• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

One Sticking without a Madrock Safeguard

TreeSick

TreeSick

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2021
Messages
19
Location
London, KY
First time poster here so bear with me.

I’ve been following this forum since I got into saddle hunting 3 seasons ago. I started climbing with the Wild Edge Steps using a Knaider and then transitioned to 4 Hawk Mini sticks using the Knaider. I really liked that method but I like to tinker and wanted to try something new. One sticking seemed to fit the bill so I dove in head first about a month ago and have climbed/hunted with this setup probably 25-30x now and I absolutely love it.

The problem I had early on was finding a way to get up the tree and back down without adding or removing anything to my rappel rope because the Madrock Safeguard is out of stock everywhere. I first used a dedicated tether and then switched to my rappel rope and descended out of the teee using a Petzl Verso ATC and a Beal Jammy autoblock. This worked fine but I didn’t like having to switch everything once I was at hunting height and it was tome to come down.

So I started thinking how could I get up and down the tree on my rappel rope and here’s what I’ve came up with. I’ve been doing this for the last two weeks and have several climbs under my belt and it’s working really well.

I purchased a 28” 8mm eye to eye Sterling Flex Cord from EWO and tied into my 9mm Sterling HTP rappel rope with a Scwabisch hitch. After I have that tied in, I then run my Petzl Verso under the friction hitch and connect both to my carabiner and clip into my bridge. The Verso acts as a friction hitch tinder as I ascend and the Scwabisch will hold my weight. If I need to lower myself at anytime during the ascent then I hold the tag end of my rope, break the friction hitch, and come down. At hunting height I add the Beal Jammy as an auto block just for extra security. I just use the Jammy as a 3 wrap prusik connected to a D ring on my saddle below the ATC. This makes the rappel down at the end of the hunt much smoother because it’s less weight on both the Jammy and friction hitch throughout the rappel.

I did have to add one extra wrap to the Scwabisch hitch to make it really bite. I tried the standard 4 wraps and while it will hold, on the rappel when I go hands free to remove my stick/platform, the friction hitch wanted to slip. Not an issue if you’re using an auto block but when I’m climbing I find it much less cumbersome to just leave it off. It makes tending the hitch/pulling the slack out of your tether/rappel rope much easier without the auto block. For reference I’m about 200 pounds with all my gear and pack.

I’ve watched every video on YouTube and read every post I could find on here about different methods of ascending and rappelling and then I took little things from each to make this method work. Thanks to everyone out there in the saddle
community for the tips and tricks. I finally have a Madrock on the way and I plan to switch to it when it gets here just so it’s less stuff to tie on/take off each time up and down the tree but hopefully this may help someone out there who doesn’t have a Madrock and is looking for a more efficient way up and down the tree.

Sorry for the long winded post. I’ll try to attach some photos so it’ll make this more clear.
 
2602481f8abd4aeb9717194d0579c7a3.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I also do not have a safeguard. I one stick up the tree with a ropeman backed up with a prusik. To repel I remove the prusik and use a figure 8 with a separate carabiner and leave my ropeman in place as a backup/repel stop for when I need to get my platform/stick off the tree. When on repel I have to hold the ropeman open with my left hand and use my right hand for the brake hand. At no point do I have to remove or open the carabiner that holds the ropeman so it's safe. Yes it takes more time then if I just had a safeguard with no back up like most guys run but it might be an extra 1-2 minute at the most once u practice.
 
I like what I see.
Have you tried an oval-shaped carabiner? It may help keep your 'stuff' more in-line and less pinching?
 
I haven’t but I thought the same thing. If I wasn’t just making this work till the Madrock gets here then I would get one for sure because everything does pinch. I tried running the carabiner the other way so there’s more room for the hitch and ATC but it wants to ride how it is in the picture. I’m hoping the pear shaped carabiner will work ok with the Madrock…. If not I’ll end up with a different one anyway.

With that said, it works pretty smooth. The ATC tends the hitch very easily and the rappel out is smooth as butter. But it may be even better with a different shaped carabiner because it does choke everything down in the small end of the Black Diamond Mini Pearbiner that I’m using.

But that’s a good point for anyone who may try this. An oval shaped carabiner would most likely work better. Thanks for pointing that out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The left leg is on top of the right as they enter the wraps, they do look crossed.
 
Just curious as to why you use the Scwabisch hitch above and the auto block below your repel device.
 
Canderson said:
Just curious as to why you use the Scwabisch hitch above and the auto block below your repel device.
Click to expand...

You could probably get by without the auto block below the device but I found that on the rappel, when I stop to take off my stick and platform, the scwabisch is pretty hard to break free and continue the rappel. The auto block does 99% of the work on the rappel for me and totally eliminates having to free up the friction hitch to to continue my descent. Plus it’s an added level of security. So that’s why I’m running both.

I could remove the friction hitch entirely before I start the rappel but that would require me to open my carabiner and it’s not necessary to get down the tree so I just leave it on till I’m on the ground.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Maybe as you’re weighting the Madrock, move the top hitch down a little, and slide up taut when the device grabs. That way it won’t be loaded and will be ready to grab.
 
Last edited:
Brocky said:
Maybe as you’re weighting the Madrock, move the top hitch down a little, and slide up taut when the device grabs. That way it won’t be loaded and will be ready to grab.
Click to expand...

The device in the photo isn’t a Madrock. It’s a Petzl Verso ATC. The ATC will tend the friction hitch on the way up the tree like a prusik tender and then I use it to rappel out at the end of the hunt. That may have confused you. If I had the Madrock I wouldn’t need to run a hitch above it or the auto block below it. This was just the setup to get me by till the Madrock are back in stock.

FYI…. For anyone still looking for the safe guard, mine just came in today. I had emailed the folks at Madrock about a month ago and they put me on a waiting list. I got an email last week saying a limited number was back in stock and ready to be shipped for those on the list. Im assuming that means they’ll be a limited quantity pop up on their website any day now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I run a Michoacan on my rappel/tether and connect a figure 8 descender under it to rappel. The mich holds and breaks easy. Use a single lock wrap on the figure 8 to collect the stick. You have to play with the length on the mich to get it right in relation to the figure 8, but I use a mini 8 and it works great. Only rappelling 30 ft max, so it's easy to go slow and stay focused. No rope changes and only have to have one additional piece of hardware. I have rappelled with just the mich to see if it can be done, and it can work, just heats the rope up. (was worried I could drop the figure 8 at height).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top