rookie question ?

[kurtztree]

When you guys footlock climb do you take a second climbing line with you to tie in or how does that work when you climb up a tree that the limb is pretty flat and your not close enough to the main lead to put your lanyard around it to tie in?

 

[TREETX]

I think I understand your question.

1. The line I FL is an entry line PERIOD. Secured FL

2. I have my working line with hitch of my choice clipped to the back right of my saddle. (This way I do not FL it with the FL rope.)

3. Go up and clip in with the working line. If the limb is high and the only alternative is FL until you take the prussik/klemheist over a 5:1 split, STOP! before the split and hang on your prussik/klemheist while you throw your working line over said limb.

clear as mud?

I have other tricks with the RG but I will save 'em.

Main pts

SECURED

DON"T GO ABOVE 5:1 SPLIT

NEVER - ever put your hands above prussik.

99% of the time this problem can be avoided with a good pre-climb plan

.02

There are no stupid questions Short(kurtz)tree

 

[Gord]

Whenever you choose a crotch to ascend the tree from it's a good idea to pick one that has other limbs below it within reasonable distance. Even if you do have a separate line with hitch pretied as treetx suggests it's a real pain to clamber on top of a large limb while tied into it with nothing to aid you.

I personally usually use the same line to FL on as I do to work with. I FL up on doubled line, lanyard in, untie prussik loop, tie on friction hitch (mclaren F1 VT), often change tie in point slightly or a whole lot, go to work.

 

[lhampton]

I footlock like a high school senior walking a white line on a Saturday night, which is to say, inconsistantly if at all. I tie my __(friction hitch of choice), and alternate body thrust, footlock the single tail, until I get where I think I need to be.

I'm slow and inefficient, but I'm already tied in with my working line, and as soon as I recover from dragging my bloated, gold bricking butt up to the top of our tallest shrub of a tree, I'm ready to take a coffee break (remember to breath), then go to work.

It ain't quite as bad as that, but I just had a birthday and I'm wishing my wife made enough money for me to afford a mid-life crisis. I think I'd look good wrapped in a lil red sports car.:alien: Anyhoo. Works ok for the small stuff, and while your working to improve your FL ability. May not really be the help your looking for, but it's the best I can offer.

I think if I was to make a habit of the tall stuff, I'd look seriously to the single line entry that Tom D. and some others (JPS?) use. There seems to be some real benefit to that method. Best of luck.

Louie Hampton

 

[rumination]

I don't know if I can explain this clearly, but I'll try. If I am footlocking I usually use a doubled over rope with a prusik loop (klemheist works best for me). I always try to set my rope so that there is a limb underneath that I can stand on. When I get there I have found that by loosening the klemheist a tiny bit I can pull on one end of the climbing line and slide the whole thing through the klemheist until I can reach the end of the line. Then I tie in with my regular working set up while still secured with the klemheist (you can even rest on it again at this point). when I'm all tied in then I take the prusik loop off and I'm good to go.

I've been looking at the Pantin in the Sherrill catalog. Anyone have any opinions on how well it works to start tied in on the ground (DRT) and bodythrust/walk up the line?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

A few guys here wear the foot ascender all day when in big trees.

 

[Burnham]

Rumination, I most often use the Pantin as you suggest. My only problem with it is the slow pace that the 2 to 1 rigging allows. I prefer to use SRT if much distance is involved. I'm not an arborist, don't use Ddrt all that much, but do sometimes change over to it after SRT access in big, gnarly conifers. I will use the Pantin in that case, too.

 

[jamie]

tie in

as you all know im still the rookie and am still proving my climbing to my squad and peers, I got my first section in a holly though, spikes feel really weird, especally moving down the tree when chunking it down.....

anyway, the topic in question

ive not had the oppertunity to footlock on the job and on my training course we only really footlocked up and came back down so ive never had to tie in, and continue climbing, so can you get up to the branch and tie in with a tail and bobs your uncle off you go?????

the reason i ask is that everyone in the company i work for and the others i have seen dont carry lanyards we just tie in with the tail, well unless spiking poles then we have a steel cored strop...

jamie

 

[DadF]

Louie H.-I didn't know I had twin brother out there