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Spurs up Rappel down

Has anyone fell while rappelling in the situation the OP was asking about
 
Lowg08 said:
Has anyone fell while rappelling in the situation the OP was asking about
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I know a user fell last season and he blamed a rope issue. There was lots of speculation on what really happened. Doesn’t really tie in to spurs, but one doesn’t really have much to do with the other.
 
When I learned. I know the knots and such but I decided I would use an ATC just double loop. It just seems way to easy to miss one of the two sides of rope in the dark
 
Lowg08 said:
When I learned. I know the knots and such but I decided I would use an ATC just double loop. It just seems way to easy to miss one of the two sides of rope in the dark
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And this is why I climb on a moving rope system. Nothing to confuse and no metal clanging around or falling. Some arborist colleges have done videos testing heavy rocks being dropped in excess of 6’ from a Blake’s hitch on both MRS and SRS configurations, the hitch only failed once and that was with a ridiculous amount of force. DDRT is the best way to climb as long as you take the time to learn to tie the knots and weight them before climbing
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
And this is why I climb on a moving rope system. Nothing to confuse and no metal clanging around or falling. Some arborist colleges have done videos testing heavy rocks being dropped in excess of 6’ from a Blake’s hitch on both MRS and SRS configurations, the hitch only failed once and that was with a ridiculous amount of force. DDRT is the best way to climb as long as you take the time to learn to tie the knots and weight them before climbing
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And if I’m not mistaken the failure wasn’t even the Blake’s hitch it was the 9mm rope where the tie in point (a bowline knot I believe) was. The hitch was still on the SRT rope holding strong with a fall factor of like 1.1 or better. Sure mechanical ascenders and descenders are convenient but when it comes to weight and strength, a quality friction hitch has NO EQUAL.
 
bowhuntr09 said:
I would recommend a tree squeeze or even your tether. A lineman’s belt is not fall restraint. In worst case scenario, it will just keep your broken crumpled body from rolling away from the base of the tree.
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I fashioned a tree squeeze with a rated GT Climbing loop (which I also use for my aiders to one stick) and a rated biner. I girth hitch one side to my LB and the other to the biner on the other side of the LB. It takes some more time to advance up with it but gives me some piece of mind.
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
And if I’m not mistaken the failure wasn’t even the Blake’s hitch it was the 9mm rope where the tie in point (a bowline knot I believe) was. The hitch was still on the SRT rope holding strong with a fall factor of like 1.1 or better. Sure mechanical ascenders and descenders are convenient but when it comes to weight and strength, a quality friction hitch has NO EQUAL.
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I bought the Jepson books to learn the different hitches. Started using the French VT with a mini pully for my climbing lanyard or LB. This is for my tree work system not my hunting system. Also learning SRT or SRS with the mech devices but I do need to learn the hitches as I agree, if something fails or something breaks, as no mech. device is 100% reliable, one should know the appropriate hitches. I heard many pro arborists, (to promote consistency and reliability) use one type of hitch (like the alpine butterfly) for tie offs of the non-working end of the rope and another type of hitch (like the bowline on a bite) for other types of hitches in the system. I'm just getting into this so forgive my ignorance.
 
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woodsdog2 said:
I bought the Jepson books to learn the different hitches. Started using the French VT with a mini pully for my climbing lanyard or LB. This is for my tree work system not my hunting system. Also learning SRT or SRS with the mech devices but I do need to learn the hitches as I agree, if something fails or something breaks, as no mech. device is 100% reliable, one should know the appropriate hitches. I heard many pro arborists, (to promote consistency and reliability) use one type of hitch (like the alpine butterfly) for tie offs of the non-working end of the rope and another type of hitch (like the bowline on a bite) for other types of hitches in the system. I'm just getting into this so forgive my ignorance.
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As far as termination knots the figure 8 on a bite is king. I personally use the alpine butterfly for any midline termination points. It’s easy, very strong and in my opinion is easier to get out once loaded than something like a clove hitch.
 
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woodsdog2 said:
I fashioned a tree squeeze with a rated GT Climbing loop (which I also use for my aiders to one stick) and a rated biner. I girth hitch one side to my LB and the other to the biner on the other side of the LB. It takes some more time to advance up with it but gives me some piece of mind.
Click to expand...
You can get a similar effect by tying cross body on the tree with your linesman rope while climbing. It does take longer to ascend but it’s not a race, it’s a hunt and getting home safely should be everyone’s priority. What good is it to spend so much time scouting and shooting a trophy buck if you slip and fall during ascent or descent?
 
So, I just got off the phone with my regional DWR office, and the kindly human on the other side said that while screw-in steps aren't okay, climbing spurs ARE okay with the reasoning that they don't want anything permanent left in the tree regarding the steps. I specifically asked if it was okay for both WMAs and private land, and they said yes.
 
Gorvai said:
So, I just got off the phone with my regional DWR office, and the kindly human on the other side said that while screw-in steps aren't okay, climbing spurs ARE okay with the reasoning that they don't want anything permanent left in the tree regarding the steps. I specifically asked if it was okay for both WMAs and private land, and they said yes.
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Sounds like the answer you needed!
 
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