Ropeman observation...YIKES!

[bj139]

I like to put things to use that I am carrying so I add my tether to my main climbing rope (SRT/RADS) since I have it anyway. I need a secondary bridge and saddle as well, maybe RCH.

 

[catman529]

You wouldn’t go far if it did release. And if you’ve got tension on the tether like usual it probably would never release


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[Allegheny Tom]

You wouldn’t go far if it did release. And if you’ve got tension on the tether like usual it probably would never release


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You were not there.

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[eyedoc]

So I traveled around the tree a few minutes ago to change comfort positions and I noticed that the ropeman lever was up against the tree. Im not sure if it could have released with just a little more pressure or if the bark structure was slightly different, but when I laid eyes on it, I definitely had a pucker moment.
Might need to make some sort of keeper that prevents an accidental, full release.
Be careful!

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Definitely a scary situation. I am all for back up plans. I have a stopper knot at the end of my tether. I also have a prussik knot in my tether above my ropeman and attached to my carabiner for safety.

 

[PJC]

If I did that then I wouldn't need the ropeman. Ropeman is a requirement IMO on the linemans belt for one handed operation, but for the tether, a prussik is probably sufficient. I may rethink that part of my rig.

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I don’t use a ropeman on my tether anymore but when I did I had it backed up with a Prusik. It didn’t interfere with the single handed adjustment of the ropeman because it wasn’t loaded. I would have to make small adjustments to lengthen the tether however and pull the Prusik down so it wouldn’t load.
My Prusik was the one that came on my Tethrd tether and was quite bulky. There are much thinner ropes available now that I would use as a backup Prusik if I were to go back to a ropeman on my tether.
I like the stopper knot also, only a couple inches below my ropeman or distal hitch or Prusik.
Good post. Thanks for sharing. Glad you saw it before anything happened.


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[cbrslider]

Allegheny, I appreciate you bringing this up. I am a brand new, haven't even tested my saddle, new guy. I think taking the time to even bring it up helps remind saddle users to keep vigilant when it comes to safety. Each year we hear of hunting accidents taking the life of a fellow hunter or seriously injuring them, so safety needs to be our primary concern.

Ray

 

[brydan]

You wouldn’t go far if it did release. And if you’ve got tension on the tether like usual it probably would never release

Having seen tree climbing accidents take place first hand I can tell you that how far you fall doesn't really make that much difference. Hunters aren't nearly imaginative enough in envisioning how accidents can play out. In the accidents I've witnessed, none of them involved gear failure. They were all slips and falls, something unexpected went wrong, etc. If the ascender unexpectedly released in a precarious position I can easily see a loss of balance, footing slips, etc, a good konk on the head out alone in the woods is more than enough of an injury to worry about.

 

[robstewart]

Having seen tree climbing accidents take place first hand I can tell you that how far you fall doesn't really make that much difference. Hunters aren't nearly imaginative enough in envisioning how accidents can play out. In the accidents I've witnessed, none of them involved gear failure. They were all slips and falls, something unexpected went wrong, etc. If the ascender unexpectedly released in a precarious position I can easily see a loss of balance, footing slips, etc, a good konk on the head out alone in the woods is more than enough of an injury to worry about.

Funny. I don’t see anyone here wearing a helmet. I’ve been looking at getting a blaze orange one actually.


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[Nutterbuster]

In the accidents I've witnessed, none of them involved gear failure. They were all slips and falls, something unexpected went wrong, etc.

Wish there was a way to double-like this. Human error is a beeyotch.

 

[Fishuntbike]

nice information

 

[DOMMA]

You might want to consider just tying a prussik loop around your tether above the ropeman and then connect into the caribiner. That would stop you if the ropeman gave way....

I was going to say the say thing. I always use a Ropemen and a prussik loop. The loop is loose and is easy to move but if the Ropeman broke the prussik will eventually grab.

 

[mattsteg]

Having seen tree climbing accidents take place first hand I can tell you that how far you fall doesn't really make that much difference. Hunters aren't nearly imaginative enough in envisioning how accidents can play out. In the accidents I've witnessed, none of them involved gear failure. They were all slips and falls, something unexpected went wrong, etc. If the ascender unexpectedly released in a precarious position I can easily see a loss of balance, footing slips, etc, a good konk on the head out alone in the woods is more than enough of an injury to worry about.

I'm sure if you were willing to share a few stories, many would appreciate - especially any common themes (people thought they could get away with X, or screwed up while doing Y, etc). I'm sure we all have our ownn blind spots.

When I see people with these complicated triple backups...so many scare the crap outta me. Any backup mostly needs to make your life simpler to be effective.

 

[Jbiehn]

Its crazy how many non backed up RM1 i see on instagram and YouTube. Some of the knots and things people do with the tag end of their tether are just mind blowing.

its been discussed here to exhaustion recently but the distel hitch with a tender is really awesome.