Dilz

to get the best out of banks you have to put the time and effort in, each try and get you to come over as a new customer with good deals, in the knowledge most people stick with who ever they start their accounts with, so you have to keep moving, get you 2 years free banking then switch to another bank etc. and i had to call up to get them to make their charges appear on my statements which at first they didnt, as these charges are tax deductible

im fat and unfit, and i sweat Jack Daniels, does this qualify me for the uk team...... Seriously though i might have crack this year, never done a comp climb and never been noted for being that quick but they look like they would be a good laugh are they still running novice competitions? and if so is there an age limit or something or is it that you just haven't been in a competition before??

for light bits a krab is fine but then there is the issue of them possibly slipping, the quickest method i find for taking out the crown is using slings, have a bunch up there, and you can be setting stuff up whilst the last piece is being lowered, keeps the groundies working hard as well, but for big lumps, tie the knots, if your brining down big lumps on a krab then. Keep an eye slings you use though, especialy the narrow dyneema slings, which are great but can get worn out damn quick from my experience.

it could be the rope, i cant say i was ever fond of the geko, but have used it and gloves weren't needed just to grip. I find with gloves you often have to grip the rope harder, especialy if they are thermal ones. All gloves have their advantages and disadvantages, and you have to try a lot to get the ones that are right for you. I now a bloke who climbs wearing marigolds..... but mostly you just need to climb and get used to it. Being able to work with out gloves is good they nearly always get caught in your prusik or get in the way when tying knots. just find your self a woman who likes rough and tough hands and you'll be fine

one thing i would be interested in finding more about on is the effect of different fungi and pathogens on different species, having observed that where one tree species being infected with say ganoderma will barely show any signs of decay where as other species appear to suffer greater damage.

ear problems can really mess you up, also hangovers aint so great.....,but also not having your mind on the job, poor sleep etc can make what should be a easy tree appear stressful and ruin technique. Also climbing with a mate is fun, when i was at collage we use to muck about setting up targets, talking through new techniques, egging each other on. its a good crack.

prussik with a loop is the quickest to tie, split tails are good if you get the rope combinations right. Know pleanty of chaps who still use only prussik even after using a HC. Personally i use hitchclimber with a VT, it self tends very well, especially if you feed the rope in like on a spiderjack,

used to bail down on a munters hitch, and hope that you dont have to let go for any reason else the descent would get perhaps a little too quick.....we stopped doing it when we had to bin all our descent ropes due to glazing........

had the pleasure of seeing one of these types, the best ones are really modest about it to. This guy was quick and calm, and it really peed me off just how good he was with a throw line, with which i am crap! Though its also nice seeing some bloke make a right hash of it, take ages, tie him self to the tree then maybe brake something inexpensive, then i can feel better about being crap with a throw line....not that im insecure or anything .........

will be having a go a this, as soon as i stop crapping like a shaking dog....i blame the fish.........

bugger, just checked it aint working!

are there age restrictions for going over to oz to work?

Off work due to gut rot......so to cheer myself up i paid me self big old xmass Dividend and currently looking at what shiny stuff i can buy on the company account.....

cause - id say metal....hinge....i aint perfect but id say you were a little too high with the back cut, i always try to cut level or marginaly below so the hinge doesnt break too early...unless of course i want it to break e.g jump cut...

another thought is not to buy all our krabs of the same make, or if you go for the same make, try and get different coloured gates, this will help you quickly identify them when you need to and help prevent unclipping the wrong one, the ovals are great for the hitch climber set ups and they last long, but the larger HMS styles are better if you still climb on a split tail with everything clipped into one krab, they are also better for abseiling down on a munters hitch, and stowing gear on.

i was talking about this the other day, great vid... i carry my silky on my left side (all sharps on the left, so im constanlty pulling it across infront of me, very very carefuly i might add, perhaps i'll try it on my right hand side for a change....

) i've been putting off getting one for a while.....this aint helping my resistance.....

thats a tough question really.....most newbies are greatly restricted by their budget, one of the best things to do is get down to a trade show such as the APF and try out as much as you can....my advice for a newb is not to go for all the shiny metal first, get harness that fits you well, you spend a lot of time in it. Ropes again are very personal and it depende on what system you use, though I really rate most Yale ropes (Blaze aint one i like) and when put on a spot for some one who isnt sure i say XTC spearmint or the like, its bit heavy, but is good on the hands, wears well, not too bouncy, good for working off knots such as blakes and prussik, can also be used with hitch climber set ups and the ART jacks, but once you start heading into these shiny things then you'll want to drop to a thinner a rope as it's slickness you are after, the XTC offers a reliably good all round rope, and once you move on from it in a year or so depending on how much you use it, it makes and excellent pulling rope, and even for rigging. As with hitch cords and such, you have to experiment, climbing kit is personal and evey one is different. Rather than asking such a broad general question, have a look at the catalouges and on the website, see what catches your eye, then ask about that specific product. Also if budget is a real issue then keep things simple - my first kit was - a weaver harness, 35meter xtc, a 3 strand positioning strop with a prussik, split tail for a blakes, and 4 Krabs at least 2 of which are still in the kit bag after 8 years, you could put something together like that for maybe 200 + Vat. Also another thing to remeber is you adjust to what you use, especialy when new, i only switched of XTC 6 months ago after trying the poison ivy (a good rope and one to consider imop) - ah also a taped sling is really handy to have. and be warned shiny things are addictive!

i use em, they managed to get me public liability for my work abroad as well, never had to get them to pay out mind.....and i hope i never will

how does the tachyon feel in comparison - one thing i like about the PI is that it feels almost like a 13mm rope in the hand.

My Poison ivy rocks, but at 45 meters its a bit long for small trees, my short rope is dead, long live the new short rope...but rather than just get another length of Pi im interested in trying out something different, and the tachyon had caught my eye, though i am tempeted to just grab 25meters of Yale xtc as its cheap and good (my first climbing rope and the old short rope). Im interested in Imori, but not sure who flogs it, my two usual uk sources as of yet do not.

Im thinking about wearing some light weight combats and or water proofs over my next pair of trousers, do lot of climbing over barbed wire fences....a lad i worked with did it his 2 year old sip's looked like they were brand new, and over the 2 years he had bought 3 pairs of £15 quid combats...the maths makes sense to me....and you get more pockets......

Yale bee line Prussic cord.....any one tried it? i use OP at the mo and think its rather good though i'm curious about the Yale bee line, I'll buy a length anyway to try but was wondering if any one had some personal feed back on it. Cheers

i research as best as possible, which nearly always involves this site, especially if its a major purchase, if its not so expensive new type of karabiner, or new type of prussic cord then i'll give it a go just to see. I spent at least a month asking around before i put together my final rigging kit....and i believe it was time well spent. We had a work experience girl last week who had rushed out bought a rope which was suitable for her, a hitch climber but would only climb on a prussic loop, and such, so it pays off to be cautious.

the majority of my work is take downs so the low end grunt is more useful so would rather not loose out on that. Though i'm tempted to convert at least one just so i can draw a comparison.