Pole climbing help!

[skyhuck]

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Remember to straighten your legs! .

 

I would disagree, I tend to keep my knees a little bent.

 

I find it puts less strain on them and helps absorb any shock or sway.

[monkeyallan]

Try using your centre 'D' rather than side d's, works well for me.

[RobRainford]

I would disagree, I tend to keep my knees a little bent.

 

I find it puts less strain on them and helps absorb any shock or sway.

 

i suppose, it depends on the situation sometimes, if its aerial rescue practice and you are the casualty (unlucky!) then its comfier to have them straight, but when i work its a bit of both. So disregard my statement kind of.

[Taupotreeman]

I find that having slightly bent knees works for a while but then starts to put a strain on my lower back. When I first started I used the old Buckingham leather climbing saddle (Asplundh standard issue) and after a few minutes on the spikes I could hardly get my breathe. I had to stop every few metres and stand straight legged on the spikes to get my wind. I suppose its horses for courses and a matter of finding the technique that best suits.

[Paul Jenks]

Industry best practice, as per the good climbing guide, states that a secondary rope line should be used when pole climbing with a steel strop and that this should be fixed to your central attachment and choked. This will arrest any fall immediatly. It's a right fag as it's so much slower but it is the recognised safe method. Otherwise keep your gaffs very sharp and only ever file the longest side ensuring the final shape of the gaff is the same as when new. If in doubt go to your nearest store and have a look at a new one. This forces the gaff into the wood when your weight is on it.

[Dionysus]

i find having my legs locked out whilst in a fixed position helps a lot, then when you are moving keep them slightly bent so you can react quicker if you gaff out or lose stability, i myself climb on a wirecore with a distel and pulley, and a main line chokered off on the stem via a running bowline, with a prussik loop to bug out on if anything goes wrong up on the pole that way you can just undo your flipline and whizz down, the prussik might not work well for bigger guys i would go with a blakes on a split tail.

[mikedrums69]

Well, had another go today and it went really well. I enjoyed in fact

 

Just kept my cool and got on with it really. Had a little slip but nothing i couldn't handle

 

Bring on the assessment