Climbing time ends

[Gardenscape]

23 hours ago, Sviatoslav Tulin said:

Climb till you die …. FFS …BE A MAN! Stop crying there … it’s annoying! Snowflake ❄️! Go to gym… get tablets but don’t surrender! We need to fight PUTIN  soon….. Country need you to be ready …. Go sharpen your chains it is work day tomorrow !  ………………… I hope I motivated you enough!

100% with this. I am 40, I have worked out since 16 and to this day lived by a consistently good diet. I intend to carry on until I physically can't. I dread the day I won't be able to do physical activity, but until then I keep battling each day and so should all of us. 

[Ledburyjosh]

18 hours ago, Cob-logging said:

Hi all long time since posting on here I am now 64 in February the big 65 

climb two days a week for myself and others I have worked with before.         

As a hobby i took up weight lifting 17 months ago in March 2024 last October broke 4 world records in deadlifting 

this year me and my stepson came joint first in the tandem deadlift 455kg this year I did 3 world records Viking lift 355 trap bar 300kg normal deadlift 240kg so climbing trees makes you stronger than you think 

Mega well done.

 

I had a go at a gym the start of the year, lifted 120kg and thought I was going to either snap or shit myself...

[Ledburyjosh]

16 hours ago, Gardenscape said:

100% with this. I am 40, I have worked out since 16 and to this day lived by a consistently good diet. I intend to carry on until I physically can't. I dread the day I won't be able to do physical activity, but until then I keep battling each day and so should all of us. 

If work is your thing it makes sense. Stopping activity does do you any favours. 

For me I'm not into it, work for me is earning money to do hobbies. As such the conflict more as you age.. or atleast I am finding.

 

As someone else pointed out reductions are harder, killing trees amd rigging on spikes is much easier.

[maybelateron]

On 18/12/2025 at 06:06, Mick Dempsey said:

I’m training a young climber atm and he’s taking huge leaps (not literally) week on week.

So for 85% of the stuff we do he’s as quick as me or near enough, this leaves me on the ground, running the ropes and feeding the chipper and guess what?

It’s harder work than climbing especially on my rather fragile back, but he loves climbing and every day he’s in the harness and up the trees he’s happy, who could deny him that?

But to get back to your question, what’s next for me?

In an ideal world I’d just hire another fit young person, let them do the grunt work and  just run the loader and grinder.

Employing another body is too much of a risk though.

I’ll just carry on, hopefully stay working (in treework) till retirement, mechanise as much as possible, try and get the work that suits us best, head down to the finish line!

I'm in the same situation, aged 66. I can still get up there, no problem, making a strategic cut with/without lowering gear for a big section. Not so good at going out to the periphery, or perhaps I should say useless. I have a 25 year old subbie who mentally is more like 35 -40 thank goodness, who I use for the tiring climbing work. I am now focusing on using machinery as much as possible. Currently using a very good tracked MEWP, mindigger with grab, power barrow, compact tractor with loader and 3 point winch etc. I use these to make my jobs easier, but also hire myself out with kit/experience to help a couple of local similar small firms whi have less kit.