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Wild Edge Climb 7 ft. Per Step

BJRoth2

BJRoth2

New Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Messages
26

I wanted to get as much out of each of my W.E. Steps as possible. Each individual is restricted in their climbing by how high they can tie on a W.E. Step so I started with my max tieoff (about 7 ft 2 in) and worked backward. The knaider/swaider method worked great, but couldn't get me to my max tie off. A 5-step aider could get me to my max, but I didn't like climbing with the 5 step aiders. After quite a bit of trial and error, I came up with the Northwest PA Boogie Woogie Aider. It is a moveable aider that is able to be knaidered onto and stepped onto at the same time.

My steps go as follows...
1st step is with my knaider foot (right for me) knaidering onto the bottom loop of the NWPA boogie woogie aider.
2nd step is my free foot (left) onto the wooden base of the NWPA Boogie woogie aider.
3rd step is my knaider onto the W.E. Step.
4th step is my free foot onto the W.E. Step.

Those 4 steps get me to my max tie off pretty quickly. This method can get me standing at 21+ feet in about 2 minutes.
Like any DIY method, it is a work in progress, but it has worked well for me this past season. Hope this leads to more innovation. Happy Climbing!
 
That’s awesome. I see you are trying to get something named... we will most likely just refer to it as the boogie woogie aider!!!!

Could have incorporated part of your name and called it the BJ aider...lol
 
Man, I don't want to rain on anybody's parade, but you're climbing with your linemans belt down by your feet at times. Combine that with your feet being what looks like 5ft below the attachment point, and I think a nasty kick out and fall is inevitable at some point.

I think wild edge steps are great, and safe when used as the inventor intended. But I saw some sketchy stuff at saddlepalooza last year involving the creative use of aiders. And more than one seasoned forum member has reported a nasty swing.

Just be careful. I hate to poo on innovation, but I hate to see somebody fall.
 
You might consider a dynamic tether, and potentially adding a shock absorber to it, in lieu of a linemans belt. Advance the tether with each step. Might take you an extra minute to get up the tree, but will mitigate a fair amount of the risk associated with such a dynamic process. You’ll lose the stability the linemans offers when tying each step, but again, it’s only adding a few seconds to each tie off. Or keep a linemans for going around branches/tying steps.

Having said that, great idea, better execution. You clearly have this down pat. Nice work.


I’d caution folks who are overweight, not flexible, uncoordinated, or bad at geometry - this will not go as well for you.
 
BJRoth2 said:
Thought about the Raider (Roth Aider) but I'm a Steelers fan so that wont fly.
Click to expand...

Is there any special design to the aider? Can you post some pictures or details?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Is there a certain mouthpiece you are using to hold your aider?

Going to give this one a try. Less than 2 ounces and rated at 1kn.

97711e850d6509e5a46f70ae5f650e49.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You have my attention. I'll wait patiently for the picture................. awe come on, don't make me wait no more.
 
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Bro, hate to say this, but. That linesman rope isn't going to do you any bit of good if that step accidentally kicks out or slips. You really need to stay tethered to the tree with a girth hitch to stay safe. But that is really cool on the height you get with the minimum of WE steps.
 
The large loop is all one continuous piece of rope with knots under the treated wood so that it doesnt shift. The knaider loop comes out the front and off to the right so that it is easier to locate and it connects through the large rope for added safety. Both would stay intact if the wood were to break. Other safety tips... I always connect the carabiner to the bottom V of the W.E. Step to prevent sliding and possible kickout. I built my own knaider with a much deeper hook to allow more room for error when knaidering. Finally, the most dangerous step in my opinion is knaidering onto the boogie woogie aider... It has kicked out on me occasionally due to the length but nothing crazy. To help prevent kick out during this step, I always try to have both of my hands on the wild edge step above to create less pressure on the aider as well as 3 points (and sometimes 4) of contact.
 
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