Old school

[Jlarnard]

Old school here also. But taught by a very good teacher.Thanks Treedog! With you living in a more populated area I'm sure you have better opportunity's to learn better systems.
Hey I hope Ray Hoover didn't teach you how to climb:monkey: That was a joke.at least I hope it was!
I my self would love to learn some new systems. just don't have the time or money for schooling to do it right now. some day though I will. someday. but with what I know works for me now.

No way, Ray with his butt sling. lol. No a guy named John was his forman when he started. He learned out west in wyoming. He was nearly in his 50s when he taught me. We actually refused to work with Ray, and Ray stayed away. Ray is a wonderful boss and a good businessman, but a hazzard at a job. If you read here ray, just remember I still love you anyway.

 

[tomtrees58]

?? old school that's me 34 years climbing now do not the new system tom trees

 

[tree MDS]

I learned to climb about 17 years ago. So I am old school to the bone. I have been to trade shows and watched the husky guys do the modern stuff, and even bought equipment to try to update my ways. Besides more complicated, which in my life usually means more likely to make a mistake. There is a lot more pieces that could fail. With the way I was taught the worst thing was replacing the climbing line once or twice a season.
Honestly guys, does the new ways make more money than the old ways?
Is the efficiency actually able to make my profit margin increase?
I'm not talking free climbing here, I stay tied in, and I am absolutely safe!
I am asking about $$$

I started climbing at pretty much the same time you did J. I'm still old school as well. I have tried the splittail and will probably try it again, but no its certainly not gonna make you any more money generally speaking- unless per hour on a crane job! Crane jobs and any open system will blow away old school closed system no doubt there. I double strand footlock with a simple prussic cord when need be, thats a PITA but sure is fast- and especially good for ascending leaners. My saddle is very old and basic, I think it is maybe an old Klien or something similar, no leg straps, I do have a micro lanyard thing, a corona hand saw, and a Safety Blue 150' piece of rope- and it works just fine. "Old Brown" is what I call my saddle, and me and that saddle have made enough money to have two chippers, a bucket, a tractor, a dump truck and an estimate rig.... so I kind of wonder if its really worth it playing around with all that endless gadgetry at this stage in the game. All that said I'm still gonna buy that crap soon just to play with a little. Oh yeah, and I bought the Gecko's, those are worth it, like sneakers in a tree.

 

[D Mc]

I feel your pain, my brother. I'm a forty-four year old groundman and I can still work the young'uns into the dirt, but my aches and pains are telling me that I'm in the sunset years of playing tough guy.

Is there a "New School" for groundmen, or do we just get taken out back and shot?

LOL, My wife can sympathize with your concerns. She's 55 (almost 56) and is my entire ground crew/office manager. She's 5' tall, 100 lbs, and had no trouble chucking 50 lb logs into the back of the truck and feeding a hungry chipper for hours on end. Notice I said "had"...

We still get out and do the work that we both enjoy but the pace has slowed and can be somewhat comical.

I would also like to point out that "old school" has become synonomous with simplicity and lack of gadgets. You can shift to the new climbing techniques and still retain a large amount of that mind set and get the job done. You don't have to have EVERY bell and whistle hanging off your saddle for every job, just know what to use at the appropriate time.

Dave

 

[tree MDS]

I've seen some climbers and thier saddles and wondered WTF could you possibly need all that crap for??? How many caribeaners and different "points of attachments" or whatever can you possibly need? I suspect some of these guys are hiding a lack of skill and abilty with colorful gadgets, jmho. Little secret: all the gadgets in the world aint gonna make that much of a difference when its tree time for real. Grab some rope and a saddle and a chainsaw, and study up, lol.

 

[Job Corps Tree]

I have all the Gadgets I can get, and that don't mean I Carry them with me all the time. I go up I take just what I need for that one Tree. But they are there if I may want to use them. Like a Coach with a big play book, when you need a certain play you can go and get what ever you may need for that one instance and when done you can put it back tell the next time. I have picked up a lot of odd things over the years. Old School and New School nether one is better than the other blend them together they do work well. This Job is tough enough why not use anything old new that will make any easer for you. I am a long way from a Weaver saddle with 2 Dee Rings, Three Strand rope, 1 non locking steel snap & a Fanno 28" saw

 

[highasatree]

Old school also..I use a blakes hitch, 120 foot safety blue, 13 inch curves hand saw, stihl 200T on a brake away landyard, Buckingham spurs with the velcro pads, an adjustable buckstrape and a couple loop runners in my diddy bag. I'm 51 and have been climbing for half my life, and I stihl enjoy it.

