1sticking

[Marmuzz]

TL;DR
Not everyone one-sticks the same way, and maybe it's safer than we thought...if you minimize slack during climbing.

I think it’s a bit of a misnomer to say one sticking is inherently safe or unsafe. There’s commonly a lack of nuance when discussing this topic.

I’ll agree that almost every YouTube video I’ve seen for one sticking the dude climbs ankles above his tether and any mention of risk is brief and minimal, if at all. What's not being discussed in the videos—and absolutely should be—is the tremendous, possibly paralyzing or fatal force exerted on your body in the event of a fall with improper slack management. In this regard, yes, one sticking is extremely dangerous, and I don't recommend it to anyone.

The trouble is I think the underlying assumption for one sticking is that everyone does it that way. I have given this a lot of thought and have considered ditching the one stick altogether for other methods... until I modified my one-sticking method. I began to think that if the risk of one sticking is significant slack, then a way to reduce risk is to reduce slack. And the only way that I could determine to reduce slack is to advance the tether every step.

The merits of the"best" way to accomplish this for one-sticking has be debated and raged on here on several threads so I won't reiterate it all again. I'll just share what seems reasonable to me:

1. I only use on a singular-step aider on the stick, to increase the stability I have when stepping into the aider—the most vulnerable move during one stick climbing.
2. I put on my lineman's belt tightly when one foot is set on the bottom double step and the other foot is in the aider step, beause that's when the greatest amount of slack in my system is introduced. (You gain the greatest vertical motion from setting the stick on the tree trunk above you until you step up onto the bottom aider.) In this position, I hold onto the back of the tree with one hand while reaching for my lineman's belt and pass around the tree trunk and exchange it between hands, so that in the event of a fall before I can make my first tether advancement, at least I'm close to the tree with three points of contact, most likely increasing friction and slowing my descent...hopefully resulting in a lower shock load.
3. Then I move up tether up, while my lineman's belt is on. This is the longest tether advancement.
4. I take off my lineman's belt and step up with both feet onto the bottom double step. I move my tether up as high as I can reach.
5. I do #4 again but standing on the stick top platform. Steps #4 and #5 are safer than #2 because I'm gaining less vertically on my tether than when I first set my stick and step into the aider.
6. I use tether pulls to keep my fingers out of the tether choke.

Practicing this way, I did not feel this was dramatically slower than "typical" one sticking, and far more secure.

For me, it seemed this way I was introducing approximately equal slack to 2TC; which is often touted around here as safer due to decreased tether slack. (Not knocking 2TC, I think it's a good system ...if it works for you.) When compared to climbing with multiple sticks, I don't think this method of one sticking is less safe, due to the tether slack management. My chest never gets higher than my tether point, unless my rubber quick-link-keeper slips and the tether slides down a little bit. Admittedly, this is an area that needs improvement, and I'd like to experiment with a bungee ball to keep the tether tensioned unless pulled. In this way, my fall factor is as low as I can reasonably make it (I think).

As I considered one sticking this way vs. using multiple sticks, I've begun to think it's not less safe; it's just more lightweight to pack. Maybe I'm wrong. Somebody totally refute me if you have a good reason you think it's not. But when using multiple sticks, although I'm using a lineman's belt for tension against the tree, I'm never climbing up a tree without a tether on, so ultimately the slack management is about the same.

So really, maybe we need to be more clear when we say we one stick. Just how do you do it? In my mind, that really affects how safe or unsafe it is.

And if you're gonna critique one stickers, that's fine, but don't make assumptions. Yes, better to challenge somebody in the pursuit of safety than to be indifferent. That said, don't think all one-stickers are idiots who never thought through a risk assessment. I think the method has evolved from where it first started (per my perception of where it began).

 

[DB4x4]

One sticking can be done safely if you use a lineman belt and some sort of progress capture on the main line.

I used to climb above my tether (carefully) then connect my lineman belt to advance my tether higher. This was quick and efficient on straight, easy trees, but made me nervous on leaning or sketchy trees.

I added a ropeman for progress capture this year, backed up by a prusik. I also modified my procedure slightly. It takes a little longer this way, but there is never any slack. I feel it is the safest method I've tried yet.

