SRT in tree climbing. Has it really changed that much?

[Shooter]

I thought SRT was a recently new phenomenon for arborists, so I was surprised to just stumble across this article on Treebuzz dated 2002

http://treebuzz.com/pdf/SingleRope.pdf

 

Obviously the rope wrench changed everything, but were people using SRT back in 2002 for work positioning or was it purely access?

[MattyF]

Some folk have been , I think it’s some thing largely untouched until the zk1 came out but I had always heard about these mythical beast climbers on there Pantins and hand acenders who would leave most good climbers for dead on big London plane Tree’s .
I think for myself myself I largely skipped over the Jeff Epsom’s and Tom dunlaps book touching on it as I felt a pantin on a double rope was good enough for my basic climbing needs.
I think also I tried the zk1 and hated it , brought a mk2 after the raving of it on here and hated it and it sat in the bottom of the bag for a few years before I gave it a proper chance and it changed my working life! My opinion now is Kevin Bingham should get a nighthood for it!!

[Steve Bullman]

Thats a blast from the past.  I started frequenting treebuzz around that time and I remember @Tom Dunlap always being a big proponent of it.  Even then it was probably nothing new.  The big redwood climbers/researchers had probably been using it for a few years at that point.  But there was no easy way of ascending and descending at the same time at that point.  It involved unclipping parts of the system and clipping other parts on to descend.  The unicender was around for a few years prior to the wrench, but yes it really was the wrench that changed the game entirely.  I remember watching @kevin bingham demonstrate his prototype(of sorts) of the wrench setup at the TCIA Expo back in 2009 which basically involved a karabiner and a fig8 clipped together to create the bite in the rope that the wrench creates.

[Ian Flatters]

I thought SRT was a recently new phenomenon for arborists, so I was surprised to just stumble across this article on Treebuzz dated 2002
http://treebuzz.com/pdf/SingleRope.pdf
 
Obviously the rope wrench changed everything, but were people using SRT back in 2002 for work positioning or was it purely access?

Hi shooter,

It’s been around for a long time.

I personally felt that it was deemed/perceived as a bit of a faff, messing about with changeovers, removing ascenders, shunts, Crolls (or whatever you used) before the zk1.

However the unicender was about before the rope wrench zk1 and I still occasionally use one (and love it). However the rope wrench for me was almost what you’d call a “bolt on component”, just add it above your hitch system rather than a different system completely. I guess this opened the doors to many including myself, dan Curtis, rich rule, adam Bourne and many, many more people.

Eventually the rope runner, bulldog bone, hitch hiker arrived. Not sure what happened to the akimbo I know ben rose and rich rule had one. So at a glance it’s kind of headed full circle to a unicender type.

So I guess getting back to the question as I have gone slightly off track.

Some were using it just for access, however a fair few people were using unicenders in SRTWP (or whatever it’s called now) a while before this like drew b and jono Smith and they were both for me great influences and Kevin’s rw has also allowed me to progress my experience, from messing around with Adams solid tether, to messing around with a lockjack and rw combo.

Anyway, just my thoughts on the subject and please don’t take it as given word.

Cheers,

Ian

[Tom Dunlap]

Hi @Steve Bullman  thx for the flag!

 

i stumbled onto SRT via the first edition of On Rope in mid '90s or so

 

it made perfect sense for ascent then work DdRT. Then RADS. Then trying to find a hitch that ascended and descended. Morgan Thompson solved it in '05 I think with the Uni

 

 

the Uni has been my fav multicender since

 

i saw Kevin's original wooden Rope Wrenches and knew he was onto

something

 

when the Original RW came out it saws readily accepted. It took me a while to understand why arbos preferred it to the Uni. My conclusion is that we all started on a rope and hitch. There is a comfortable continuity in the lineage. For me, the hitch/device setups are too complicated and very long. Wait...no...I sure don't want to derail this into a debate. Just my preference and conclusion about SRT setups

 

 To my core I believe that arbos of generations to come will retire with healthier bodies because of using SRT. The 'cost' of the devices and a bit of time learning will be enjoyed later in our careers and in retirement

 

im so tickled to see and hear how SRT has become normal and accepted now. In the past I would have put 'air quotes' around normal. Not anymore. 

