lifespan of a climber

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Just depends on your core strenght

10 years in and I got the best news of my career last week from my physical therapist. She said the neck and shoulder pains are primarily from poor posture. 140% on rotation. Out did the yoga dorks that come she said. 6'2 and 165 lbs. I told her I burn 8000 calories a day and eat 5 sandwhiches + b4 dinner. Then I asked about being skinny and wanting protein shakes. She said NO WAY. That stuffs hard on your kidneys and your fit anyways.
I eat well stretch and swim in the ocean. I asked if my lifestyle is sustainable and she refused to comment......ah crap. Not to many desk jobs around here:eek2:

Posture has changed and I feel like a million bucks. 14hrs a day 8 days a week.
I've been climbing hard for 6 years. Been in the business for 9 years on the ground. Taking over for my 60 old man. Shoulders hurt from working 2 sections of pole saw after about 3 straight days. Just got to know your body and not push to hard. Your body will get used to the punishment but remember, your not made of titanium!
 
Someone pointed out to me today, I don't so much climb trees as crawl up them these days. Still I did a 10 hour day and crawled up 9 trees with a pole saw and pruner. I got a full week of climbing this coming week including 3 big crane removal. I don't have time to get old yet!
 
Someone pointed out to me today, I don't so much climb trees as crawl up them these days. Still I did a 10 hour day and crawled up 9 trees with a pole saw and pruner. I got a full week of climbing this coming week including 3 big crane removal. I don't have time to get old yet!

Evy day you don't own a Wraptor is one day you wasted multiple free rides to the top. Should be standard equipment on every crew. Less puncturing goin on too :msp_wink:
 
Our bodies are made to work until we die. That is true wether we are a climber or a desk jockey.

If you want to be free of muscle pain and are willing to put in a modest personal effort, get the book, Somatics by Thomas Hanna. If you are concerned about joints “breaking down” or “blowing out”, get the book, put in some personal effort, have your muscles in appropriate condition, and they will line up the joints to appropriately take the load and your body will work for a lifetime.

I was born in 1958 and have been climbing since I was 20. In my mid 20’s I was going to a chiropractor three times per week and wrapping myself with ace bandages and a back brace just to keep working. I would still “pull” a muscle in my back every so often and be down for a couple of weeks. Then I was additionally diagnosed with a herniated disc and told I had to find a new profession....

Honestly, in my humanity, and to my shame I wake up and “feel” as much pain as I am willing to feel. Usually I will be lazy and not do my simple little movements/exorcises for months at a time. Then I will do them again for a few days and will be out of pain again. When I do them every day for a short while I wake up and feel energized. I feel,”What do I want to do?”

For anyone wanting help right away you could google,”essential somatics.”

If anyone is serious about being pain free and needs some help you could IM me and we can talk on the phone( I am a slow typer).
 
I am 54 been climbing since 1980, fulltime since 1981. Been self-employed since 1992 and been the only climber for my company, no bucket truck. I climb 3 to 4 days a week, stumps, bids, etc. the other 2 or 3 days. Haven't had any shoulder, hip, knee problems, having some ciatica lately (pains down one leg) which I think is more from lifting than climbing. A little sore some days when getting out of bed after a particularly hard day. I couldn't start being a climber at this age but I do ok if I stay with it. Not sure how long I can continue but the kids still want to eat so it's off to work I go. One recommendation is don't gain alot of weight cause you got to drag it around in the tree and gravity is consistently dragging it down.
 
Tired, broke and busted. 52 years old. Been working in the woods since I was 12 making stumps. I used to be pretty strong. Everything hurts most of the time. And as Shaun aptly put, I'm firmly in Fat Bastard territory. 5'8" and 250 lbs. I have to soak my hands in hot water in the morning so they will open and close.
Have had several serious back and neck injuries. One of my biggest problems now is respiratory. Especially when Firewood blocking down good size spruce. I need to come up with a way to not breath all the saw dust. . But. There is almost nothing I want to do as much as make stumps. . And I'm pretty good at it. Compared to a dozen or more guys I've cut timber with who are now under head stones. Who were my age. I'm doing GREAT. I used to be able to climb boom stick size timber, 80'in under 30 seconds. . Can't do that any more.
 
Like Old Maple said. Don't get fat! !!! When u get older the winter fat doesn't melt away in the spring. .
A Guy who loves what he does won't be well served comparing himself with someone who sits at a desk. . The book Pain Free by Pete Egosgue. Really helped me. But, I don't do the exercises often enough.
I really like what I do , and I thank God that I can and that He takes care of me while I do it.
Not being preachy, just giving credit where credit is due.
 
