Ok, everyone has their favorite climbing systems, favorite carabiner gate, rope, harness etc. Without prescribing what kind of technique or gear a climber uses, what are the most fundamental safety rules or protocols for a recreational technical tree climber?
I'm hoping that we can come up with a useful basic safety protocol. This is not to teach people how to climb or configure gear, this is to create awareness about basic concepts to stay alive while climbing recreationally in a tree.
I'm kicking it off...
1. Do a thorough inspection and assessment of the tree, if you are not qualified to do so, find someone who is.
2. Use rated rope and gear designed for the task.
3. Set your rope on a live, structurally sound branch no less than 6" diameter.
4. Set your rope close to the branch union with the trunk.
5. Wear a helmet rated for impact from above.
6. Inspect all gear and life support connections before leaving the ground.
7. Always remain tied in while in the tree.
8. Do not climb above your tie-in.
9. If you perform a switchover from one tie-in to another, do not detach from the first tie-in until you have inspected your new attachment points (harness and tree) and fully loaded the second tie-in. That means vertical hang with your feet off the tree. The first tie-in is slacked just enough that you can fully load the second system.
10. Be aware that if you move horizontally out on a limb that a swing back to the trunk can generate force similar to falling to the ground.
11. Arborist static and semi-static climbing ropes and harnesses (that we generally use) are not designed to absorb a fall, they are rated for "work positioning". Do not climb in such a way that exposes you to a fall onto a slack rope. Always remove slack from the rope when you climb with your hands and feet on the tree.
Note: Experienced climbers develop their own _style_ and methods known as "individual climber _style_", novice climbers do not have that luxury. Beginner climbers do not have the practical experience to make informed decisions involving higher risk in the tree. It doesn't matter how smart or capable you are in other areas of life. For discussion on individual climber _style_ and risk read Joe Maher's article here:
The Double Standard-moss
