Safety mishaps per climbing method

[Crawdaddy4]

With which climbing method have you personally experienced a safety mishap?

By "Climbing Platform" do you mean like a saddle hunting platform (e.g. predator, ridgerunner, etc.) or like a climbing stand?

I ask because I've had many a mishap in my old climbing stand, pre-saddle hunting days!

 

[LAKY]

By "Climbing Platform" do you mean like a saddle hunting platform (e.g. predator, ridgerunner, etc.) or like a climbing stand?

I ask because I've had many a mishap in my old climbing stand, pre-saddle hunting days!

either. Just looking at methods used to climb.

 

[LAKY]

Another poll to use in conjunction with this one: https://saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/which-climbing-methods-have-you-tried.54283/

 

[LAKY]

Here are the rankings so far. The other thread for climbing methods tried can be found here:

Which climbing methods have you tried?

Which climbing methods have you tried? Goes along with post here: https://saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/safety-mishaps-per-climbing-method.54260/

saddlehunter.com

 

[2Sloe]

You are as safe as the amount of work you put into being safe. Seems obvious huh? There are almost no reasonable variables that you do not control or cannot mitigate. Certainly can’t say that about the drive to the woods, yet we don’t think twice about that. Yeah, the tree could fall, but the tree could fall with any other method too so that doesn’t make a saddle or a particular method “more dangerous”. ”Well, your equipment could fail”, Mmmhmm. My money is on you or I screwing the pooch long before our equipment fails. Pretty safe to say that almost all accidents are human error vice equipment failure. Given that, IMO backups are less for equipment failure than they are to save you from yourself, so consider them from that perspective.

IMO, you want to be safe, then work harder at being safe. First and foremost understand that your method isn’t the problem, it’s you — and never forget that. Understand the risks of your method, eliminate or mitigate those risks to an acceptable level, focus on what you are doing when you are doing it, recognize unsafe situations and act on them, and lastly, know your emergency action procedures and how to perform them before you need them. Stay safe out there and have a great season!

 

[kyler1945]

To be clear, a lineman's belt is a very useful tool. I dont bring one when hunting but do carry one when i am doing certain activities like helping a friend install a treestand or pruning apple trees, etc. Its just that I only use one in conjunction with a tie in and leverage it's ability to keep me in position while I use my hands.

As for finding a reputable study or paper or publication about what happens when on only a LB, no, I am not aware of anything like that. If anyone is, pls share. Instructions typically say what we should do, not the opposite. Saddle hunting is still fairly new as compared to properly using a Fall Arrest System (FAS)... which is a well documented best practice for treestand hunters. Instructions are pretty clear about the use of a Lineman's Belt. We gotta ask ourselves why we wouldn't do the same.

Using Your FAS With a Lineman's-Style Belt and Tree Strap

www.hunter-ed.com

JrbTreeClimbing.com, affiliated with RockNArbor.com

The link you provided suggests that the person climbs with lineman’s only, and to attach tether at height, before transitioning to their platform. Also suggests using three points of contact(a critically undervalued way to minimize risk).

 

[John RB]

The link you provided suggests that the person climbs with lineman’s only, and to attach tether at height, before transitioning to their platform. Also suggests using three points of contact(a critically undervalued way to minimize risk).

Agreed 100%. But this is now a change of topics. The link was provided in response to your question which asked:

"However, in your research, did you come across any data, or studies, or statistics, that led you to say a lineman’s belt would not make your list of equipment? Or are you just going off of the intuition generated when someone reads your two scenarios above?"

The link was provided as one reputable source of info on how to use a LB.

So let's get on to the actual opportunity to save some lives, which you picked up on: Today's fall Arrest Harness product offerings (which was the subject of the Hunter Education link I provided) have some MAJOR gaps:
1. They don't tell you how to get your rope anchored to the tree before you climb it the first time. Why? My guess is because they didn't have a way. I have devised a way. I haven't had a chance to publish that yet though...
2. They don't tell you how to get your rope anchored to the tree when you return to the tree the next time, or next season. I have devised a way. I published it and in that video ( link below) i made it clear that this idea is free for others to use or capitalize on. I don't care if they use it, improve it, sell it, and I don't want anyones money. I want people to stop falling.
3. They don't tell you how to get down safely without calling for rescue. We can't even reach the prusik over our heads in a FAS if we could break it. Great, we survived the fall, now we risk suspension trauma... no thanks. Let's get ourselves down.

As for 3 points of connection to a tree, that's just a best practice to avoid us losing balance in the event of SOME types of failures in conventinal climbing systems. But if we are on zero slack to a secure anchor right over our body... if we have that, we only need that one connection to be safe. The proof is every arborist who "SRT rope walks" up into the canopy every day. There is one anchor. Lateral stability, like swaying and spinning is effectively cosmetic. Gravity operates vertically. The anchor and lack of slack prevents a fall. The details of how we are attached to the rope and how we self rescue is the other necessary piece. I have already addressed that for saddle hunters: 1. ditch the short tether and use a lifeline that gets you to ground. 2. Make sure your system and yourself are capable of rappel even after a loss of footing.

JrbTreeClimbing.com, affiliated with RockNArbor.com

 

[BTaylor]

I was able to check 5 of your mishap options, what do I win?

 

[raisins]

The only close call I've had was on a very large tree that also had a somewhat shaggy bark. This is why I do not climb those now (edit for clarity: i will climb shaggy bark trees of appropriate size, but will not climb any tree (regardless of bark type) now so large that I cannot be sure the ropes are properly aligned around the back) and this could have happened with sticks or strap on steps, but it so happened to happen with sticks.

