Pole climbing help!

[mikedrums69]

Hi all! In the middle of doing my CS38/39 course.

 

I'm fine with all the stuff i'm doing in the crown and feel pretty confident with that. But as soon as we moved onto pole climbing today i just didn't like that thought!!

 

I know how to do it and i now what im doing is correct 95% of the time. But the thing thats getting me is, i just don't trust that if i do slip or take a fall that the strop is gonna stop me and not slid down the tree with me. I think that i need to just sit back in the harness, take my feet off the tree and let the strop hold me there to prove to myself that it will! But again i still think that im gonna fall

 

Does/did anyone else have this little problem? If so how did you overcome it?

[ben lightfoot]

if your using your side d rings then cross the rope round effectively choking the tree if you were to slip also might act as a confidence boost, i find that once you get up top and start carrying out work by the time your chogging it down your too busy thinking about your work than slipping. good luck and stick with it

[Frankie Lawrence]

What a coincerdence I done a few pole climbs today for the first time.

 

Did the college have a saftey line installed while you were learning?

 

I was pooing it big time on the first realy long leggy alder. The key I found was to keep your mind off the fact your not 100% securley straped in.

 

I was told to use the triangle method to which im sure your famililar with I found it a strugle to understand and get used to it on the first but on the second it made more sense and like evrything in this industry you will get it with experience etc. I was also told to keep my feet wide rather than close together just purely for balance.

 

Get a good angle on the tree not to close as I found out and nearly had a slip lean back you will also feel much more comfortable. Wacth the anlge with the spikes to dont try to go in straight down as alot fo the time you will miss the tree and slip, I think you should normally be able to get a good angle with spikes when you are leaning back to.

 

Like I said I'm no expert im sure the other lads on here will give you much better advice just thought I would add as I done my first bit today.

 

good luck.

[mikedrums69]

Cheers boys.

 

I think its just gonna be the case of getting on with it, doing it slowly at my own pace, making sure everythings correct and if i do slip deal with it.

 

I'll keep you posted on how i get on!

[Mesterh]

Spiking never was my forte and did take me quite awhile to get used to it.

 

Although rubbish ex utility spikes with snubbed gaffs dont help!

 

Whatever you do dont try to hug the pole/tree if you slip, you will regret it! lean back and dig the spikes in.

[Samuel]

i have to say we are currently doing pole climbing at college and i have the same problem, I just can not get into my head that a piece of rope and two metal spikes are going to hold you up in a tree.

[Frankie Lawrence]

 

Whatever you do dont try to hug the pole/tree if you slip, you will regret it! lean back and dig the spikes in.

 

Seen it happen the slip part at a certain aboriculture forum met.

[Brushcutter]

when i did my CS38 pole climbing was the bit i felt most confident about. Sometimes i like to put the flip line on opposite sides so it forms a triangle with the tree in the middle. Sometimes a double rap of flip line round the trunk.

[ad15]

try taking your feet off the tree, BUT try it a foot or two off the ground, to prove it works to your head...

[Jamie]

on my climbing ticket we did very little pole climbing, one short belayed climb. my first day spiking i was pooing bricks. lucky i got used to it as i do a ton of demo climbs. once you get used to them you'll wish you could spike every tree

 

Jamie