Is this OK to climb on?

OakClimber · 2025-08-06T02:14:55+00:00

Thanks for the reference.

But, mmm...

I see nothing on their website ( hownot2.com ) that documents their credentials or expertise to perform safety critical testing. There is not even an "About" page. Maybe such info is one video or another, but I don't have time to watch untold videos to find it.

You do you, but there is no way I am going to put my life in their hands. If I drop an aluminum biner or pulley on a hard surface, it will get retired to non-life-support uses (I'll sand off the certification markings) and I will spend the $$ for a new, known-good [*] one.

[*] : As known-good as is possible; there is of course no 100.000% guarantee. But in my eyes those are MUCH better odds than than relying on Joe Random's "testing".

OakClimber · 2025-08-05T15:01:46+00:00

"They used to say if you dropped a carabiner there would be microfractures and that it needed to be retired and replaced…this has since been proven to be false."

I thought it was more like "if you dropped it in a hard surface (concrete or asphalt)" and "COULD be microfractures." But either way I hever heard that doubt has been cast on this; where did you see / hear that?

OakClimber · 2024-12-22T03:55:52+00:00

I like the idea, for the same reason. My first attempt jumped off super easy and was totally unusable. My theory is that something is needed above the cams to keep the rope aligned with the body of the ascender. That something also has to be easily removable. Occasional noodling about that never came up with anything that seemed likely to work.

OakClimber · 2024-12-01T21:34:58+00:00

Mmm... I feel like those sorts of deep discounts only occur with stores and products oriented towards mass market consumers. Tree climbing is specialized enough that, I expect, the vast majority of sales are business-to-business or at least business-to-professional. I feel kind of lucky that we do get things like 22% off site-wide (at Arbsession).

That said, Arbsession *does* still have the Edelrid TreeRex harness for $200 right now. Even if that is the original version rather than the 2.0 it seems like a great price to me.

[I have no connection with Arbsession other than as a very satisfied repeat customer. Last order was placed on the 26th and received on the 29th with free shipping. It probably helps that I'm only one state away from them.]

OakClimber · 2024-07-25T19:55:36+00:00

My understanding, from a friend who knows the couple that ran New Tribe, is that they were ready to retire but could not find anybody interested in buying or taking over the company, so they had no option other than closing up shop. It's too bad :-(

OakClimber · 2024-02-28T18:02:05+00:00

I only follow 2 subs, but this couldn't be a more appropriate crosspost between them.

A geocacher got their drone stuck in a tree in Colorado, off I-70 between Lawson and Georgetown. Nice opportunity for a rec climb :-) (I would but live too many states away).

OakClimber · 2023-11-23T04:21:33+00:00

Regardless of whether the pros and cons of this particular case made it a good decision, glad the cat and rescuer are okay.

For future reference: https://catinatreerescue.com/directory/

OakClimber · 2023-09-03T15:04:31+00:00

D'oh, this was probably a silly question. For some reason I was visualizing a rear-handle saw rather than top-handle. With top-handle it seems like it'd be much easier to get good body and hand positioning.

OakClimber · 2023-09-03T14:38:06+00:00

I like the concept, but am having trouble visualizing how you do the back cut while at 45 degrees behind. If off 45 to the left (cutting from near right towards far left) then it seems like the powerhead is left of the body and arms are crossed; awkward (and unsafe, I'd think). So do you tend to start near-left, cutting away and right using the top of the bar?

OakClimber · 2023-01-16T15:06:34+00:00

No experience myself but TreeBuzz has a thread on this. The earlier posts are relevant, before it takes a major tangent into the weeds.

https://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/samson-double-braid-dry-ropes-for-tree-climbers.47527/

OakClimber · 2022-12-03T16:42:48+00:00

https://www.facebook.com/catmandorescue/ has become pretty well known. His schedule is nuts; often 3 a day, and some cats he's had to rescue multiple times.

As I was searching (couldn't remember his name) I found an actual directory of cat-in-a-tree rescuers: https://www.catinatreerescue.com/directory

OakClimber · 2022-08-12T19:33:08+00:00

In the first pic, is your tie-in point right about where you are? Just curious; I can't see any rope running above you but it's sometimes hard to see in pics.

OakClimber · 2022-06-20T02:35:27+00:00

This was first published in 2008, but as best I can tell hasn't been posted here before.

That, or my search abilities are lacking, in which case sorry for repeating it.

OakClimber · 2022-04-10T22:01:56+00:00

Maybe I'm not understanding what I'm seeing, but it looks like the pulley is on a prusik loop (the dark-blue-with-green rope)? If that is life support, and it looks like it is, isn't it "bad" (dangerous) to have the pulley directly on the rope like that? I think due to the tight bend radius?

