What's new? Everything, it seems to me!

[Grandad]

Hi all,

 

Found this site a few weeks ago, I'm a retired climber, 17 years or so now. Miss the job something rotten and I'm intrigued to see how everything seems to have changed, even the jargon; you call them lanyards, we called them strops, flip lines, we called them reinforced spiking strops. (Flip lines is easier on the tongue).

Does anybody still climb with cable lay or multi plait nylon rope these days? Gadgets seem to be much more popular now, not that many tree surgeons used climbing gadgets twenty years ago although they were on the way. You would see the odd descender and occasionally a pair of ascenders but these were mostly impulse buys and soon tired of.

Are there any other older tree surgeons on this forum?

[Mick Stockbridge]

Gone are the day's of sash cord for prussic loops lol. I know exactly what you mean Grandad, I've been at it since 82 and was well n truly stuck in yester year until I joined Arbtalk. Now I climb on Tachyon and the vt hitchclimber set up and get this, I even have a lowering kit......

 

Welcome to the forum mate.....

[geoff]

Hi there,plenty of olduns on here,(as above for example)!

Getting on myself at over 50.

[Pat Ferrett]

Welcome Grandad! Nothings changed trees are trees and the day rate aint gone up much since you climbed last

The site lacks that old school cool apart from Aces grandad

[Grandad]

Good to know I'm not the only old timer so thanks for that guys. What the hell are Tachyon and VT Hitchclimber??? We used to call mountaineers rope "Kern Mantle" is that what you climb on nowadays? Didn't like the stuff as you couldn't splice it and it was expensive if you nicked it. We used to have a lowering kit too but we called it "working rope".

[David Goss]

Welcome to the forum Grandad, it will be good to hear your vievs on many of the subjects that come up nowadays. My first rope was a 3 strand nylon and i am well glad they are a thing of the past now. Although a lot of the new stuff is really nice to work with and makes the job much easier, there is still a lot of old school techniques that i wouldnt change ever.

Good to have you on board

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

welcome old man! Things have got better, if a lot more "complicated" these days for sure.

 

glad to see another old skool climber on the scene!

[Graham]

Been climbing since '79 so still a few old 'uns about. I remember causing quite a stir with my state of the art braided terylene line:001_smile: Zero stretch and so easy to prussic up.

[Mick Stockbridge]

Here ya go Grandad, this is my mate Rich demonstrating the VT hitchclimber on Tachyon rope.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13hi48xLUA&feature=related]vt.mp4 - YouTube[/ame]

[Grandad]

Thanks for the video, interesting gadget, seem to remember similar doodads back then but never used one. climbed with a pair of ascenders once, foot in a loop and peddle like a bike and up I went, ok but not worth the effort of hitching up and then swapping over to an ordinary prussic when in position. Good system for pot holers though.

You all seem to be in agreement that things are better now and I am certainly not in a position to either agree or disagree.

David Goss: love your avatar mate! I remember doing something like that, kept going until my voice went up a couple of octaves then I knew it was time to stop being a silly sausage and try another way.