Single Line Work Positioning

[softbankhawks]

My Unicender, that I use for single line work positioning, was in America so I was back to work positioning on a doubled rope system. For nostalgia I decided to access my tree off ladders and then advance limb to limb up to my tie-in-point. The tree was a mature English oak with a squat and wide-ish form and it needed to be crown reduced by 20%. The climb up was great. I got to stand in the lovely and massive bole for a minute or so while I advanced my climbing system. I did a couple of limb roll-overs. I scored with a longish advancement when throwing my ‘handbag’.

This tree needed two ropes or a decent doubled rope re-direct (which I do not have). I only carried one rope that day and so on the second half of the tree I decided to remove my tie-in-point and place it closer to me as I was flatlining over a considerable span. My new tie-in-point began to give me the heebies as it was on a longish diagonal and I balked from one section of a limb walk in the upper crown. It is the first time that I had to have a polesaw sent up to me.

My pride was hurt. I needed extra climbing equipment. Doubled rope climbers do it the hard way I thought.

 

Two days ago I had to crown reduce a mature Ash that had become unbalanced on one side and had regressed on the main leader. I had my Unicender back and my climb was very different.

Like the second tie-in-point on the Oak I had to use a diagonal limb for my tie-in-point. For those who do not use a throw line or single line access I will run through the set-up

Throw line to tie-in-point and rope pulled through. Rope anchored below, I decided to use a nearby tree at a 45 degree angle and against the lean of my tie-in-point.

I then accessed the canopy and set a webbing sling and threeway krab on a second tie-in-point lower than the first as a back-up to the initial point.

This set-up made me feel secure on those higher limb walks. It is very lightweight in terms of gear. The uniceder has built in descending mode.

 

When I needed to climb over to the lower central portion I decided to get my groundie to hold fast the tail of my climb line and I speedlined myself straight there right over the masses of ivy that was creeping up, set another webbing sling and finished off the second part of the tree.

 

The job was was finished safely and early and I rejoiced back at the yard about single line work positioning to cries of “yeah yeah … whatevah”.

[High Scale]

Nice one, I would like to see you climb single line in the flesh, as it were, that way I could get a better idea of the advantages.

[Ian Flatters]

I like the idea but myself i get a bit lost with the whole term of SRT's have you got any photos of how you do it?? Please.

[softbankhawks]

I like the idea but myself i get a bit lost with the whole term of SRT's have you got any photos of how you do it?? Please.

 

Targettrees, there are so many ways of setting up an SRT system and a dozen more of tieing off the rope. If your single line is not choked off at the tie-in-point with a running bowline it will be anchored at the base to form a trunk belay. The attachment shows a line tied off on a figure eight. I don't like this as the line can slop and tighten and there is a chance of cross loading the hardware. It is the only photo that I have.

The standard caving system that is sometimes called the 'frog walker', consists of an upper ascender with footloop, a chest ascender and a foot clamp, but like I say you can set it up in many ways. If you are using an open shelled ascender you MUST back it up. My Unicender does not need a back-up but the croll is useful for climbing up and around limbs.

 

Single Rope Technique has an obvious advantage for long ascents and I am finding out more and more that using a trunk belay helps alot on awkward and more fragile trees and some would say that this is a contradiction in terms as a trunk belay loads the tie-in-point with up to twice your body weight. With careful forethought it can be used as an advantage though, like I tried to explain in my first post.

[David Humphries]

That the Oak at Hatfield by the lake Paul?

 

 

 

 

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[softbankhawks]

Hi Dave, yes it is. I've started another contract at Hatfield, with Essex Arb this time. It's great to be back. Did you hear owt about the recordings?

[Ian Flatters]

Targettrees, there are so many ways of setting up an SRT system and a dozen more of tieing off the rope. If your single line is not choked off at the tie-in-point with a running bowline it will be anchored at the base to form a trunk belay. The attachment shows a line tied off on a figure eight. I don't like this as the line can slop and tighten and there is a chance of cross loading the hardware. It is the only photo that I have.

The standard caving system that is sometimes called the 'frog walker', consists of an upper ascender with footloop, a chest ascender and a foot clamp, but like I say you can set it up in many ways. If you are using an open shelled ascender you MUST back it up. My Unicender does not need a back-up but the croll is useful for climbing up and around limbs.

 

Single Rope Technique has an obvious advantage for long ascents and I am finding out more and more that using a trunk belay helps alot on awkward and more fragile trees and some would say that this is a contradiction in terms as a trunk belay loads the tie-in-point with up to twice your body weight. With careful forethought it can be used as an advantage though, like I tried to explain in my first post.

 

Thanks for the pics it makes a bit more sense to me now. I'll have to find someone my way who uses a SRT system and have a play.

[David Humphries]

Hi Dave, yes it is. I've started another contract at Hatfield, with Essex Arb this time. It's great to be back. Did you hear owt about the recordings?

 

Suggested leaving any plans around the recordings until canopies are full of leaf, as oportunity for more movement/rubbing branches will be beter.

 

Sounds (sic) like an very interesting project.

 

 

 

 

I'm really jealous, I love that Oak, would have liked to have the chance to have climbed her.

 

Hoping it was just a dead wood and not removal of that fine gall?

 

What else are you up to at HF, any monos/coros/fractures/retrenchments?

 

Be keen to see any shots ofcourse.

 

 

 

Anymore plans for Rec climbs coming up?

 

Hows the Japanese coming along?

 

 

Appologies for the gross derail

 

 

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Edited January 23, 2010 by Monkey-D

[High Scale]

Fantastic tree, you are lucky to have the chance of climbing her.

[slack ma girdle]

Is that bur in the oak tree as big as it looks, or is it an opitical ilusion