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Falling with slack in your line
- Thread starter Zacrowsl
- Start date
It would seem using the linesman’s belt, keeping constant pressure on it while walking up the step, would allow slack free advancing. The tether will go slack, but the LB takes over. Once at top of step, advance the tether as high as possible, keeping pressure on the LB, weight tether and move step up. Once set, step on bottom of step and move LB up just under tether, push out and walk up. Keep hands on LB while walking up, if you slip for some reason try to bring hands holding rope together to limit falling, and your hands are in front of you for protection if you slam into tree.
I’ve used this in the past without the step, just smearing feet on trunk, can walk up to where your lanyard is horizontal, fall factor one. If you slip the forces are reduced by friction from your feet sliding on the tree.
I’ve used this in the past without the step, just smearing feet on trunk, can walk up to where your lanyard is horizontal, fall factor one. If you slip the forces are reduced by friction from your feet sliding on the tree.
The lineman's belt would most likely help and your application could help reduce the impact from the slip or fall but this would only apply to hanging sticks or steps as you go and not apply to one sticking. As for one sticking, I think the best way to help avoid a fall would be to advance your tether as high as you can while keeping constant tension on the tether before trying to swing and move your stick. What that would mean is realistically it would increase the number of moves it takes to reach a certain height. I have seen many videos of people climbing with the one stick method and most of them have one thing in common. The tether slack is real. I have only seen a handful of videos where someone is doing everything they can to minimize the amount of tether slack. So in my opinion the best way to avoid a fall as much as possible would be to move slow. pay attention to the details as you climb. As a matter of fact I have some ideas on how to do it so I think tomorrow I will do a video and see if my ideas work and all of can watch and see if it helps reduce tether slack or not. What do you think? I'm willing to take one for the team
The reason I felt it wouldnt apply was because of having to consistently remove the lineman's belt in order to advance your stick. I cant see having a lineman's belt attached to the tree while moving the stick. With that being said, it could still be valuable when performing the actual climb but you would have to remove it again when its time to move the stick. I actually thought i would feel more secure using a LB in conjunction with one sticking. So I tried it and what I felt when using it was it seemed to hinder me a bit especially when using a two step aider. Leaning back into the LB made me feel unbalanced until I reached the actual bottom step of my stick. Then for me was just like hanging a series of sticks and I would feel comfortable again. It was the fact that the pressure of my body leaning out from the tree caused my center of gravity to change and I had a tendency to want to kick out from the tree. I felt more at risk of falling at that point than I did with just using it when on my stick. I actually use it when I reach hunting height. Its a great tool to help settle in to the saddle since I use a prusik hitch on my bridge. This way it gives me hands fee to be able to adjust my tether the way i like it. Then i can slowly loosen the LB as I set in the saddle. maybe I should have explained my response in more detail as why I felt it didnt work for one sticking for me. I see the confusion of my statement. You know sometimes it's not that easy to get your thoughts across. I'm my mind I know the point I was trying to make and i guess I assumed so would those who read it. I apologize if it seemed misleading.
Or possibly slack your linesman rope once you’ve sat your weight into the tether allowing it to slide down below the stick, then repositioning the linesman rope above your waist as you begin the climb again. I do realize using a linesman rope while climbing two or three step aiders is very hard. In my mind that is why most people don’t utilize them while one sticking. Perhaps the answer is no aider or only a single step aider to make the process easier? I don’t know, I am simply throwing out ideas. I will be curious to see your ideas when you make the video sir
Ahh I see, yes you don’t actually need the LB when you are advancing your stick because you are already hanging off of your tether with gravity pulling you down - no slack!
Here is a video I just uploaded practicing exactly how Brocky mentions. You don’t need to watch the full video but the first 40 seconds illustrates how I climb with my LB. With practice, leaning into the LB actually makes the climb tremendously easier. It takes pressure off of your toe digging into the tree.
You can also see why moving your temporary anchor up via LB is so important in the video on my first move. My bottom standoff settled into a knot in the trunk and wobbled. This was a pucker factor of 1.7. This is a no joke pucker factor. A few more millimeters of wobble and I would have had to deploy my back up underwear.
This is also why practice is so important. Now I have internalized looking for knots or features in the trunk to avoid.
Here is a video I just uploaded practicing exactly how Brocky mentions. You don’t need to watch the full video but the first 40 seconds illustrates how I climb with my LB. With practice, leaning into the LB actually makes the climb tremendously easier. It takes pressure off of your toe digging into the tree.
You can also see why moving your temporary anchor up via LB is so important in the video on my first move. My bottom standoff settled into a knot in the trunk and wobbled. This was a pucker factor of 1.7. This is a no joke pucker factor. A few more millimeters of wobble and I would have had to deploy my back up underwear.
This is also why practice is so important. Now I have internalized looking for knots or features in the trunk to avoid.
One more note. Climbing diligently does take a bit extra time but it’s worth it. I am constantly verifying every piece is in place before my next movement.
