Just some pics

[John Paul Sanborn]

Am I supposed to get some good shoes on and run around like a squirell with just my climbing line and a buckstrap?

.

I'm more like a 3 toed sloth, but spikes get in my way more often then not.

What do you think we have meant when we talk about limb walking?

 

[HolmenTree]

Get your self a ditty bag for the back of your saddle [Sherrill 30763 $27] & carry 3 or 4 24" loop runners[$4ea.] & some extra biners. Now you can redirect your climbing line all over the tree by girth hitching the loops around a stem or limb as you go.Biner on the end of the girthed loop & around both ropes. But don't forget that fig. 8 knot on the end of your rope, you can use up 200ft. of rope limbwalking around a tree in no time.You definately don't want to see the end of your rope sliding thru your friction hitch.
If your pruning you won't be using spikes anyway so get used to footlocking.Carry an extra micro pulley in your ditty bag too.Comes in handy when your rigging down limbs.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I see, so that's how this spikeless game is played. Sounds like fun. I wondered about the more vertical stuff and the redirects, but you guys cleared that up. Well I guess I have to buy a bunch more stuff now, oh well.

Limbwalking? I have limbwalked all over with spikes on, figured it was the same deal but spikeless. It all makes sense to me now, why most of the guys around here need their carribeaners, nylon loops, pulleys and all that gear. Seems more like mountain climbing than tree work.

I can see this will take more gear, a mental shift, some practice and more gear. Thank you for the gracious help.

 

[Nailsbeats]

If you ever get a chance, you should check out some of the ISA climbing competitions. The work climb and masters' challenge give a pretty good indication of how to move around in the tree. Good TIP and good boots go a long way to being able to move around the tree with ease.

http://www.asolo.com/content.asp?L=3&idMen=429
http://www.asolo.com/photo/OM3400_508_07.jpg

Those are what I'm currently using for boots. I like them alot. Good stiff/semi-flat sole, good grip and very comfortable. Good for footlocking and limb walking.

I've found that using straps or prussik loops as footholds (girth hitch around a limb and insert foot) help on more vertical limbs, where proper positioning to make a cut is a little harder to achieve. Experiment, trust your ropes/gear and yeah, take some cues from the squirrels/monkeys and you'll be running around the tree in no time.

Man, I can't wait for the temps to warm up and this snow to clear up. It looks to be a productive spring, providing spring actually arrives.

Mark Curie

Hey Mark what do those boots cost roughly?

 

[2FatGuys]

Nails -

There are a fair number of us that migrated to tree work from the "mountaineering" or rock climbing community. It is very similar. The guy that originally taught me to "climb trees" was an old school spike and buckstrap guy. With my experience on rock, I couldn't understand why tree work wasn't more "high tech". I talked to some other climbers over a few years and realized that, at the time, most of the older guys were "spike and buckstrap" and the younger pros were moving more to what we know today. It was a welcome change for me. That was 20+ years ago. Thank God the industry is using these MUCH safer and more efficient methods now!

 

[Mark Currie]

Hey Mark what do those boots cost roughly?

At REI, they're $180. I got them through my clothing allowance where I worked, so they were free to me.

http://www.rei.com/product/706762

The main thing is to find something comfortable, that'll stand up to abrasions and scuffs and a fairly flat sole. If you look at most of the pics from the competitions and stuff, most of them are wearing very similar boots. I like those ones because of the cap thing on the heel and toe. They've held up nicely. I had a pair of Vasque hiking boots (can't remember the style) at first, but the sole started separating and the heel split, probably within 3 months of me buying them.

Mark Currie

 

[2FatGuys]

It's amazing how quality has changed over the years.

I have a pair of Vasque Hiker II boots that are almost 31 years old. I paid $119 for them when I bought them new. They are the most comfortable heavy hikers you'll ever find. They have been resoled twice due to having a little over 7,000 miles of hiking and backpacking on them. But the boots are still in GREAT shape.

I also have a pair of Vasque light weight hikers, similar to the Asolo boots shown. They are only 3 years old and are already coming apart. They have less than 300 miles on them.

 

[Mark Currie]

haha.. I almost called you Ron. A guy I worked with had an ancient Vasque that he climbed on.. that was the reason I bought mine. He was shocked that they fell apart so quickly.

 

[Nailsbeats]

At REI, they're $180. I got them through my clothing allowance where I worked, so they were free to me.

http://www.rei.com/product/706762

The main thing is to find something comfortable, that'll stand up to abrasions and scuffs and a fairly flat sole. If you look at most of the pics from the competitions and stuff, most of them are wearing very similar boots. I like those ones because of the cap thing on the heel and toe. They've held up nicely. I had a pair of Vasque hiking boots (can't remember the style) at first, but the sole started separating and the heel split, probably within 3 months of me buying them.

Mark Currie

Those baby's aint cheap. I like the Goretex deal for comfort. Do you ever where spikes with those on? I mean if you need them, I wouldn't think you would want to be changing footwear on the job.
Lot's of removals for me, whole trees and sections of trees, I will still probably spend most of my time in spikes. On a section removal deal, I could see footlocking to the TIP and then sending up the spikes once on the section to be removed. Back to my main question If you are at a job doing prunes and removals and you are climbing both, do you bring 2 sets of footwear?