 

Right now im enjoying my first Memorial Day weekend of retirement after about 45 year career as a climber. I know that I wouldn't feel as good today if I hadn't started muddling with SRT about 25 years ago

 

So...climb on...time to go kayaking!

 

Tom

[Steve Bullman]

4 minutes ago, Tom Dunlap said:

Hi @Steve Bullman  thx for the flag!

 

i stumbled onto SRT via the first edition of On Rope in mid '90s or so

 

it made perfect sense for ascent then work DdRT. Then RADS. Then trying to find a hitch that ascended and descended. Morgan Thompson solved it in '05 I think with the Uni

 

 

the Uni has been my fav multicender since

 

i saw Kevin's original wooden Rope Wrenches and knew he was onto

something

 

when the Original RW came out it saws readily accepted. It took me a while to understand why arbos preferred it to the Uni. My conclusion is that we all started on a rope and hitch. There is a comfortable continuity in the lineage. For me, the hitch/device setups are too complicated and very long. Wait...no...I sure don't want to derail this into a debate. Just my preference and conclusion about SRT setups

 

 To my core I believe that arbos of generations to come will retire with healthier bodies because of using SRT. The 'cost' of the devices and a bit of time learning will be enjoyed later in our careers and in retirement

 

im so tickled to see and hear how SRT has become normal and accepted now. In the past I would have put 'air quotes' around normal. Not anymore. 

 

Right now im enjoying my first Memorial Day weekend of retirement after about 45 year career as a climber. I know that I wouldn't feel as good today if I hadn't started muddling with SRT about 25 years ago

 

So...climb on...time to go kayaking!

 

Tom

You're welcome Tom, glad you saw it and thanks for posting.  Hope you're keeping well!

[Shooter]

On 28/05/2018 at 09:34, Ian Flatters said:

 

Hi shooter,

It’s been around for a long time.

I personally felt that it was deemed/perceived as a bit of a faff, messing about with changeovers, removing ascenders, shunts, Crolls (or whatever you used) before the zk1.

However the unicender was about before the rope wrench zk1 and I still occasionally use one (and love it). However the rope wrench for me was almost what you’d call a “bolt on component”, just add it above your hitch system rather than a different system completely. I guess this opened the doors to many including myself, dan Curtis, rich rule, adam Bourne and many, many more people.

Eventually the rope runner, bulldog bone, hitch hiker arrived. Not sure what happened to the akimbo I know ben rose and rich rule had one. So at a glance it’s kind of headed full circle to a unicender type.

So I guess getting back to the question as I have gone slightly off track.

Some were using it just for access, however a fair few people were using unicenders in SRTWP (or whatever it’s called now) a while before this like drew b and jono Smith and they were both for me great influences and Kevin’s rw has also allowed me to progress my experience, from messing around with Adams solid tether, to messing around with a lockjack and rw combo.

Anyway, just my thoughts on the subject and please don’t take it as given word.

Cheers,

Ian

 

Thanks.  interesting to see how its developed in quite a short space of time really

[James Atkinson]

For me, in this country it was reading and watching guys like Adam Bourne, Ian Flatters and Drew B that got me into SRT. It was pretty exciting to read and look forward to the next instalment from these guys and others on the first Rope wrench. It was like waiting for a CD being released back in the day [emoji23] before we had access to everything instantly. I have been reminiscing about old Arbtalk this week, feeling it has been changed by Facebook. But that’s a different story! [emoji23]

[Steve Bullman]

5 minutes ago, James Atkinson said:

I have been reminiscing about old Arbtalk this week, feeling it has been changed by Facebook

Doesn't have to be that way, if everyone would post a little more

[James Atkinson]

Doesn't have to be that way, if everyone would post a little more [emoji4]

Your right mate. Out of interest has there been a massive difference in people using the app since Arbtalk was on Facebook?