silky fox

Ahhh, Northumberland....that coment made me stare into space for about a thousand yards...until this woman gave me a strange look...so i stopped. i am only here in the South for the love of a woman....without her i would be back up in Durham without a doubt!

it,s what i love to do bro!......have a smiley happy day,try and make others happy and smiley around me and knuckle down during the day and do some top drawer tree Graft....then come home and spread the happy smiles through words and pictures!

Wondering when the draw is for the climbing giveaway....moving to the maldives soon and i keep dreaming of Shiney new things!

Ha ha !...i,ll take that as a compliment! p.s that dog on your avatar looks canny mental aswell.........in a good way! by the way i,ve been talking mental bollocks since 1968 too!

Can someone put up a link for Atree,s S.J vid.....please Ta.

What a day!..A couple of Large Re pollards in Knightsbridge to do..Two Groundies were hired in for the day to help...David who i later found out experienced his first EVER Day in Arb...he loved it which was great cos it was a Baptism of Fire!..Now i have a smile on my face most of the time and we all know it uses less muscles than a frown.....and i had an even bigger smile this morning because new recruit number two was an Arbtalker and mate of Mr Flatters...FROSTY!...A very good egg indeed. I havent worked with English for a couple of yreas other than a couple of freelance jobs...Mainly Aussies ,Kiwis and the occasional Eastern European which is fine but i am happiest amongst my fellow countrymen mainly because it,s like a brotherhood and there is a happy go lucky attitude that suits me...and a real friendlyness that i have missed of late so thanks lads for a real feel good day!...even got frosty to do a 7.00 lunge (Very sporting of him)...on a separate point...we decided to get some late breakfast and found a food hall just up from Harrods..i chose the self service and got Finest Beef and rice with a couple of cans of juice...waited in a queue of about 30 so by the time i got to the till i could have eaten a scabby horse! £16.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES YOU HEARD RIGHT! Don,t ya just love London......................................NOT. But with great company...it was actually the most delicious Beef i have ever eaten,and the most expensive......I am truely bonding withy my Spiderjack..i know i keep banging on about it but the S.J with Blue tongue is a marriage made in heaven....Tree Climbing EVOLVED! Thanks for listening!

You are a "GO GETTER"......littletree, i admire that in a person!

I think we,re all looking forward to the film or pictures of this fell...Best of luck Paul...Safety first!

That,s so funny!!

Exactly what Ewan said about drawing your rope"Through" the s.j with long straight pulls...sounds like you have your spiderjack technique down to a fine art to Ewan. I bought my Blue tongue after speaking to an Aussi climber..it,s a popular competition rope.

It sounds like you have got the nack of it now.....it does make the process of movement within the tree MUCH easier.

I only use my S.J with friction or pulley saver...i havent used a Natural anchor in years..if you have to then use the other end of your rope with a prussick....When you achieve your final anchor...treat yourself to a friction saving device.....otherwise it,s like Driving a Ferrari with tyres off a micra!!! you get me?

Good to hear it Lancstree!..as a habit i re-route my line constantly...always have. i hate seeing a rope coiled up and over branches.."Rope alignment is so important" and so my rope self tends continuously...the tail end of my rope is always directly below me..Blue tongue is so light that coiling it and throwing it in the direction i am moving to is second nature...How is your descending? good use of the wooden brake is essential when pressing the "Accelerator".

I,ve been using blue tongue with my 2.1 Spiderjack for a clouple of months now and with practice you will have no problems whatsoever......it,s great when you can progress through the crown using just one hand....what a novelty!...keep practising...i gave up my prussick for good now i,ve bonded with my Spiderjack...

Recently had an interview at Kew Gardens.....No sign of any ladders. Don,t use em myself..Had a climbing test. threw my anchorpoint in 2 throws completed the test in three movements...foot ascended to the top...Spiderjacked to the extreme left tag...hop skip and a jump to the extreme right tag....Didn,t break a sweat..

The owner who built the drystone wall had taken down about 5 metres of it beforehand...He wanted the tree Down and Gone!

I found these old pics from my first paid job after leaving college. This woodcarver paid me £100 to climb this Dead Elm in Scotland and take off the House side Branches...there was a hole near the top caused by a lightning strike years before and someone had nailed a metal plate to it..He gobbed it...i put the back cut in.....

Whatever gave you that idea??

Kept the photo of the Pantin slightly in the grass as i know it,s a bit hush at the mo....i think. Walkie talkie helmet attatchments are great though...crystal clear.

Low in Funds this weekend...but i,m usually to be found somewhere wherever trees and Arb are concerned.

It is Much....MUCH BETTER! has a little red "Sneck" that you can lock and unlock the grabbing part of the pantin.

One photo on here Dan at the moment you dropped your mobile!...must admit the SRT with rope wrench looks handy on a long limb walk...

Ditto what Dan said..."Walk before you run"...perfect the basics before you steam into mechanical aids. Watching you climb at the Reccy i noticed you have the enthusiasm and spent more time than anyone going up and down the tree which is a great start. Definately reduce your friction at your anchor point then sort out your friction manangement.But for now you,re doin just fine with a Rope and a prussick.

Fred Dibnah was a hero of mine.as a kid i was fascinated by his passion for his work and his steam traction engine and his Knowledge of machinery throughout history...He once said that he swapped Steeplejacking for standing in front of the camera...the famous film of him sounding his horn and Scarpering out of the way of a falling chimney stack is classic "Fred"...check him out on you tube installing ladders all the way up the chimney...nobody does it like Dibnah anymore...

Twas a great day yes...any more pictures from anyone just upload em. And the HD Pro Shots from the Zipline would be interesting...thanks again Ian for organising!