single rope climbing or classical method

[OTG BOSTON]

Oooops ! OTG, am I doing something I should not be doing? I made 2 sixty foot climbs SRT on Arborplex today. I'm using One (Right) CMI Ascender ($48), a CMI Rope Walker ($50,for backup), and a Pantin ($63). I used to descend on a Cardiac Arrester ($26) with a Blakes backup, but recently went high dollar and got a Large Petzl I'D. Like it a lot. Anyway, I was doing SRT very comfortably for less than $200 in extra equipment until I spent $170 for the I'D.

If there is a safety reason not to climb SRT on Arborplex I need to know about it.

For canopy access, if I can "Trunk Walk" my way up with a flip line, split tail, and Michoacan I prefer DdRT, but when poison ivy or ornamental vines (ex. confederate jasmine) cover the trunk, or when my project is way out on a live oak limb, SRT is definetly the way to go.

Like lync stated, arborplex is too thick and has too much give. Get 200' of KMII and thank me later:rockn:

 

[moray]

...Any stretch is taken out in the first few feet of climbing and usually can be taken out by pulling rope while standing on the ground. I can see stretch being a concern if the climber wants to get on and off the system several times on the way to the top but if the climb is straight to the top it is not a factor.

I think there is another aspect of stretchiness that does matter. Each time you advance up the rope you do so by momentarily applying an extra dollop of force to the rope, which stretches it. The rope will recover and the extra stretch will disappear, but there is real energy lost in the rope when this happens. If you climbed a steel cable, or a ladder, or a stairway, there would be virtually no loss of this type.

So climbing a stretchy rope is akin to walking up a sand dune, while climbing a static rope is more like climbing the stairs. Bounciness in the rope, whether you notice it or not, is energy wasted.

 

[reachtreeservi]

Smooth technique makes almost no bounce at all. I SRT on 1/2" NE KMIII and on 1/2" NE HIVee and hardly notice any difference between the two. I can see it making a difference if we were climbing 200 or 300 feet but we don't do those kinds of climbs in trees.

TreeCo, Can you get that New England kernmantle 3 with a spliced eye?

 

[reachtreeservi]

I don't know. I bought mine in a 600ft. roll.

I don't use spliced eyes except on block slings. I believe they are a conspiracy to wrench dollars from arborist! Spliced eyes seldom cinch to biners and can get in the way of making a good tress cord....as the splice can not be part of the friction hitch. I'll take a scaffold knot every time. I use an anchor hitch to attach my climbing line to a biner....No spliced eyes!

I agree with you about sliced eyes being a conspiracy to wrench dollars from arborist . I have payed as much as 45.00 for one splice ! I order mine from sherrills and always get the tight eye. And I always clip my anchor on one attachment point and my friction hitch on another, I just like the streamlined look and feel of it....
Thanks for the info

 

[moray]

Smooth technique makes almost no bounce at all.

You are absolutely right that smooth technique can reduce bounce and wasted energy. If we could climb the rope with absolutely uniform speed, like an elevator, there would be no wasted energy even if the rope were made of rubber. And even with very jerky technique, arborist ropes are so stiff that the wasted energy is only a few percent.

But to a lot of people I think it will still matter, for a couple of reasons.

First is pure feel--you CAN tell the difference between two ropes, and the stiffer one feels better. This will be especially apparent if you climb SRT, as I do, on the smaller 10mm and 11mm ropes used by cavers and rock climbers.

Second, the smooth technique idea has a built-in limitation--you can't eliminate bounce. All of the SRT techniques I am aware of involve repeated complete stops and starts, or at least something very close to it. This means repeated jolts to the rope each time you stand up. The faster you climb (who doesn't want to go fast?), the stronger the jolts, the more the rope stretches, the more energy you waste. Smooth technique may improve things a bit around the edges, but the bulk of the wasted energy is going to be there no matter what. Anyone who makes a regular practice of climbing SRT is bound to prefer a rope with better feel and better performance.

 

[moray]

I do climb srt on a regular basis. I use the same rope to move around in the tree using the traditional system after I srt into the tree.

It sounds like you have designed a near-optimum system. I have to admit that I do frequently drag a second rope up into the tree if I want to switch to DRT, and in a dozen other ways I do things that are not efficient or practical. I have that luxury since I don't have to make a living at this, but it gives me some real appreciation for people like yourself who do!

 

[OTG BOSTON]

If you're gonna switch to drt then use a semi static with less stretch like the fly or p.i. (thats how I do!)

 

[cutter300]

you mentioned you were looking into purchasing a petzl vario sit saddle.
if you are planning on getting any work done up there i would get something a little thicker.
that saddle is great but it tends to dig in on the side d rings while ascending.
just my experience, i figured i would tell you so you can adjust accordingly if need be.

I guess this is ascending with a flip line being the side D rings are painful. Am I correct? Have you climbed with the same style of saddle but with a different brand which you might recommender? Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[cutter300]

I've been reading this thread and just realized you still haven't left the ground yet. I haven't posted because I am a beginner also, looking to pick up some tips myself. If you want a to get together for a demonstration I would try to help you out. All we need is a tree.

I'll take you up on the offer. I appreciated it. I will try messaging you.