Why I am moving away from One Stick climbing method

[JBDCPA]

I too am making a change, not from one sticking but the rope mod. I've watched every video out there and even had the owner of a prominent saddle manufacturer show me in person how to cinch the rope down and it does not work for me. It's apparently an ignorance on my part and it's an ignorance I can't overcome and I don't want to submit my life as a test to figure it out. I even had a thread here a month or so ago with many people giving me advice.

The reason I chimed in on this thread is I had an accident this past Friday. There was a bit of gnarly stuff on the ground around the tree I should have cut out and disposed of. If I could've seen the future I would have. I climb, I hunt I shoot and it's time to come down. I get on the top of three sticks. Still tethered I add my lineman rope. I remove the platform and coming down I usually let it drop, same with top two sticks. Luckily I make sure they fall far from the base of the tree.

I undo my tether and rely on lineman rope and climb down top stick. Put my left foot on the middle stick and before I can get my right foot on it the stick bottom kicks right and I go left. This kinda "twisted" my LM rope and stopped me momentarily and when my feet came back I went down the tree like a rocket scraping against my bottom stick until I landed.

Yes I lived and walked away (with a sore limp) and without the LM rope I'm sure it would've been worse. I'm not afraid of heights or climbing but it shook me a bit. I'm having trouble seeing where this is safer than using my climber using a tether the whole way up. I know with a climber you introduce slack in your life line but the harness is a shock cord and you bang the tree from a foot and a half out, not go down the tree.

 

[RMcDonald7]

I too am making a change, not from one sticking but the rope mod. I've watched every video out there and even had the owner of a prominent saddle manufacturer show me in person how to cinch the rope down and it does not work for me. It's apparently an ignorance on my part and it's an ignorance I can't overcome and I don't want to submit my life as a test to figure it out. I even had a thread here a month or so ago with many people giving me advice.

The reason I chimed in on this thread is I had an accident this past Friday. There was a bit of gnarly stuff on the ground around the tree I should have cut out and disposed of. If I could've seen the future I would have. I climb, I hunt I shoot and it's time to come down. I get on the top of three sticks. Still tethered I add my lineman rope. I remove the platform and coming down I usually let it drop, same with top two sticks. Luckily I make sure they fall far from the base of the tree.

I undo my tether and rely on lineman rope and climb down top stick. Put my left foot on the middle stick and before I can get my right foot on it the stick bottom kicks right and I go left. This kinda "twisted" my LM rope and stopped me momentarily and when my feet came back I went down the tree like a rocket scraping against my bottom stick until I landed.

Yes I lived and walked away (with a sore limp) and without the LM rope I'm sure it would've been worse. I'm not afraid of heights or climbing but it shook me a bit. I'm having trouble seeing where this is safer than using my climber using a tether the whole way up. I know with a climber you introduce slack in your life line but the harness is a shock cord and you bang the tree from a foot and a half out, not go down the tree.

Man, glad your ok. I felt very unsecure using only my LB while climbing multiple sticks. After transitioning to 1 sticking, yes there is slack in the tether going up but that fall would be better than the LB fall, at least I would think. I also didn't like coming down multiple sticks AT ALL, so I went to rappelling. No matter what method I use to climb, I will rappel to come down! I feel that's when most accidents would happen.

 

[kyler1945]

I too am making a change, not from one sticking but the rope mod. I've watched every video out there and even had the owner of a prominent saddle manufacturer show me in person how to cinch the rope down and it does not work for me. It's apparently an ignorance on my part and it's an ignorance I can't overcome and I don't want to submit my life as a test to figure it out. I even had a thread here a month or so ago with many people giving me advice.

The reason I chimed in on this thread is I had an accident this past Friday. There was a bit of gnarly stuff on the ground around the tree I should have cut out and disposed of. If I could've seen the future I would have. I climb, I hunt I shoot and it's time to come down. I get on the top of three sticks. Still tethered I add my lineman rope. I remove the platform and coming down I usually let it drop, same with top two sticks. Luckily I make sure they fall far from the base of the tree.

I undo my tether and rely on lineman rope and climb down top stick. Put my left foot on the middle stick and before I can get my right foot on it the stick bottom kicks right and I go left. This kinda "twisted" my LM rope and stopped me momentarily and when my feet came back I went down the tree like a rocket scraping against my bottom stick until I landed.

Yes I lived and walked away (with a sore limp) and without the LM rope I'm sure it would've been worse. I'm not afraid of heights or climbing but it shook me a bit. I'm having trouble seeing where this is safer than using my climber using a tether the whole way up. I know with a climber you introduce slack in your life line but the harness is a shock cord and you bang the tree from a foot and a half out, not go down the tree.

See second line in my signature.

Glad you’re ok brother.

 

[fwafwow]

@JBDCPA - so glad you are OK and that you posted what happened. This and another thread I'm following has got me on a gear tangent - working up a separate small pouch with emergency stuff - knife, extra cord, whatever - to self rescue. I figure that's a good diversion from looking at ropes and accessory cords and biners, at least for a while.

