DOMMA
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2019
- Messages
- 280
I have been a proponent of One Stick Climbing and invested in all the gear and practiced all summer and early season here in MD. I still see the advantages over multiple sticks; lighter and easier to carry, climb to any height, and rappel down (the biggest advantage)
However, there are downsides that I could not get around that off-set the advantages.
1. There is no way to climb without introducing slack in the line. Not just once, but multiple times during a climb. Many do not care, I'm 55 and and safety is important.
2. Time to reach 20 feet. With my four full-length Beast sticks, one aider on first stick, I can get to 20 feet faster than 1-sticking
3. It requires more effort to 1- stick. Yea, I watched all the videos that make it look effortless, not true in my reality.
4. I found I had to be more selective in the trees I would climb. It is nearly impossible to retrieve your tether if the trees in the area are tight together with lots of branches. On several occasions I had to re-climb the tree to adjust the tether on top so I could pull it out of the tree from the bottom. Doing this in the dark sucks.
I'm now sticking with my 4 Beast Sticks and experimenting with different aiders so I can drop to 3 sticks and still reach 20 feet. I wish the Beast Sticks stacked better, because I often have long hikes in and out of the woods.
I though I would share these thoughts for those completing making the change to 1- stick climbing.
However, there are downsides that I could not get around that off-set the advantages.
1. There is no way to climb without introducing slack in the line. Not just once, but multiple times during a climb. Many do not care, I'm 55 and and safety is important.
2. Time to reach 20 feet. With my four full-length Beast sticks, one aider on first stick, I can get to 20 feet faster than 1-sticking
3. It requires more effort to 1- stick. Yea, I watched all the videos that make it look effortless, not true in my reality.
4. I found I had to be more selective in the trees I would climb. It is nearly impossible to retrieve your tether if the trees in the area are tight together with lots of branches. On several occasions I had to re-climb the tree to adjust the tether on top so I could pull it out of the tree from the bottom. Doing this in the dark sucks.
I'm now sticking with my 4 Beast Sticks and experimenting with different aiders so I can drop to 3 sticks and still reach 20 feet. I wish the Beast Sticks stacked better, because I often have long hikes in and out of the woods.
I though I would share these thoughts for those completing making the change to 1- stick climbing.