Tips for ART beginner

[IanW]

I've been looking at different climbing styles for a while, I really like the ART spiderjack.

 

What tips and advice can you give a beginner?

 

Any would be appreciated.

 

Ian

 

 

 

 

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[MattyF]

Get a ART rope guide... If you don't all ready have one, the main reason the climbing is so slick in those vids is because of the rope guide ... The same style frictionless climbing can be adopted on advanced hitches and be as fluid,but the SJ will not be as fluid with out the rope guide.

 

 

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[jeanesy]

Totally agree about the ropeguide. I've climbed on a Spiderjack for a good 18 months and the ropeguide is vital for smoothness.

[MattyF]

The only thing I don't like about the rope guide is the trapeze .. The old desighn with the screw was much better, I have found the trapeze can clip it self in to the eye end of the rope resulting in a stuck device... Then you pull it as hard as possible and your £47 out of pocket for a new one!

At the end of the day I suppose any pulley rated will do.

For a bit of practise though I would try a VT for the hand over hand style ascending as it's the exact same as ascending you will be doing as on the SJ unlike a Prussik or Blakes single hand thrust.

 

 

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[IanW]

any tips, do's or don't's ?

 

 

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[Arran Turner]

Just use it for everything even when it feels like it's making you slower you'll soon work it out after a few months. I've been on mine a year now and wouldn't change it.

 

I've been using mine with a cambium saver because I'm too lazy to buy a pulley saver and it's ok but not as good.

 

Don't ever use it without a friction saver as it just creeps and slips. And when you bomb out of trees you glaze your rope on the branch it's over...

 

Always use the block when descending. If your using 11ish mm rope adjust the block forward a bit.

 

When limb walking you have to throw a load of rope out in front of you as the SJ doesn't like funny rope angles.

 

It's crap with a rope wrench I've tried it.

 

Get used to using it with both hands as much as possible it's useless only being able to descend with one hand smoothly

 

You will knock the leaver by accident when you are on the tip of a branch just to make your alive.

 

The list could go on forever just go get busy

[Mr. Squirrel]

Go on youtube and watch spiderjackery III, should explain most of it.

 

If you ever do trees together with another climber be wary of them slapping the black lever.

 

If you ever do trees together with another climber you can really get them by poking the black lever with a stick!

 

And use some sort of pulley up top.

[James Atkinson]

I have used the spiderjack now for around about 5 years, and have build up a good relationship with ART in the process, what I would recommend is pretty much what others say, ropeguide! And get the double snapper to retrieve it out of the tree, it really is great, and after using a few ropes, yale XTC, imori, New England tachyon and Samson velocity, the velocity is the best hands down, people say it's too thin on the hands, but you soon adjust. A few extras in the future would be a swivel on your bridge, and mayby a pantin, but neather are vital. ART are a great family run business who always are willing to help so that always helps

 

 

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[Alinicoll]

A useful tip is to make sure when you need to branch roll to ascend the tree you pay out enough rope before you branch roll. If you are above your anchor spiderjack can lock off. If you haven`t payed out enough rope it can leave you stuck in quite uncomfortable positions unable to release the spiderjack....if that makes sense.