Tree Machine

It changes from time to time. The sixth month of this year is almost over, so in a couple weeks I'll be moving on to a different device. There are really a lot of simple devices that can do SRT, but my interest is is in a device that goes traditional 2:1 doubled rope, 1:1 doubled rope and SRT interchangably.

There are select devices out there that do this, but the ones I've used are for 11 mm rope. I feel its important that the device accomodate 13 mm too. Tree climbers, especially the larger guys, prefer 13 mm and for good reason. 13 mm gives a more secure feel, especially if that's what you're accustomed to. I came from the 11 mm world and spent my first couple years as a treeguy on those smaller ropes. On my first 13 mm rope I found it bulky, heavy and slow, but after another year or so I learned what a friction hitch was, and then I started to get it; I understood why treeguys like these bigger lines. I've still never warmed up to the friction hitch, but I've seen some really good climbers who've adjusted well to the limitations of a friction hitch system and I understand totally where they're coming from. Moving from a smaller rope up to a bigger diameter rope, I think, is easier than going from a bigger down to a smaller rope. Going from a 13 mm/friction hitch system to 11 mm, device-based climbing, this simply won't fly. An ideal device needs to cover the spectrum so guys can explore new rope techniques and different rope diameters all with the same, familiar device.

So, in understanding the differences and the preferences and why, it's clear that the only way any friction device can earn the respect of tree climbers is for it to handle 13 mm rope. However, if it ONLY handles 13 mm, then the 11 mm crowd is discluded. If the device only does SRT, that discludes most of the tree climbing world. If it only does traditional doubled rope, then it's really no more useful than a friction hitch.

DdRT, DbRT and SRT, 11 mm, 13 mm and everything in between is what the device needs to do.

So, in answering your question, Ekka, about what I use to climb SRT, I could go through my box and pull a half dozen pieces I've used, some of which are pictured above. We could walk through Dr Gary's display boards and choose many dozens more. But a piece that will go DdRT, DbRt, SRT, 11, 12 and 13 mm now that I don't think has been attempted. The reason why not??? Devices are built for 11 mm for the most part. 11 mm disciplines don't use 13 mm rope and therefore don't build the pieces for 13 mm. 13 mm users (treemen) don't generally use friction devices so with rare exception haven't explored and innovated pieces for our discipline.

Only the tiny fractional minority of guys who use both 11, 12 and 13 mm ropes and climb 1:1 parallel doubled rope (both ends on the ground, no motion at the tie-in point) would even try this (welcome to my world). That's because if you can ascend and descend a doubled line where each side does not move relative to each other, then that style of doubled rope technique (1:1) works identically to single rope technique, only there's 2X as much friction. If you lock off one of the two sides, then the ropes move in opposition relative to one another and you have 2:1 DdRT, same as with a friction hitch, only without the hitch.

The point of this thread is to create the piece that will do all this, ideally in a form that you can fit in the palm of your hand.

If humans can build a space shuttle, or a global internet system, I think it is highly feasable we could come up with a simple, lightweight piece that could accomodate all three tree climbing rope techniques.

Agree.....disagree???