I will be 52 in Feb. 2013, I started climbing in 1977 and went to management in 2001. I was 5' 11" and 165 lbs. After 11 years in management, I am 5' 10 and 201lbs, currently on a tough regiment of beefing myself back up, pretty tough!
Jeff :msp_scared:
 
I did Pete Egoscues exorcises from his book for 4 to 6 years with good results and then when I went through a more difficult time, and was not getting freedom from pain with my own efforts, went to their clinic and did sessions where one of his trained practitioners evaluated my body mechanics and laid out a course of exorcises for me to do for a week or ten days. Then I would go back to the clinic and get re-evaluated and etc.. I did that for five or six sessions of the eight session package I had paid for and then stopped going to the clinic as I was out of pain again and able to self regulate my exorcises as before. (I would be lazy and avoid them as long as possible and then when the pain got to be too much, do the ex. again until I was out of pain.)

I have only good things to say about Pete E. and what he is sharing with the world. Anyone who wants to do his program I would wholeheartedly encourage and expect him/her to get great (pain free) results.

A couple of things that have me think of Somatics, by Thomas Hanna for myself and the average person first are:
I believe I can maintain my muscles (and joints) in a pain free state with a daily program of 8-10 min. in the morning and 8-10 min. in the evening (the book expects that the average person can do maintenance in eight min. once per day). With Egoscue it’s about 45 min. to 1 1/2 hrs. once a day (for me). Maybe as few as 3-4 times a week when everything is going along well.
Pete’s team is $250 per session or $1600/$1800? for eight. Somatics is $12 for the book from Amazon.

By the way, the thing that had me come to Somatics in the past year was that I had come down with Sciatica and nothing I tried was touching it. My then weekly Yoga class with my wife ( I refereed to it as my stretching class) was too harsh and painful, my last three sessions with the Egoscue team were too harsh, top flight Osteopath, etc. etc. nothing was working. I was down for 2-3 months. Then I found Somatics and put in 5-6 hours a day doing what I call “movements” as opposed to a stretch or a exorcise. It’s so much easier and less pain inducing. Out of major pain and able to sleep well in a few days, mostly out of pain and able to do all of normal home life in a week or so,dropped my ex. time down to 20 min. in the morning and 20 min. in the evening, back to full blown tree work in a couple of weeks.

Anyone who wants their body to work for a lifetime should pick up a copy of Somatics, and a copy of Pain Free if they want. Pick what works for them and do it.
 
What do u guys with experience in both think is harder? ?
Belt + spurs or rope +saddle? ?
Today will be my 1 st day in the Cougar. But they are take Downs. 3 Sitka spruce. With maybe some others also. But not hanging from the rope. I limb them to the top, top them then chunk them down. They are 70-100 ' tall. I top them at 6" diameter or so.
 
I only topped 2 of the spruce yesterday. 1 was able to fall with no problem. They were extremely limby
Grouse ladders. Burned 2 tanks just limbing the 2 nd one. In my 2150 Jred with a sharp chain.
Spent 5 1/2 hours in the spurs in the tree. The last time I was that exhausted was 2004 . Topped the 2 nd one at 90'

Took the man right out of me.
 
I love this Thread.
I am 53.
I started logging-choke setting in 1977. The equipment available now was not available then. I saw climbers doing all kinds of cool stuff for rigging. The loggers were in awe of those guys. So that is were I worked my way into.
I moved back to the SF Bay area during the "first recession-Reagan years" and became a natural climber in urban settings. I am a great climber. I have only seen another who is close to me. I belive climbers are born and not manufactured.
That being said...
I have had 3 shoulder surgeries, one hip, and one knee. I workout 5-7 days a week. Meditate daily. Though I like drinking, and drugs, I have never been a regular consumer of either.
I have no kids and a regular girlfriend.
I am right now recovering from my second shoulder surgery in 10 months, typing left handed, and bored to death. I will recover and go back to work because it is a part of me. Not so much of the people I work with, because it is where I belong.
 
PS
I forgot to mention the Fistula.
Non work related, but yes, I am doing fine now, Thank you.:rock:
 
57. I have aches and pains, but feel better when I climb. Mostly I climb now for the exercise or to pick up the pace of a job. Climbing keeps the abs tight and helps with my herniated disk. I hired a younger guy to do the difficult climbs. My 17-year-old son has also started climbing, it's time to move over. I climb just enough to still know how to get it done.
 
What do u guys with experience in both think is harder? ?
Belt + spurs or rope +saddle? ?
Today will be my 1 st day in the Cougar. But they are take Downs. 3 Sitka spruce. With maybe some others also. But not hanging from the rope. I limb them to the top, top them then chunk them down. They are 70-100 ' tall. I top them at 6" diameter or so.

I say Belt + spurs(big multi leader Hardwood removal) over Rope + saddle(big multi-leader crown reduction)
Cause of all the saw use and ropin.
I sell more crown reductions than removals cause it easier money with less money made but easier on the conscience plus I like to come back in 5 to 10 to do it all again or leave it for another generation of Arbclimbers:)
 
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