In this instructable, I will be showing how to climb a tree using only rope, a carabiner, muscle strenght, and time.
I am not an experienced or trained climber. Don't tell me that I'm not either. I'm only showing you how to climb how I like to climb. It is the easiest, most relaxing, simplest way.
WEAR A HELMET (I didn't)
It is divided into 6 steps.
1. Equipment
2. Getting the rope into the tree
3. The harness
4. The knots
5. Climbing
6. Getting back down
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|ALL VIDEOS ARE EMBEDED |
|THE HARNESS VIDEO IS here: http://www.instructables.com/id/SV072LCFV4LS8QN/
|-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_- |
I am not an experienced or trained climber. Don't tell me that I'm not either. I'm only showing you how to climb how I like to climb. It is the easiest, most relaxing, simplest way.
WEAR A HELMET (I didn't)
It is divided into 6 steps.
1. Equipment
2. Getting the rope into the tree
3. The harness
4. The knots
5. Climbing
6. Getting back down
_-_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_
|ALL VIDEOS ARE EMBEDED |
|THE HARNESS VIDEO IS here: http://www.instructables.com/id/SV072LCFV4LS8QN/
|-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_- |
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Signing UpStep 1: Equipment
These are the minimum requirements to climb a tree.
1. Have at least one locking carabiner. Make sure you have one that is made for climbing! The ones that I have cost $7 each, bought at REI. They can hold 25kN (That's about 5,600 pounds)
2. Have about 15 feet of 3/4 inch rope. This will be used for the harness. It is important that is thick, because this makes for a more comfortable, satisfying harness (Unless you have a real harness)
3. Depending on the height of your tree, you will need rope that is as long as twice the height of the tree. (Use equation below) I didn't use real climbing rope, but I recommend that you do. The rope I have can hold 350 pounds. It gets the job done.
My equation!
h = height of tree
r = length of rope needed
r = 2h + 10 (IE. 30' tall tree = at least 70' of rope)
4. A tree of course! Make sure that it is some sort of oak. Oaks are very strong, large trees, with few branches at their bases.
Find a good-sized tree that is about 25-50' tall. My tree is about 30'. (I would also find a tree that isn't over a cement driveway)
1. Have at least one locking carabiner. Make sure you have one that is made for climbing! The ones that I have cost $7 each, bought at REI. They can hold 25kN (That's about 5,600 pounds)
2. Have about 15 feet of 3/4 inch rope. This will be used for the harness. It is important that is thick, because this makes for a more comfortable, satisfying harness (Unless you have a real harness)
3. Depending on the height of your tree, you will need rope that is as long as twice the height of the tree. (Use equation below) I didn't use real climbing rope, but I recommend that you do. The rope I have can hold 350 pounds. It gets the job done.
My equation!
h = height of tree
r = length of rope needed
r = 2h + 10 (IE. 30' tall tree = at least 70' of rope)
4. A tree of course! Make sure that it is some sort of oak. Oaks are very strong, large trees, with few branches at their bases.
Find a good-sized tree that is about 25-50' tall. My tree is about 30'. (I would also find a tree that isn't over a cement driveway)
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while your at it pick up a recreational tree climbing harness. I think you can get a rope, harness and a split tail (the heat resistant chunk of rope used to tie your climbing knot) for less than $200. they also have a great learning center.
The Blake's Hitch is a suitable friction hitch for tree work, however I find that it causes the end of your rope to wear out much faster and because of this I recommend typing the Blake's Hitch with a separate piece of cord known as a motion lanyard. I prefer a prusik (2 - 3 wraps depending on main rope diameter).
If using a dynamic climbing rope, know that it is much less durable when it is running over the branch it is "anchored" in. You should either treat it as a "top rope" setup taken from rock climbing and anchor one end on the ground to the base of the tree and ascend up the other using either mechanical ascenders or two prusik knots, OR
[Awesome Method] install an anchor in the crotch of that branch, and run the rope through that. One of two things will happen at this point. If your anchor is lower than half the rope length, you can make a top rope setup and anchor one end of the rope on the ground to the base of the tree. If your anchor at the top is higher than half a rope length, you will need to rig up a "knot block" on one end of the rope and haul that up to jam into the anchor at the top using the throwline (paracord might work). You will then need to ascend using two prusik knots or mechanical ascenders. When you get to the top, an ATC, Figure 8, or GriGri can function as your rappel device.
Watch this: Link The "friction saver" can easily be homemade with some webbing tied in a loop and two rappel rings or steel mallions. Be very careful if you use rappel rings, the rope must not move through them while weighted.
The Cornell tree Climbing series is really informative and covers most of the info, and I agree with most of it. Link here.
