Does anyone get nervous before climbing still?

[Teamgtree&lawn]

Let me say that I'm not a rookie but I'm not yet a "veteran" Arborist, I've been climbing since 2009 and I've been ISA Certified since the beginning of 2015. I own a small tree care & landscape management company here in Kansas City. I've found that sometimes I still get really nervous about climbing, I take every precaution and I'm not moving fast at all, is this normal to still be nervous sometimes? I used to get really nervous when I first started climbing because I had a hard time trusting my gear. I never work alone and I plan the job out before it ever happens (a week in advance usually) Today were removing a medium black walnut that I will climb up and remove a few of the lower limbs before I drop it. Advice & tips welcome, Climb safe guys!
James

 

[Del_]

Proceed at your own pace.

Never stop taking every precaution and always keep a real close eye on your gear. Watch that a biner gate never gets loaded.

 

[661Joe]

Your just a slower climber then some nothing wrong with that at all. But I will say this if you don't trust your gear with your life then don't get in the tree. You should without a doubt trust your gear hanging off a 200 foot crane over the grand cannon. If you don't trust your gear you'll all ways be nervous. But moving slow and checking and double checking will let you grow old with all your body parts.. nothing wrong with that. Good luck be safe we would love some pics.

 

[Teamgtree&lawn]

I actually decided aginst climbing it today, we've had some batshit crazy "spring" weather and some pretty intense winds in the past few days. The tree has developed a pretty noticeable vertical crack at the base and 30 feet up. Going back on Monday with an aerial lift to remove it then.

 

[Teamgtree&lawn]

I'll try to snap some pics, loading them on forms has been a major PITA but hopefully I'll figure it out.

 

[661Joe]

Good man know your limits and know when to walk away.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

When I find some climbing chore coming up I start planning. I try to always work up to it not the day before. If I am uncomfortable it gets postponed. Safety is something that can not be redone. My first real tree job showed me the unexpected can and will happen that was 40 years ago. Checking and re checking ALL of my equipment is a habit otherwise you will not get a second chance. Of course there was the time that I was asked to assist a much younger arborist with some trimming work. He thought apparently that he had everything under control and assumed that I would be on time with no delays. I roll up to this job at 8 AM hearing a saw idling, but no body in sight until I look up and see this guy hanging upside down with the saw near his head. That was not the time to check and see if my equipment was in order. So I suited up and and proceeded up the tree to discover he was unconscious. What if I had any issues come up that morning? As it turned out he had cut a limb that snapped back onto his head leaving him unable to take care of his needs. No only do you trust your equipment, but your ground people are just as important. Thanks

 

[beastmaster]

Trusting your equipment is important to be sure, but so is learning the characteristics of different trees.. knowing and understanding defects and how they effect the structural integrity of a tree can give you confidence to go up or stay down.
Anxiety comes from some part of your mind telling you it doesn't have all the info to give you a ok.
I've been climbing for a while. I climb hazardous tree everyday. Im nervous of lots of them. My mind never stops. Im feeling the wood under my spikes. I feel the sway, I watch how bridle branches are etc. I may reach a point where my body says stop. I listen to it.
Dead walnuts are scary tree for good reason. No tree is worth getting hurt over. Some trees require a lift or crane. Experience will teach you when to walk a way, or use an alternative methods. Tree climbing isn't a pissing contest. We take calculated risks.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I think the older you get the more you think.
Jeff

 

[Zale]

I think the older you get the more you think.
Jeff

No doubt.

 

[661Joe]

A old guy once told me you can be the best climber ever seen but your not **** until your retired then you'll know how good you truly were.

 

[jefflovstrom]

A old guy once told me you can be the best climber ever seen but your not **** until your retired then you'll know how good you truly were.

Kinda true, as an operations manager of a TCIA Accredited company now, I would not let my guys do stuff like I did back in the day,
I think back about stuff I have done and and realized I was nervous a lot of times,
Although nervous, (excited is another term), I loved it and looked forward to it,
now with nine climbers and six groundie's, my stress has increased massively,
Jeff

 

[treebilly]

The older I get, the more I think and the slower I climb. It's funny though. I get a lot more done now then I did when I was 20.

 

[miko0618]

I think its common to get a rush when you are about to risk your life.

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[crotchclimber]

Kinda true, as an operations manager of a TCIA Accredited company now, I would not let my guys do stuff like I did back in the day,
I think back about stuff I have done and and realized I was nervous a lot of times,
Although nervous, (excited is another term), I loved it and looked forward to it,
now with nine climbers and six groundie's, my stress has increased massively,
Jeff

Similar to what I was thinking. The more experience you have, the more you are capable of perceiving hazards and ways the job could go badly. I still get nervous when working with very dead trees or spiking up a skinny tree when I haven't worn spikes for a while (I do mostly pruning).