So I've hinted at this a couple times (finally a project done
@g2outdoors!), and I'm finally ready to go live with it. I've been tinkering with this system for a good part of the summer trying to figure out the best way to do it (for me!).
@justsomedude posted something very similar to my aider, I think it was in his climbing stirrups thread.
The inspiration: the wild edge aider system. I did not like how it worked though. When I first tried it I wasn't good at putting the stepps on yet, and trying to put them on above my head was even more of a challenge.
I realized that I could put an ascender on a piece of climbing rope, girth hitch it around the tree and put an aider on it to climb and it would do the same thing. Plus having the ascender is HUGE. You can put your foot in it low and move it up and it will make it easier to get on the next step. Or you can do the opposite to lower yourself down coming down.
Options: I first started doing this with cranford rope steps. I can do it but it does require some athleticism to stand one footed on the step while you put your next step on. But the benefit is the rope steps are smaller and lighter.
The wild edge stepps work a little easier for this because you can stand with both feet while you put the next stepp on.
Rope steps: 0.5 pounds each, plus 2/3 pound aider so 6 steps is 3.66 pounds.
Wild edge steps 1 pound each, plus 2/3 pound aider, so 6 stepps is 6.66 pounds.
Height: 6 steps plus stepping up to my step platform will put me at 25 feet to my feet. I am only 5'7".
Advantage over sticks: This setup packs down compact and I can carry it in a pack.
Advantage over current wild edge aider: I'm only dealing with one stepp at a time and I'm not hanging an aider off a stepp.
Climbing time: With both the rope steps and the wild edge stepps I have been averaging around 10 minutes to climb.
Safety: If I'm a couple miles back I don't want to have to worry about things going south. I see some guys using the multi step aiders to get up a tree. If that works for you, great, but I've had aiders try to spin out on sticks and I just don't want to mess with it going all the way up the tree while I'm way back there.
Sidenote: It actually seems that the higher I get the aider attached to the tree, the more stable it is when I'm going up. You also don't want to mess with the side or low side of a tree, gravity will pull you that way.
Question marks: I still need to find a better bag for storing the system.
Technique: Girth hitch rope aider on the tree as high as I can above my head. Put stepp on tree at the level of my chest. Place foot into aider loop and pull the tag end of the rope to raise ascender as high as I can raise my foot. Step up on aider with toe against the tree and step onto the wild edge stepp. It is very helpful to use the rope to pull my body up also. Immediately raise the rope as high as I can reach above my head again. Lower ascender on the rope so it will be easy to put my foot in the loop next time. Place next stepp on the tree at chest level. Repeat this for all of the stepps. I am using a lineman's belt during the entire climb.