limb selection

[Dean Lofthouse]

MEWPs, please we are Climbers not Nurses.

 

Eh ??????????????????????????

[Mr. Bish]

The best advise up there seems to be "Trust your instincts"

 

Even dead oak feels much stronger than many live trees.

 

I was standing on a dead oak branch the size of my wrist yesterday and it didn't fail me :-) I wasn't brave enough to use it as an anchor though. Thats my instinct.

[Paul Barton]

If your thinking about it......it's too small.

 

Maybe after some experience yes, but when you are starting out I disagree. I remember always being told at college to go higher to set my anchor - it is nerve racking at first because of the combination of height and smaller limbs to choose from.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Best thing to do if you are unsure is what they show you at the Arb shows, put in your anchor and test it from the ground by suspending two people on it. If it holds two people, it will hold one person bouncing about in the crown.

[cerneARB]

thanks erveyone for the advice.Is a redirect two climbing lines?or is that your pull belt or am i just being a wally?

[Dean Lofthouse]

thanks erveyone for the advice.Is a redirect two climbing lines?or is that your pull belt or am i just being a wally?

 

Redirect is where you already have your anchor point, but say you want to do a long branch walk, you attach a sling with a carabina on another branch above your limb walk branch and pass your climbiing line thru the carabina, limiting your swing should you slip.

 

Best I can describe it without a drawing

[cerneARB]

thanks pentecools..no drawing needed. TA

[Steve Bullman]

Best thing to do if you are unsure is what they show you at the Arb shows, put in your anchor and test it from the ground by suspending two people on it. If it holds two people, it will hold one person bouncing about in the crown.

 

thats all very well, but dont you ever have that niggling doubt that the bouncing you've just done has been enough to cause a hairline fracture in the anchor point that could fail on your ascent?

[Dean Lofthouse]

thats all very well, but dont you ever have that niggling doubt that the bouncing you've just done has been enough to cause a hairline fracture in the anchor point that could fail on your ascent?

 

If I was unsure, I'd rather test it that way steve, than not at all.

 

I personally don't take chances, can't afford to. If there is a doubt I pull the other end of my rope and use two anchors, slows you up a little but at least you finish the job.

[Rentachimp]

I try and get two high anchors if possible, anyway; makes branchwalking a lot easier, imo.