climbing after long breaks...

[sloth]

Does anyone have experience of returning to climbing after long breaks? How did you find it? Did you miss it?

 

I stopped climbing around 2 and a half years ago when my wife became unwell and long days became unworkable. I missed being in the trees, a lot! In that time I have only pruned a couple of little apples for a friend (free climbed) and one arial inspection.

Yesterday I pulled the harness back on and wielded a 200t once again to help out a mate. Nothing major, just a willow repollard and a lime. I was a little nervous to be honest, but once gear was on I was on my way into the canopy I felt free! Just a simple climb felt exhilarating, not from adrenaline but from relief. It seems climbing is like riding a bike, or meeting an old friend.

 

So, anyone else?

[WorcsWuss]

I understand what you mean. I don't get to climb all the time, sometimes it can be months between getting off the ground and I do miss it. I spend all my time when I'm on my travels spotting trees which would be great to climb, or fun to limb walk. Getting all the gear on and standing under one about to chuck the throwline is like Christmas for me!

[RobArb]

I understand what you mean. I don't get to climb all the time, sometimes it can be months between getting off the ground and I do miss it. I spend all my time when I'm on my travels spotting trees which would be great to climb, or fun to limb walk. Getting all the gear on and standing under one about to chuck the throwline is like Christmas for me!

 

For someone who admits to not climbing much, if at all, you sure do have a lot to say on the subject:001_huh:

[WorcsWuss]

For someone who admits to not climbing much, if at all, you sure do have a lot to say on the subject:001_huh:

 

Casting nasturtiums now are we Robin....?

I climb as much as I need to and have done since 1996 when I left school and started pollarding Willows and managing our farm trees generally, which I did for 5 years [starting off using a ladder for access and a bit of polyprop tied round my waist to stop me falling out] until I started working in construction, so I have probably as much experience now as someone who has worked as a second climber for a few years [maybe:confused1:].

Now I just keep my hand in, doing between 20 & 50 or so dismantles / pollards / [some] prunes [although these are usually a bit beyond my skills] each year, and rec climb when I can.

 

I know what I know and know what I don't. It's my wider knowledge of trees which is lacking - there are more trees I don't know than trees I do - and not so much how to safely get up and down them or take them apart....

 

I could claim to be a 'tree surgeon' instead?

But I'm not. I haven't studied arb at college or worked at it full time for years so to claim that I am would be wrong.

[RobArb]

Not casting anything, just expressing an opinion, just like others not too far away.

 

Oh, and making full use of the available smilies:001_rolleyes:

[David Humphries]

I've been climbing for just over 20 years but now climb sporadically (possibly a dozen times at most in the last year) and very rarely for more than an hour at a time. Mostly inspection, fung hunting and the odd small dismantle.

 

So I guess I'm in the (not very often) bracket.

 

What I find difficult to measure and reflect upon, is my current ageing fitness & ability to aerial rescue as a second climber and also ending up not having a specific main climbing system as I tend to try out the teams various prefered hitches & climbing aids out of interest which has familiarity issues.

 

No excuse for the mixed gratuitous images as it reminds me of times gone by

 

My enjoyed climbing days are (sadly) in the fading past.

 

 

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[gibbon]

I've gone from a six day a week balls out sub contract climber to an occaisonal climber. I tend to get my harness on about once a month, but its often for a full on dismantle, rarely do I work on small trees anymore

 

I think once you have perfected your core skills its easy to get back into as long as your fitness is still good

[Mark Bolam]

I find after a long period of hedges and small stuff I get nervous up a fifty footer for the first half hour or so, then the hard-wiring kicks in again.

 

If I haven't climbed for a while I do get the urge to climb something decent sized, even just for a rec.

 

 

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Edited March 21, 2013 by Mark Bolam

[Le Sanglier]

The thing is with Worcs Wuss is he never claims to be (or to have been) a commercial climber, in fact he regularly reiterates that. Initially, Like you, Rob Arb I found his posts

puzzling because of that but he actually knows his stuff and his opinions are valid.

What is a bit annoying is when people make veiled references to others without naming them, it's a bit childish. ie. "others not too far away"

Ps David Humphries you looked a bit like Eddie Izzard!

[David Humphries]

Ps David Humphries you looked a bit like Eddie Izzard!

 

I found the rocks played havoc with my varnish

 

 

 

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