will.morris

It had done a about a weeks work on a marlow gecko rope and then its been on my strop for about 3 weeks. Today i was using on yale xtc. Well I was happy to use my 10mm beal regate in the condition it was until the loler inspectors at the 3atc comp told me it was unsafe to climb on and now my beeline is in slightly worse condition ... If it hadn't been pointed out to me I'd have carried on using it, but I'd be a fool to ignore people that have more knowledge than me. Was'nt in bad nick before I did the rescue, wonder if 2 peoples weight on it just caused too much heat?

Would like to know what peoples experiences are with regard to glazing on different hitch cords. I've gone through several different types of both 10mm and 8mm cord due to extensive glazing. My most recent is 8mm beeline because I thought it was meant to be a very heat resistant cord ... however I did one aerial rescue this morning, very slowly from about 15ft and now the cord is knackered More so then my cord that was failed at the northern atc for being too glazed. I use a distel with only 3 turns so its not like I'm putting massive friction on it. Is it just a case of I should'nt have used 8mm cord for a single line rescue or do I generally need to slow down my descents? Bought the beeline because i thought it was meant to be super heat resistant ... SJ would be cheaper at the rate I seem to be changing my cord!

You mean its not all about flash cars, dirty money and super model woman? ....Thats what my lecturer told me

I don't have the professional appearance to do that though; if I'm only a bit cheaper than a professional company then people would'nt choose me. I'm only talking about the odd job here and there, "my nan wants her 30ft sycamore reduced" etc, so not saying I regularly go out and do work silly cheap, just enough to keep me going to invest in equipment/tickets/rent. Of course I'd love to charge more but in reality I probably would'nt get the work. Anyway it's a pee in the ocean, I've probably done 6 private jobs in the last 12 monthes. Reading back some of my posts I realise I sound incredibly pessimistic lol but I just accept how it is for someone in my position and it's not meant as a grumble, hence why I've gone about doing all I can to boost my career elsewhere. Thanks Andy

Slow and steady and all that How many staff do you know that would recieve a phone call at 7.30am and come into work having gone to bed at 5am .... dedication mate

Only just seen this haha! Your quicker and more experienced than me mate ... Your worth a higher wage

Was this the small lad that is on an apprenticeship and won it? Really enjoyed chatting with the Plumpton guys they were spot on and had some awesome climbers!

It's a vicious circle though! If I posted up some of the private jobs I've done in my own time and the money I charged I'd get slated massively by members on here saying that I'm crippling the industry, this is my way of 'just getting on with it' ... but come sit on my side of the fence and suggest a realistic way of me staying in arb in this country without doing this!

Very tricky subject ... Choosing my words carefully as I don't wish to upset anyone from either side of the employment fence. I think the bottom line is any newly qualified climber is going to earn less with a chainsaw than they would sat on a check out. It is a very sad scenario that it has to be like that but it is what it is. My car is on it's way out at the moment (Acer roverheadgasketsyndromeacus) and I'm not going to be able to afford to replace it earning what I do. I'd be in the same position in a shelf stacking job, but that would be the situation for the rest of my time in that job. I see it as an incentive to put 110% effort in every day until I am worth more money, then I will look back and think wow I don't know how I scraped through but now I have valuable skills that make me recognised as being worth a decent wage. The black and white is that people (customers) don't want to pay more just because its a dangerous job. I earnt more when I was litter picking for a landscaping firm ... at least I love what I do now! Britain is on it's a**e, hence why I want to abandon ship and learn in a nicer part of the world in a lifestyle where I can actually live on a progressing climbers wage. I'm 22 years old and having to be supported by my parents when I want to work hard and be independant, its shocking ... the opportunities for college leavers are just not there in this part of the country in a sense of finding a job that can keep you on your on two feet, there is no space in the industry.

£100 is a lot of money for something thats going to be used to hold a rope and a harness though! I'm considering a military bag for all my kit, really tough and can pick them up cheap on ebay.

Awesome time Was brilliant to meet some well known faces that were new to me. Great fun camping out with the gustharts lads as well 'oooo lambretta!' haha. Over the moon to have won the novice open class, rope I won got a its first day of climbing today. Thanks to everyone involved, can't wait for the arb show Yes I was the only entrant in novice catergory haha

Nice one ! How did you find it? Easier/harder than you expected?

I work with a few people that use them and they love them

Thanks for that Drew, I have sent him an email to learn a bit more about the opportunities out there .

From the front it looks very similar to a sequoia. Not knocking though I really like steins products.

