pesqimon
Well-Known Member
True story.
In all seriousness, I'd be 100% down with stepps if they didn't gouge the almighty crap out of every tree I put them on. I doubt Wild Edge wants me to send them the ticket when the river pirates debate their claim that they're "public land legal." The way our rules read here, anything that harms a tree is non-kosher, and the aftermath of a stepp climb can look pretty gruesome.
I can run away faster with a pocket full of bolts.
But they definitely pack way better than sticks if your dcnr hasn't signed the hippocratic oath
Same for me. I love them, but I can't shake the nagging feeling of harming the tree. I am sure that is a combination of my technique and the softer trees I end up climbing.
But I learned a lot of practicing and using stepps. I use short sticks with a knaider/swaider type thing. I also like having the handholds above, and the short sticks provide just enough of that to make using the swaider non-sketchy.