My brand new climbing rope got stuck in a pine crotch on Monday and I had to cut it free

I was up in a big white pine near Lancaster doing a deadwood removal. The rope ran through a crotch that looked clean from the ground but when I weighted it, the bark just grabbed it tight. Tried flipping the rope, tried a throwline, nothing worked. Had to buck it off with a handsaw while hanging there. Lost about 8 feet of brand new Yale 11.7mm line. Has anyone found a reliable way to check for hidden bark ridges from the ground before you commit your line?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethb454d ago

Had to buck it off with a handsaw while hanging there" is honestly a nightmare scenario. Reminds me of a time I was setting a TIP in a red oak and my throwline got tangled in this weird branch stub I didn't see from the ground. Took me a solid 20 minutes swinging around trying to untangle it before my buddy just tossed me another line from his rig. I ended up leaving that first line up there as a weird decoration until the next storm knocked it down. Still don't know a good way to spot those hidden hazards from down below.

thea1434d ago

lol I once left a whole climbing line in a sycamore for three months.