Will the friction hitch become extinct?

[kierangurney]

i think with the introduction of the zigzag and aids of such things as the spiderjack the climbing Arborist may change how they work and climb, but i only speak from personal experience that i was taught to climb on the good old prusik and spent allot of time climbing with a Blakes after qualifying.

i think to teach climbing ad working in the tree the old way is still one of the best, as climbers advance they will adapt into there own styles and ways. the friction hitch will never die as it is a essential way to learn the basics.

[WorcsWuss]

I LOVE the whole act of tying the knots, and the price.

I quite fancied the idea of a spiderjack for a while but I'm well over that. The zigzag doesn't appeal to me at all.

I like the versatility of cord, I can tie what I want where I like.

The only mechanical doodah which does appeal is a cinch for my strop, but I'm not lusting after it so much that I'm going to order one. Going to spend it on a snake anchor instead.

I think the only way the friction hitch will be killed off is if the HSE delude themselves into believing we're as thick as they are and shouldn't be allowed to tie our own knots.....let's hope they get disbanded before that happens....

[holdatcharlie]

i love it now i've figured out what i was doing wrong be4 with the hitchclimber.

 

What were you doing wrong?

[coleman]

For small trees and messy fells, especially chogging down i use a blakes, everything else is on the SJ. Theres a time and place for it all.

[coleman]

and i use both ends of my long rope for climbing monsters too, eye end on the SJ, blakes on the knot end so i can un clip throw that end down at any point!!

[WorcsWuss]

For small trees and messy fells, especially chogging down i use a blakes, everything else is on the SJ. Theres a time and place for it all.

 

For EVERYTHING I use a vt, different cords in different applications tied slightly differently, but always the same basic knot. On my strop, on ddrt with hc & pulley saver and now on SRT...

 

Only time I don't use a hitch is clogging down when I just have an f8 on a choked single line in case I have to bail.....

[Matthew Storrs]

Im not at all clued up on spiderjack/lockjack etc, even the hitchclimber is abit of a foreign language for me, good old prussik everytime and been using it fine for 8 years- although occasionally my adventurous streak shines and i use a klemheist. I guess it depends on what kind of tree work you do, here on dartmoor tip reductions are far and few between and when i do get the odd one i manage just fine with my prussik. I like the low cost, ease of replacement and in general im a creature of habit so i doubt i will ever change from a good ole friction hitch, I may try the hitchclimber this year tho...

[steve@black]

Maybe a great idea but correct me if I am wrong nobody has been formally trained to climb on systems that legally require a back up line which is not being used. Might as well be doing it in shorts and flip flops.

[kieran connell]

nothin wrong with glimbing gadgets if they help! its personal choice, but i personally prefer prussiks, blakes hich etc..

[arbogrunt]

the prussik look will never become extinct...because there will always be climbers that won't spend money on climbing aids and who can't remember how to tie anything else (that said, I use them when I climb both ends of my line! )