Remember when we used to climb with just a flip line and a lanyard?

I was out on a big red oak removal in Cleveland last week and watched a new guy set up with a full SRT system. Made me think back to the early 2000s when I started, I had a simple flip line, a single lanyard, and a pair of spikes. No mechanical ascenders or fancy friction hitches. I can't say it was better, but I sure knew every knot by heart and didn't waste time fiddling with gear. Has anyone else noticed how the extra gear slows things down sometimes?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesseb2014d ago

Ah hell yeah this hits home. I used to be the guy saying "all that SRT crap just slows you down" and bragging about my days with just a flip line and a handsaw. Then I got on a sketchy dead pine last year that was leaning bad and realized I was spending ten minutes fighting my gear when a mechanical ascender would've had me up there in two. Now I still keep it simple for easy climbs but I'll grab the extra hardware when the tree calls for it. No shame in having both options.

schmidt.grant14d ago

Wait, you were bragging about using a handsaw on a dead pine that could drop at any second?