The next step from prussic

[swinny]

what size of friction cord would be used with my climbing line which is a yale xtc for the hitch climber 8mm or 10mm??

[Frank]

then ideally you need to get someone to go through VT or mechanical stuff as a lot of finner points and potential for getting it wrong

 

Here here. Listen to this man.

[MattyF]

if you think england is devoid of open crowned trees you havent worked any decent sized Oak/beech/planes/sycamores etc etc etc.

 

Not saying that at all but as usual I

Might as well head butt a wall than trying to tell you what i think , we all know most of the tree's we deal with are below 50ft and are not well spread in there canopy any thing like a eucy, if they are then happy days...

[danroker1987]

3 knot system all the way !!!!!yay!

[Craig Johnson]

what ever VT or system any one uses, does not make them a faster climber.

Efficiency Efficiency Efficiency is what makes a faster climber

[LSD]

Swinny I think distal and pully is the next step, after that try a vt hc combo, and then if you've go a spare £200 burning a hole go for the lock or spider jack,

think the best thing for making climing smooth/easyer is a rope guide

[TerryTibbs]

what size of friction cord would be used with my climbing line which is a yale xtc for the hitch climber 8mm or 10mm??

 

Go for a Hitchclimber rapide, less maintenance with the sealed bearing.

 

I use a HC with a distel, easy, safe and importantly for me right now, re-assuring, i found i was always checking the setting of my VT before i sat back on it. Right now a distel is what i find makes my climbing smoother because i'm not constantly checking it, but i will probably move to a VT when i' more experienced.

 

Oh, and use Ocean Polyester 8mm, fairly cheap by the metre from Jonesies.

[bareroots]

the next step from the prussic, it's a blake. It's a lovely knot. I still do all my small to medium trees on it. It's cost effective, smooth, doesn't jam up. Safe as houses. It self tends nicely too.

 

Don't get me wrong, I've got a hitch climber. Use a variety of knots on it. It 's great for the bigger trees and limb walking. Still not convinced by the Vt though. It's a lovely knot but I don't like having to think about it when I'm busy.

 

Had chance to play around on a spider jack last sunday. It was lovely. Did seem too nervey on the descent either. Tended like a dream. Thing is i like knots and I'm a tight bastard. I won't be buying one.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Not saying that at all but as usual I

Might as well head butt a wall than trying to tell you what i think , we all know most of the tree's we deal with are below 50ft and are not well spread in there canopy any thing like a eucy, if they are then happy days...

 

many of the trees i do are well over 50ft:001_tt2:

 

so no i dont know that most of the trees I will work are below 50!

[Rupe]

I think its worrying that people are referign to the Hitch climber as a climbing method. Its just a pulley. The rapide is for rigging or speedlines etc. and the other is for a hitch tender.

 

Its the hitch that makes the system, and a VT can be tied using almost any pulley currently available. The next step from a prussik is possible a blakes, or a pulley assisted prussik/blakes, then maybe a distel/michogan/helical/VT. MAybe after trying all of those then a hitch climber could be used to give further aplications to which ever system is now prefered.

 

You dont climb on a hitch climber, you climb on a friction hitch and some use a pulley to tend them and one of the pulleys available is called a hitch climber.