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20+ feet with 9.5oz.....

flinginairos

flinginairos

Well-Known Member
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Joined
Sep 19, 2014
Messages
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After watching Ted Bright climb with his Cranford rope steps and aiders at saddlepalooza it got my gears turnin....I started thinking, why couldn’t I climb the same way with pre-drilled trees and carbon bolts using @ckossuth’s Versa Strap as an aider? I tried it out today and it works better than I could have imagined!

Basically you drill a hole at waist level and one at head level, roughly 3’ apart. Girth hitch the versa strap to your right foot as your moveable aider. Hook the top loop of the versa to the bolt that is head high and step into that and then onto the waist high bolt while leaning back into the lineman rope.

The key is to let your foot with the aider sit on the side of the tree instead of having the tip of your boot in the tree. The aider is basically taking the place of the opposite bolt
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Drilling the hole at a slight angle keeps the strap tight to the tree and it doesn’t budge at all. It feels rock solid while climbing and if the tree is already drilled you can be up in about a minute.

9.5 oz and about the size of a cell phone. Pretty cool!
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I took a video I’ll try to upload it!


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I forgot to add that stiff sole boots help when climbing like this. This tree was super slick and it was pouring down the rain but I never felt like I was going to slip at all while using the aider. The way the aider wraps around and makes contact with the tree from the bolt to your boot it's very solid!
 
I’ve been trying to think of a way to safely do something like this! I gotta check that out. It’s a little hard to follow but I’m sure it’ll make sense in the woods!
Thanks @flinginairos :sunglasses:
 
Only thing is I feel like I’m a little big for the carbon bolts. 6’2” and 225 neked isn’t carbon bolt friendly. Lol
 
weekender21 said:
Pretty cool! At 195 pounds I might skip the carbon bolts but this method looks really cool! Might also carry a spare bolt just in case one finds it's way to the ground.
Click to expand...

EricS tested a carbon bolt at saddlepalooza and he’s a big boy. Not sure what he weighs but at 195 I wouldn’t worry at all. This will work great with standard grade 8 bolts as well. 7-8 bolts is better than 14-16 of them lol


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The risk with carbon bolts is sudden loading toward the tip. They're strong but if they do fail it's immediate and catastrophic (vs a bent bolt). Keep it smooth and boots tight to the tree and they load a lot.
 
mattsteg said:
The risk with carbon bolts is sudden loading toward the tip. They're strong but if they do fail it's immediate and catastrophic (vs a bent bolt). Keep it smooth and boots tight to the tree and they load a lot.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Keep the load as close to the tree as possible.


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I have two Metolius adjustable aider just rotting in my junk bin. Might be a reason to pull them out of mothballs.



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Peterk1234 said:
Nice! Bout time we some new innovations pop up! Let's keep it going.
Click to expand...

Hanging around some other saddle hunters for a full weekend gave me some ideas for sure. It won’t be for everyone or every situation but it’s something different that may be useful. I’m kind of excited about it! Haha


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Why bother with the bolts at all???

2 straps with one being long and the other short; 1 girth hitched to each foot on one end and both girth hitched to the tree on the other end, long one on top, short one on bottom. Raise right leg up and girth hitch that strap to tree. Step up. Raise left leg up and girth hitch that strap to tree. Step. Repeat.
 
dalton916 said:
Why bother with the bolts at all???

2 straps with one being long and the other short; 1 girth hitched to each foot on one end and both girth hitched to the tree on the other end, long one on top, short one on bottom. Raise right leg up and girth hitch that strap to tree. Step up. Raise left leg up and girth hitch that strap to tree. Step. Repeat.
Click to expand...

Be worth a try!!


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@flinginairows you beat me to the punch. I was gonna start playing with something similar but have been working since getting back from saddle palooza. Good job man. I'm definitely giving this a shot.

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denots said:
@flinginairows you beat me to the punch. I was gonna start playing with something similar but have been working since getting back from saddle palooza. Good job man. I'm definitely giving this a shot.

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Click to expand...

Try it out and let me know what you think. There's a couple things I want to try that may improve it even more.
 
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