Ok, I'm a noob and still waiting for the book and DVD, but I'd like to start practicing ascending. I won't go too high. If my rope is 1/2" 12-strand arborist stuff then what should I use to make two Prusik loops for my feet? I'm thinking the Prusiks would go above the Blake's hitch. Also what is it with using a pulley to push the Blake's hitch? Wouldn't a small carabiner or even a loop of cord do this?

Thanks,

Dave

Dave, Wait until you get the books read them TWICE and get the rest of the safety gear before you try to improvise. The new techniques are easy to accomplish as soon as you the get basics. Do not rush the process or you may become another casualty like the few ones we have been reading of lately in the Accidents Report section of the TCI and Arborist forum. Gravity always wins!

Instruction from a Trained Facilitator or Arborist will go a long way on how you develop your climbing and safety technique.

In the mean time read all the posting in the Gear Review section and see what other climbers think about their best gear collection. You could hold buying your gear and get it all in one order and save on the transportation. Also, find out if there is a local Vermeer Dealer near you they carry most of the Sherrils Gear and you will save on Shipping and handling a good bit. You are looking at expending close to $500 plus to get the nice gear you like. It only goes up from there as you get hooked on the stuff and can not stay away from buying more gear every time you get a chance. ( Speaking from Experience here) If you go to the Rendezvous, in previous ones they have Discounts Coupons there that could save you some money also. Good Luck!

Well said Oldtimer!

Well, mostly I wanted to get everything on order. I'd like to order a $20 cambium saver from Sherrill's, and along with that I wanted to order some Prusik cord of the right diameter...

Davej wrote:
Ok, I'm a noob and still waiting for the book and DVD, but I'd like to start practicing ascending. I won't go too high. If my rope is 1/2" 12-strand arborist stuff then what should I use to make two Prusik loops for my feet? I'm thinking the Prusiks would go above the Blake's hitch. Also what is it with using a pulley to push the Blake's hitch? Wouldn't a small carabiner or even a loop of cord do this?

Thanks,

Dave

Check out Tengu's Tips on the New Tribe site, he explains how to make and use a "two-footed" prusik ascender:
Triple Crown Knot

The foot prusik definitely does not go above the Blake's hitch.

Rigging a self-advancing Blake's is an "add-on" technique, really isn't needed to climb. I guess some people use it but no one that I climb with on a regular basis does. For these add-on techniques you need to have a reason to use them that's not theoretical. In other words, learn the climbing system inside and out, then if you think you have a problem to be solved (you want to self advance the hitch for instance) then find the best way to do it.

To answer your question, a small carabiner or a loop of cord could do it. A micropulley creates the least friction of any of the options which is why people like to use it for that purpose.
-moss

Dave,

I am a bit reluctant to offer much advice on an internet forum, however what Oldtimer and Moss have said here is very sound advice. There are always options when we climb trees, and only experience will open the door to how each tree could be climbed. Certian trees have very tight crotches and make retrival of gear next to impossible.

I have had to re-climb a tree to get a stuck friction saver back.:_b_link__: If I were starting out to climb again, I would look over all that I could find on the net, then I would purchase the material (books) that would serve me best to accomplish the type of climbing I was going to do. Same goes for equipment, there isn't any need to purchase equipment that is just going to take up space in your gear bag. I am a climbing arborist, and the only recreational climbing I do is when I am working on "NEW" techniques, that "hopefully" will make my job easier. What I may use for equipment, might vary with every tree I climb. I own three saddles, each with its own attributes. You mention ordering a leather cambium saver. Good for you, this shows not only respect for the tree but, repect for the equipment you own. Tree bark can be tough on gear, like ropes and lanyards. By the same token, tree climbing gear can be awful hard on trees.

If I may be so bold as to suggest, you may want to find someone in your area to mentor you through your first few climbs. I work with my wife, she is unable to climb. This creates a whole other set of issues as to safety. We are always adjusting our protocols for rescue. Hence we are adapting to what the tree offers me to work on.

On a side note, I would like to take this time to offer the readers here a glimps of my first "PAID" climb. I would say I was a well informed beginner. I was mentored by some of the best climbers in my area. When I enterd the tree, everything went according to plan. Then I had to start working on the tree, well, rope/lanyards/handsaw and ALL the other stuff I had with me ended up in a knot. The longer I am in business, the more I condone the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) theory applies. The longer you climb the more gear you amass, there really isn't a need to carry all that "stuff" on you when you could pull it up a tree on an old climing line.

I don't know as much as some of the members on this site, BUT I do know ONE thing, keep an open mind and EVERY tree you climb will be a NEW learning experiance.