Great addition to the range

DMM have launched a further addition to the XSRE connector range, the XSRE Lock…

As I have said many times before, XSREs are up there with Duck Tape and zip ties in my books when it comes to things that I would not want to be without.

Having a locking gate option offers obvious advantages, such as when disinstalling an access line, helping to avoid situations such as this:

Yes, this totally happened. Talk about Murphy’s Law…

DMM iD and Papertrail review

Late last year I wrote about cataloguing my equipment with DMM’s RFID tags and integrating them into the Papertrail app.

Half a year down the road, I finally got round to doing a review of my experience with DMM iD/ Papertrail so far. Spoiler alert: I am totally sold on it. But see for yourself, watch the three videos here…

Thanks to Vito Cordasco for his work on this project.

Considering configuration

Going back through the photos of the last few months, I came across this pic of the connection point between the lead and the fall of my access system…

I thought it might be worth a chat about how it is set up, or to put it differently, what the thought process is behind it.

First off, the set-up.
I am aware I have discussed this before on this blog, but bear with me: the fall of the line, i.e. the part between the anchor point and the base anchor is a 60m length of Teufelberger’s 10.5mm Platinum arborACCESS. I like how this handles, find it reliable and it wears well. Being an EN1891 line, it also allows me to install a Petzl RIG on the base anchor, making the system lowerable. The Platinum has an eye stitched into the upper end, which is attached to a small DMM Rigging Hub via a Nexus Compact Swivel with small shackles on both sides.
The part of the line immediately above the Rigging Hub gets subjected to the most wear and tear, as this is the part that will always run over the anchor point, consequently I protect it with a rope protector. As a by-effect, I have found that this also allows the line to move backwards and forwards a wee bit whilst under load, while the protector sleeve stays in position, reducing damage to the bark of tree species with bark susceptible to abrasion damage.

The lead of the line, i.e. the part the climber ascends on offers two choices: either a 30m length of 10.5mm Platinum arborACCESS, which is girthed onto the Hub or a 30m length of Teufelberger’s xSTATIC, this is attached with a looped back figure of eight. On this line I have a Petzl Zigzag and a Chicane permanently installed for access. The reason for the two lines is that the diameter of the 10.5mm Platinum is too low for the Zigzag, which will work on lines from 11.5mm up to 13mm diameter.
This set-up allows for various techniques to be used with a range of tools, Lov2, Zigzag/ Chicane, rope walker systems etc. Conversely, it can also be footlocked, which I enjoy doing to switch things around. I find that using a different techniques in ascent is stimulating, good for the body, as it activates different groups of muscles, as well as fun. The technique I choose will depend on my form on the day, the height of the access and the structure of the tree.

The reason for adding the Nexus swivel is that I found the lines in the lead below the anchor point were twisting for reasons that were not totally apparent to me. My guess though was that it was due to twist being introduced over the anchor point, adding a swivel there allows the Rigging Hub to freely rotate, thus mitigating the twist. Ideally this is an area in which I really try to minimise connectors, as it is remotely installed and therefore not possible to perform a visual inspection prior to starting the ascent. Having said that, both the Rigging Hub as well as the Nexus swivel are as close to closed rings as you can get – without it being a closed ring. The other feature I appreciate about the Nexus swivels is the way the shackle is attached to the unit: first it is attached via a Nylock nut – which is where many manufacturers would leave it. Not so DMM, they go the extra mile, using an extra counter-locking bolt at 90° to the bolt attaching the shackle to the swivel unit. This locates into a grove on the top of the bolt, thus retaining it, adding an extra layer of safety. All in all, this gives me a high degree of confidence in regards to the hardware used at this connection point, whilst offering a high degree of functionality at the same time.

The Rigging Hub offers a range of attachment options, it is the place where everybody can store their ascent kit once they arrive at the top of the access, as well as a point one can attach into by switching ones lanyard to the rope bridge on the harness and connecting into the Hub, during hot summer days this is also often where I will park my water bottle.
I actually think it is a matter of courtesy when there are a number of climbers in a tree to store away ones ascent gear in a tidy, compact fashion, as otherwise the last climber up has to fight his or her way through a thicket of gear, making for a more cluttered, less clear situation.

