Lots of questions about footlocking

[MasterBlaster]

Sweet! Alas, I don't do it.

 

[Tree Machine]

How can you NOT? I don't unnerstand. What did you say?

Alas, I don't do it.

I thought you said that.


Let me think. This is a footlocking thread and you don't footlock.

So,what's the deal? You volunteering to be our new non-footlocking poster child?

 

[Tree Machine]

...poster child?

Mister Master, Ayatolla of "You never footlock?"


Blaster, I love ya. I gotta give you a big hug for being so honest. But now I've gotta Dog ya.


You've attained an eminence, sort of a Grand Poobah stature, a fully permeated presence here, an overseer of all. Your contributions to the treecare industry are far ranging, widely recognized and respected. Some early noobs almost think of you as godlike, like one of the early forefathers of our technical climbing arena.

You are of the most experienced treemen IN THE INDUSTRY!




...and you do not footlock?


Dude, do you know how many false illusions have just been shattered? DUDE, you're like a big dog that's just been neutered.


COOL ! We can title the thread "Teaching old neutered dogs new tricks" and if we can teach Blaster how to footlock, then we can pretty much assume anyone can learn to footlock.


Fair enough?

 

[Tree Machine]

Blaster? I didn't hurt your feelings did I? I'm just pokin ya in the ribs.

LOVE,

Tree Machine

 

[MasterBlaster]

I have a feeling I'm not the only old-schooler that doesn't footlock.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

I have a feeling I'm not the only old-schooler that doesn't footlock.

I don't footlock either.

 

[teressa green]

me neither,why bother,,,,,

 

[MasterBlaster]

me neither,why bother,,,,,

I could have used footlocking a few times in my career, but that's about it. I wouldn't mind learning, but that wouldn't overnight become my main mode of entry.
It looks like a lotta hard work to me. But, I ain't never done it so whadoIknow?

 

[Lumberjack]

Hey Butch, I was workin down that tiny sycomore Saturday and FL with spikes on. It was deceptively simple, it would have been much easier without spikes, but I needed to go up 15' or so and decided to give it a try.

 

[Tree Machine]

May I ask an honest and candid question?

If you're not footlocking up the rope, how are you doing your ascent?

 

[Stumper]

Jim, Ladder access and secured freeclimbing/lanyard advance. Body thrusting. Handled ascender and Pantin. All of those work for ascent without footlocking. One of the things that happens to us as human 'beans' is a little mental quirk whereby the way we learn to do something becomes THE way to do that thing. Footlocking is cool but there are other ways to ascend. Setting a line in the best crotch, footlocking up and working the tree is cool and often most efficient but people like Guy and myself get frustrated watching a thowballer dink around cursing for over an hour trying to hit that crotch instead of simply walking up a ladder, tying in, advancing his line with the polesaw three times and being at the top of the tree. The difficult thing for all of us is knowing when to switch methods to keep things easy.

 

[teressa green]

amen

 

[Tree Machine]

Double amen. I can't argue switching methods, nor will I ever consciously choose one method more difficult, time consuming or less efficient than the other. A single guy, working solo need to be able to choose from a variety of methods that best suits the situation.

I have used ladders. I've body thrusted. I used a Pantin once. I'm familiar with climbing hitches. However, in gravitating back to the simplest, most efficient and straight-forward approach to going a rope, a 1:1 ascent footlocking is really hard to beat.

I'm not trying to enroll the world in the way I do it, because I'm not the only one having success with it. What I'm wondering is, if you're hung up on not using the footlock, why is that? The intent here is to assist other climbers, nothing more.... unless there's a better faster, safer way, and then I'm jumping on board with that new method.

I like to keep things boiled down to the least common denominator, simplified systems, straight-forward, reproducible results easily teachable.

 

[teressa green]

fully open mind ,not much call for it ,easier and faster ways to access a tree,ladders ,poles or good old body thrusting,weight to strength ratio isnt an issue ,at 39 yrs old i work more productively ,safer ,faster,and exert less energy that the gucci public house tree surgeons that the industry is overflowing with ,22 yrs up trees and very little time in a class room ,set in my ways yep ,but my ways earn me good money,,,,,,,

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Likewise, its not a bodywieght strength ratio thing for me, its just I never really have cause to use it. Have tried it occasionaly for fun, and admire the guys who do it really quickly. But the 'gucci' climbers i've seen using it over here wouldent get a job with me, as they couldent take the pace in my experience.
Also have very open mind to new techniques, but theres an old adage 'if it aint broke dont fix it'

 

[MasterBlaster]

May I ask an honest and candid question?

If you're not footlocking up the rope, how are you doing your ascent?

The previous posts 'splained it pretty well!

 

[SteveBullman]

Setting a line in the best crotch, footlocking up and working the tree is cool and often most efficient but people like Guy and myself get frustrated watching a thowballer dink around cursing for over an hour trying to hit that crotch instead of simply walking up a ladder.

think you hit the nail in the head there. theres no 2 ways about it, footlocking looks damm cool when done well. im practicing it here or there when the need arises. its far from being my main method of ascent. might do it once a month.
but the point is, doesnt matter how good your footlocking is, its only a quick method of gaining entry to a tree if you're spot on with your throwbag technique too

 

[Tree Machine]

I honestly can't think of anything more energy intensive than body thrusting. I think you use a lot more arm strength, and then convulse your entire midsection to gain a piece of altitude.

The only time I can think of where I do a body thrust would be when you're coming up to your limb. you hook over top with your heel, do a strong body thrust, pull up, do a 180 into a half squat and you're standing on the limb. It's sort of a tripped-out move, not entirely necessary, but more for self-entertainment.

As far as body thrusting up a rope, or air-humping as I've heard it called, I played with that a little today, just so I could converse with some level of recent experience. I don't know, guys. All I kept thinking was, the rope is right there, the feet are right there, grab the rope with the feet and push yourself up.

If it were a difficult technique, I would understand not using it. I still have to contest that if you are having problems footlocking, you might rethink your choice of footwear.

Anyway, to each their own, and it really doesn't matter your method, as long as you're safe.

 

[Tree Machine]

Something I remembered today; back 4 or 5 years ago I was doing a climbing seminar in Costa Rica. I had 13 Ticos and we were doing basic throwbag, ropesetting, ascent, descent. We had two ropes set. I would ascend, face-to-face with the noob of the moment, get up there, stand on the limb, rest, abseil back down. We did this together.

No one had ever done footlocking before. By noon, every single guy, even the fattest one, had successfully performed the footlock technique and did the ascent. Most of the guys (showing off for their compadres) really flew up the rope. None of them had, what I would consider, optimal footwear. Yet they all did quite well. These were first-timers.

 

[Jim1NZ]

All depends.

Depends on, how big the tree is, how far apart the internodes are, if you can thowball well, whether you have spikes on, or simply if you can even footlock!

If all you ever do is take downs with spikes, small trees with ladders, or trees with branches every where then no, you wont ever need to footlock.