Scary Close Call!

I have an older saddle with side d-rings on the leg loops that I connected through a rope bridge made of Beeline tied with a sliding double fisherman's knot. Yesterday both of my climblines were connected to this and I was setting up to remove a limb I had just tied off to the lowering line. I had made my notch on the underside after putting my lanyard around the trunk for better positioning and then leaned way over to see where the notch was to line up my topcut. When I did this I suddenly dropped into my lanyard at about 40' up. Shocked, I realized that the beeline bridge had come undone! The only thing I can figure is that the knot would get pulled and loosened by the carabiner's and d-rings. I have switched to a piece of 1/2" stablebraid that instead of a loop through the two d-rings is secured to each of them with a fisherman's knot. I was pretty rattled by the whole thing, stay safe and doublecheck your critical connections! Scary to think I was almost a news story!

Glad to hear your alright. Sometimes it does pay to be extra safe and have an extra tie in, just in case.

I have always worried about that sort of thing happening to me. In fact, I don't use a bridge for that reason. I don't really trust my Beeline prussic either, and it has two legs on double fisherman's knots holding me up.

When not double tied in, any single component failure will drop you like a rock, and there are lots of pieces holding us in the tree. Sadly, we usually put the greatest stress on our climbing systems between cuts while we are swinging around loose. I'm a scaredy-cat; I don't do much of that.

Was that a loop-bridge, or just a single strand from d-ring to d-ring? If it was a full loop of rope, then you should have had two double fisherman's knots. Stopper knots on each of those would make it almost fail-proof. Really go nuts and put in triples?

[Of course a full loop bridge is a pain to clip onto both strands every time]

Glad to hear your not a statistic!

Even on new harnesses I'm not completely sold on those rope bridges. i like the concept, or the additional 'smoothness' you would seem to get with one versus a floating 'D', but the floating 'D' is sewn into the harness on either end, not tied.

You could get a length of rope with spliced eyes on either end and connect them with clevis's (with a touch of locktite)... the system would be essentially closed.

Glad your ok. I've always had great luck with grapevine/doublefisherman knots and once set up, they have always locked up tight. That goes to show you that you can never be 100% sure. My saddle has 4 D rings and
I'll look at those new saddles from my Wesspur catalogs and think "man that looks so much lighter" but I don't know if I could trust those bridges. Also it looks like it would be hard to find and snap onto the bridge when your struggling. I always liked the D-ring because I can hear the metal clanking together so I know I'm close if I can't get a good visual when snapping in. With a rope bridge I'd be afraid someday I would snap on to the leg strap or something weak like that when I'm struggling to find it. Anyway glad to hear your ok.

The scariest thing Ive ever had is probably the lightning strike not to far from the tree I was in and a few real close calls with the saw. But I have had some pretty scary dreams. Not a lot but there has been a few and usually after Ive speant a few days on a little more dangerous jobs.

I really dislike lightning! I have lost count of the number of falling nightmares.

I like the idea of a rope bridge with two spliced eyes connected to my d-rings with oval links & loctite. I have lost a little faith in knots!

Glad you made it bro. I had a similar moment a few months ago. I had my climbing line splice, 2 double fish knots of my hitch and a micro pulley all attached to the same krab. I must have moved something because I looked down in mid job before putting my full weight on the system and one of my double fish's wasn't even hooked to the krab. Luckily, the Icicle hitch held tight enough by design and I happend to look before leaning all the way back. I thanked God and kept on.

I have since switched back to using 2 separate krabs on my climbing systems, for other reasons, but I will never forget that one.

those dreams i have never had.

Stihl-O-Matic said:

The scariest thing Ive ever had is probably the lightning strike not to far from the tree I was in and a few real close calls with the saw. But I have had some pretty scary dreams. Not a lot but there has been a few and usually after Ive speant a few days on a little more dangerous jobs.

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it's the "what if" thoughts right before i go to bed.

On a side note here guys, I use a double bridge on my Butterfly. It'll take the edge off and you'll be swinging like a monkey in heat again.

I kept the stock bridge, put some locktite on the shackles, then ran a length of 1/2" Hi-vee through each shackle and finished them off with stopper knots that wouldn't pull through the shackle. You can use them individually or clip on to both. Safety and options, who can beat that.