I did not get the rope in a straight line around the tree, it was hung up in the bark (I was using a rope mod and so the rope zig zagged a bit in the back of the tree) and the tree was too big for me to reach around and notice this. I pulled it tight and when I stepped on it then those zig zags introduced a ton of slack and the stick fell off the tree kind of (rather than simply sliding down, since the teeth just came off the tree).

Thank goodness this happened on my first stick and so I had one foot on the ground.

 

[Dmathews87]

knock on wood i havent had any safety incidents since starting saddle hunting years ago...the one incident i had involved a climbing stand bottom coming out from under me but i had a harness on and caught myself on the top bar and just fished the bottom piece back up with my feet. The multi stick numbers surprise me a bit as thats what i used starting and still mostly use to this day. Curious to know more about these mis haps...are people getting alot of kick outs? (which model stick if you did) maybe theres a trend with certain stand offs??

 

[Oklahoma33]

I have had two "close calls". Both were self inflicted. Luckily my guardian angel is pretty observant.
1st was an AM climb one sticking. Pretty sure when going around a limb down low I hooked into my bridge on the wrong spot. I'm not 100% where I clipped in at. If it was on the side prussic hitch of the bridge, or the tail end of the bridge that was rapped back into the side. If it was the second, only the stopper knot and pressure was holding me from falling.
2nd was a quick DRT climb in the yard this summer. I got about 5' up and realized I only went thru the one eye of the hitch cord. My hitch cord is double tied figure 8s on the ends So the knot pressure kept it from running out. I slowly went down and adjusted.
Both human error on my part and being in a hurry. So I will still say saddle hunting is safer if done properly. I'm sure I have had close calls messing around with stands I cant recall.

Have a picture of this double tied figure 8 hitch?


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[MattMan81]

Have a picture of this double tied figure 8 hitch?


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It's a short piece of rope with a figure 8 tied on each end. Eye to eye prussic. Except it has knots.

 

[LAKY]

Here's an updated ranking since there were more voters. The other thread for climbing methods tried can be found here:

Which climbing methods have you tried?

Which climbing methods have you tried? Goes along with post here: https://saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/safety-mishaps-per-climbing-method.54260/

saddlehunter.com

 

[BTaylor]

This is that BS that happens when you take chances and trust cables that are a little rusty. I had been in the tree for a couple hours when it broke. Won’t ever be a tree again without the saddle. It allowed me to get out of a sticky spot that a regular harness could have been a real problem. If you climb a tree without being tethered just freaking stop it. And dont do dumb sh!t like I did this morning and trust a Rusty cable. No deer and no bowhunters were harmed in the making of this post lol.


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[LAKY]

This is that BS that happens when you take chances and trust cables that are a little rusty. I had been in the tree for a couple hours when it broke. Won’t ever be a tree again without the saddle. It allowed me to get out of a sticky spot that a regular harness could have been a real problem. If you climb a tree without being tethered just freaking stop it. And dont do dumb sh!t like I did this morning and trust a Rusty cable. No deer and no bowhunters were harmed in the making of this post lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glad you're OK. I have one lock on left, and I replaced the cables with chains. I still hate using it. I still use some ladder stands, but those are checked every year. I let the wife and kids sit in them, and I hang behind them.

 

[GeoFish]

This is that BS that happens when you take chances and trust cables that are a little rusty. I had been in the tree for a couple hours when it broke. Won’t ever be a tree again without the saddle. It allowed me to get out of a sticky spot that a regular harness could have been a real problem. If you climb a tree without being tethered just freaking stop it. And dont do dumb sh!t like I did this morning and trust a Rusty cable. No deer and no bowhunters were harmed in the making of this post lol.


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What saddle do you like in a conventional treestand?

 

[John RB]

What saddle do you like in a conventional treestand?

In a conventional treestand, I am not wearing a fall arrest harness, only a saddle. And just like any other kind of climbing, I am always tied into the tree with my bridge and lifeline on little slack. This is a time for a minimalist saddle. I am wearing the new Pioneer Saddle from Ape Canyon Outfitters, part of RockNArbor. It's unbeatable in terms of price and quality. And you can get it for 10% off the $189 price with the JRB10 coupon code. I prefer the fabric version, not the mesh.

Hunting Saddles - Rock-N-Arbor

www.rocknarbor.com

JrbTreeClimbing.com, affiliated with RockNArbor.com

 

[GeoFish]

In a conventional treestand, I am not wearing a fall arrest harness, only a saddle. And just like any other kind of climbing, I am always tied into the tree with my bridge and lifeline on little slack. This is a time for a minimalist saddle. I am wearing the new Pioneer Saddle from Ape Canyon Outfitters, part of RockNArbor. It's unbeatable in terms of price and quality. And you can get it for 10% off the $189 price with the JRB10 coupon code. I prefer the fabric version, not the mesh.

Hunting Saddles - Rock-N-Arbor

www.rocknarbor.com

JrbTreeClimbing.com, affiliated with RockNArbor.com

I can't tell on the leg straps. Are they g hooks?

 

[John RB]

I can't tell on the leg straps. Are they g hooks?

No, is a square buckle that is diagonally pushed through a larger square ring and sits in place. They can't accidentally open. I just took this photo from my tree lol. Belt is the same.

JrbTreeClimbing.com, affiliated with RockNArbor.com

 

[Coachschaller]

had a mishap today while setting up stands. Had a preset I wanted to redo, along with redrilling bolts. I could not get my climbing rope as high as I wanted. It was hitched over a bicycle hook and around the trunk. The bicycle hook came out and the hitch around the tree fell a foot or so. I was only about 6 or 7 feet off the ground, but it was so fast I didn't have time to get scared. I probably fell 1 or 2 feet but the climbing rope caught me and my climbing hitches did their job.

I used a JRB maverick hitch around the trunk. I was able to redo my preset to something more secure.