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One Stick Climbing: To Rappel or not Rappel

Do you Rappel after one stick climbing to make your descent?

  • I use a different climbing method

  • I one stick climb but have never tried rappelling

  • I one stick climb and have tried rappelling but don't care for it

  • I one stick climb but only rappel under certain conditions

  • If I one stick climb I'm rappelling down

Results are only viewable after voting.
Jokerswild said:
Is there a way to truly rappel, Solo, one rope, that any climb instructor would say is safe? Im looking at it as a " last resort self rescue" option though.
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Oh yes, look up the double carabiner wrap. Very safe if done properly, and you don't require any additional equipment.
 
TJutte said:
Oh yes, look up the double carabiner wrap. Very safe if done properly, and you don't require any additional equipment.
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Yep, as well as Munter hitch. I will be testing both this summer. Be nice if I could find a way to carry less stuff, although my system has gotten so much more compact and minimal I’m to the point of chasing my own tail.


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Squirrels said:
Yep, as well as Munter hitch. I will be testing both this summer. Be nice if I could find a way to carry less stuff, although my system has gotten so much more compact and minimal I’m to the point of chasing my own tail.


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What exactly is your set up?


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DanielB89 said:
What exactly is your set up?


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I use my 8mm rappel line (I have both OpLux and Ultratech) as my tether. It’s attached to my bridge via the Safeguard and carabiner. I use a 35cm Beal Jammy as an autoblock hooked to my right lineman’s loop with a small wire gate carabiner. For a lineman’s I use 6mm TRC with a piece of 7/64 Amsteel spliced with a locked Brummell on each end tied on the 6mm as a distel hitch with a brass tack ring on the carabiner as a tender. I’m going to be hard pressed to reduce much bulk or weight from the system I have now.


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Squirrels said:
For a lineman’s I use 6mm TRC with a piece of 7/64 Amsteel spliced with a locked Brummell on each end tied on the 6mm as a distel hitch with a brass tack ring on the carabiner as a tender.

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You have a pic of this? Sounds like a cool set up
 
Arrowsquirrel said:
You have a pic of this? Sounds like a cool set up
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8ce31213db208839c1b5a2f8413b4f42.jpg



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Yea I understand. I looked up the breaking strength on it already. It wouldn't be fall rated but I'm okay with that for my linesman system. I've been using 8mm rope that isn't 24k either. Was going to get oplux but I might try this first.
 
Arrowsquirrel said:
Yea I understand. I looked up the breaking strength on it already. It wouldn't be fall rated but I'm okay with that for my linesman system. I've been using 8mm rope that isn't 24k either. Was going to get oplux but I might try this first.
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Yep. I wouldn’t use it as a tether but I’m just using as a lineman’s to get around limbs so I’m with you. Give it a shot. I’m going to get some 1/8” amsteel to try on it as well. Only because a little larger diameter would be easier to put pressure on the top of the distel for letting out slack. If you decide to try it hit me up and I can give you exact measurements for splicing the distel so you don’t have to trial and error length and waste a bunch of time and amsteel.


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Maybe a silly question since ive never rappelled before...... most trees I chose to climb will have lots of branches. Is it possible to rappel down and move around the tree or are u pretty much stuck being inline with your girth hitch side of the tree? Lots of times my platform ends up on the opposite side of the tree I started climbing because of obstructions around the base if the tree
 
Weldabeast said:
Maybe a silly question since ive never rappelled before...... most trees I chose to climb will have lots of branches. Is it possible to rappel down and move around the tree or are u pretty much stuck being inline with your girth hitch side of the tree? Lots of times my platform ends up on the opposite side of the tree I started climbing because of obstructions around the base if the tree
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Naturally gravity and physics will keep you inline with your girth hitch point. I’ve climbed a tree on one side and put my platform on the opposite side. Based on limbs I may need to take a specific path down. Before I rappel down I just move my girth hitch around to the spot on the trunk I want to go down.


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Weldabeast said:
Maybe a silly question since ive never rappelled before...... most trees I chose to climb will have lots of branches. Is it possible to rappel down and move around the tree or are u pretty much stuck being inline with your girth hitch side of the tree? Lots of times my platform ends up on the opposite side of the tree I started climbing because of obstructions around the base if the tree
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you can probably still rappel without much issue but getting your rope back down might be another story.
 
Rappel has my attention but I'd need some convincing. I always assumed you'd need a fairly limbless tree for safe decent. Il stick with climbing back down for now until I can have an experienced person show me how in person.
 
You don’t need a limbless tree. No limbs just means you can come down as fast as you want to. You control your descent speed so if there’s limbs you can just walk down the tree using limbs, trunk, etc.

I put a section of 1” tubular webbing over my rappel rope which protects the rope, but it also allows the rope to slide through without friction from the tree. The latter makes it really easy to retrieve your rappel rope even in trees with limbs.
 
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Weldabeast said:
Rappel has my attention but I'd need some convincing. I always assumed you'd need a fairly limbless tree for safe decent. Il stick with climbing back down for now until I can have an experienced person show me how in person.
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The movies make it seem like you must rappel like a maniac. Slow and controlled can easily be done as you work your way around limbs.
 
Good info on this thread. What are some of your favorite "1 sticks" out there. Mainly dimensions. Also what's your favorite style aider if you use one? 1,2,3 step...etc

Thanks everyone
 
My First Incident “One Sticking” 03/15/2020
Equipment:
Flex Saddle (adjustable web bridge),
8’ Linesman Belt used as tether (Oplux + KongDuck),
Rappelling gear (Kong quick link\ 40’ Oplux, Madrock Safeguard, miscellaneous carabiners.)
Beast Stick with Amsteel daisy chain & 22” amsteel aider fixed to bottom step

Incident:
I was practicing one stick climbing method like many of the videos show. I did not like the progression of advancing 22” each time I moved my tether up the tree. So, I decided to climb up to the top of the stick and move my tether up. In doing so I could not reach my stick by leaning down. I was using my 8’ linesman belt for the tether so I could not simply rappel down to reach it. I accidently kicked my stick and it fell out of reach. At the time of the incident I was approximately 18’ off the ground.

Action taken:
I did not panic although it was disturbing. I pull out my rappelling gear and hooked it up as high as I could reach. Now I needed to get the load off my Kong Duct ascender onto my Safeguard. I managed to do this by hip thrust similar to DRT method. I released my ascender, unhooked my tether and rappelled down and retrieved my stick then to the ground. This exercise was fairly simple for a 60-year-old man.

Lessons Learned:
1. Do not get in a hurry.
2. Why not use your rappelling gear on the climb up if you are going to carry it anyway.
3. Lastly as best stated by Clint Eastwood, “A man got to know his limitations “

I thought I would share this here since it has to do with all the climbing gear mention in this thread.
 
@Kenbama glad you didn't panic. Your experience is why a keep suggesting people just ascend when one sticking with their rapel line and Safeguard. If things go south you can just rappel down. I suggest an autoblock on the rappel line hooked to a lineman loop on you saddle as well. Plus you can carry one less rope in the woods. You don't have to carry a tether, linemans rope, and rappel rope. The tether can stay in the truck.
 
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