 

[neonomad]

I too am making a change, not from one sticking but the rope mod. I've watched every video out there and even had the owner of a prominent saddle manufacturer show me in person how to cinch the rope down and it does not work for me. It's apparently an ignorance on my part and it's an ignorance I can't overcome and I don't want to submit my life as a test to figure it out. I even had a thread here a month or so ago with many people giving me advice.

The reason I chimed in on this thread is I had an accident this past Friday. There was a bit of gnarly stuff on the ground around the tree I should have cut out and disposed of. If I could've seen the future I would have. I climb, I hunt I shoot and it's time to come down. I get on the top of three sticks. Still tethered I add my lineman rope. I remove the platform and coming down I usually let it drop, same with top two sticks. Luckily I make sure they fall far from the base of the tree.

I undo my tether and rely on lineman rope and climb down top stick. Put my left foot on the middle stick and before I can get my right foot on it the stick bottom kicks right and I go left. This kinda "twisted" my LM rope and stopped me momentarily and when my feet came back I went down the tree like a rocket scraping against my bottom stick until I landed.

Yes I lived and walked away (with a sore limp) and without the LM rope I'm sure it would've been worse. I'm not afraid of heights or climbing but it shook me a bit. I'm having trouble seeing where this is safer than using my climber using a tether the whole way up. I know with a climber you introduce slack in your life line but the harness is a shock cord and you bang the tree from a foot and a half out, not go down the tree.

My opinion is I agree, a climber with well tended tether is safer, as long as there is a plan for descent. I picked up a treestand wingman this year for the situations I could put it to use, the occasional pre set, the occasional climber. Glad you’re ok.

Edit: also I just deal with the weight of cam buckles straps, and my sticks are always darn tight.

 

[JBDCPA]

My opinion is I agree, a climber with well tended tether is safer, as long as there is a plan for descent. I picked up a treestand wingman this year for the situations I could put it to use, the occasional pre set, the occasional climber. Glad you’re ok.

Edit: also I just deal with the weight of cam buckles straps, and my sticks are always darn tight.

When I hunt a climber I also use a Wingman. I'm a smidge over 200# and I've tested the Wingman at 25 feet and it's an easy descent. If for some reason you were unconscious its a fairly slow little ride down. If you are conscious and your stand goes bye bye you can control your descent. Add some 3rd Hand straps and you're solid.

All the people in this forum are great. Good advice as well. What I've noticed most of all about this site is how respectful and cordial most members are even if they disagree on a topic. I'm sure there are exceptions. LOL! I do think I'll probably start to veer away from the saddle.

 

[mtsrunner]

I just heard of a guy in SC who was paralyzed this week when his climbing stand let go and we wasn’t tethered in. Ugh. Be safe everyone.

 

[Redoak47*]

I have been a proponent of One Stick Climbing and invested in all the gear and practiced all summer and early season here in MD. I still see the advantages over multiple sticks; lighter and easier to carry, climb to any height, and rappel down (the biggest advantage)

However, there are downsides that I could not get around that off-set the advantages.

1. There is no way to climb without introducing slack in the line. Not just once, but multiple times during a climb. Many do not care, I'm 55 and and safety is important.
2. Time to reach 20 feet. With my four full-length Beast sticks, one aider on first stick, I can get to 20 feet faster than 1-sticking
3. It requires more effort to 1- stick. Yea, I watched all the videos that make it look effortless, not true in my reality.
4. I found I had to be more selective in the trees I would climb. It is nearly impossible to retrieve your tether if the trees in the area are tight together with lots of branches. On several occasions I had to re-climb the tree to adjust the tether on top so I could pull it out of the tree from the bottom. Doing this in the dark sucks.

I'm now sticking with my 4 Beast Sticks and experimenting with different aiders so I can drop to 3 sticks and still reach 20 feet. I wish the Beast Sticks stacked better, because I often have long hikes in and out of the woods.

I though I would share these thoughts for those completing making the change to 1- stick climbing.

I was using 3 Beast sticks with a Yates Speed wall aider that i moved up with me as i climbed and could get to 24 feet.

 

[fwafwow]

I just heard of a guy in SC who was paralyzed this week when his climbing stand let go and we wasn’t tethered in. Ugh. Be safe everyone.

Ugh - sorry to hear that. Let us know if you have a link to the story.

 

[Dmathews87]

we had a guy fell out of a stand on a WMA here recently...didnt make it....dont have details or link. I know alot of guys around here dont like wearing a harness, dont know if its a macho thing or what...blows my mind.

 

[Apex7]

I too am making a change, not from one sticking but the rope mod. I've watched every video out there and even had the owner of a prominent saddle manufacturer show me in person how to cinch the rope down and it does not work for me. It's apparently an ignorance on my part and it's an ignorance I can't overcome and I don't want to submit my life as a test to figure it out. I even had a thread here a month or so ago with many people giving me advice.

