Footlocking

[vduben]

if you have to footlock up in a tree its gonna be big so you really shoudnt be on your own!!

[Log-ologist]

I hate footlocking , it gives me cramp in my feet, funny cos spikes dont have that effect.

[Marc]

A guy I work with showed me how he footlocks, but I have a question about the technique. After crotching his line, he tied off one end of his line to another tree as an achor point. My question is: If you are by yourself with nobody to untie your rope, is there another way to use this technique? When I asked him that question, his reply was "You shouldn't be working by yourself". That's all fine and good, but in reality, I do side-work and sometimes I am by myself. So, is there a way to footlock w/o anchoring your line?

 

Why tie off to another tree? I thought that was more for srt and mechanical devices?

 

Most footlockers i've worked with footlock a doubled line for simplicity.

 

And why do you need to untie it can't you leave it in position till your finished, again most climbers I work with do this as it makes a great access line.

Why don't you just pull it over the branch and drop it to the floor then untie it when your down if you must.

 

just curious is all, i know nothing about footlocking other than what I see.

[Steve Bullman]

im confused too. if you're footlocking yuou would have your line going over a crotch and both lines coming back to the ground. you footlock both lines together.

[Lancstree]

I footlock from time to time and find if you don't do it for a while its really knackering - gets you extra fit though which is a bonus.

 

When footlocking on a double rope always plan and be aware of how you are going to change system once you have reached the top of the rope. If you don't have an eye splice in one end I would recommend tying a stopper knot on the end that clips back into the carabiner, the reason for this will follow..

 

I tend to look for a decent branch or crotch that I can stand in then get my strop around the stem or big limb. Next advice is to slacken the friction hitch sufficient to allow you to pull the working end of the rope up until the eye splice or stopper knot zooms up and hits the hitch. Make sure you don't have too much slack in the hitch or it may slip through and you're stuck up there without a life line. Then all you need to do is set up your normal system and remove the footlocking hitch.

 

Where changing over systems may be difficult I opt for the lazy man's footlocking, which is actually quite fast when practised. Have your normal setup and do maybe one or two thrusts to get off the ground. Put one hand on the life line where it meets the carabiner and the other hand below the friction knot then footlock on the loose end of rope and you can relax anytime.

 

If you had a self tending setup and a petzl pantin I reckon you could ascend a tree almost hands free! Sounds a bit awkward though.

[Jack-Arb aka Tiago Sinclair-Julio.]

I really cant footlock without a prusik I know its practice and thecnique but if you can have a nice long prusik to put your foot into is difficult to do it without anything. One could even use two prusiks instead of one and use one for each foot I guess!

 

Jack-arb

[Treegeek]

Ive been trying footlocking but only on single line ie when theres no lower limbs bit slow but neat method i can say i footlocked up in a big cedar which i was chufed with but the guy i work with whos just joined forum (treedude) footlocks like a demon

[bob]

If you had a self tending setup and a petzl pantin I reckon you could ascend a tree almost hands free! Sounds a bit awkward though.

its not awkward very simple and when you get where you want to go your set up to start no re tying or you can stop half way up to make a few cuts then carry on up only extra kit is a pantin love it to bits

[DrewB]

Putting this bit of webbing on and then clipping it too the collar of your t-shirt keeps everything out of the way when your footlocking.

We normally set our climbing hitch up as normal on the ground and then the groundie just pulls the rope to advance the hitch up to the climber once hes lanyarded in up in the crown.

[Steve Bullman]

drew, setting your hitch ready to be pulled up is such a simple idea yet excellent! cant believe i never thought of that before