Do I work off the access line? In principle, I suppose I could, using the Zigzag and the Chicane. With the Rigging Hub pulled all the way up to the anchor point, this still leaves one line free in case of the need of an emergency access. Having said that though, in practice I very rarely find myself doing so. I prefer using this system for ascent only, selecting a sound anchor point for my work positioning system, gaining an overview of the tree, adapt my plan should it prove necessary due to unforeseen factors not visible from the ground – and then taking it from there.

Breaking the silence

You might have thought the period of lockdown during the COVID19 pandemic might have offered some down-time to sit down, reflect and get some writing done for the blog. The way things worked out, this was not the case.

I ended up having to address some health issues, spent some time up in the mountains and generally ended up being quite busy – and simply did not feel like writing. Having said that, quite frequently, during my daily life, I find myself stumbling over topics which I think would merit a blog post…

So there you are, let’s see where we go from here, a big thank you to all of you who have given feedback on the blog, I will try to make a point of posting something on a more or less regular basis.

Oh, one other thing I did in the past few months was to get a functional tattoo. 😬 … I am really rubbish at estimating lengths, so I decided to put an end to that.

I am now covered for anything up to 10 centimetres in length. I thought that was pretty neat.

Stay tuned for more trivial and not-so-trivial musings…

Tech Talk Webinar

The Tech Talk series connects end users with leading manufacturers and experts in the field for an open discussion on all things product- and tree-related.

This two-hour Tech Talk on manufacturer testing, certified components, and quality management systems, will provide best-in-class resources and information on certified systems , quality controls (utilizing the CEclimb as the basis for discussion), and the compatibility and configuration of neighbouring components.

Presenters:
Ed Carpenter, North American Training Solutions
Mark Bridge, treemagineers
Ludovic Rambert, Teufelberger Tree Care

When:
Wednesday, June 10th from 3:00 till 5:00pm EST

Register on-line:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/490074730056045328

Climbers Forum program 2020 online

Obviously this date came and went – without the Tree Care Days and Climbers Forum having taken place. Sadly we were forced to cancel due to the COVID19 pandemic.

Assuming the world will have returned to at least a semblance of normality by then, the scheduled dates for next year are Tue, May 4 to Thu, May 6, 2021.

I assume we will be using parts of this years program, whilst integrating other, new talks and demonstrations addressing current topics.

For more info, please check the web-site: https://www.deutsche-baumpflegetage.de/en/

Every year I am surprised anew by the amount of work it takes to put together, discuss and finalise the program for the Climbers Forum at the German Tree Care Days in Augsburg. The dates are 21 to 23 April, 2020.

Program is online here.

Yet the work pales next to the satisfaction of being part of such a unique event which year for year brings together speakers from all over the world. I am looking forwards to hearing talks and demos discussing a wide range of topics, grouped under half day themes such as Climbing Techniques, Basics and News, Sustainability, Trauma or A Deeper Look at Climbing Techniques.

Speakers include Richard Delaney (AUS) from RopeLabs talking about the factors which have an influence on how mechanical devices interact with rope, Alex Laver (UK) from TreeLogic will be presenting new data on the research he has been involved with with the folk from Coventry university on biomechanics forces being exerted on climbers, Andreas Detter (GER) from Tree Consult Brudi und Partner will be considering how we approach dead trees and how to mitigate the risks such work entails, I will be presenting some testing we have done taking a closer look at abrasion damage on rope bridges and connectors as well as an interactive discussion considering the reasons behind why there is such a wide range of configurations and assemblies for ascent in tree care. And the list goes on and on.

If you have never been to Augsburg before, let me tell you it is certainly worth the trip. Besides the talks and demos there is also the trade show and the academic conference. And let’s not forget the Climbers Forum party on Wed evening – where rumour has it that Belgium’s finest, the treemagicbeers may be gracing us with a rendition of their brand of chaos 😊

See you there.

Get creative

I love gear that gives me options to adapt to situations…

Take yesterday: We were working on some huge London plane trees, anchored five meters below the tip, I was still six meters short to descend to the ground – and this was using a 60m climbing line! I love climbing these behemoths, it makes for long ascents, huge traverses (did I mention I love my Captain?), as well as interesting work positioning challenges.

