UKC

Looking to do tree climbing, but not the typical ascent way of foot loops etc, but more of a freestyle way in safety. So in other words i have got a full body harness, like the ones scaffolders would use. These are not comfy sit in all day ones, but i feel they would be safer with other tree branches and any fall would keep you in a more vertical position then sending you down pivoting around your hips. Was just seeing if anyone had the proper name and information on this, and gear.
So far to give i have came up with, rope over safe tree limb anchored to tree trunk, same or neighbouring tree> full body suit with lanyard going to ideally a fall arrest system attached to the rope via a ascender or even a prusik?
Regards

In reply to chefslot:

Don't do it. I'm not sure you have the requisite knowledge for what you are proposing. If you do do it, I wouldn't use a scaffolders harness. a regular sit harness is more than safe enough - that's all tree-surgeons use after all!

In reply to chefslot:

Treeclimbing.com

In reply to chefslot:
Don't kids climb trees anymore?

In reply to chefslot:

To be honest your current scheme sounds a bit half baked, I think you'd be safer with out any of your 'safety equipment' which will likely make it harder to climb and give you a false sense of security. Proceeding within your limits and exercising caution would be better though nothing is risk free.

Maybe research 'lead climbing'.

In reply to chefslot:

Maybe start off by bouldering a few moves on bonsais?

In reply to chefslot:

Check out the video footage of Sharma scaling (I think) a giant redwood in California. Probably of no help but still pretty awesome to watch if you're interested in it!

In reply to chefslot:
Sounds fun!
Probably just use some sort of rope ascent system to gain the low branches and then solo the rest, maybe carrying a rope to AB down?
I reckon using ropes up the whole tree would be more faff that it's worth.

In reply to Rocknast:

Hi, yeah i think i have seen one like this before.

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Hi, haven't been getting any notifications about this topic. I was kind of under the impression after watching a video where if you fall vertically your body will absorb more of the fall from a 2m + fall and that a sit in harness is good if you have a belay keeping the slack taught. A good sit in harness if you want to work standing off of a wall etc, like a tree surgeon and a full harness if your working where no one is taking up the slack. I've seen a few bow hunters in the US taking up a fall harness as they can lean of from a stand, the opposite of a tree surgeon. I might jump on a few of their forums and ask a few questions. But thank you for your reply.

In reply to chefslot:

Best suggestion I have is to watch Treeverse - also for everyone else who hasn't heard of roped tree climbing! The traverse of that field in Oregon was essentially Everest for tree climbers - saw it at the Banff Film Festival a couple of years back.
Cheers

B

In reply to chefslot:

Sod all that gear.
Get yourself down your nearest pine forest, climb to the top of the first tree and start swaying.
Once you get going you can traverse the wood from tree top to tree top. Great fun!

In reply to chefslot:

Whether or not you ever climb any trees you should read this book, It'll make you want to even more: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Wild-Trees-Passion-Daring/dp/0812975596

In reply to Martin Bennett:

Cheers i have put it in my wish list!!

In reply to Lusk: We use to do just that on Ash saplings, great fun seeing how many tree exchanges you can make.

In reply to jonathan shepherd:

There wasn't a tree I hadn't climbed in the wood behind the houses on my street by the time I was 11. Mind you I went up a tree recently and got to the top before I started to realise the danger I had been in back in the 1950s. Sometimes I wake up screaming... but that's mostly to do with the hand over hand descents into coal mine shafts on a piece of old brown hawser lay cable somebody had got hold of. God knows how we secured it at the top. Or the explorations of sewerage drainage pipes; or the merry games down in the goods yard... or the swimming expeditions round the flooded sand quarries.
Lucky days and lucky to have survived.
If you want to climb a tree, climb one.

In reply to Martin Bennett:

Second reading 'the wild trees' great book.

In reply to ben b:


One link to treeverse coming up

vimeo.com/35285757