g19fanatic
ArboristSite Lurker
I'm purely a rec climber hence why this post is in this section vs another one.
I'm also a a heavier climber (>310 lbs). When I first started off, I wanted to be able to climb using the minimal amount of safe gear which basically meant a harness and rope (using the tail to tie a blakes hitch). It didn't matter what configuration i tied the blakes in, it always seized with my weight.
I didn't let this stop me and went on to purchase some beeline and tried out several different closed hitches (distel, swabash, micheaon, VT, knut, icicle). I finally settled on the icicle and have been happy since.
Though after a while, it started to bother me that I couldn't still just climb using the end of my rope (as the icicle hitch was a closed hitch). One day i was messing around with some rope and tried a configuration that i was surprised I didn't try before. I tied my hitch onto the rope and finished it off with a yosemite bowline. This essentially allowed me to climb with a closed hitch and use the tail end of the rope.
At first I was concerned about using the same diameter rope for my hitch as the climbing line, but atleast for me this hasn't been an issue.
I've included two images that show you what I am describing. One with the tail of my rope and another one with a split tail.
View attachment 230234
View attachment 230235
Has anyone else ever tried something like this? I've been using this method ever since I first tried it and it works great for my setup (Arbor-plex and being a heavy climber).
I'm also a a heavier climber (>310 lbs). When I first started off, I wanted to be able to climb using the minimal amount of safe gear which basically meant a harness and rope (using the tail to tie a blakes hitch). It didn't matter what configuration i tied the blakes in, it always seized with my weight.
I didn't let this stop me and went on to purchase some beeline and tried out several different closed hitches (distel, swabash, micheaon, VT, knut, icicle). I finally settled on the icicle and have been happy since.
Though after a while, it started to bother me that I couldn't still just climb using the end of my rope (as the icicle hitch was a closed hitch). One day i was messing around with some rope and tried a configuration that i was surprised I didn't try before. I tied my hitch onto the rope and finished it off with a yosemite bowline. This essentially allowed me to climb with a closed hitch and use the tail end of the rope.
At first I was concerned about using the same diameter rope for my hitch as the climbing line, but atleast for me this hasn't been an issue.
I've included two images that show you what I am describing. One with the tail of my rope and another one with a split tail.
View attachment 230234
View attachment 230235
Has anyone else ever tried something like this? I've been using this method ever since I first tried it and it works great for my setup (Arbor-plex and being a heavy climber).