Thread: rock climbing rope for tree climbing?

I know of a climber who has been using dynamic rock climbing rope to climb trees. I am a little concerned because of the high amount of stretch in these lines, is it a safe practice do you think?
Personally i think it would be like climbing on a bungee and i dont see the real reason one would prefer this type of line other than the fact that it may be lighter and of a smaller diameter

any thoughts on this matter?

Most rock ropes are of a smaller diameter than arborist climbing lines and don't meet ANSI standards of being 1/2" dia. minimum. I will stick with tree rope.

I worked a little with rock ropes in marines, i still have one. They are more than capable for holding a person in place, they are designed to stretch when somone falls, making the sudden stop less painful. They are not desiged to be pulled thru trees. they heat up very quickly and will melt.I tried mine 1 time and found this out ruined a perfectly good rope that i used for repelling. I still keep! why i dont know, i just dont want to pitch a 300' rope and i dont want to cut into little ropes

The 1/2" requirement is gone now, just 5000lbs aveerage breaking stregth.
With climbers using cambium savers and pulleys, the rope should last.

Read ANSI Z133 section 3.5

Arbo rope shall have "a minimum nominla breaking strngth of 5,400 pounds when new."

There are other requirements too.

John,

There are some rock ropes that could work for treework. Depends on the specifications. Most dynamic rope is too stretchy to work very well for tree work. If the rope were made for aid climbing it might work for tree work too.

Tom

I came from a rock climbing background, so when I started to climb I used a dynamic rope. I loved the dynamic lines and thought surely I'd use them in the trees. That thought lasted about 10'. There's just too much bounce when starting your climb if your cambium saver is 50' off the ground, that is unless you're free climbing a pine while on belay (i.e. like rock climbing). Walnut bark can really do a lot of damage on a 10.5mm line.

I am a firefighter by trade, I got into arborist work because of my rope back ground. There are diff. kinds of climbing rope. The stuff we use for rescue work is tuff stuff. Half inch rope has a breaking strength of 9000lbs. Prob is it is stiff stuff. Can be hard to work with. Also if you are using this kind of rope all of your hardware and other software must be compatable.

i spent a year on 10.5mm rock climbing rope, never had no problems with it.
its essential you climb with a cambium saver minimum, and preferably a pulley.
i wouldnt recommend friction hitches either. i used a shunt in place of friction hitch, worked well, might even go back to it sometime.

Not all ropes are created equal, Kernmantle or braided, static or dynamic- you need to consider it's use. Would it be better to fall a top onto a static rope and make the tree eat all the dynamic force, or use a dynamic rope to absorb some impact? If you were pulling a tree up a hill with a 1 ton truck, would it be better to stretch the snot out of a dynamic rope or use a static one like 1/2" wire rope? Yes I do use climbing ropes for many light duty dynamic jobs. I also save time and energy by repelling from tall trees with them. Many good climbing ropes also are more supple and both tie and hold knots better than the stiffer arbor ropes do. As a general rule climbing ropes should never be loaded by more than you can pull by hand with a 2:1 advantage. That means you should not tie it to your truck to tighten it up! The weakest link in the system should always be the force applied. The strongest should be the rope and other components. The working load of the rope is the max that can be suspended within the specified safety margin. The dynamic is the amount of force you think that 300lb top will exert on the crotch after falling 60'. Anybody know how much that would be? Anybody. I know there is a university grad out there somewhere. If so what would be the size and type of rope needed for a direct catch? and what size and type of rope would be required if a pulley was used and the rope secured at the bottom of the tree? When you can answer these questions, grasschopper, you will be ready to leave the monastery.

I was at a store that sells rock climbing gear today, and was looking at some 9.7 and10mm static ropes. I was wondering if they would be useful as a SRT only line to enter trees. Most ascenders are made to work with the smaller lines anyway. I wasn't aware of ANSI requirement about climbing lines. I am assuming SNAKEBITE 10mm is ANSI compliant? Beastmaster

I've yo-yo-ed from some of that in a tree before. It does beat clothesline tied to beltloops though I haven't tried that.

look at the beginning date of this thread.... talk about an old thread!

Originally Posted by 046

look at the beginning date of this thread.... talk about an old thread!

Know your ropes. The only time you would ever want to use dynamic climbing line in a tree is if you took a fall onto it. Kermantle climbing rope also has a tendency to "milk" which is when the outrsheath slides out over the inner strands.

Rappelling on one is smoother and more comfortable, but both my LockJack and SpiderJack give me that on static tree line.

I'm using a dynamic 3/4 in. lowering line @ 19,000 # test. The stretch (as determined by the length) eases shock loading by clumsy rope men. A good rope man is better than a good rope.

Old as the hills but I'm older.

Originally Posted by DangerTree

... Would it be better to fall a top onto a static rope and make the tree eat all the dynamic force, or use a dynamic rope to absorb some impact?

See my post above.

Originally Posted by DangerTree

... If you were pulling a tree up a hill with a 1 ton truck, would it be better to stretch the snot out of a dynamic rope or use a static one like 1/2" wire rope?

With the stretch comes rebound, and that can be helpful in both starting movement and overcoming obstacles.

Originally Posted by DangerTree

... [300# falling 60'] Anybody know how much that would be? Anybody. I know there is a university grad out there somewhere. If so what would be the size and type of rope needed for a direct catch? and what size and type of rope would be required if a pulley was used and the rope secured at the bottom of the tree? When you can answer these questions, grasschopper, you will be ready to leave the monastery.

It would be easier to figure if it was 66' and not sixty but in either case it is huge, far exceeding any equipment we use in trees. you'd need a very large hawser made of steel