Spur Climbing

[Robin Wood]

Hi guys Im new to this site, just wanna ask the pro's if this video of climbing correct or not ?
I find that the lesser the distance between my hips and the trunk the more gaff penetration i get, but his video says otherwise.
In a sense that climber will gaff out if they lean too close to the trunk.

 

[Guran]

If you are too close to the stem it is easier to gaff out. So you should not be "hugging the stem" so to speak.
It is also hard to to do any saw work if youré too close.

 

[Robin Wood]

If you are too close to the stem it is easier to gaff out. So you should not be "hugging the stem" so to speak.
It is also hard to to do any saw work if youré too close.

Not too close though, maybe a good 1~1.5ft away frm the trunk i guess ???
I've gaffed out couple times and all of em' were because of leaning away from the trunk too much.
How do you deal with "Rodeo" when you remove a heavy limb or trunk on top.
Do you keep yourself close to the trunk or away from it ?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Keep your knees OUT, away from the tree.

 

[woodchuck357]

Most of the time we have very little "rodeo" due to the way we make the cuts and work the ropes, but if something goes wrong and I anticipate a little ride I lean back and try to stiff arm the spar.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Once you start that back cut, don't slow down!

 

[miko0618]

most newby spike mistakes I see is bending the knees. and I leave the hinge until i see the piece was guided enough and then i cut more. sometimes i leave a thicker hinge tear off because i am falling something in a less than natural direction. you will get a little sway from that. nothing can jolt you like rigging though. especially natural crotch without letting it run. with a block you don't have big falls before the stop. natural crotch rigging can do that though.

 

[woodchuck357]

The narrower you make the notch the less push the part coming off will impart to the stem.
The wider the notch the more the top will lean before breaking off and that is what pushes the stem sideways.
We refer to it as the jump cut, most folks call a variation of it the box notch.
Sometimes a little slope cut is made on the stump edge of the notch.

 

[Robin Wood]

very interesting, keep em' coming. learning alot new stuffs frm u guys !!!

 

[MasterBlaster]

The 'little slope' is called a snipe and can help to steer the top one way or the other (if off center), along with allowing it to land closer to the base of the tree.

The bending of the tree is called (G F Beranek) the catapult affect. The slower you make the back cut, the greater the affect will be.

 

[miko0618]

Theres more. If you are taking tops with that much weight or in a tree with that much lean, you should be making kerf cuts and choking the tree as well.

 

[MasterBlaster]

What does choking the tree mean?

I know what a kerf cut is. Why? You're saying to use no underbed?

 

[miko0618]

Choke the tree with multiple lanyard wraps or with your lifeline. Incase it splits.

 

[MasterBlaster]

If it splits, then you're going to be pulled into the tree and injured. If you think the tree is gonna barber chair then you need to either A) climb higher and take a smaller piece or B) remove some of the limbs that is making the tree so heavy.

And I still don't understand why you say to use a kerf cut, unless you mean the back cut, which IS a kerf cut, and in that case that's a redundant point to make.

 

[miko0618]

If it splits, then you're going to be pulled into the tree and injured

Thats why you wrap the tree under the cut

 

[MasterBlaster]

Up I give.

 

[miko0618]

Yeah i dont know whats hard to understand about that. Its 101 in my opinion

 

[no tree to big]

If that ***** gonna split where I have my lanyard Im gonna find a new place to put it! Or u can clip both ends of your lanyard to the same d ring so u don't get smooshed
But odds are u can change your cut or do what a climber does and make the tree not split and kill u

 

[miko0618]

Its a precaution.

 

[MasterBlaster]

It's something, alright.