I can explain my method in greater detail of anyone is interested. It's almost like a marriage of SRT and one sticking.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

This is true, but SRT with my hand ascender is a heck of a lot easier than with my kong duck! I tried it once and decided to always pack the hand ascender too!

Last season, I was strictly SRT. One evening, I decided I was going to hunt the same tree in the morning so I left everything but my bow in place and rappelled down. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I realized I left my hand ascender and foot loop in my rope bag which was now 20+ feet above me.

That night, I took my 2TC setup and rigged an ascension system that I used the next morning. Sadly, this jerry rigged system worked every bit as good as my expensive hand ascender.

 

[Marmuzz]

I can explain my method in greater detail of anyone is interested. It's almost like a marriage of SRT and one sticking.

I’m interested. Post on here or shoot me a PM. Thanks

 

[arrowchukker]

I like one sticking, but the tether slack issue makes me look at options to reduce it.
I have an EWO one stick with platform on top. I currently will climb the aider and bottom step, then sit on the top step, facing the tree. Once sitting, I advance the tether up higher to complete the move.
That said, I’ve been really interested in the JRB cinch with the telescoping pole. Maybe testing that out soon to see if it can minimize the tether slack better.

 

[phatkaw]

I'm pretty short so I can't really get enough slack in my tether to worry about...

At least I'm hooked to the tree.

 

[phatkaw]

That night, I took my 2TC setup and rigged an ascension system that I used the next morning. Sadly, this jerry rigged system worked every bit as good as my expensive hand ascender.

Care to elaborate on your Jerry Rig?
Sounds interesting...

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Care to elaborate on your Jerry Rig?
Sounds interesting...

In essence, a hand ascender is nothing more than a ergonomic ascender (Duck or similar). When I ended up doing was rigging a duck like the Petzl hand ascender using the carabiner as the hand grab. I then used the 2nd tether (2TC) as m foot loop and used that to ascend.

I'm on a different computer now but some have seen my great MSPaint image of climbing a rope with (2) prusik cords. Essentially, I rigged the same thing using the 2TC setup.

Next year, I plan on scouting with presets and returning to my roots of climbing with prusiks only.

 

[Horn]

I only have 1 preset, I used SRT on a prusik to climb it this evening. I find a prusik doesn't bind as tight climbing SRT ( I use a friction hitch and jrbs' Garda foot loop) as it does 1-sticking or leaning at HH or even on bridge. I guess I'm just saying the at you don't have to be fancy or anything for SRT to work, or to incorporate it with any other climbing method

 

[DB4x4]

I’m interested. Post on here or shoot me a PM. Thanks

I'll post it in here since it sounds like a number of folks are trying to eliminate slack in their systems. I use a mini stick (~17") with a platform top and a two step Amsteel aider with similar step sizes:



I put the stick on the tree and climb up to the platform. Put the LB around the tree, tighten accordingly, and lean back into it. I then attach my rappel rope tether with oval quick link up as high as I can reach.

I use an adjustable bridge and keep it really short while climbing. (This also helps eliminating slack while you climb) At this point, I attach my bridge to the ropeman/prusik backup combo.



I step down onto the bottom step of the stick and release the ropeman/tend the prusik down to the desired level by hand until I can reach down to loosen the cam strap.

Then I remove the LB and sit in the saddle. Loosen the cam strap, and raise the stick up as high as I can reach. Tighten the cam strap and pull down on the stick to partially set it. Here's the key... Climbing the stick like you are SRTing:

Put my left foot in the bottom aider, grab the top of the stick with my left hand, and grab the rope below the ropeman with my right hand. As I lift myself with my left arm and left leg, I pull the rope up with my right hand and make the ropeman/prusik capture the progress. (No slack)

I take my left foot out of the bottom aider step and place it into the top aider step and repeat the same process. Pull up with left arm/leg, tend slack with right hand. I then put both feet on the bottom step of the stick.

At this point, there's nothing really to grab onto with your left hand to pull yourself up. Because of this, I've recently replaced my chip clip "stopper knot" with a second prusik:

This second prusik keeps the quick link from falling down and gives me a handle to pull myself up while I tend the slack on the third move with my right hand again.

