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Sean's outdoors climbing method

VF_MIKE said:
All that you might as well one stick.

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That was my take away. Sure wouldn’t take much to kick out an aider in the dark with your leg wrapped around the tree. But honestly there’s a lot of climbing methods I steer clear of that lots of guys successfully use.
 
That’s the fi
Bigterp said:
That was my take away. Sure wouldn’t take much to kick out an aider in the dark with your leg wrapped around the tree. But honestly there’s a lot of climbing methods I steer clear of that lots of guys successfully use.
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thats the first thing i thought of, kicking out with my leg around the tree. Again, it works for him. I’ll keep using sticks and aiders!
 
On a very rough bark tree u would have to double triple check the bottom of the stick wasn't on a hump or funny spot on the bark...if the bottom slips after u standing on it wouldn't be good
 
Everyone is too obsessed with the lightest most compact climbing system. I get it though! However, every time I see one of these videos they demonstrate their system on a straight limbless tree wearing shoes, light boots and street clothes. I guarantee you most of these climbing systems will never be used in cold weather or trees with multiple branches. If someone feels that they found a great light weight system for climbing trees please show it wearing hunting clothes and everything you will be carrying with you in the woods. A real life hunting scenario. Until then I think these are just entertaining.
 
Seems to be a hybrid style of climbing, like part one stick and part multi stick climbing blended together for the worse. Just one stick and be done with it as he's already sitting in the saddle, why not reach down and reposition the same stick instead of carrying 4 separate pieces
 
Heaven forbid if anything ever happened, he's got so much slack in the tether if he ever fell he'd break his back. There are things in life that are worth a risk but climbing a tree isn't one of them.
 
I’m going to leave aside the tools, or the execution. I’m simply going to do some math for folks who might be interested.

he weighs 180lbs.

If he’s standing in the top step of that aider, and has not repositioned his tether anchor, and he falls, he’s falling roughly 54”. His tether is roughly 60” long from anchor to his tie in.

This would result in a fall factor of 1.92, with 17.6kn of force placed on his tether anchor, and the connection to him.

he appears to be using a spliced tether, so no loss for knots there. That rope is likely rated at least to 24kn - good there.

amsteel bridge - good there, based on limited testing by saddle suppliers. I’m not comfortable, but let’s call it good.

bridge loops - probably good.

carabiners - probably good.

prussic - 6mmaccessory cord rated at 12-18kn................

conservatively, if his prussic holds, hell only break His back in 2-3 places. If he’s at 20’ when his prussic breaks, hell probably only break it in one, and then multiple broken bones when he hits the ground.

I’ll offer two pieces of advice here:

If your tether is not tied directly to your saddle, and you’re just using your prussic to protect you, you’re doing it wrong.

a 36” fall on a 60” tether made of static rope will likely mean a life changing injury for most people who frequent this forum. For some of our bigger members, it may only take a 20-24” fall.

be safe folks
 
I kinda hate aiders. My hawk minis are not heavy at all. I am going to try making a Versa aider to see if I like it but these ladder aiders have always driven me nuts. Sticks or climbers are my preference all day.
 
I'm certainly not in any position to throw stones with all the sketchy stuff I've done in my past. Please don't take this as a personal attack on the original presenter, if it works for him more power to him.

However, now that I'm home and had a second look at the video I have a few comments (in addition to my personal dislike of long aiders) I'd like to point out for others who might consider using this method. I'd hate to see someone else try this without considering these points and maybe get hurt. I'll try to go through my comments in the order I noticed them in the video.
  • The use of a hard material such as pvc for the steps on the aider can be problematic. The hard edge can act to cut the webbing where it is pulled across it (don't ask me how I know this . . .:rolleyes:) . . .oh, okay, I had a similar DIY aider break on me while climbing once. Luckily I was on my first step off the ground. I didn't fall but it did ruin my hunt. I would use a softer material like garden hose or flexible plastic tubing.
  • I'm not sure the fisherman's knot at the top of the aider webbing is the right choice. I would probably use a water knot there with webbing. Webbing can act differently than rope with respect to knotting.
  • The shorter a step is the more likely it is to kick sideways. Add to it that there's only point contact at the bottom of the stick and it is even easier to slide sideways. It doesn't even have to pull away from the tree at all as it would if there was a bottom V bracket there, it just needs to be slightly misaligned. If that step kicks out it's rotating fully around and dumping the aider (and you) off of it.
  • Aiders are inherently unstable, that's why its important to bury your toe in the tree. By using the leg hook to grab the tree there's a real potential to torque your foot in the aider and create a kick out. I would suggest a lineman's belt instead. At least your'e pulling straight back and pushing directly into the tree with your foot.
  • Honestly though, that angled up, open ended tubular stick scares me the most. If a foot kicks out in that aider while you're standing on ths second rung and moving the rope up you stand a decent chance of impaling yourself on the exposed sharp edge of the tube, especially if your leg is wrapped around the tree (Did I mention, Use a lineman's belt?). There's no surface area there to bounce off. It will likely just punch a square hole in your abdomen. And, if you're lucky enough to miss it with you body as you drop by on the semi-slack tether you will almost certainly swing into it once the tether comes tight. Hopefully it's not poking you in the face.
Again I'm not trying to stomp on the original presenter's method, if it works for him great. I like ingenuity and fully believe we all need to evaluate the risks for ourselves and take responsibility for them on our own. I just want to make sure someone points out some of the potential risks for others who may consider employing this method.
 
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Handlebar plugs were the first required safety equipment in the tour de france because of accidents with handlebars cutting plugs out of riders in crashes.

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