Welcome to the forum firstly Always good to see woman in the arb world. Best thing regarding boots is to try some different ones on. Nothing worse than spending your working week in boots that are'nt comfy. Some boots are a bit heavier than others, but IMO its a bit anal if people complain that their boots are too heavy #hardenup! Some are definately tougher than others though, I have steins and only bad part of them I'd say is they have worn fairly quickly through regular climbing. Comfiest bit of footwear let alone work boots that I've ever owned though. Same with trousers really, try different ones ... what some people find extremely comfy may be the opposite to you and vice versa with other pairs.

Top work, I really enjoyed reading that

With the fishermans in each end mines about the same, maybe slightly shorter. I'm always messing around with different knots, like to try whats out there before I settle on one but its a distel I'm using at the moment. With that length and just 3 wraps its very fun!

Chris am I allowed to say that I thought it was poo lol? Only thing it was good at in my eyes was for the really big stuff ... but on 99% of jobs we don't chip that stuff anyway. But then this was counter productive as Adam and I were having to process the big stems into sections that we ourselves could physically lift to load it. Then the revs kept dieing which when theres 2 of you loading means you need a 3rd man to operate it. The shoot tip was badly designed as the vibrations kept causing it to loosen and point towards the ground. Finally the annoyance of every single piece under 4" diameter stopping it and the button being about 4ft away .... When I saw it I thought wow that we beast everything! But your 190 would have whooped it for 90% of all that was being put through it purly because of the hassle everytime we walked to it.

Full time jobs even for experienced guys are hard to come by up here and paid a lot less than jobs down south. I'm not being pessimistic for the sake of it either, I'm from the south and am still looking up here despite having been offered jobs down south. If your mate is adament that its what he wants to do then I would definately say I wish him well but from experience it seems to be near on impossible without every ticket known to man and loads of experience.

Get me in for the biggest, baddest tree and let me prove you wrong .... plus if its high enough you won't be able to see the look of terror on my face nor the elvis leg anyway Rec climbing with no-fear dave has pushed me ... I don't think he'd show fear even at the top of a tree that was falling + I'm cheaper

Sounds strange but conditions can affect your nerve I find, such as working on a miserable day on 4hours sleep as opposed to a sunny day on a good nights kip. To an extent for me its the positions/tree itself that can make me nervous. I can be totally chilled 70ft off the ground if I know I have a good anchor and its a nice position ... but then I've had times on a pole with a funny angle and I've started to get elvis leg barely 20ft off the ground For me its when I feel I could lose control that the nerves kick in, for example when you feel your going to slip on a branch walk, I know I won't fall but its that split second of suddenly losing control and being totally dependant on your equipment ... that and big swings often hurt. The way I get through it is to think of looking from the ground at me as a groundsman ... things never seem to look scary at all from the ground and you have to focus your mind and not let you freak yourself out. If its a skinny, horrid ascent I look at a point and think thats where I'm going to next and so on rather than 1 big dodgy looking stem. As much as I love spiking, the introduction of the top anchor is always welcomed even if you did think you were totally comfortable.

Marlow Gecko, only short though so I want a longer rope when I can afford to get one. Never been in a situation where I've thought hmm I can't do this tree without a really expensive rope. Works with HC, holds my weight ... does the job!

Do it ... and like someone else has said, black tipping body, wheels and mirrors.

Have had many hobbies come and go in my time as I can't sit still for 5mins when I'm not at work. Music has always been my passion for the past 18.5 years of my life since I was about 4 If you can get through high school playing any instrument other than guitar, bass or drums then you will forever have a fantastic hobby. I was always mocked at high school because i was'nt playing 'cool' music, mummies little trumpet boy" ... at the time it seemed a really important thing to 'fit in', but I'm so glad I stuck at it with the help of my dad (55+ yrs brass experience himself) and I hope one day to do the same with my own kids, constant praise, regular (but not forceful) encouragment. Good luck to your girlfriend in her career progression and also her masters Maybe a few loving gestures will seal the deal in getting yourself some freebie lessons if you dont currently play anything?! Home teaching is something I've thought about as a bit of a second income if i'm not self employed in this trade, few evenings per week nothing more. I would be considered very young to be a music teacher which would be seen as a disadvantage in parents eyes I feel, but I'd also believe it would be good to relate to and helping youngsters rise above the school thing, I fear so many schools lose many young musicians through peer pressure. ((P.s sorry to everyone else having to put up with my music related posts, I know its a tree forum!))