Now I'm standing upright on the bottom step. Put the LB around the tree, reconnect, tighten, and lean back. Loosen/lower ropeman/prusik combo. Raise tether. Step up onto platform, keeping LB tight. Raise tether again and set it as high as possible.

Repeat until you reach desired height.

If you do it this way, you capture the tether progress as you go and the only time you introduce slack, you should already be safely leaning back into the LB.

Sorry for the painful amount of detail, but I just wanted to be as clear as possible. Hope that made sense... Let me know what you think.

 

[TNSTAAFL]

Put my left foot in the bottom aider, grab the top of the stick with my left hand, and grab the rope below the ropeman with my right hand. As I lift myself with my left arm and let leg, I pull the rope up with my right hand and make the ropeman/prusik capture the progress. (No slack)

This part seems important, and for me is a bit of an undesirable tradeoff (not criticizing, just discussing). I want both hands on the stick or tree as I climb to minimize the chance for a slip. Not as likely to fall in the first place (while having slack) vs increased odds of slip/fall (with less or no slack). I choose the former, and I admit that a lot of this is perception and preference. If my feet are on aiders I want 2 hands on solid objects.

I keep my LB on the entire time also (and keep it above my waist). That way if I do slip or kickout the LB will very likely engage the tree/stick before my slack tether catches me (happened twice and worked both times with other climbing methods). Not recommending this to anyone, it's just my current process, which is subject to change.

Sorry for the painful amount of detail, but I just wanted to be as clear as possible. Hope that made sense... Let me know what you think.

I appreciate the detail very much. Helpful stuff!


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[DB4x4]

This part seems important, and for me is a bit of an undesirable tradeoff (not criticizing, just discussing). I want both hands on the stick or tree as I climb to minimize the chance for a slip. Not as likely to fall in the first place (while having slack) vs increased odds of slip/fall (with less or no slack). I choose the former, and I admit that a lot of this is perception and preference. If my feet are on aiders I want 2 hands on solid objects.

I keep my LB on the entire time also (and keep it above my waist). That way if I do slip or kickout the LB will very likely engage the tree/stick before my slack tether catches me (happened twice and worked both times with other climbing methods). Not recommending this to anyone, it's just my current process, which is subject to change.

I appreciate the detail very much. Helpful stuff!
G

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I agree with your statement about having both hands on the stick while climbing, well at least partially, anyway. Before I implemented this system to capture climbing progress, I used to just use a plain Jane prusik and climb above my tether.

My thought was that I was more stable with both hands on the stick and if I slipped, I should be able to catch myself with my arms since both hands were engaged. As soon as I got my feet onto the solid bottom step of the stick, I would hug the tree and reattach my LB so that I could safely advance my tether with both hands.

The part that made me nervous, was the "third move" where I was essentially stepping up onto the solid bottom step of the stick, while pushing down on the platform with my arms. At this point, I would have to let go of the platform to hug the tree, and reattach the LB. Like I said earlier, on smaller straight trees, this was rarely an issue.

However, the larger trees that are difficult to hug, split trees with odd trunks, or leaning trees that pull you away from the stick had a pucker factor for me.

Am I more likely to slip with only one hand on the stick? Maybe, but it doesn't matter so long as I simultaneously capture the progress with the right, because the saddle has constant tension. The difficult part for me is lifting with my left (weak) side. I guess I need to "quit skipping leg day", ha.

Each time I do it though, it gets a little easier. I have completed about a dozen or so climbs like this. It does take another minute or two longer, but I think it's smoother, quieter, and safer, at least for me.

 

[HuumanCreed]

One sticking is inherently less safe then multiple sticks. This is because of human nature, not because of the method. Just me, but the 'slack' everyone is talking about is because people are taking the fact that they are tethered to the tree for granted so they do not use a lineman belt. Think about it, the only time there is slack is when you climb the stick or sticks. You should be using a lineman belt during that phase/stage of the climb, but because a one-sticker is tethered in, they think that its 'safe' enough. Multi-sticker need the lineman belt to setup the next stick so they tolerate moving up with the device. Even most multi-stickers would be honest with you that they only use the lineman belt once they are on the first stick, because falling 5-6 feet is not serious.

