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Aerial · 18th April 2008, 03:21 AM

That's a great rig sawsong. I wish I had the advice of experts when getting into this. Of course then I probably wouldn't have done it.

My climbing lanyard for example. The first one I got with my "starter kit" is just a nylon strap, not very supple and no stiffness whatever. Very hard to advance. Then I got a pole strap, great for poles I expect, but not ideal for trees.

Finally after finding this forum, I discovered what really works. My flipline has not come yet, so I have not been able to try it out.

The same goes for a fall arrest system. My experience as a parachute rigger didn't give me much confidence working with ropes. Besides that was decades ago and I was currently only confident in my ability to tie a bowline. Now that a great knot and all, but it was all I had.

And that's how the retracting cable lifeline came into the picture. It's pretty slick, well tested, and meets current standards. I feel confident that, had I fallen, it would have saved me. Of course it could have let me in a position where I would have needed to be rescued just to get back on earth.

Since then, with the help of this forum (and the Climber's Companion), I have added the Blake hitch and Yosemite tieoff (on my Bowline) to my knots I can tie without looking at a picture.

Now I must say, having learned the knots and put them into use in a limited testing mode, I'm a total convert to their use. The Blakes Hitch is an elegant piece of rope work. The Hip Prusik seems to work well too. Two wraps and through the loop? I hope I got that right, it seemed intuitive, and it worked. (backed up by the Blakes Hitch).

I'll repost the photo from the 'BINERS! thread to show my first use of these knots. Please note that this rig was just set 15 feet in a small easily climbed tree. I never got higher than 10' so it was just a gear test, not a climb of any magnitude. Poll question: Should I have worn my helmet anyway?

Oops! I'm on the wrong computer for posting photos, I'm using the wife's Macbook while having my morning coffee on the couch. I could do it from this Mac, but I'd have to type in URLs and passwords and such. It's easier to just walk into the next room and wake up my Powerbook. Like all my Macs, I almost never turn it off, I just let them go to sleep when not being used.

But this is Aerial's Climbing thread (Thanks Therrin and Ekka) not Aerial's computer symposium, that thread would be here:

Mac vs. PC?

Aerial

18th April 2008, 03:21 AM	#6 (permalink)
Aerial Wanker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 230	Re: Aerial's Climbing Thread That's a great rig sawsong. I wish I had the advice of experts when getting into this. Of course then I probably wouldn't have done it. My climbing lanyard for example. The first one I got with my "starter kit" is just a nylon strap, not very supple and no stiffness whatever. Very hard to advance. Then I got a pole strap, great for poles I expect, but not ideal for trees. Finally after finding this forum, I discovered what really works. My flipline has not come yet, so I have not been able to try it out. The same goes for a fall arrest system. My experience as a parachute rigger didn't give me much confidence working with ropes. Besides that was decades ago and I was currently only confident in my ability to tie a bowline. Now that a great knot and all, but it was all I had. And that's how the retracting cable lifeline came into the picture. It's pretty slick, well tested, and meets current standards. I feel confident that, had I fallen, it would have saved me. Of course it could have let me in a position where I would have needed to be rescued just to get back on earth. Since then, with the help of this forum (and the Climber's Companion), I have added the Blake hitch and Yosemite tieoff (on my Bowline) to my knots I can tie without looking at a picture. Now I must say, having learned the knots and put them into use in a limited testing mode, I'm a total convert to their use. The Blakes Hitch is an elegant piece of rope work. The Hip Prusik seems to work well too. Two wraps and through the loop? I hope I got that right, it seemed intuitive, and it worked. (backed up by the Blakes Hitch). I'll repost the photo from the 'BINERS! thread to show my first use of these knots. Please note that this rig was just set 15 feet in a small easily climbed tree. I never got higher than 10' so it was just a gear test, not a climb of any magnitude. Poll question: Should I have worn my helmet anyway? Oops! I'm on the wrong computer for posting photos, I'm using the wife's Macbook while having my morning coffee on the couch. I could do it from this Mac, but I'd have to type in URLs and passwords and such. It's easier to just walk into the next room and wake up my Powerbook. Like all my Macs, I almost never turn it off, I just let them go to sleep when not being used. But this is Aerial's Climbing thread (Thanks Therrin and Ekka) not Aerial's computer symposium, that thread would be here: Mac vs. PC? Aerial