Fell 30 Feet Out of The Tree Today...

[derwoodii]

Hey guys. My knowledge of friction hitches doesnt run very deep. Is there an online resource (illustrated) I can check out? I started with the tautline, then used the Blake's, then used my own knot-3 wraps up then underneath the "bridge" with the tail and tucked it under the middle wrap. I tied a figure8 at the end but after it was dressed and set good it didnt creep. After I was told I couldnt use it in the jamboree I changed to the split-tail system. Anyway, I think it is a French prussik I use now where I simmply wrap around my climbing line 4 times with my split tail and return to the biner (using a smaller diameter tail). Im very pleased with it performance. I read alot of bad stuff about the VT and am curious. Any input?

Here ya go

http://www.mytreelessons.com/friction hitch-work in progress.htm

 

[vaclimber]

Here ya go

http://www.mytreelessons.com/friction hitch-work in progress.htm

Thanks derwoodii! Seems like a nifty site that I will enjoy.

 

[ozzy42]

That's odd. I use home spliced beeline i2i and my VT gets more reliable the longer I leave it on the rope. It only needs tending carefully when it has been recently re-tied.

I use 8mm beeline on 10mm velocity. I like it for the ease that it slides up, but I really prefer the more traditional knots (on 1/2" climbline) for sliding down. I think the VT binds up a bit too tight, and only slides down with quite a bit of resistance. This thread reminds me that it didn't use to be so tight on the down-direction, so maybe it's time to put on a new i2i.

Perhaps some ropes & i2i combinations are not well suited to using with a VT?

I've had the same experience.
I am using 10mm beeline on my lanyard w/ a brass key ring snap.I leave it tied most of the time except to clean sawdust out every now and then.
It does not slip,except if bucked up close to the spar and the hitch hits a nub or something.Just have to make sure it's stretched out and not being comprimised.

On my climb line ,I am using 10mm ocean.It gets retied a little more frequently,and always takes awhile to set back in after retieing.
I think this could be due to the fact that it's pretty stiff for a 10 mm rope.

Thought an 8 mm would grip better ,but don't think my big grubby hands,and my 200+ lbs could get used to hanging from a pc of clothesline rope.


Thinking of trying a 13mm high vee single eye split tail w/a pulley using a blakes.
I really like the split tail deal.
Anybody using this set up?
If so,does it tend slack decently?

 

[rbtree]

I

It is good that all are aware of how finicky the Vt is. While it's my fav friction hitch, that I've used for about 14 years, it must be given constant attention and respect. In fact, I seem to recall that Sherrill no longer recommends using it.

I currently am using 8 mm OP on 11 mm Blaze and 11.7mm Tachyon. Have used Bailout, which is stiff and wears longer than any other friction hitch cordage. Have used Beeline and others as well, plus plain old double braid polyester. They all work, just some last longer.

 

[JeffL]

Yeah, I've played with that hitch a few times. Its way too finicky for me, having to grab it after unloading it damn near every time to get it to bite back down. I just hop between a swabisch and distel now.

Glad to hear you're ok though, thats pretty damn lucky!

 

[ropensaddle]

My hip and body thrusting days are over

Lol you have missed the secret of staying young then brother. I really love the body thrust and I am serious. I am so seriously considering the wraptor though but I would still have enough thrusting to get my cardio!

 

[tree md]

Lol you have missed the secret of staying young then brother. I really love the body thrust and I am serious. I am so seriously considering the wraptor though but I would still have enough thrusting to get my cardio!

Well... Let's just say my body thrusting days in the tree are over...

Off to do one more for the week then get my new line.

 

[colt044]

Glad to hear your OK MD, Things happen fast.

 

[burntslap]

Actually, I'm toying with a similiar set-up now. 13mm Blaze w/ 10 mm Bee split-tail, Blake, pully on b'ner. As long as the Blake wasn't tight, there was no pitch in the rope, and I had enuf tail, it worked fine. IOW's, in a cleaner environment, it probably would have worked better ( fir trees were both scarred & bleeding from previous flush-cuts made by prior climber ). In this case (oh, I'm gonna regret this ), the VT works considerably better.

I'm gonna try an 11 mill combo next.

 

[Bermie]

Derwoodii...

I never liked the pussick loop, two wraps was not enough and three was too many...moved the the blakes and that was just fine for several years, but then I wanted to have the self tending setup with a micro pulley.

I just could not get the blakes to ride right with a pulley, it was too tight, probably had the wrong cord...I moved to a distel with beeline, again, it would set too tight on my XTC to self tend happily.

I finally got a hitchclimber, some icetail i2i...and I hit the sweet spot, with the VT.

For me the VT does not overtighten, it self tends beautifully with a hitchclimber, one handing in and out from a branchwalk is nice. I just have found the right combination and I like it. For body thrusting you have to pull from above the hitch, with if you are going any distance could be a problem, so I put a little 5" stitched nylon sling on the bottom biner, and extend it away from me just enough to enable me to pull from below, hand over hand, above or below makes for a nice swift ascent.

 

[flushcut]

I fell 30' out of the tree today. I'm a little embarrassed about it but thought I would put it out there for debate and maybe figure out what I did wrong.