 

[oldirty]

good to hear you old dogs barking.


hey mds. you said sneakers in a tree and you are talking about some spikes bud. wait'll you try out one of these confangled new saddles they making in todays day and age. lol

same goes for you other guys. try a split tail on a blakes if you are running around still on the "old way".

baby steps....

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I started out with removals and did not use a rope. Then in the early 90's I was working with a guy part time that had a $50 saddle and some arborplex.

I fell into a groundman job with Chemlawn and started usin a legstap saddle and a fixed snap on some BlueStreak. I though that was the cats patutie!

around 12 years ago I actually started studying what had become my trade and found guys like Dunlap and Geer who played with a lot of new stuff to see what works.

I started borrowing this and that from that guy and this and it is so much easier then air-humping up some crappy old line with a taughtline, might as well sit on a BOAB saddle and not have anything else between you and the tree.

Being able to tail my rope one-handed while hanging onto a branch, after a big jump traverse, so I can "vector" my force on the rope to help me up into the next tree or stem does make me a more effective climber.

My VT is made up of one carabiner, one pulley and ~15 inches of 3/8 inch stable braid (I left the high tech stuff behind after my knot failure incident shared a few months ago) I use the same knots as Dan, so my hitch is maybe $35 (US). I do not use a spliced rope, so that is another $20 saved, count in another $15 carabiner so my total attachment cost is $50 over some one who ties off to the saddle. Is anyone that oldschool?

From time to time, when I double crotch traverse to another tree/stem, I will use a blakes or taughtline for the second hitch (does anyone take their slake tender, put it in the middle and turn the double crotch to a Tyrolean traverse?) I hate it with a vengeance, need ing two hands on the line to advance the hitch! ARRRG!:bang: :bang:

Most of the time now I use a single handed ascender and a jam-knot to traverse. If I cannot get the knot to jam into a tight crotch, then have a groundman tie it off below.

:angrysoapbox:

I'll step down now

 

[Ax-man]

I'm right behind JP, not only in this thread but also in your post.

I am so glad I didn't stay in the that old school trap when it comes to climbing. I am not a speed demon these days by no means. With the newer ropes with a VT and tender plus a friction saver and a modified from the norm lanyard. I am probably a more nimble climber than ever and maybe even a little faster than I was when I was in my so called prime when all I did was climb everyday of the workweek and weekends if need be.

Like you said when I do have to double crotch I tie a tautline as a hitch. All I can think about is the old ways of climbing . I say to myself. You have got to be kidding me. I used to climb on this. I am lucky if I can remember how to tie a Tautline hitch.:jawdrop:

These dyed in the wool old schoolers are making comments without really having tried any of the new school ways of climbing. If they were to loosen up and at least try the split tail system with a VT. They would disregard those Tautline, Blakes, Distel, Swabish, Knuts and whatever hitches. Some of these so called new school climbing techniques have been around for awhile now. They aren't exactly what I would call new school anymore compared to what is now considered to be the hot new ways of tree climbing.

Tree climbing is athletic in nature. Very tiring and strenuous. Why would anyone want to work harder than they have. Makes more sense to conserve energy and make there job easier by making a few simple adjustments to their present climbing system.

Larry

 

[matty f]

New school is the way forward! its the transitional period of getting comftable and learning new self tending hitches ect wich is what makes people who try them to give up on them after a couple of climbs...give them a couple of weeks and some fine tuning you will kick your self for being so stuck in your ways that you didnt try them sooner, i did!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

They aren't exactly what I would call new school anymore compared to what is now considered to be the hot new ways of tree climbing.

Yeah, I think I first saw the VT around 7-8 years ago

 

[tree MDS]

good to hear you old dogs barking.


hey mds. you said sneakers in a tree and you are talking about some spikes bud. wait'll you try out one of these confangled new saddles they making in todays day and age. lol

same goes for you other guys. try a split tail on a blakes if you are running around still on the "old way".

baby steps....

You had better not be bustin on old brown D, I may have to kick yer a$$. Lol.