Marc

Do you offer the customer a lift to the bank as well? :lol: I missed Arbtalk

It is a bad thing no karabiner is rated across there axis, just look at the new DMM biners with the I-Beam construction they have a channel cut into them and a slimmer profile as they do not need strength in this axis. Also i have heard of un-predictable things happening using karabiners like this with heavy loads, it is a bad idea as your increasing the possibilty of failure so why bother. At the end of the day I will choke karabiners i am not holyier than thou, but it is always in my mind that this is not how they are supposed to be used and take due care.

That looks pretty smooth, is having that small green ring on during a climb going to get in the way, as you have to have it from the start? I reckon you should just put that SJ back into one of your many kit bags and fish out the hitch-climber you know it makes sense:001_tt2: On a side note those DB bags are truly awesome best arb designed kit bag i've seen so far.

I think the part of being dynamic is knowing whats the best way to carry out the job effciently. I often use a karabiner/sling to start with I can sling a piece off and send it on its way, then be rapidly slinging the next piece of in anticipation, in some situation I can sling multiple branches in one go this is where i find slings and karabiners can open up many more options. Rigging branches can become very smooth and flow all day long like this with minimum effort from the climber and ground crew. Once it gets to snatching big timber then i'll start tying. Like you said we all find our own soloutions and have found what works well for us, which way is the best way well thats obvious its mine:001_tt2:.

I would not worry about that it will never happen, treemagineers are on our side from what i know of them, and showing that what we climb on and have done for years can be ce approved not only as individual items but as complete systems is a benefit to us, and does not need to be a package from tefalburger. Having seen guys climbing with them i have to say they are really nice as for price i've not really looked at it but i'd certainly go for one over an art positioner anyday as it is more versatile with what i use.

Not really Steve but it does require a little more thought! And should be undertaken with a little more caution going low and slow or with guidance. Something I have wanted to try is a Petzl double ascendor and 2 pantins on a double line, it would be similar to a Mar Bar system. If I ever find myslef having to redirect through a fork and then have myself hanging in open space with a short ascent back to the fork, I will footlock the tail of my line with the pantin using both legs by putting my foot without pantin ontop of the other, using both legs like this instead of pumping furiously:001_tongue: with the other is more comfortable and slightly more ergonomic i feel. All these little things make our lives easier, and hopefully will keep us climbing longer.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIIuR-HjFho]YouTube - ‪Tumbleweed Joke‬‏[/ame]

Ocean poly 10mm, knute hitch on 12mm rope for me.

Ranger you mention reduce by 20% on a regular basis until a pollard/safe height is reached. Well this will be costly to the client, why not picus test to ascertain the extent of the decay then go from there if the client is willing to pay for this. As Fungus has said the tree could live with this for many several if not decades possibly, Gano is not immediatly dangerous, but investigation is needed to ascertainb how far the decay has progressed and the trees vigour. Also best to leave perenial fruiting bodies on imo

As in i have not got round to buying it, so many other things i need in life this little luxury is just going to have to wait a little bit longer.

*sigh* I still have not got my unicender, for me i doubt it will replace a friction hitch for most work climbs I only want it to really polish my srt system which is pretty err yeehaa (but safe and works!).

A couple of questions, is using dyneema slings for prussik cord advisable? I remember speaking to some alpinist dude in a Germany rock climbing store and asking for some mammut slings to use in such applications he strongly advise against it as he has seen some come close to failure when girth hitched around small radius's like biners when subjected to shock loading, its a very poor friction cord. By splicing to the pinto plates do you ever get problems where the side plates compress together and interfer with the pulley? From my own home made device that i've had for some time i have found the ART steel LINK pulleys the most robust and economic choice its both compact and uses a bearing. I will not use a Coccoon as I have seen these get worn on the sides which has lead to a sharp edge in some situation, and seen one crack its casing after retrieval so for me personally i'll stick with the link. A Cocoon is sexy though. Also having the retrieval shackle at the end on the rope is a tidy solution, yet placing it with a bit of cord at the prussik running through some tubing to stiffen it to prevent the shackle riding up has improved retrieval for me. For me i like it simple and to work reliably.

Props to the groundcrew! Some nice running of the timber there especially top roping those vertical pieces I like to have them bits run away from me like that less chance of them swinging back and hitting me.

What do you climb on now? i'd always suggest moving to a hitchclimber and some varitaion of VT or knute.

ignoring all the logical discussion on risk factors/targets etc Is reducing a tree with Merip viable as a risk reduction measure?? We all know heavy reductions on Beech not only effect the canopy but also what goes on underground with the roots, so by reducing the sail area are we also reducing the stability by the effects of heavy reduction on the roots, and as Merip effects the roots of Beech will reducing actually reduce the chance of failure at all? I'd say a reduction could only be carried out after investigation of the root plate by airspade and possibly resistograph to discover the true extent of the decay unless a better history of the tree is already known, but i'm only a humble climber and by no means an expert in this field. Basically we all know about Targets and Risks, but what about best management to carry out if the targets/risks are low? Is it better to leave alone dare we cause more problems to the root zone and stress the tree lowering its ability to naturally defend itself. Or am i making no sense what so ever?

and the darwin award goes to............

I'm just passionate against the prussik and body thrust technique, prussik minding pulleys and basket/french prussik style hitches are a great progression and once you get used to them they make climbing even easier.

Bit late on this thread i know, the pulley is just another pulley, being ISC i'm sure it will be up to the task. The SRT system though looks amazing, Sherrills already offer a few srt systems packages, but i have not seen a UK supplier do this yet, anything to get srt use more into the mainstream is a good thing imo, so good luck with that.

Agreed, still worth a try in the real world success or fail only so much can be proven in a lab, we will only be able to tell how well it works over a substantial time period surely?? I do remember reading somewhere about tree injection systems being very detrimental to the tree long term. Alas i know little so try to stay open minded. One thing i am curious about is the anacillin helping to deter leaf miner i've "heard" it works, would it be possible to deliver this product or similar in a way other than tree injection solely for treatment of leaf miner?

They can't be any worse can they? After 2-3 years running 441's we've gone back to 460's theres no comparison lighter with more guts.

Install it from the ground you do not even have to be that good of a shot with a throwline, just pull a rope up through the fork and tie it off at the base then attach the winch cable to that, a rigging rope or climbing line should be strong enough to pull over all but the heaviest back leaning trees.

Yes its the same firm, he was out a few weeks before me.

Healey? maybe they have lots of different climbers working there on and off.

Various works at a botanic garden, thought i had some better ones but i was busy working! Then i got my friction saver stuck and then my throwline stuck trying to get my FS out:001_rolleyes:

Some more, removing a fallen Silver Birch no acces for machines, we used a grcs to do the winching.