancement per stroke.  Pulling myself up to grab the next foot-full of rope I can get two-feet-plus at a whack.  That's worth something even if it's a little expensive.

Glen

 

[Tree Machine]

True, true. If we'd like to race up the rope, I would modify my method a bit. But I'm talking about your regular way of doing it, swiftness, but not necessarily speed, efficiency over power. Style over sweat.

I keep keenly aware of things once I leave the ground. I might stop a meter up, sit triple check my safety and make sure I've got all my stuff, stop half way up the trunk to cut off a dead stub, up another meter and do a minor cavity surgery, stop, change the station on my radio ear protection, etc.

Being able to sit back and weight whatever rope grab device or hitch you use, I feel, is essential in learning the art of tree climbing. A prussik will not allow you this liberty. Weighting the ascender is also why my saddle has a bosun board. I hang on, and work off rope, quite a lot.

Gentlemen,.... what is this 'twisting' thing you speak of? I have never twisted or spiralled, unless deliberate, EVER, doubled rope or single rope.....

are you climbing on 3-strand or something?

 

[NeTree]

glen, try ascending SRT for the long hauls. It's a big effort-saver in the end.

 

[glens]

That's how I've been doing it, except I use both strands of the doubled rope to avoid excessive hitch-bind.  I forget the proper acronym for that style of rope use; what is it?

Glen

 

[NickfromWI]

Ddrt?

 

[Tree Machine]

Yes, DdRT is doubled rope where both ends of the rope stay in the ground and there is no opposing travel of the rope, once over the limb. You go up this way with dual-handled ascenders. A friction hitch can get you up there, but takes some refinement of technique and is less efficient. 1:1 system.

DbRTis traditional doubled rope where one end of the rope is attached to your saddle, the other leg gets the ascender or hitch, rope is advanced downward, you go upward with the rope traveling over the limb as you advance, as if it were a pully (use your friction saver). 2:1 system

Glen is going up DdRT, which is the same 1:1 as SRT, only you have twice as much rope to grab (2 parallel lines)

try ascending SRT for the long hauls. It's a big effort-saver in the end.

Not true. It is actually easier to footlock up a doubled rope than a single rope, especially with the smaller 11mm ropes, or when the rope is new and more slick.

It is essential to know the difference. Right here lies one of the main topics that differentiates old school from new school.
(Not being meant to say one's better than the other).

 

[roachy]

Tree Machine,I dont know where you work or what type of trees but to say that it is easier to doubleline a long distance than single line thats just nuts and makes me question you a bit.double line gets pretty heavy at 70plus and you would not be human to claim that its not tireing.I do this almost every day and single line as much as possible.

 

[Tree Machine]

Yes, but you're ascending the rope, not lifting it.

Heaviness of rope really doesn't affect my ascent? How does heaviness have anything to do with anything as far as footlocking up a rope. Some guys have posted success by adding more weight to the rope, ie. tying on a saw.

Extra weight (below you, anyway) is a benefit in doing a footlock, I mean, not too much weight, but like the weight of 70' of rope below you, good thing, weight of a climbing saw on the line 30' below you, also a good thing. It allows you to get a more solid grab with your climbing boots.

Question me a bit more. This is important stuff.




ps, the MarBar guy in this image should allow you to see the benefit of weight on the line below you. Think about what happens at his lower ascender if the rope is not weighted. For footlocking the reasons are quite similar.

 

[roachy]

If you need wieght on the rope your doing something wrong!in the case of the mar-bars yoy need wieght so the lower cam will slide up, in footlocking you are useing your FEET right?Lifting your legs into the next lock right ,so you want more wieght the whole way up ! more power to you

 

[Tree Machine]

I didn't say I need weight, or want it necessarily, just that it hardly makes a bit of difference to me either way.

If I were teaching a guy, I would have him try the rope weighted, and unweighted. He will often find a little weight advantageous.

I can also find footlock advantage by incorporating the tree's trunk into my 'lock' (in certain instances, not regularly). I'd almost have to show you a picture for that to make sense. Does that make sense to anyone else? I doubt I'm employing techniques never before used by arborists. That would be silly.

When I'm two meters off the ground, the two ends hanging naturally to the ground, the rope is light and floppy. At 20 meters up the rope hangs with authority. You grip the sucker with your feet, lock with authority, advance, repeat. I prefer SRT, but I have to adjust, and be more deliberate as the single line has a more delicate feel, #1 being a single, not doubled line, and #2 less weight (that is, light and floppy).

 

[BigJohn]

It makes some sense to me. But with practice it doesn't matter. This is the Style you talked about. You can pull up and take long bites and still look graceful and still be quite fast and smoothe. I personally like the rope doubles only cause ther is less bounce. But will say that Roachy is right it gets heavy. Maybe he wont think the blaze is as bad. I really liked it for footlocking. I'm saying your wrong for putting weight on there but me personallly I rather not. Its what ever works for you.

I personally don't get on the rope that much but when I do I can still move.

 

[Tree Machine]

When you footlock you do lift the rope. You lift the rope with one foot and place the rope on top of the other foot and lock it in place.

I do this early on, down low. As you go up the rope, the weight of the rope creates more downward force over the top of your foot. This creates a slight friction advantage that can be counted on and used, even moreso on wet rope.

Once up higher you can truncate the deliberateness of the method written up top, and not actually 'lift' the rope, but 'scissor' it. Hmmm, how do I make this clear? You do the regular over/under crossover with your feet, and rather than lifting rope with your feet, creating a defined S in the rope as it laces over top of your boot, is more of a shallow S, actually closer to a quick bend in a vertical line. A stay with the lower boot and an accurate stepping motion with the upper, and advance up. The added pressure across the top of your bootlaces makes this condensed version of a full footlock more effective. It is quick and efficient, though it might have a lot to do with your boots, whether or not you can groove with this.

 

[roachy]

finally that I agree on

 

[BigJohn]

I'd break you of that real quick HEHEHEHE

 

[BigJohn]

Yeah but like that? Footlocking a prussic is hard enough. I've footlocked coworkers tails while they were on ascenders. I throw walnuts at them from out of the tree. Sweep saw dust off the top log as they are standing below. Tie there shoe laces to the mirror on the truck when they fall asleep and then hit the air horn. Fart in their face when they fall asleep in the truck and don't want to wake up. Just fart in general when we sit in the truck, Ummm what else Pat help a brother out here.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I like to sneak up upon a descending climber when he's maybe 6 or 7 feet from the ground, and get right under em. As soon as I can latch on to their side dees, I go into a super-twirl, using their bodyweight and my spinning to put them into a spinning horror.

I made one guy puke. He wuz kinda pissed.

 

[BigJohn]

Cool I'll have to try that look out Pat. I like the guy who like to latch onto the bucket and hang on the side as you start going back up after getting a saw fueled or something. I like grab their wrist and not let go and just keep going up. They let go and your the only thing holding them. Haven't dropped one yet.