New equipment= slower climbing?

[Frans]

Seems like the past 10 years have brought so many new tools and techniques to the climbers world.
The flip line adjusters are something I use and they have made me never want to go back to the 'cats paw' way of tieing my flip line.
the drawback is having a piece of hardware (gibbs + biner) right at my saddle where they get in the way.
My lockJack and French Prussik take up line so quickly I'll never go back to the blakes hitch. but these also have drawbacks. The LJ will take up line and cinch around a limb I am trying to climb over and the FP needs maintenance/ dressing
The newer saddles are light weight and that sure is an advantage. The smaller 'D' rings prevent me from banging my funny bone when using my handsaw which is essential for me, but these lighter saddles need to be 'stepped' through to get on and off and also offer less support when slinging around a 066 or 088.
The false crotches are essential they allow my climb line to move freely and protect my rope (and the tree) but are a hassle to install.
All said and done the new techniques and equipment have really helped me in climbing but also have their own set of problems which can slow down the actual climbing and getting things done.
Just yesterday I looked down at my saddle and saw all this 'junk' hanging around me.
The old days I had alot less stuff and in many ways a much cleaner set up.
It made me realize that the majority of climbers are still climbing old school and the folks on this board and others represent a very small part of the climbing community
Frans

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Good job Frans, any hope of moving some of these climbers out of the "olden days" is now lost.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Mike Maas
Good job Frans, any hope of moving some of these climbers out of the "olden days" is now lost.

Not me Mike; we ain't lost if we think about the costs that go with the benefits of new gear.
Would you prefer to pull the wool over our eyes with hype?

O and--Does sarcasm move the discussion forward or aside?

Thanks Frans for saying it straight; it pays to rethink as we "progress"--or regress.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

I never quite looked at it the way that Frans put it. Personally, I will take anything new that will make my life easier in this field!

 

[Koa Man]

To me, advanced friction hitches have made my climbing easier and faster. I used to use a Gibbs for my flipline, but recently changed to a VT on it. More compact, lighter and you can adjust it with weight on it. I don't use false crotches if a natural crotch is available. I use two small gear bags on my saddle to hold loops, extra carabiners, small 8, a pulley and a 12 oz. bottle of Gatorade. It keeps the gear from getting caught on branches etc. If I am using a big saw like my 066 in the tree, I try to have it tied to the tree when possible instead of my saddle.

 

[MasterBlaster]

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9953

 

[Froggy]

Reply

The new stuff is great!! It's going to take time to learn how to be as efficent as you were in your old gear, but it will come along. Eventually making you quicker than you ever were.

 

[NeTree]

Mike's right... dinosaurs like me will never upgrade now...




New and Improved isn't necessarily new and BETTER...

I'll try new stuff- if it works, it stays. If it pi$$es me off/weighs me down needlessly/gets in the way/slows me down, it goes. Simple.

 

[BigJohn]

what do you mean the saddles can't support the bigger saws such as an066? There are days usually with a crane removal when I move to bigger saw that comes up on the hook. I have no problem just adding to arsenal. Start off with the 0200 then the 044 and last the 066. All of the saws on the right side of my saddle. Not that I need them. The reason I don't send them down is a whole other topic but it can be doen comfortably.

The reason for not sending down the saw is I have no patience for people. I am doing a job and I expect my guys on the ground to do the same so if I were to send it down chances are they wouldn't untie it and put it away just stand there and watch me. That would get me flameing mad and their getting hit with something. So I just take of myself. Things go so much better when you rely on yourself.

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[NeTree]

Dang Butch, time to get your eye checked...

 

[NickfromWI]

When using new gear, it's important to be patient and give the new piece of equipment a chance. I've seen people climb on a tautline...I say, "here try this knot." They try it and it does something they don't like. Therefore (in their eyes) the old way is better.

Remember that whenever you change your daily ritual, there will be problems at the start. Don't let that be what makes or breaks the decision!

love
nick

 

[NeTree]

Very true.

Familiarity breeds confidence.

 

[NeTree]

After all, aren't I the most confident p***k you know?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I started this game out with some drawbacks, I'v service related disabilities.

I tried to be a bust tail fly through the tree climber, but it wore me down too quick. Minimalism did not help me.

The new stuff helps me a great deal and makes me more efficient. The VT and redirects help me get things done better.

If I had a sliding bridge saddle where I clould run the LJ right on the bridge, i think I would give up the VT.

 

[dbeck]

there must be a reason you changed to diff equip in the 1st place. to me, the increase in efficiency w/decreased fatigue and frustration is well worth it. I would almost be willing to argue that with the newer hitches and positioning equipment a climber can do better work. Remember, better does not mean faster. We (climbers) are always interested in better, faster, cheaper, easier but we (arborists) need to keep in mind the care of trees.
If you can use a certain knot or piece of equipment to position yourself to make that perfect cut rather than use a pole saw because that is faster, you should leave the pole saw on the ground. 99% of the time you will do better work if you actually get out there to make that cut. Enough.

 

[wiley_p]

The one thing have a peeve with and its not that new really, is the double and triple lock biners. I've used screw gates for years wit5h not a problem, and at a couple of sort of get togethers on a certain popular face in central CA a screw gate is the only safe biner( you take yourt leatherman and cinch down the scxrew, your partner won't be able to unclip till the AM) But the deal is that I need both hands to manipulate the dang things and really how is that safer when I'm 70' up some ivy covered Doug fir on a rainy day. The decay that running a saw for years is really insidious and no one really talks about that, Oh and I stopped hanging the 066 on my saddle years ago. You should be using wedges at that dia anyway, so carry 20d nails in the camera bag and hang the pig from that.

 

[NickfromWI]

You shouldn't need 2 hands to open a carabiner. If so, just practice with it for a little while. You'll get it pretty quick!

love
nick

 

[wiley_p]

Ah, Nick you must be living a littlew bit better than I, its not really an issue of practice, there is no problem with the electrical impulses from my ever diminishing capacity reaching the nerve endings in my hands, it is I beleiver simply as mollasses covering everything on a cold day, and each attempt at what should be a simple demonstration of manual dexterity becomes a slow ache, continued attempts bring tightness and a more painful retraction of what on most people is a hand, yet it my case appears to be a red, misshappen claw. No, I dont think I need practice.

 

[NickfromWI]

So are you saying that you have difficulty openning "fancy" locking carabiners because you do not have normal hands?

love
nick