dxarmbar06
New Member
Hi all,
I'm a wildland firefighter with the US Forest Service and there's a climb test for arborists next week that I want to take, but I've never actually rigged and climbed a tree. I've climbed a ski tower once with a rigging system but someone else set it up for me. I know how and can free climb a rope using the footlock technique but like I said I've just never done it on a tree before. Here's how the test was explained to me:
First I'd be interviewed, then I'd be asked to demonstrate knots (I think they said blakes hitch, clothes hitch and some others).
I'd be given 10 minutes to rig myself into a harness and climb a tree-- I can free climb a rope but I'm not sure if they want me to do a technical climb involving rigging.
I have to climb up to another branch, tie myself into another rope, retrieve a yellow flag, then tie off the branch as if I were going to lower it. -- I have no idea about any of this.
My strength comes in using the chainsaw, I'm a B-Restricted Sawyer and can take trees with and against their lean, on a slope, hazard tree, limbing and bucking, everything. We did a lot of work with chainsaws in the Forest Service. I just don't know anything about climbing.
Can anyone give me a run down on what I'll be expected to do so I can brush up for the test next week? Knots, rigging, etc?
Thanks in advance.
I'm a wildland firefighter with the US Forest Service and there's a climb test for arborists next week that I want to take, but I've never actually rigged and climbed a tree. I've climbed a ski tower once with a rigging system but someone else set it up for me. I know how and can free climb a rope using the footlock technique but like I said I've just never done it on a tree before. Here's how the test was explained to me:
First I'd be interviewed, then I'd be asked to demonstrate knots (I think they said blakes hitch, clothes hitch and some others).
I'd be given 10 minutes to rig myself into a harness and climb a tree-- I can free climb a rope but I'm not sure if they want me to do a technical climb involving rigging.
I have to climb up to another branch, tie myself into another rope, retrieve a yellow flag, then tie off the branch as if I were going to lower it. -- I have no idea about any of this.
My strength comes in using the chainsaw, I'm a B-Restricted Sawyer and can take trees with and against their lean, on a slope, hazard tree, limbing and bucking, everything. We did a lot of work with chainsaws in the Forest Service. I just don't know anything about climbing.
Can anyone give me a run down on what I'll be expected to do so I can brush up for the test next week? Knots, rigging, etc?
Thanks in advance.