-checking biner gates are locked the entire time with borderline OCD
-quick link gate is still locked
-LB gate is still locked
ok put my foot into the aider
-check that stick is still attached properly
-any knots around standoff?
-will I have to navigate a branch this move?
always taking inventory while climbing and staying two steps ahead.
and there is zero (ZERO) need to zip down the tree on rappel like an absolute maniac. No one is watching and it’s not cool. You are literally just coming down. Just take your time.
-checking biner gates are locked the entire time with borderline OCD
-quick link gate is still locked
-LB gate is still locked
ok put my foot into the aider
-check that stick is still attached properly
-any knots around standoff?
-will I have to navigate a branch this move?
always taking inventory while climbing and staying two steps ahead.
and there is zero (ZERO) need to zip down the tree on rappel like an absolute maniac. No one is watching and it’s not cool. You are literally just coming down. Just take your time.
I didn't see the pucker moment. Maybe it was because the smaller tree and branches were in the way. I guess for me I dont have an issue with my toe digging into the tree causing pressure. Maybe it has to do with the exact way I use my aider. Im using more of the arch of my foot in the aider. I just measured my stick and it seems that I have about 5 and 1/2 inches between my stich and the tree because of how the stand offs are made. maybe this is why my center of gravity seems more controlled when I'm closer to the tree when standing on my aider. I'm planning on doing a video tomorrow if it doesn't rain so maybe I will try using a LB on my climb again and see how it feels. It could all just be in my head because I started one sticking without it? If it doesn't feel organic and feels foreign I lose confidence. Keep in mind also that My stick was just an old ameristep stick i had from when I used my hang on stand. So it's been modified and repurposed. Its not a fancy one stick from EWO or any other top name brand stick. Oh did I mention I'm also a cheap SOB . My hunting budget is lacking in the funds department. LOl
Wow reading through 8 pages of this crap was exhausting. Some of you must be real fun at parties 
I did have and issue with slack in the LB when I was trying to move my tether. Having to constantly bend down to grab the LB and sometimes it wanted to fall below my stick. I thought about the no aider at all possibility and if was going to do that it would just seem easier to use the two tether method with no stick at all because, my stick is only 13 1/2 inches long. it would take me ten times the moves to get to hunting height.
A tight fetal position seems to be a better option. I remember seeing something where a guy was skydiving and his shoot didn't open and for some reason he didnt have a back up. He did exactly that , balled up in the fetal position and smacked the ground. Broke a few bones but lived.
I got married so we don't go to parties anymore. My wife is watching her crime scene shows on tv and this is one of the ways I pass my time in the evening. Yes it can be boring but I'm tired of watching ways she could get away with murder. I swear I can hear the gears turning in her head sometimes. Especially when I mention more hunting gear.Wow reading through 8 pages of this crap was exhausting. Some of you must be real fun at parties
Reply to @Brockys Post above. Apparently it didn't send from our remote camping location.
When I first "restarted" one sticking again I used a linemans belt as I advanced. To be honest it doesn't work as well as you might think. I'm not comfortable advancing my tether with my feet in an unstable aider. I want three solid points of contact when I move my tether. That means two feet on the solid bottom steps of my stick. By that point I've already placed the linemans belt above my tether tie in. Now I have to either slack the linemans or place it too low to really be effective. With the linemans the process became really fiddly and fiddly makes it easy to make mistakes. Sometimes a simpler process is just better. This is why I only use a single step aider
When I've got a foot in the aider I have two hands on tree. Once I step both feet onto my stick I have two feet solidly on the stick and one hand on the backside of the tree at all times. I first hold with my right hand as I pull up the backside of the rope with my left hand. Then I switch and hold the tree with the palm of my left hand while I advance the tether the rest of the way with my right. Smooth and simple maintaining three points minimum all the way up. I always have the linemans attached to one side so if I need it I don't have to fiddle around for it.
When I first "restarted" one sticking again I used a linemans belt as I advanced. To be honest it doesn't work as well as you might think. I'm not comfortable advancing my tether with my feet in an unstable aider. I want three solid points of contact when I move my tether. That means two feet on the solid bottom steps of my stick. By that point I've already placed the linemans belt above my tether tie in. Now I have to either slack the linemans or place it too low to really be effective. With the linemans the process became really fiddly and fiddly makes it easy to make mistakes. Sometimes a simpler process is just better. This is why I only use a single step aider
When I've got a foot in the aider I have two hands on tree. Once I step both feet onto my stick I have two feet solidly on the stick and one hand on the backside of the tree at all times. I first hold with my right hand as I pull up the backside of the rope with my left hand. Then I switch and hold the tree with the palm of my left hand while I advance the tether the rest of the way with my right. Smooth and simple maintaining three points minimum all the way up. I always have the linemans attached to one side so if I need it I don't have to fiddle around for it.
I've used that same approach falling from trees several times. While I don't recommend trying it I'm still walking.
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