This Old House

[Toddppm]

Anybody read the article in the Landscape issue that just came out? they have a decent article about Tree Climbing by the guy that wrote The Perfect Storm, guess he still climbs once in a while up near Treeman in Westchester NY. Kinda interesting and should open some peoples eyes on our jobs and tells about how to choose an arborist and avoid the hacks One weird thing that he wrote though was he uses a prusik to climb with Check it out if you see it, not a bad issue, it might be on their website too but I didn't check.

 

[DDM]

Todd? Lawn & landscape? What was the name of the article? i looked thru the april issue and didnt see it.

 

[Nickrosis]

I believe he was referencing the magazine, <i>This Old House</i>. The magazine's website at www.pbs.org does not publish the text of the articles.

Nickrosis

 

[treeman82]

Todd, do you remember the guy's name off hand, or possibly the name of the town he is in? Company, anything?

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i went to an "ArborMaster" expedition one time. They claimed you could ascend, and descend; on a tail, formed into an open prusik; on a double line.

The tail, was 1/2" single eye; not a loop, eye to eye, or smaller diameter. When i asked; they said it was ok on a double line because you only had 1/2 your weight on that control line. They also said they wouldn't descend on it on a single line, nor would they do such on a taut line or blake's. Refrence was also made to other characteristics at play in our climbing systems that allowed this also. After, i queried about the diffrence of a 100# lady descending on one on a single line prusik; and a 200# man on a double w/prusik......... then the conversation faded! So i asked about having a non-frictional anchor (pulley).......(ok i'm always a hard case!).

i have read so many mountain climber's say not to descend on a prusik, that they would burn up on descent, that i had to ask the questions above after the presentation. i have taught many guys how important it is to make sure everything is exactly right in their knots; by showing the similarities of a prusik/tautline; and how one would could kill/one save to pound that in! So i can't say that anymore; and use that example of 2 closely related knots and thier specific applications being diffrent-even fatal!

But, personally; i have learned so much from the "mountain view" of rope work; that i give their info the nod; and choose not to use a prusik for descent; rather using one of the knots specifically evolved for the application that we put it too.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I learned to climb on a single line ro modified prussik. Like Ken sais it looks like a taughtline. Looks like you reversed the rotation going over the bridge.

My understanding of its inferiority is that there is less contact surface with the prussik so the taught like is superrior, less slipery. Mechanicaly it is more likely to lock under load, where the prussick may not if you slip.

Same thing with a loop prussik, whick makes the Klemhiest a more apropriate hitch.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i look at a prussik as a memeber of the girth hitch family. When making a girth hitch in a loop; it is a choker; putting a 'death' choke on anything that sits in it. As it takes the weight of whatever load that is in it; and grabs that item with 2 choking grips; with no reduction in pull, just pre choking! i look at a prusik loop as a double (or triple) "death" choker. Just doublely set to absolutely choke down on whatever is in its grasp. So, to me, in that light; it is very understandable why it wouldn't be used for descending on a line with that relentless choking action; mechanically programmed in. Especially, made from a flexible, smaller diameter chord to grip in mountain climbing; as it is made to. The open prusik, would have diffrent characteristics, towards sliding i believe; but would stay conservative and go with the knots made especially for acsending, descending. The cross bar on all girth hitch type arraingements is straight up and down(not 'Z'); becase when tying you stop and reverse direction between the 2 levels; above and below the tails that come out at a central point together.

i look at a clove hitch as double (opposing) half hitches. A Tautline as 2 down, 2 up (double) clove. i think all clove type hitches walk; except for the self trapping ones; ie. constrictor and closed ones. I look at a Distall, as a 1 down, 3 up closed clove hitch type formation. The cross bar on all clove hitch type knot formations is slanted ('Z'); because all the turns are in the same direction. For in tying you go from the lower turns to the upper ones, you still turn the wraps around the host line in the same direction; above and below the tails that come out at a central point together.

 

[Toddppm]

Yes This Old House mag. oops,
the guys name is Sebastian Junger, actually after reading it again , this was originally written in 1998 , he had a chainsaw accident and started writing more than climbing he was working with Terrapin Tree Care.
There is a picture of his climbing line and it looks like what treespyder was describing on his climbing knot but hard to tell.

 

[treeman82]

As far as I can think, I have never heard of them. However they are probably down county, and I stick to Northern Westchester 95% of the time.