Too old?

[monkey mark]

30 years on still climbing at 53 keep the mind & body active hold on to a good groundee mine been with me for 15 years .Go for it and have fun

[Lee Winger]

The climbing or the watching ?

 

Neither, its the paying the wages thats painfull! new ''older'' climbers just aren't a match for young whipper snippers, and time is money , however you look at it.....no doubt I'll cop flak for this post...

Edited May 6, 2009 by Lee Winger

[Lee Winger]

Remember, you have to be an athlete to be a climber

 

My point exactly!

[janey]

AGEIST!!! I do agree with you though, unless you have the luxury of working entirely for yourself when time isn't an issue, your speed up a tree is important. That's one of the reasons i stopped all that climbing stuff: i was safe, competant but just not fast enough . Depends what type of work that you want to get into as well - doing fiddly little fruit tree prunings, for eg, isn't as reliant on speed as LA Plane avenues. I'd still say give it a try.

[David Humphries]

There are some employers & sites, which are never reliant on speedy climbing.

 

When I take on LA contractors & ex privateers, I have to deconstruct their mind set and short cornering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Robert_S]

never too old mate im 43, as the rest of the posts suggest do some rec climbs, do some upper body work ( press ups,pull ups etc) and go for it start off slow and build up to it and dont be in too much of a rush as you have years in front of you, Good Luck.

[MattyF]

My old mans 50 this month and still climbing ,been for 30 years,he tryed to give up more than a few times serious aches and pains and major problems but he still loves it and is drawn back in every time!

My mums 2 years younger has just done her arial rescue and saw tickets,does not climb but she enjoys working with him as his groundsman.

A pic from the other month!

http://

[Lee Winger]

The thing is Matty, in 30 years your Dad has learnt a thing or two, a climber starting at 43, will be 73 by the time he learns as much as your old chap................

[cerneARB]

respect to your dad Matty.....thats how i want to be at his age...good on him and the missus.

[rcarolina]

Thanks for all the positive vibes everyone. I wasn't really thinking about taking the two climbing courses with a view to starting up my own team or even becoming a dedicated climber. I would be happy to start off on the ground with a good firm - I just thought that having 38&39 were pretty much prerequities for getting started in the arb industry. I realise that experience is key and although I am happy and (to my mind) safe and proficient on the ground with a saw, I do realise that its a different kettle of worms working aloft.

 

Still, everyone has to start somewhere and I think we all deserve a second bite of the cherry if our first career choice turns out pants. I'm waiting on Plumpton now to give me the next availbale date for CS38.

 

By the way - I read an article in Horticulture Magazine the other week about the use of MEWP's and one of the arb experts said that he thought climbing would eventually be a rare commodity as most work will be done by MEWP - what are people's thoughts on that? Should I then be thinking about MEWP training rather than climbing? Do all utility arborists have to have climbing tickets and MEWP tickets?

 

Just a few things to ponder, if like me you are trying to get out of doing the gardening at home.

 

rc