Scare

[eastside]

So today I had my first bad injury on the job and wanted to discuss, as it shook me. Despite the injury being less severe than it seemed, I want to learn, move on, and continue to climb safely and efficiently.

I was ten/fifteen feet up in a box elder, doing a height reduction, as specified by the home owner. I had my spikes on to reach higher leaders and had not yet tied in with my climb line. I flipped my lanyard around the main leader while standing in the crotch, clicked in and leaned back. I immediately heard the snap slip and my feet went out, while falling backward. I managed to turn in the air and roll down the windows, keeping my feet underneath me. When I landed, I impacted hard and hit the ground. As I tried to get up, I found that my left foot spike had buried into my heel, feet pinned together. As I yelled in pain, my brother tried to pull it out, before calling over chris, the other groundie, and they together held my feet and wrenched it loose...

All in all, its scraped the bone badly and had an inch deep laceration, which is now stitched up.

I guess my point is that I am usually very careful about double checking my lips and making sure I am good to go before going free on any life support. This has me scared and I figured the snap got caught on the d-ring and may just be a case of bad luck and not checking... 7-10 days off pisses me off, but want to be safe and stay in the trees. Any input or similar experiences would be helpful, as I still considered myself and new climber (one-year) and love the job, yet want to stay alive and cutting big wood for life. Thanks to all!!

 

[tree md]

On ornamental prunes I normally just use a ladder to enter the tree then work off a rope or lanyard depending on how big the tree is or how extensive the prune job is. I never spike prunes unless it is in the back 40 (woodland trees). I absolutely never spike ornamental trees.

On the lanyard thing, I clip in in the blind but I always give a slight tug on the lanyard to make sure the clip is secured. I have habituated myself to doing so. It only takes a second to give a quick tug to make sure the snap is secure.

Glad you weren't more seriously hurt and hope you recover soon.

 

[eastside]

thanks for the input md.

I rarely spike, but today decided to due to fatigue and long hours recently... tie in points were scare, as the growth habit on this particular tree was more parallel to the ground. I usually hold the lanyard in front on the clip as i put weight on it, so as to prevent potential falls. For whatever reason, I failed to do that routine check this time and i paid for it.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Always visually check while clipping in, maybe not the fastest but the safest way.

 

[Brush Hog]

thanks for the input md.

I rarely spike, but today decided to due to fatigue and long hours recently... tie in points were scare, as the growth habit on this particular tree was more parallel to the ground. I usually hold the lanyard in front on the clip as i put weight on it, so as to prevent potential falls. For whatever reason, I failed to do that routine check this time and i paid for it.

That's says it all right there. Glad your OK

 

[pdqdl]

The whole scenario sounds to me like you should improve your technique. You should not have been able to fall out of the tree at any time, because you should never have been untied from the tree.

1. Consider using a throw ball and setting a rope in the tree.

2. Use two lanyards to ascend on spikes. One to secure you in the tree, the other to secure to the next point above you when you need to transfer around obstructions. Obviously this technique only becomes useful when you do not have a climbing line set above you.

3. Consider not being quite so comfortable in a tree that you think it is okay to untie all your safety restraints at any time.

4. Put your weight on each safety immediately after it is attached, while still using the previously tested safety line as a backup against potential failure... then unclip.

 

[eastside]

thank you P-
it is extremely humbling to hear replies from strangers that I have such respect for. All suggestions are noted and appreciated! I will be rethinking basic technique and focusing on ingraining safe practices and not getting too comfortable at any time.

 

[NeoTree]

Ouch, the gaff in the heel hurts, I got my scar last year but it sounds like you got it worse. Mine healed surprisingly quick, but still hurts occasionally. Glad to hear your OK, this should make you a much safer climber in the future, as it did for me.

 

[tree md]

I put a gaff clean through my big toe about 18 years ago. It is amazing how careful I am to this day and pay attention to where I place my gaffs.

 

[Slvrmple72]

eastside, you learned a very valuable lesson about double checking your safety. I am glad it did not turn out more serious for your sake. If you had gotten inverted things would be a whole lot different right now. Rethink your technique to keep you safe and double up on your safety when sawing up in the tree. Set a high tie in or at least put your climb line as a secondary flipline. Test the one before releasing the other. My secondary saved me last year from a very serious fall. What is really sobering is the fact that it had only been mere seconds after I set my flipline that my rope bridge failed.

 

[prentice110]

I dont know what your climbing with, but always always always check visualy that all gates are closed and locked.i started with the old hillbilly taughtline an snap. when i graduated to a split line and carabiner, i didnt trust that shtuff, so i always did a double take. what does a few milli seconds matter if it keeps you alive. im sori to hear about your fall and hope you recover well, but also do this, when you tie in, have a buckstrap lower, and shake the snot outa your t.i.p. . never ever tie into somthin smaller than your forearm at the elbow in an oak, or your neck in a willow. Ive known too many damn good climbers that have fallen cuz they tied into sumthin they shouldntve. this job scares me almost every day. learn as much as u can and dont grow too big a balz.

 

[Saw Dust Smoken]

Using spikes because of fatique? Long week or long day? A ladder 10-15ft is simple. Then set lanyard and spike in. Why spikes at all?? Accupunture for trees? Any growth beneifits? Learn to do trees without spikes.

 

[Saw Dust Smoken]

Using spikes because of fatigue? Long week or long day? A ladder 10-15ft is simple. Then set lanyard and spike in. Why spikes at all?? Accupunture for trees? Any growth benefits? Learn to do trees without spikes.

 

[Blakesmaster]

Using spikes because of fatigue? Long week or long day? A ladder 10-15ft is simple. Then set lanyard and spike in. Why spikes at all?? Accupunture for trees? Any growth benefits? Learn to do trees without spikes.

I woulda said said something similar but the guy had a scare and managed to make it home so we shouldn't beat him up too bad, IMO. I'm not sure what happened with your safety strap, but like md said if you don't want to take the visual inspection time at least tug on it manually. A LONG debate could be had about which method is actually quicker though. As far as spiking a lateral growing boxelder to trim it...it's those types of trees that when removing I wonder why I'm even putting on my spikes. Learn your climb line, love your climbline, then your lanyard won't mean so much.

 

[eastside]

i would say i deserve a beating, so thanks for that everyone. any day of the week i would rather be tied in than have spikes on, believe me. I did enter the tree from a ladder and was only spiking leaders that were being taken down, just for the record.

it has been a long two weeks and fatigue was at maximum... as for the lanyard, its something i visually check every time i click in... until today.

i appreciate everyones input and respect what people have to offer and feel i can learn a lot of valuable lessons from this. frankly, it scared the sh!t outta me and is proving to be a good wakeup (having my brother yank a spike out my heel is not something i want again). changes are already in order and i plan on growing from this experience. Im over sitting at home already, and ten more days of crutches is gonna have me chomping at the bit to get back to it and be a better climber from it. aloha to everyone, the support on this site is great!

 

[TonyX3M]

While climbing I always take with me two fliplines -one with wire insert to use while cutting and another one (which I made myself) just regular 1/2" rope one - that way if I have to go over limbs, I always stay tied in. Plus its really makes life easier while positioning yourself in two-fork tree - thats if you have to make cuts going up, once up in a tree its always climbing line and one flipline for me - I really do believe in T.I.T.S! Also while cutting big limbs and if I have to use a flipline on the same limb I use a rope one just in case if that limb splits or peels - that way I can cut it quickly before it crushes me.Oh and of course I do check my bieners and snaps visually -I never claim to be the fastest, but I do like to live!
Anyway glad yo got off relatively easy-take care yourself and climb another day!