One interesting situation occurred on one of the out-lying heads. I had my main attachment point on one of the central stems, had traversed over and was using the two ends of my hipSTAR flex lanyard to move around the head to thin it. To get myself into a good position to make the cuts I was tying onto the growth above the old pruning points. Having passed my lanyard round two stems, I found that the position of my body and the direction of pull to the main anchor point was pivoting me away from where I wanted to make the cut… so I used a small XSRE karabiner to connect from the OD loop on my lanyard to my second bridge. Bingo. No more sliding around, nicely held in position (Ok, granted, it is not an EN362 karabiner I was using to attach on to the bridge of my the treeMOTION evo, but then again, in this application I would argue that it is being used more as an assist rather than a connector).

My observation would be that the variability and sheer range of work positioning challenges in tree care is considerable. So let’s accept the challenge and get creative, challenge ourselves to find the most appropriate work position in any given situation.

Don’t ignore the small stuff

Not that I had hear of him before, but by all accounts Davo Karnicar was certainly someone who pushed the limits of what is possible.

Born in Jezersko in Slovenia in 1962, he said of himself: “Everyone has a gift, I know how to ski. Someone else might know how to drive a Formula I car.” Born to parents who were both keen skiers and climbers, Davo learned to ski as a nipper, later competing for Yugoslavia’s national Alpine skiing team. Since 1980 he put an estimated 1’700 climbs and descents under his belt.

The Slovenian skier Davo Karnicar in 2000. He was the first person to ski down Mount Everest and said of his descent, “It was as if I was light years from this world.”

Bringing together his two passions, he skied down many of the World’s tallest mountains, such as the Eiger, Matterhorn, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Aconcagua in South America, Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) in North America or Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

On 7 October 2000, after a month of climbing the south face of Mount Everest with his team, Karnicar commenced his descent on skis, arriving in base camp four hours and forty minutes later totally drained.

After a life of pursing extremes, Davo Karnicar passed away on 16 September of this year in a tree-cutting accident on his property in Jezersko, Slovenia. Whilst details have not been released as to what exactly happened, this still got me thinking.

I thought a salutary insight from Karnicar’s sad demise was that being highly proficient in one area can make you numb other risks, which is certainly worth while bearing in mind when weighing up risks, not to focus solely on the big stuff, but also on the small fry.

Whilst skiing down Everest or rigging down that monster tree may seem like the biggest risk you are likely take that day, at the same time your risk awareness will also be operating in over-drive while you are doing so. In view of that it is a good idea to heed the small stuff right out there on the edge of your focus which is equally likely to hurt or kill you: the drive home, slips and trips, gear falling down, a mis-tied knot…

A big thank you goes out to my friend Kathy Holzer from Out On a Limb in Seattle who pointed this story out to me… it is good to have friends who supply you with brain food.

A job well done

300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Almost 5 billion videos are watched on Youtube every single day. Whilst a good part of these are probably videos of cats flushing toilet paper down toilets (does anyone think that is funny), there is also no shortage of footage of people doing treework. What can I say? It is a mixed bunch, some of the stuff really makes me want to pull out my hair.

Having said that though, now and again you stumble across a good video, one that has you nodding your head. In this vein, I enjoyed watching Tobias Pelli’s documentation of the removal of two cedars in Florence.

Whilst I am not saying that everything is perfect (that, after all, is not what this is about), I felt that the video footage shows good work-positioning, solid rigging techniques, correct use of chainsaws, ergonomic work practices and over-all good planning – all in all a nice demonstration of work being performed in line with industry best practice.

Further, I also enjoyed the lack of glitzy video effects, pompous heroics, vapid comments, flexing of muscles or Armageddon walks.

Amongst the things which struck me were the rigging techniques employed to manage the restricted lowering zone, such as load-transfer systems and drift lines. I appreciated the fact that in dynamic rigging scenarios knots were being used instead of connectors, also the size of the pieces being removed were appropriate in relation to the lack of space on the ground.

All in all, I thought this was a solid documentation of a job well done, proving that it is not rocket science to work correctly and safely – and to be productive at the same time.

Thank you, Tobias.