I feel like I need to consider making an instructable to address some of the issues I've seen with a bunch of these guides. If I get enough comments and demand, I will definitely do it when I get climbing outside within the next month.
Keep in mind that the techniques I have described (especially the last one) are equipment intensive and can easily set you back $100 more than the techniques in this instructable. The rope is a big cost factor to begin with, but a harness ($55), prusik cord ($10 for 30 feet), an ATC ($16), webbing ($13 for 30 feet of 1 inch wide webbing), and locking carabiners at around $10- $13 a piece easily add up to $100. REI carries all this. Also, get a helmet. A bike helmet is not a great idea, get a UIAA approved climbing helmet if at all possible, but a bike helmet is better than nothing.
Disclaimer: As anyone who has read a climbing-related article on the internet will know, the information I have presented is not intended to teach a beginner how to tree climb. I am not liable for any misuse of this information that may result in injury or even death. Seek instruction from competent persons prior to using any of the techniques mentioned here.
Again, comment if you're interested in an instructable from me on this topic.
Because they become rigid in these tight bends the knot won't grip in the same way and so it slides. Try using a short length of softer rope for the tie off to the line.
Alternatively you might be tying the incredibly similar "sui-slide" knot, so called because many people who try to tie a blake's dont loop the rope back around and under the standing line before threading it through the wraps. You end up with a knot that looks almost identical and will sort of hold but then with little warning will just fail to grip and let you slide right back to the ground...
The best know to use for this would be taught-line hitch, OR the prussik knot. the prussic would be better for using as it is simple.
I've been a professional arborist for six year and rock climber on and off for longer. You'll note I specified "semi-static ropes used in tree surgery" and not "static ropes", which you are right are more rigid, but are not the same thing at all.
The Blakes hitch is a much better knot than the taut-line in every aspect other than that a taut-line can be tied one handed. The taut-line is a great, very old knot that serves perfectly well for this kind of job but has a tendency both to roll and to jam and so isn't totally ideal for this, though granted some veterans in the industry swear by it. The blakes hitch has superior grip/release qualities and doesn't tend to roll, unlike the taut-line, but a stopper knot is still always smart.
A prussic works great but you need rope of a thinner diameter to the climbing line for it to work optimally and it really needs to be a loop or it will both roll and jam which means it wouldn't work with this system in the instructable.
I personally climb with a french prussic (valdotainne tress) tied with a closed split tail and a hitch-climber micro pulley. But then I'm up trees every day and that system works pretty well for me personally, everybody in the tree climbing game has their own preferences.
http://mytreelessons.com/friction%20hitch-work%20in%20progress.htm
nice Instructable
2. You hit the ground with a thump sound!
3. You DON'T hit the ground with any snapping or crushing noises!
4. You say OUCH!
5. You find a bigger branch or lighter climber!
:-)
Use the Figure Eight Follow Through...not the Cat's Paw (the knot that was unnamed). it is a more secure knot for climbing, and commonly used in the climbing business.
Use the Prussik knot for climbing with a slit knot. because it is a loop type knot as well as a slip knot, you can hook it into your carbiner. you can also make the loop as big/little as you want.
Otherwise good instructable.
I also work in the outdoor industry, am (or have been) a winter mountaineer and sports climber.
This is the very kind of thing that got me into the outdoors, playing with ropes, experimenting etc.
You have come under some criticism over various safety measures, but all in all, good for you!! Take it all on board, but KEEP GOING!
Better this than, xbox or Playstation.
Well done for posting this and stay safe.
KP
http://www.ukclimbing.com/videos/play.php?i=491
Experiment: tie a piece of thread to a brick and lift the brick gently by the thread. The thread can hold the brick up. Now tie the other end of the thread to something solid, then lift the brick and drop it a few feet. >>SNAP<<.
That is not how you calculate what the rope experiences. First of all, momentum is not a force. Momentum is defined as a mass times a velocity, while a force is a mass times an acceleration.
I would also recommend using metric values, due to the fact that pounds mass and pounds force don't go well together. (The mass unit for US cust. is the Slug and is 1 slug = 1 pound/32.2)
Next up, that's not how you calculate what the maximum force the rope experiences is. You're almost there though (Minus the unit stuff. You needed to convert your 100 lbs to slugs). The force the rope experiences would be Force = Momentum/time. In this case, the momentum is at of the falling person and the time is the time the rope takes to stop you. You can't easily get this time value, but, as you may have noticed, larger is better. This is why rope meant for climbing has a bit of stretch to it. This increases the time spent stopping you and, by doing so, decreases the force you, the rope, your harness etc. experiences.