RC0

Great photos. Glad it didn't rain on yous.

Yeah, I'll arange a rec climb !!!

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it on the whole Adam....just the last thing I'd choose to do in my spare time. We flew over lonely Doug most days on the heli logging. You can just make it our in the clear cut. Not a great pic as the chopper was wobbling about all the time. Yale Blaze, Maria

Thanks Mark, I had a shat load of winching and chipping to finish from an underbid Leyland cypress the day before. Left the chipper on the next doors driveway so was worried his wife would get upset and tell us we'd have to move. It was playing on my mind. Last place I needed to be was messing around up that tree. Probably 30 mins or more to get up....but a lot of messing around before actually getting to the tree with gear on the quad, then trying to get the lines up. You can big shot 90ft to the first limb, but when it's 2 ft across its often hard to get the throw weight to come back down, because of the friction on the line caused by the thick mossy bark. When you're short on time, it's a wind up. The whole thing

The Ariel friction gadgets are good for reducing the multiplying effect on a fragile tree. The shortcomings have been pointed out already....not to mention that if you need to tighten something right up, the friction will them work against you. The rig n wrench set up, is unique though....in that it's frictionless when you pull, but then drags when you release. I generally work with just one other guy now days, so it's really easy for me to take over the rigging line while he's maneuvering the load. Throughout the course of a job thus makes up for a lot when you're a man short. It's not for huge prices or anything like that, but when there's only 2 of you it's less likely that you want to be rigging huge prices anyway. We love it. And I'd recommend it to anyone above any of these other Ariel brake things in terms of merit.

Use HD setting. Some bad language, but nothing terrible

Tree climbing is bollocks

Nah. That'd be too easy !

There was a line already set in the tree at about 150. Thought my luck was in and I'd be able to preset my climbline with it. But it snapped. Then I spurred up 20ft to retrieve it, but it snapped again. I managed to big shot thereafter. First limb was 90 ft.

No, just an inspection and to cut out sone big hangers up there. I had to spur up part way to get hold of the end of the line so I could SRT....long winded story that I won't go into. But, what we call 'long gaffs'....pretty useless in 7 inch thick bark. At least, the spurs don't hurt the tree, but it's hard to get any purchase as a result.

Couple shots of a 2oo footer from today.

Where do you live now ? Still doing treework ?

Yeah I only took a 150 rope, so it was the same senario for every tree. I get to descend 75ft, and then spur down the remainder. It's a trade off, longer rope = more weight to carry up there to start with. Spurring down is easy, especially on red cedars, so that was my choice. I could've used a long friction saver to re-set half way down, but it's just more gear and clutter to mess with.

Yeah it would be better. But that's a crimped eye on the end regardless, and I just have a feeling it should be retired now.

There's no ground support....that's the thing. You're pretty much working solo but for doing radio checks every 30 mins. Same reason you can't trail your climb line on the ground.

In logging, or forestry here Steve, you're not even required to use a climbing rope. Many guys don't, to keep the weight down. They're already carrying axes wedges, gas and oil, saws on their belts....while scaling huge trees. I can see the appeal in that....but in the event of an accident or emergency up there, Id at least want the option of being able rappel out of the tree on my own. Because the next climber could be 600 yards away.

No it isn't Arboriculture. Two different industries, both involve tree climbing, but with different regulations. Forestry, is basically harvesting. Tree climbing has been part of this process for about as long as it existed. It doesn't make you an arborist. You are still governed by forestry regs. The particular work I was referring to is called single or standing stem harvesting. A rather less destructive alternative to clear-cutting. The flipline was 5 years old, but was only used sporadically during that period. The two way snaps don't last forever, but the wear on the two parts is gradual, until one day they just don't work properly anymore. I didn't discover the wear by accident. If you'd ever spent all day climbing and stripping 150ft conifers against the clock on a mountainside, you'd soon realise that the best place for your climb line is in a backpack out of the equation....until its time to rappel. Steel core fliplines are ideal for this type of work and trees because they are ridged and quick to advance.

might be relevant to someone

Glad to hear that mate. You really ought to put it in the title of each vid at this stage. It all helps with Web searches in your area. Good work too by the way. Looks dried out there. One question. It appeared that some logs you were dumping/free falling, then others you were rigging over the same patch of beat-up ground. Was I seeing that right? What's the thinking there ?

Manc, Stockport, then Macclesfield, w/some years working abroad. Irish family. They only have black bears on the island. But the do also have cougars and wolves. Dawn and dusk are the times to be wary....depending on where you are obviously. You need to be extra vigilant if you have small kids....because they're most likely the target of a cougar attack. A friend of mine came across one just recently on his bicycle. Scared him to death.

Haha Jon. That's what I charged here. So long as you don't leave canada it's good money. As a rule don't do the contract climbing now, but make an exception for particular jobs. This was one.

Last day on that site yesterday. I put this clip on youtube to answer some questions Ive been getting there later. I'll add the link and description here in case anyones interested. Thanks. Use HD setting. Been asked a lot of questions since the last video (Cedar topping). Hopefully this answer a few. This the final stages from a climber perspective. Not a huge tree at approx 130ft. The number of ribbons indicate the DBH of the pole, which is important in regards to the order of which logs are picked up first and last. Bigger logs are picked up last when the Helicopter is carrying less fuel, hence less weight. My climbline is 150ft...which would give me the option to make it to the ground SRT in an emergency....but otherwise allows me to rappel 75 ft doubled line until I run out of rope. Then I walk down the remainder which is easy enough. To carry a longer climbline would mean packing more weight up the tree....so a trade off, of sorts.

Yeah the money's good Adam, but I'm driving 5 hours a day this week, just to get to and from. That's a real grind.

Some of them sticks probably worth a couple grand each. Now that the snows gone were getting 6, 7 a day this week. 7, 8 climbers working on various hills. The lumber is used in construction mainly. Don't forget most of the houses here are wooden. A pic of one of the other guys. Not a big tree but great back ground I thought.

Thanks. We tie 6 foot lengths of bright ribbon on the top of each pole, so the big Heli when it comes, can see it. 1 ribbon for under 90 cm dbh, two for between 90-110 and 3 for over 110cm. The helicopter, by the way, can pick upto a 25,000lb log. Impressive, I thought. You see plenty of wildlife in the sky, but not much on the ground. Although today, last tree in thick undergrowth I thought I was being stalked. At first I assumed it was one of the other climbers on his way back to the heli pad, but then realised it wasn't. I could see movement but couldn't make out what it was. It was a bit spooky....you know when youre concentrating so hard you can hear your own heartbeat ? May have been a cougar.