mike515
ArboristSite Operative
I was just thinking yesterday how gear obsessed the new guys are. I mean I think it’s good that things have evolved (to a certain point), but how much is too much?
I remember the old days when you got a 150’ piece of safety blue with a clip, a saddle, spikes and a short line (lanyard). Here’s how to tie your climbing knot.(taughtline hitch), now let’s get to the actual tree work. I almost feel bad for kids these days.
That's pretty much what I still climb with. No spikes on trims. I also use a throw ball and have incorporated ascenders into the mix. Wish I would have started using the ascenders years ago but I actually only use them once in a while now because I'm so used to climbing without them that I forget I have them.
I still have the same spikes and saddle that I started climbing with 30 years ago. We have a bunch of other gear too but I'm just talking about the stuff I use. I was training a kid the other day and sent him up a pretty easy spruce. 25-30 feet tall. No obstacles. Could have just dropped it but it was a good training tree. I let him wear my spikes and told him it's better to have them too tight rather than too loose. He understood my point about 8 feet off the ground. He told me when he got done that he has no idea how I can wear those all day. You just do.