 

[Thillmaine]

boots

I spike in my Asolo's, but due to lack of serious arch suppor tit gets tiring after a while. I got some chippewas that I use if I know I am doing a large removal with alot of time on the spurs. I would say that most guys just use wahtever boots they have unless they know they are taking down abig tree, then bring out hte wesco's, white, chipps whatever with alogger sole.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Nails -

There are a fair number of us that migrated to tree work from the "mountaineering" or rock climbing community. It is very similar. The guy that originally taught me to "climb trees" was an old school spike and buckstrap guy. With my experience on rock, I couldn't understand why tree work wasn't more "high tech". I talked to some other climbers over a few years and realized that, at the time, most of the older guys were "spike and buckstrap" and the younger pros were moving more to what we know today. It was a welcome change for me. That was 20+ years ago. Thank God the industry is using these MUCH safer and more efficient methods now!

I am in the opposite situation. I learned from my dad, an oldschooler who climbed on only a climbing line and spikes. If you want a nasty tree down that nobody will touch he is your man. Thats how we get a lot of our work, but with that comes these rinkydink prune jobs, and spending enough time on here has made me conscious about spiking them. I love the hardcore oldschool removal methods, you need that if you are going to do the big stuff without a crane of course, but I am starting to see that there has been an industry shift, with these mountaineering tactics.

I can spike up a tree and cut it in half with a 395xp, now lets see if I can put my hiking boots on, grab my handsaw and manicure that puppy.

To run spikeless you need new methods, thats all there is to it.

 

[Mark Currie]

I've worn spikes with them, yeah. Not bad, but I've never spent all day in spikes either. A couple of guys bought some of the higher end hunting boots (flat sole, really high up the leg) from Cabella's. I forget the model though, but they really liked them.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I've worn spikes with them, yeah. Not bad, but I've never spent all day in spikes either. A couple of guys bought some of the higher end hunting boots (flat sole, really high up the leg) from Cabella's. I forget the model though, but they really liked them.

My dad climbs in Wolverine Gore Tex hunting boots from Cabella's and he likes them. I use logger/lineman boots.

 

[Mark Currie]

cool.. here, there's laws stating that you have to wear chainsaw boots in the tree, if you're running a chainsaw. So, I mostly wear my cutting boots now.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I don't know of any law around here like that, law don't go round here nohow. lol

 

[Mark Currie]

I'm in Canada after all.. haha.. I've got a comfortable pair of cutting boots though (leather Royer), so it's not so bad. Chainsaw pants in the tree too, which isn't the best thing, but hey, it's the law.. haha.. At least in this province.

Mark

 

[Nailsbeats]

Canada you say, oh it's all clear to me now. I here it's rough up there. Power to the people!

 

[oldirty]

My dad climbs in Wolverine Gore Tex hunting boots from Cabella's and he likes them. I use logger/lineman boots.

no need to get into the tennis shoe mentality when it comes to your prunes. wear your steel toe SAFETY boot. the one you wear day in day out. just tread lightly if you are concerned about tree. imiagine that one day your not wearing your boots in the tree and accidentally lay a running saw across your toe area. no thanks.

rec climbing? sure wear your hikers.



funny you learning all this new sh1t. i see our game as having a few different disciplines to the climbing technique.

you have on the ground pruning of the ornamental variety. to me this type of work drives me crazy. others find comfort in it. i see it everyday where i currently work. they love making those little trees look good. not enough action for me, and i dislike hand snips. lol

then you have the pruning attitude. get up into that tree from the tip to toe and walk all the branches making cuts. anything rubbing, competing for space, growing back to the inside, growing vertically of the main branch. there's more. but i am not all that good at it, so i will not try to tell you how to do it. this type of climbing definitely takes athleticism. tree forced yoga posing to make a few cuts in precarious places in the tree. for sure your not soft if you a climbing like that.

then you have the takedown climbing. just all out bum rushing of the tree. sometimes you have space, sometimes you dont. maybe you get to spend 6 hours in a tree rign the absolute dog snot out of it but you gotta do what you gotta do to get the tree down. this takes a certain effort. especially day in day out. a mind set that makes it tough to accept a new way to do things because the way they have been done works.

then you have crane work. a different animal in its own right. yah it takes less "work" when its around but if you dont know your cuts or you have no idea where to set the chokers to compensate for weighted sides then you are in for a long day too.

so in closing i guess its not that everyone does things different, its just that with so many disciplines to our game there are a million ways to do it.

to truely be a stud climber you have to have some time in all phases.


oh yeah, chances are good that if you can do all this well, than you should be able to run a bucket too.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I have that prunning eye, where my brother doesn't. I get to do those fancy apple trees with the pruner pole and stuff. Even trim hedges. Dad gives them to me cause he says I will make them look nice. A little art involved there.

I have the takedown mentality, whats the word? kill....... let's here it again. KILL. Now go for it!

I would like to rig for a crane, since my dad has been a crane operator and operating engineer for 20 years. We just never have found we needed one.

I used to run buckets as a lineman, they were gravy for sure, but I prefer climbing. Keeps the operation costs down.

 

[masterarbor]

this post has legs!