The reason I chimed in on this thread is I had an accident this past Friday. There was a bit of gnarly stuff on the ground around the tree I should have cut out and disposed of. If I could've seen the future I would have. I climb, I hunt I shoot and it's time to come down. I get on the top of three sticks. Still tethered I add my lineman rope. I remove the platform and coming down I usually let it drop, same with top two sticks. Luckily I make sure they fall far from the base of the tree.

I undo my tether and rely on lineman rope and climb down top stick. Put my left foot on the middle stick and before I can get my right foot on it the stick bottom kicks right and I go left. This kinda "twisted" my LM rope and stopped me momentarily and when my feet came back I went down the tree like a rocket scraping against my bottom stick until I landed.

Yes I lived and walked away (with a sore limp) and without the LM rope I'm sure it would've been worse. I'm not afraid of heights or climbing but it shook me a bit. I'm having trouble seeing where this is safer than using my climber using a tether the whole way up. I know with a climber you introduce slack in your life line but the harness is a shock cord and you bang the tree from a foot and a half out, not go down the tree.

That's why I started repelling instead of climbing down on sticks. For me it's a lot safer especially in the dark.

 

[neonomad]

When I hunt a climber I also use a Wingman. I'm a smidge over 200# and I've tested the Wingman at 25 feet and it's an easy descent. If for some reason you were unconscious its a fairly slow little ride down. If you are conscious and your stand goes bye bye you can control your descent. Add some 3rd Hand straps and you're solid.

All the people in this forum are great. Good advice as well. What I've noticed most of all about this site is how respectful and cordial most members are even if they disagree on a topic. I'm sure there are exceptions. LOL! I do think I'll probably start to veer away from the saddle.

25 foot test is the real deal!

 

[inarcher711]

we had a guy fell out of a stand on a WMA here recently...didnt make it....dont have details or link. I know alot of guys around here dont like wearing a harness, dont know if its a macho thing or what...blows my mind.

A buddy of mine never wears a harness setting presets or climbing but does once he’s at height hunting. He watches me and thinks it looks sketchy. I dunno what the thought process is???


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[five]

I picked up a treestand wingman this year

I read through that post on the fatal hunting accident and it really has me thinking about the sketchy things I do out in the woods. Thank you for posting about this product. I knew products like this existed but hadn't heard of this one.

 

[neonomad]

I read through that post on the fatal hunting accident and it really has me thinking about the sketchy things I do out in the woods. Thank you for posting about this product. I knew products like this existed but hadn't heard of this one.

Cheap insurance to keep you safer.

 

[fwafwow]

How does the Wingman compare to the Primal Descender?

 

[neonomad]

How does the Wingman compare to the Primal Descender?

Dang it I forgot that existed… wingman is more expensive and built more like something that will last a lifetime, but for $50 the Descender looks like a winner too. One downside of the wing man is the spool of webbing is external to the device so you have to keep that pouched. On the other hand I like supporting some fella in PA manufacturing the wingman. And you can’t practice with the Desender, one time use only.

 

[fwafwow]

Dang it I forgot that existed… wingman is more expensive and built more like something that will last a lifetime, but for $50 the Descender looks like a winner too. One downside of the wing man is the spool of webbing is external to the device so you have to keep that pouched. On the other hand I like supporting some fella in PA manufacturing the wingman. And you can’t practice with the Desender, one time use only.

I think the Descender is not made in the US

 

[Nohvah]

I have been a proponent of One Stick Climbing and invested in all the gear and practiced all summer and early season here in MD. I still see the advantages over multiple sticks; lighter and easier to carry, climb to any height, and rappel down (the biggest advantage)

However, there are downsides that I could not get around that off-set the advantages.

1. There is no way to climb without introducing slack in the line. Not just once, but multiple times during a climb. Many do not care, I'm 55 and and safety is important.
2. Time to reach 20 feet. With my four full-length Beast sticks, one aider on first stick, I can get to 20 feet faster than 1-sticking
3. It requires more effort to 1- stick. Yea, I watched all the videos that make it look effortless, not true in my reality.
4. I found I had to be more selective in the trees I would climb. It is nearly impossible to retrieve your tether if the trees in the area are tight together with lots of branches. On several occasions I had to re-climb the tree to adjust the tether on top so I could pull it out of the tree from the bottom. Doing this in the dark sucks.

I'm now sticking with my 4 Beast Sticks and experimenting with different aiders so I can drop to 3 sticks and still reach 20 feet. I wish the Beast Sticks stacked better, because I often have long hikes in and out of the woods.

I though I would share these thoughts for those completing making the change to 1- stick climbing.

Lineman loop for ascending. Don’t worry about the tether slack. Tether should not be relied on except for when you grab the stick and when you are at hunting height.

 

[Apex7]

I had the Wingman for a while now and I carried it just incase something happened while in my saddle. Now I repel down the tree so I don't carry it with me but maybe I should as backup.