Dan Curtis
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Everything posted by Dan Curtis
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Have a look through this Luke; http://www.treemagineers.com/downloads/hitch_climbers_guide.pdf What you're talking about is covered in the section "managing slack" page 19. It'll give you a lot of other ideas about using the Hitchclimber, worth a read. -
PL insurance for a freelance climber/arborist??
Dan Curtis replied to Tom Mabbutt's topic in Insurance Forum
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After my initial climb with the drum on, I was sceptical. It's growing on me now though, let me know what you think to it Ben
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Most Basic Set up Access only
Dan Curtis replied to NickinMids's topic in SRT (Single Rope Technique)
According to IBP, you should really have two points of attachment to an access system. That's not to say it doesn't work with one hitch. It does and a lot of people do it that way. Assuming you're not thinking of having a pantin with it, the double prussik system you describe is a very old caving technique, and if you've ever tried it over long distance, it can be pretty tiring. As you're only tethered to one of your prussiks, it's taking your whole load on it's own when you sit to advance the footloop, and can bind tight. This makes advancing it very difficult. If you're trying to keep gear minimal and low budget, I'd just add a pantin to the system so that you're never fully weighted into one or other prussik while you're trying to advance them. This will minimise binding and keep things smoother -
Tree failure caught by news camera in Worcester today
Dan Curtis replied to Paul Barton's topic in Video forum
It'd be more like trying to dance on the front of a combine with all the brash on a lombardy:biggrin: -
It really isn't. Having done SRT demo's at various shows the last few years, I've heard all sorts of arguments against it, some are as baffling as the one in the OP. Back when I started climbing SRTWP, I was employed at an AAAC. They wanted me to go by the book, which meant consulting the AA on their opinions of it. Trust me, they're not chinese whispers.
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No. Personally I don't think there are any reasons that it shouldn't be accepted practice. But imo, we're a long way from it becoming anything like best practice
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I'd assume what he meant was something getting stuck on top of your hitch and forcing it into descent. Given a few variables; pulley saver, big natural crotch etc, you may fall fractionally slower on DdRT. Fractionally.
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Agreed. What I really meant was, are people stupid enough to be trashing their's or someone else's ropes? Do saws come into contact with climber's tails on a regular basis? If so, there are bigger issues in the industry than what part of the tree the climber is tied to. I've been climbing SRTWP for about three years now, during which I've probably worked with around 40-50 different groundsmen. I mostly base anchor for work, unless rigging or slamming lumps out. In that time, I've only ever worked with one person who made me think twice about the safety of my base anchor with him near it, that was after I'd explained what it is and not to use a saw near it.....twice.
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Yes, it's an added part of the system which is in a vulnerable position, but is it any more likely to come to harm than the tail end of a rope? Obviously a rope under tension will cut easier, but any part of a rope which has a lump of tree dropped on it will not fair well. I doubt that. There is obviously confusion about the safety of base anchors, but I don't think the "two bits of rope" issue stems from it.
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One of the "allegations" was me. I did hear it from a man who is part of the AA. I will not name and shame that person, it will not gain us anything but unecessary embarassment for their part and hard feelings. Needless to say, they've seen the light.
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Available for hire, follow the link below;)
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But you'd need a CS41 or equivalent to dismantle the tree:sneaky2:
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SRT is a more ergonomic way of climbing. On the whole it is better for your body, requires less physical exertion, has the possiblity to prolong your working life. It can increase the speed of your work, meaning more money in the bank (or an easier way to achieve that at least!) If used in a well thought out manner, it can provide a safer, more stable work postion. In certain circumstances it can also provide the means for a quicker aerial rescue, though this is a debated topic amongst fervent SRT bods. If you want to make the progression from what you're using, I'd recommend adding a rope wrench and stiff tether to your kit bag. That'll be the simplest, cheapest way of doing it. If you've got time, have a good read of this; http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/srt-single-rope-technique/36682-rope-wrench-feedback.html and have a scroll through the SRT forum.
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Could you clarify what you mean by this? I understand the principles of what you're trying to acheive but I dont understand how you're "following" anything? It just looks freehanded to me:confused1:
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I have a Sawpod jacket that I won in the xmas raffle last year. It's easily the best waterproof I've ever worn, nice and breathable so you don't get damp from your own sweat. I don't know if they ever got into production or not, hopefully they did
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Very nice Paul. Does he want anymore? I only have a couple of tonnes of Redwood left
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If you're intending to compete you'll need to be there for both days Ian. If not, there will be full events running throughout the weekend, so either day will be entertaining
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Depends on the size of the tree and how I feel that day but the bare essentials for me are; Ropewrench/hitch or Unicender Pantin (my knees are too knackered to footlock) 1x Krab 1x Ring 1x Snap attached to my shirt collar for chest attachment Upwards from there I often add; Hand ascender 1x 30cm Sling 1x Revolver
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I haven't seen Marcus climb but if you know Ben you'll have seen proper SRT working. I bet if you asked nicely he'd make you one, once he's back and regains his energy:sneaky2: Easily go for the wrench over the zigzag, makes so much more sense!
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There's a lot of knowledge out there, though mostly it's in people's heads. It is being shared in various places online but not in the conventional published sense. Tcia released a book on best practice for srt work positioning, but it only really covers the fundamentals of what the gear is, how it's used and how to use it safely. Yes you can work vertically in the outside of the crown, with redirects. This also enables a more secure work position as you are less at risk of pendulum swings. This is the beauty of srt in a working environment
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Rope wrench can be obtained for as little as £60. You don't need a hand ascender and you can footlock. That's a third of the price you stated. If you're employed, you should be provided with equipment. If you have a lenient employer and you can put across the need for more ergonomic access (and quicker = more productive= higher turnover of work) then perhaps your employer would buy you a pantin at the very least? As an aside, do people not use pantins on DdRT?
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25, been climbing since I was 18. If you look about on the various Facebook groups there's a huge range of ages running SRT setups. I think the amount of people who are changing over is more related to the sharing of information through sites like this, than an age based factor. For the most part, the guys who aren't geeks that spend their spare time looking up new ideas are the ones who aren't aware of SRT. I'm still amazed the amount of people I meet who aren't aware that tree climbing has advanced beyond the prussik. Presumably this is due to limited information sharing?
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Ok, you've got me I don't go on posh nights out:blushing:
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Airstreams for everything, except posh nights out
