Climbing down.

[enkriss]

So... rereading the original post. Are you planning on using a lifeline as a tether?

 

[DB4x4]

I always hate climbing down after a hunt with an aider.... I feel ok on the way up, but I don’t feel as stable on the way down and my knees don’t care for it as much either.... and juggling a linesman belt in the midst

I feel like the tether and points of contact on the stick would keep me stable enough and relieve pressure on my knees.

So I considered 25’ of oplux for a tether and just slowly lowering myself with a friction hitch as I come come down and skip out on a linesman belt? I’ll still need the aider, but I feel like I won’t be as worried about stability and it would take pressure off the knees. (Stepping down is not as easy as up anymore on my left knee)

Does this sound like a stupid idea?
In my head it seems ok, worst come to worst I go swinging like Tarzan a second?

Any dangers you can think of? I mean it seems similar to DRT or whatever it is you folks do.

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. In my opinion, this is no different than treestand hunters using a safety line to climb/descend. I do the same thing when hanging or tearing down stands for my wife or family. You can hang from the long tether/safety line when pulling sticks too. Just make sure you hook up a line at the top to pull the rope out of the tree once you're at the bottom. An adjustable bridge may be helpful here too.

 

[Jtaylor]

What do you gentleman use to descend? Maybe I’ll look into some options.

I have a Kong Chuy and Sterling Hollow block with Oplux and a delta link since I use it as my tether going up too.

 

[enkriss]

I recently started using this technique.....maybe not the safest option but haven't died yet

Have you tried this instead of doing the leg wrap?

 

[Weldabeast]

Have you tried this instead of doing the leg wrap?

I havent....leg wrap works just fine...thanks for sharing

 

[Redhorse3e351]

I personally have not found a better way to come down other than repelling. sticks, gaffs, one sticking, even my old summit was caused me to pucker from time to time.

 

[TJutte]

Have you tried this instead of doing the leg wrap?

I think that would only work if you were trying to ascend the tree. It prevents the munter from flipping to let slack out, which is what you need to get down.


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[TJutte]

I have maybe 20 times so I cant answer.... maybe @TJutte can chime in. I'm using 9mm htp and after decent the rope has a stiffness to it but that stiffness goes away after u shake it out or daisy chain back up....if I get 4-5 seasons out of it then I'm good with that...

A lot of factors involved that will change the amount of friction, and the damage to the rope. Rope diameter, biner size, rate of descent, how clean is your rope, etc.

Inspect your ropes often, keep them out of mud, don’t climb pines with lots of sap, store them DRY, don’t use harsh detergents, and learn to identify issues in the ropes sheath and guts. If you take care of your rope (you absolutely should, it (tether, linemans, sometimes bridge) will probably fail before your saddle does) than a munter hitch wont be an issue for a long time.


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[cedar paul]

You can't rappell down on just a hitch that is why they came up with Ropewrenchs, Akimbos and Hitchhiker they all introduce additional friction so you can descend on a hitch. The key to good hitch performance is dependent on the ratio between climbing line and hitch cord and also hitch cord material. Also hitches themselves have a lot to do with overall performance.

 

[cedar paul]

Sorry Akimbo is a different animal( doesn't use a hitch).