jtw2140

Hi all, I do tree works as my 'part time on the side' from my main job, and have only been qualified as a climber for about 18 months now and I'm not afraid to say I lack experience! More so in terms of species and the knowledge of them. Today I had to climb and dead wood and crown raise two fully mature Norway Spruces in a very large garden. Now as I ascended, I used a WP Lanyard and my main line (DdRT) to make progress until I reached a sufficient Top Anchor. Ideally, I wanted to anchor each time I progressed, around the main stem. But because it was so large, I couldn't reach round to grab either my lanyard or climbing rope. So I had to choose the largest limb above me and tie in to that each time! It didn't sit comfortably because as much as the limbs I used seemed a sufficient size where they met the stem, they of course soon became thin as they 'branch out'. Apologies for the long intro, but I am asking for some advice from experience, as to how strong a Norway spruce is, and whether what I did was correct given the circumstances or should I have done anything different to ensure my anchor each time I weighted the system... Thanks for reading!

Some fair points, I do look at other climbers and think I'm being pathetic as I'm not swinging and jumping and running to the end of a limb like they are! But this phase feels so far from even attempting that... That is the annoying and frustrating bit and does make me question at times if I'm cut out for it! Yet I know I've done some perfectly good climbs and dismantles before this!

When I say enjoying it I mean I'd go up and enjoy it, desperate checking my kit before I went and making sure that chain brake is on etc... But now I'm looking for excuses to let the other climber go up, or I notice how slow I am... And I don't mean cautiously slow, I mean agonisingly. Very tentative! And very frustrating to myself! I want to be able to shimmy up and swing around with no proba at all... But of course remaining safe!

Only about 18 months climbing, and as I say it's certainly not every day... But I definitely feel at the moment that I've gone backwards rather than forwards...

I'm a definitely an inexperienced climber given its not my normal day job, but I love the work! And always want to know more that can help me be a better climber! However, bizarrely, I have developed this debilitating fear when I'm climbing! And I've no idea why or where it's from! I'm slow, and check and re check everything, I worry about my anchors and about using the saw anywhere near my rope or lanyard... Anyone else ever had this, and any ideas how I can rid it and get back to loving it again!? All the best

Haha, classic. That is up in our mess locker!

Ha, don't know about that! Kind of fell into the tree surgery side... But that feeling when your feet touch the ground after getting over the mental block safely, and you get the job done... To a pat on the back from the experienced climber... Makes you come back for more!

Diervek, The more you climb the more you get over that! I remember my first climbing job was a row of conifers and I was pathetically flapping! But did it... And even with a very limited amount of further experience I could say honestly that I could go back and do that job a piece of piss. For me, it's adding a saw into the mix, I start wobbling when I'm worried about being stable before making any cuts! I work as a Firefighter in my full time job and some may say that can be risky.... It's not a patch on tree surgery imo!

As a new climber, and a part time one at that, I am so relieved to find this thread! I bottled it yesterday, no rhyme or reason, had a successful morning climbing on some awkward limbs (very large silver birch) but then topping it out I had a proper moment and my head was gone. Fortunately the lad I was with said "your heads gone, come down now" and he went up and cracked on! But I felt like theeee biggest of failures and like I really had 'jacked' on him. I searched for threads like this for some assurance that it was natural... Thanks all for sharing!