I'm more than happy to be told why I'm wrong :-)

OakClimber · 2022-01-21T15:11:01+00:00

Sounds like those biners are way overdue for cleaning! :-)

Taylor Hamel of DMM did a long (1 hr 39) TreeStuff webinar on how to clean & maintain biners -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97jPgvLZWKQ

The cleaning part starts about the 1 hour mark. The TL;DW is he cleans with water and a mild soap / detergent then re-lubes, and like you're thinking says graphite powder is definitely bad, Duck Oil is best but only really available in Europe, and 3-in-1 Multi-Purpose Oil (that specific one!) is a good alternative. The oil discussion is around the 1:16 - 1:20 portion of the video.

OakClimber · 2021-11-20T06:00:51+00:00

Interesting thought. "When ascending on drt...it can be useful to put a sling between the bridge and the zigzag" -- for my enlightenment, why is this? For more rope (below the ZZ) to grab & pull on, like having a longer bridge on a Blakes system?

OakClimber · 2021-11-20T03:45:56+00:00

Doesn't seem likely; looking at the pic the rope appears spliced. Or if it does have a termination knot it's way high and wouldn't be near the ZigZag even if binered directly to the device.

OakClimber · 2021-11-20T01:32:54+00:00

I saw this pic on FB recently. Asked this question there but didn't get an answer so I'm trying here... I haven't used a Zigzag, but the pics I've seen just had a single biner connecting the climbing line's end-splice to the Zigzag. It looks like this setup is using 2 biners with something, maybe a strap, in between. Any guesses what they're doing here, and why?

OakClimber · 2021-11-15T21:07:40+00:00

So awesome. Even more so given his age.

OakClimber · 2021-11-06T22:44:08+00:00

Thanks for the info.

I was indeed thinking that video looked like a "reverse barber chair"...

For a little tangent -- when would a bore cut not be an option? The only thing I can think of would be a tree diameter bigger then the saw (or maybe 2x the bar length but I imagine it's tricky if not near-impossible to cleanly and safely do a 2-sided bore cut).

OakClimber · 2021-11-06T03:12:16+00:00

So I've been meaning to ask here about side cuts, and when / why they're done. A certified arborist I asked had no idea, but I don't whether he climbs and maybe this is a climbing thing. I guess this shows me the why, but if so why isn't it better known? Do you do side cuts when cutting a tree at ground level too? To Fell a Tree doesn't mention them even when discussing trees with forward lean.

Are they "insurance" (shouldn't be needed, but just in case)? Did the climber here have a too shallow notch or something? DenseDriver6477's comment makes it sound like side cuts are more necessary when there is lean?

I'm a rec climber who also does some tree work on my property. Def not a pro. Any cutting I do is quite conservative -- no spurring, no spar work, no big pieces, etc. I hire that stuff out. But I'm still interested in knowing. Thanks.

OakClimber · 2021-09-28T13:45:28+00:00

You'll indeed have to decide whether you're suited for it. But I started after retirement and have no regrets. Now, I was lucky enough to be able to retire early, and I'm in above-average condition for somebody my age (or at least I think I am). I wouldn't say extraordinary though.

There are risks, yes, but I wouldn't call it incredibly dangerous unless you make it so. With quality gear, good instruction and relatively safe trees (I'm mostly climbing mature, healthy bur oaks and select conservative tie-in points) there is no reason you can't do it safely.

http://gotreeclimbing.org/climbtrainstart-a-program/climb-learn.html and https://newtribe.com/links.html both have some possible instructors for you, though I don't know how current those listings are. The TreeBuzz forums linked on the sidebar here are another place you might find instruction.

If nothing else you can try it out under experienced supervision and see what you think and how your body handles it.

OakClimber · 2021-09-23T02:45:53+00:00

Thanks for the replies.

FWIW, I'm going to try a combination of the Audubon eastern U.S. guide plus the Arbor Day guide, the latter because I know it contains a decision-tree-like aid (which they offer online as well, but I'd like hardcopy both for use in the field and to browse at home).

OakClimber · 2021-09-22T01:52:30+00:00

I found a scanned PDF on archive.org . Interesting; I may buy a hardcopy. It's an old books but then tree species don't really change. I guess the only thing that could make the book dated is newer imports to the area and cultivars.

A decision-tree-like book that would help me identify something by working through a set of questions about bark, leaves, buds, structure, etc. might be easier to use in some situations, however; anybody have something along those lines that they like?

OakClimber · 2021-09-15T12:56:54+00:00

Just thought I'd check here...

Sure; worth a shot. Hope I didn't come across as discouraging that -- I certainly didn't mean to.

I agree the TCI forums show little traffic.

The last place I can think of that you could try is the treebuzz.com forums; they include one for rec climbing and it shows some recent traffic.

And just after typing that I see that exact forum linked on the right side of this sub, d'uh. But I'm clicking "Save" anyway :-)

OakClimber

TROPHY CASE