ropes on palm trees

fredo

I'm a back-yard amateur/tinkerer. I use a 32 foot ladder to climb my palm trees and use spikes from there. I want to have a line in place while I climb the ladder for added safety. I can easily get a throwline in using a bigshot but because of the thorns/spikes on the palm fronds, I can't get a climbing rope in. I don't want to rope climb, I just want some added safety from a rope while I climb the ladder until I can tie in (climbing the ladder is the most dangerous part of my journey). Is there a throwline that's strong enough to hold me or is there a sleek climbing line that can get through the thorny palm fronds ? The 2.2mm throw line gets in and out easily but I cannot get a climbing line in. By the way the reason I climb a 32-foot ladder before I use spikes is that I don't want the ugly pock marks from spikes visible from the ground.

Rob Chace

why cant you get the rope past? (i dont have trouble doing so)

fredo

The rope is too thick and not slick enough. It snags on palm frond spikes. These are Mexican Fan Palms and they are very thorny where the rope is.

Eric Frei

Does your ladder have a cable or chain in the end so it sits on the trunk better?

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Hayden Watt

What about a static line.. alot thinner . if you can get a throw line in, just pull a static line through then attach your climbing line to a pulley and hoist that up on the static line....
Then you can climb up without a ladder OR spikes.

Eric Frei

Whether SRT or DRT he has to get a rope up, through the head and back down.

On some palms like Washingtonia and Livistonia it can be frustrating.

I personally use a stiffer 3 strand. Also you have to get the guy pulling the rope on one side further away from the trunk and the guy feeding the rope further away the other side lessening the "cut in" angle on the head of the palm.

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Rob Chace

^^ this is how i do it, WITH trying to "fold" a frond over (under rope) so the rope has something to "skid" over.

(it makes sense in my head and if you were to see it.)

Basically your trying to catch a frond in the "crotch" ot the palm head.....


(i hope this makes sense??????)

fredo

eric, haydo, and robstar. Those are great suggestions. I don't have a cable or chain at the end of the ladder and I've never used a static line. I would be happy with a line strong enough to hold me but slim enough to get through the palm fronds. I've been tying in with lanyards for a while but I have no rope climbing experience. I hope to start trying to SRT but first want to learn how to get a rope in. Yesterday I tried several times getting the throwline over the palm fronds but when I pull the climbing rope, the weight of it drops the line so that it gets wedged between the palm fronds. I'm sure I bought far too thick of a climbing rope.

fredo

I found the thread "Palm pull rope tip?" which also has good suggestions. My palms are all up against a wall so I can only pull at a distance from one side.

ArbTrain

Keep practicing mate..!.. you,ll get there- we have all had frustrations getting ropes in palms -especially spikey ones.. 11mm rope will be the easiest.. couple tricks u might like to try; instead of having a thin line hitched to a thicker line ( and you get that jammimg- in - tight - crevice effect), link them with something big and round- like a 'beena. , and it often "bounces " thru.. sounds crazy i know ,, but i promise it works,, -not always, but alot... secondly,, in the name of safety- consider spiking only the back of the palm where the damage cannot be seen.. good luck

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Rob Chace

post#4 in the above link pretty much sums it up and says what i was trying to say much more simply ad to the point:
Rope breaking strength exceeds that of the frond bending over strength unless you are in the spear or rope has fallen into bad V frond unions, key is try to run it up over the fronds not pull it into the V ... it's all up to that throwline shot.

Eric Frei

In agreement with the above just another little tip.

Try to shoot double the height of the palm so when the bag comes down it doesn't pull throwline string into the head or cutting into the fronds. Then before feeding up the rope try to get as far away from the palm as you can both sides to lessen the angle over the head of the palm.

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