I got real lucky. I was tied in but my friction hitch failed and did not bite. I was climbing an Ivy covered tree, about 36" DBH and the first crotch is 30' off the ground. I had my groundy tailing my rope and I have instructed him to just let go of the rope if I slip. Told him my friction hitch will catch me. I didn't want him to catch a spike in the face or anything in the event I slipped close to the bottom. I am revising that plan as of today.

Anyway, I am climbing on a VT and have stepped off on it a thousand times. I've accidentally slipped several times and never had it fail before. It has always bit the rope and caught me. I slipped in the Ivy this morning trying to get in the first crotch and went straight to the ground. I tried to catch the line but I caught my bull line which I had already set instead. Luckily I had enough friction between my climbing line and the bull line to slow me enough to not make a hard fall. I didn't even hit hard enough to knock the wind out of me. To tell the truth I was on the ground before I even had a chance to be scared.

It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react. I had always thought that in the event of my friction hitch failing I would always be able to catch my line and keep myself from falling. I see how foolhardy that thinking was. Absolutely no time to react.

I got real lucky and did not get hurt at all but I just can't figure out what caused my hitch to fail. My line wasn't crossed up or anything. I don't know, maybe a piece of Ivy got caught in the hitch or something. Haven't decided if I am going to switch hitches or not. I love climbing on the VT but I have a lot less faith in it now.

Scary, I am glad you are OK! I think it should serve as a reminder for us to check our gear and hitch often while aloft.

 

[treesquirrel]

I have never used the VT and I never will. When studying up on hitches the word "finicky" is all I need to make my decision not to use it. The hitch I will rely on for my life support will not be "finicky".

I keep my eyes on my hitch all the time as will all my connection points. I Use the Schwabish, prussic, blakes, and have never had a failure.

If I remember correctly even the tree climbers companion adds a word of caution with use of a VT due to its finicky nature.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Still am dwelling on the fact that you are OK, that is so cool that you walked away, I think that ultimately, giving any particular situation, it can happen to any hitch, any climber on anY job, and sure that it has, my blakes has slipped before, not much, but it has, I think this thread is proof positive that no matter the experience, the set up, the tree etc, bad things can and will happen, only this time we get to here about it first hand, instead of reading it in the paper!

 

[tree MDS]

Still am dwelling on the fact that you are OK, that is so cool that you walked away, I think that ultimately, giving any particular situation, it can happen to any hitch, any climber on anY job, and sure that it has, my blakes has slipped before, not much, but it has, I think this thread is proof positive that no matter the experience, the set up, the tree etc, bad things can and will happen, only this time we get to here about it first hand, instead of reading it in the paper!

Its not really slipping that I worry about with the vt, more of a plummeting action. Its nothing like a blakes or taughtline when they "slip". Hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm aware of the potential.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Its not really slipping that I worry about with the vt, more of a plummeting action. Its nothing like a blakes or taughtline when they "slip". Hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm aware of the potential.

Plummeting, that word in of itself, is bad! Your right, didnt think about the fact that you shot straight down, not really a slip was it!

I plummeted once, along time ago, 100% my fault, was knocked out by the impact, guess I bounced about 10 feet, just remember when I was mid air, happen so fast, no time to react, I didnt walk away unscathed either, was in the very beginning, after that, I sought out a Pro to show a young padawan the way of the Tree Jedi, He said "First rule, tie in"

 

[tree md]

Thanks for all the well wishes.

I have been thinking the situation over as well. I believe that a contributing factor to the failure is that my i2i might be a tad too long. I have been reading up on the VT and have read that it is likely to not bite on the rope after a long ascent if the cord is too long.

Bottom line, I need to be paying closer attention tending my hitch.

 

[ckliff]

FWIW - I love climbing on the VT. I use the 3/8 tenex on 1/2 rope. When I use a second line, the blakes is always handy. It is good for every climber to know more than one friction hitch.

 

[tree md]

FWIW - I love climbing on the VT. I use the 3/8 tenex on 1/2 rope. When I use a second line, the blakes is always handy. It is good for every climber to know more than one friction hitch.

I'm about to go from 5/16 HRC to 3/8 Beeline. I climb on 11.7 mm Poison Ivy. I'm anxious to see how that combo works out. I've never used a 3/8 prusik cord before.

When I use two lines I use a traditional setup on the second line and use a prusik.

 

[Nailsbeats]

That's odd. I use home spliced beeline i2i and my VT gets more reliable the longer I leave it on the rope. It only needs tending carefully when it has been recently re-tied.

I use 8mm beeline on 10mm velocity. I like it for the ease that it slides up, but I really prefer the more traditional knots (on 1/2" climbline) for sliding down. I think the VT binds up a bit too tight, and only slides down with quite a bit of resistance. This thread reminds me that it didn't use to be so tight on the down-direction, so maybe it's time to put on a new i2i.

Perhaps some ropes & i2i combinations are not well suited to using with a VT?

I agree, 8mm Beeline on Tachyon, left tied most of the time bights more with more use.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

FWIW - I love climbing on the VT. I use the 3/8 tenex on 1/2 rope. When I use a second line, the blakes is always handy. It is good for every climber to know more than one friction hitch.

The beauty of using poly or nylon rope you can buy in bulk and have several tress cords a in your kit.

I buy a couple hundred feet at a time and sell 5-10 bucks worth to people I work with regularly. I give a little away now and then too

$25-30 for a tress cord is ridiculous.