Beginners climbing guide, hints, tips and general climbing techniques

[billpierce]

Do you mean comfortable like saw hips/crushed bollocks or comfortable find it all alarming?

[Dan Maynard]

Its a huge learning curve, I liken it to driving where at first you're trying to work out clutch gears steering. After a while you can do these things simultaneously and actually start to think about where you're going.

I'm absolutely still learning but it does get easier, a lot is to do with efficient moves, picking good anchor points to get yourself into good positions, sorting out the order you do things to minimise climbing and get material shifted more easily.

Practice, read, think as you climb, do as much climbing as possible.

[J7G7]

44 minutes ago, billpierce said:

Do you mean comfortable like saw hips/crushed bollocks or comfortable find it all alarming?

 

Yeah more like the fact like when you’re just freehanging my mind is like ahhhh

and limbwalks I need to practice, I use a main line and then a shorter secondary so no like lanyard for me but I think it’s down to the fact that on my course I was out on a oak limb and swung right back in the trunk!

[Rich Rule]

1 hour ago, J7G7 said:

Thanks for replies guys, I appreciate it and will try a few different cords out. 

 

On another note but I'm sure and often asked question, how can I feel more comfortable in the tree? I've only been properly climbing a few months and working with guys who have 10+ years experience (and they have been brilliant, helpful and reassuring) just sometimes I feel like a bloody idiot! It really is all just in my head I'm just hoping after a year or 2 i'll be flying around the tree. Did anyone else experience this starting out? 

Yes.

[Mike Hill]

It's not easy for anyone.

Some take to climbing faster than others but it is your will to be better that sets you apart.

20 years later I am still sometimes frightened up a Tree,anyone who claims differ are either telling lies,has never pushed themselves or is mentally insane.

[stihlmadasever]

Everyone gets fear,its just at what height,50 feet,80 or 120 feet...

go high enough and everyone gets scared.Its how you handle your fear and get into work mode that counts.

Speed will come in time,as will good work positioning.When you can look up at a tree and see routes round it,see good anchor points and how your goin to prune or dismantle it you know your getting somewhere.

As said above its the will and pig headedness to get better that will bring your confidence up.

Push yourself

I used to hate spiking up spars cause i gaffed out of a scots pine choggin down a pole and it put the shitters up me!

I made myself spike up and down every spar i could after that so i wasnt scared anymore.Trust your gear,climb often,challenge and push yourself,you'll get there

[billpierce]

Aye, just keep at it. You'll stop thinking about it after a bit

[TIMON]

Some days are better than others, especially when you’re starting out.
A trick I taught myself, to overcome irrational fear without becoming complacent was to get a good anchor point set up in the tree then go for some ‘deliberate practice swings’ around the tree, (watch out for stubs though) about halfway up. This helps build confidence in your gear and movement around the tree without being too tentative.
Like others have said, it’s normal and a healthy fear/respect for what you are doing can keep you safe.
Happy climbing, you’ll get there.

[peds]

Evening dudes, how's it going?

 

Quick question for ye. Totally new to the trade here (see my previous post in this thread a couple of pages back). Had a trial day a little while ago, starting work next month once my contract as a full-time dad is up, I'll be doing a hell of a lot of groundie work before the guy lets me up in his trees, but I want to get climbing and practicing on my own property in the meantime. I've ordered my own 45m 11.1mm rope and the usual cheapo Treehog 5000 harness to get me started. I'll be switching to a mechanical device at some point in the future, but I want to practice with climbing on various different hitches first. I'll be going to my local climbing gear shop soon to get a big length of 8mm prusik cord just to have in and available, ten meters or so.

 

Anyway... what length do people find it best to cut your cord for prusiks, for DRT? Just so that I don't end up trimming too much off my reel unnecessarily. Just to mention, I'm good with knots, as I'm already a climber/ski mountaineer, and happy tying and taping my own prusik loops, just looking for some advice on standard lengths that people use.

 

Here's a picture of some friends and I dicking around with ropes far away from any tree.

 

Cheers dudes, have a good night.

[AHPP]

Look at the length of eye to eye spliced friction cords sold by arb shops and roughly copy that

 

or 

 

tie a fisherman's in the end and then another fisherman's further down, then retie the second fisherman's until you're happy and then make the cut.

Edited October 4, 2018 by AHPP