Slvrmple72,

Thank you for the post!

This does indeed remind us all to double-check/inspect our rigs before each climb. I tell my climbers constantly to keep inspecting their equipment... and to make sure each time they clip onto something, that it's the correct thing they're clipping into. ...And also to make sure they "see" with their eyes that what they are doing is correct as well.

Thanks for the reminder and glad to hear you are OK!

Take care,

StihlRockin'

Wow, check your knots guys. Glad to here you're alright Slvrmple.

I am pretty much off tying in with knots. I'm am all splices by now. I check them regularly.

I was resting on my back a week or so ago picking off dead oak branches with the pole saw for about a half hour (short break included) the other day. When I was done I absent mindedly just rolled off the branch I was on to swing back to the trunk. As soon as it was too late I realized I hadn't checked my configuration. It held tight but I usually make sure I'm tight on my line before moving on it. Need to be extra careful in this heat.

Nailsbeats said:

On a side note here guys, I use a double bridge on my Butterfly. It'll take the edge off and you'll be swinging like a monkey in heat again.

I kept the stock bridge, put some locktite on the shackles, then ran a length of 1/2" Hi-vee through each shackle and finished them off with stopper knots that wouldn't pull through the shackle. You can use them individually or clip on to both. Safety and options, who can beat that.

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I have two bridges on my B'fly as well...Its the original model that came with the big nylon strap, I added the B'fly 2 bridge that has the ring on it...comes in handy sometimes for sure!

Hey Svlrmple72...good result for sure!!! TITS came in handy...(Tie In Twice Stupid) I've had a couple of drops that were saved from being bad because I was tied in with a lanyard as well, saved a big swing with a hard ending...I live by TITS I'll even up it to three tie ins if I get that gut check to be a little more careful.
The key is to go home in one piece, under your own steam with all your blood inside your body!

Glad to read this post was typed by you and not for you.

Check and recheck. I had this drilled into me by my 1st instrcutor and I impress it into my crew on every job.

One thing we do which may help, is cross check each other. Once we have checked our own kit we swap and check each others. Adam found my karabiner stuck half open one time when I had ass-u-me-d it was fine. We do the same thing after each job and have saved saws, ladders, wheelbarrows and all sorts of hand tools from being left behind on jobsites because of this.

Was it only last summer? My VT came undone at a fish'hitch, I had never had that happen before. I am convinced that the high tech fibers creep more and we need to retie these knots with regularity. With Stable Braid I rarely have to retie, I gave the last of my Bee-Line away after that incident.

Why do you use a fisherman's on the bridge, Is it just the parallel tailing that you like? I would think of something like an anchor would be better; maybe a followthrough bo'lin

John, I remember reading that post about your scary close call! I had made a loop of the beeline through the two d-rings and sliding double fisherman knotted them together. Since then I have two, yes, two 1/2" Stablebraid bridges tied with anchor knots, one to the two d-rings on either side of the waistbelt on my saddle and the other bridge tied to the two d-rings on my leg loops. After a little adjusting I have them both at the ideal length to clip a biner on both of them for ease of movement. Still think I should be using an eye to eye bridge with the plastic teardrop insert for both bridges on my saddle instead of knots though!

Bermie, thanks for the acronym, it's funny

Hi,

Slvrmple72 any chance you could post a picture of your new rig. I'm trying to visualize it but can't quite. I've just bought a new saddle, but don't have it yet and so I don't know quite how I will rig it. I'm glad you are safe and sound. Thank you.

Eljefe

Glad you're alright

Pardon for asking, but why would you want to "rig" your saddle, especially a brand new one? Wouldn't you just buy one that's set up to your liking?

I've got to be honest, I have never, ever modified or rigged my saddle to my own specs. I climb with a Glide, I've had it three years, so perhaps I should look into replacing the bridge, what do you guys think?

The dbl fish knots are not my faves either, I have been climbing for about eight or nine years and still, like the day I started, climb with a blakes, no splice, and a good old anchor hitch.

Glad you're alright man.

Slvrmple72, thanks for posting the good news.

IcePick said:

I started, climb with a blakes, no splice, and a good old anchor hitch.

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Check out the schwabish or distel, I'm sure you will be converted.