 

[mtsrunner]

But where do you climb where you dont have slack at somepoint? if using a linesman you have greater risk.. if using a tether, you can move the tether with each step you take, thus not ever having slack.. Also, I would never fall straigh down, as I am leaning backwards as I climb up, so I would actuall fall back, and catch the slack in my harness and have more damage from slamming into the tree than i would from just falling like straight down..

Not trying to be a smartass, but you asked ‘where do you climb that you don’t have slack at some point?’
Answer is literally any of the rope climbing methods:SRT, DRT, dDRT, JRB etc.
Having said that, I realize that rope climbing is probably more conducive to pre-sets or setting up in daylight hours.

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[6L6]

So I’ve watched all the videos and I’ve tried using the LB as I go up the aider, it doesn’t work for me just to much stuff going on. Like some people do I hold top of my Wingman with one hand, foot into aider and before I step

 

[6L6]

Up I take all slack out of tether and pull as I make step step. It becomes natural once done a few times.

 

[bfriendly]

I really dislike more than a single step aider and I like the way it helps me set the stick. I also use a full size helium stick. 36” long with 3 sets of steps and Modified with cam cleat etc.. I really like having both feet on my stick, side by side, anytime I’m not stepping up. I can only raise my tether just above my head due to a bum right shoulder so it also helps to raise my tether with each step.

 

[colin.704]

if you think you won't fall all the way down a tree using a LB you are mistaken. most of you would try to hug the tree as you fell, which would make you keep falling. that is if the sticks don't hook your nuts/face and stop you, but then you're f'd up and bleeding halfway up a tree, trying to figure out what happened and how to get down. a rappel rope and a quality rappel device is safer. their is no point in using a lineman's belt while 1 sticking. it will get in the way, hook on something, and make your climb more difficult. to go further, you would be safer using a tether/ rappel rope hanging multiple sticks/WES/bolts etc. than using a lineman's belt. a LB is effective for falls only if you have practiced falling with it, on hooks, not sticks.

 

[kyler1945]

if you think you won't fall all the way down a tree using a LB you are mistaken.

A good statement, based on a couple implications: a lineman’s belt is not a fall arrest device; lots of people assume a lineman’s belt is a fall arrest device or will arrest a fall.

to go further, you would be safer using a tether/ rappel rope hanging multiple sticks/WES/bolts etc. than using a lineman's belt. a LB is effective for falls only if you have practiced falling with it.

A tether is a fall arrest device. It could POSSIBLY be a fall prevention device.

A lineman’s belt is designed to offer the ability to work hands free by offering 3rd/4th points of contact at your hips. Unless you’re using a squeeze, it’s primary function is not fall arrest. It could function in that way, but that is not the intent. It’s fall prevention.

Given that, how would your tether offer the balance gained by a lineman’s belt? The LB offers two independent points of contact, that essentially remove half your body mass from the balance equation, allowing you to work hands free. A tether will be attached via a bridge, and a single connection point, and one that is quite moveable. How will this give you BETTER balance? It won’t.

So you’re down to a burning topic: you’re saying it’s safer to be connected properly in case you fall(tether). Rather than take every step to NOT fall to begin with (lineman’s belt).


It leads to the second line in my signature.

And it leads me to the “saddle hunting has done more harm than good in advancing appropriate climbing techniques and safety precautions.” Why? Because people conflate sitting still in a saddle on a tense connection at hunting height, with climbing. Not consciously, or with ill intent. Just the natural human inclination to flatten everything into a story that makes sense.

I’d be curious why you think you’re “safer” with only a tether, @colin.704


And I’d advise everyone consider why hunters seem to be the only climber category who aren’t tied off 100% with fall arrest from the moment they leave the ground.

And to stop conflating saddle huntjng with saddle climbing, as our fearless leader @redsquirrel has pointed out.

 

[Hunterweeks]

I used a preset the other day and I had almost no slack one sticking and was up the tree faster than ever