Will the friction hitch become extinct?

[holdatcharlie]

With the imminent arrival of the zigzag to join the mechanical ascender and descender, the spiderjack and positioner - is the end of the 'old faithful' friction hitch nigh? Will these slick mechanical marvels oust the quirky, fiddly friction hitch with it's bewildering combinations of knots, cords, diameters and systems? Will the Hitchclimber system be the swan song of the 'old school' of climbing?

 

Or, is it that reliability; that flexibility; that variety; that 'quick to fix'; that very 'tuneability' of the friction hitch that will make it the first choice for the next generation of arborists?

[Stephen Blair]

I don't fancy choke ring a stem with a Zig zag, and a bit of ivy nearly killed me on a spiderjack!!

There gadgets, that's all!

[silky fox]

Great thread...i love my Spiderjack and will soon have a Zig Zag...but enjoyed re pollarding a poplar on friday with 13mm Xtc plus with a OP prussick...i felt all sentimental body thrusting and manipulating the prussick..

[Craig Johnson]

I don't fancy choke ring a stem with a Zig zag, and a bit of ivy nearly killed me on a spiderjack!!

There gadgets, that's all!

 

:thumbup:

[Paul Jenks]

The beauty and relative simplicity of a prussik is that if it starts to lose grip halfway through a job one can turn it round and carry on. (Or grip it with one hand and cut with the other.) Old school indeed. How very dare you.

 

Do they still teach using the end of the climbing rope to form a prussik in climbing tests?

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Great thread...i love my Spiderjack and will soon have a Zig Zag...but enjoyed re pollarding a poplar on friday with 13mm Xtc plus with a OP prussick...i felt all sentimental body thrusting and manipulating the prussick..

 

Last time I used a prusik, I didn't feel sentimental and nostalgic.

I felt exhausted, awkward, slow, embarrassed and stupid.

[WoodED]

i have just moved of a 13mm xtc magma ice wit a blakes on to my 12mm yale imori using a stein skywalker pully eye to eye prussic and a vt knot.... i love it now ive figured out what i was doing wrong be4 with the hitchclimber. the friction hitch wont die.

Edited January 20, 2013 by WoodED

[WoodED]

The beauty and relative simplicity of a prussik is that if it starts to lose grip halfway through a job one can turn it round and carry on. (Or grip it with one hand and cut with the other.) Old school indeed. How very dare you.

 

Do they still teach using the end of the climbing rope to form a prussik in climbing tests?

 

yes they do

[Frankie Lawrence]

 

Do they still teach using the end of the climbing rope to form a prussik in climbing tests?

 

Yes you still have to learn the 3 knot system or I did in mine a couple years back until fairly recently I worked with a couple of guys who still climbed that way!

 

The hicth climber is as "new school" as ill go can't be dealing with srt or mechanical stuff one coz I'm to tight and two coz if it ain't broke don't fix it!

[Langur]

Last time I used a prusik, I didn't feel sentimental and nostalgic.

I felt exhausted, awkward, slow, embarrassed and stupid.

 

For small trees I use a Schwabisch on my mini rope and I really enjoy it!

 

It just gives a different taste to small pruning jobs.