Tippit's Tree Stand Safety System

[tippit]

There is another option: Petzl GriGri 2

My son is a wilderness EMT, ski patrol @ Crested Butte, and spends the month of June on Mt McKinley doing high mountain snow/ice search & rescue during the climbing season. I'm 65 and have been hunting out of trees since the late seventies. But I know I'm no where as agile as my early days. Anyway Zach set me up with a GriGri Belay devise with assisted braking. I use my Seat of the Pants harness and replaced my long tether on the back of the harness with just a locking carabiner that is attached to the GriGri. The GriGri attaches to my ascending/descending line (11mm static climbing rope) that is attached above me in the stand down to the base of my tree.

The GriGri allows you to belay down your rope by using the brake lever above your head therefor it needs to be close to your back of your head so you can reach it. I assume this is very similar to how the Rescue One CDS belay system works. You can looked up GriGri on U-tube to get a better idea except most videos will show it used with a climbing harness in front of you rather than a tether behind you. The devise runs about $95 and can be used with climbing rope 8.5 to 11mm.

It takes a few more minutes to get up and down from your stand, but you are never un-atttached to your safety system.  In fact my son suggested if it is taking too long to get down just Belay off the stand and come straight down your ascend/descend rope    :eek:    That comes from a young man who helped rescue a climber on McKinley that fell over a thousand feet.  Zach and his buddy skied the climber down from 17,500 foot mark to 14,000 base camp cause they couldn't get a chopper rescue up!

Just my climbing adapted system that I use.  No matter what you use, practice hanging just off the ground to see it if it gets you out of trouble...here are some pictures.

tippit

   

   

   

   

[The Night Stalker]

I been using a climbing rope a prichett knot at every set up. What keeps you safe while climbing. Do you keep moving the looped end up as you climb?

[Canyon]

Tippit nice system. Having worked in Search and Rescue at Grand Canyon I have spent hours below the rim on ropes and have used varied systems. Yours is a good one. Make sure you inspect your system each time you use it.  
I choose to use the Prussik knot and rope as it is an effective,lightweight, simple and quiet system. Much like my Hill Longbow

[tippit]

Night Stalker,
Yes I do keep moving the loop end above me as I climb.  I use a Lone Wolf hand climber.

Canyon,
I keep two 5mm prusik loops in my pocket just in case something jams.  The brake belay is very smooth coming down if needed.  Hopefully I'll never need it but it is a secure feeling climbing down in the dark!

[Canyon]

Tippit I also have an extra prussik available which allows a controlled descent or if required an ascent. With your system do you find the noise from metal to metal contact between the beener and brake bothersome while on stand?

[tippit]

I don't seem to get any noise maybe cause it sits right at my neck level with fabric of coat etc dampening any noise.  The locking beaner sits in the gri hole fairly tight too.

[Fallguy]

I am not a pro climber but I do work construction and use fall arrest equipment daily. Some of the equipment that is being sold for fall arrest by tree stand company's looks very light duty to me. I hope when people go to by their main line rope and cinch cords they are getting stuff that is rated for he job. When using rope the rule is the working load limit is 10% of the ropes rating. (5000lb rated rope would have a working load limit of 500lbs) Also if used for fall arrest you need to allow for the impact forces when stopping the fall. When buying equipment skip the hardware store stuff and go to a mountain climbing or arborist supply store. (REI or Sherrill)

[GregD]

Jeff, Are you sliding the slip knot up the tree ahead of you and the other end remains loose at the base of the tree? Thanks, Greg

[tippit]

Greg,

Yes, the rope goes around the tree and back through the loop in the end.  The rest of the rope hangs to the base of the tree.  It's important to:

1)  DON'T use a slippery tree like an Aspen, Birch, or real smooth Maple.  Rough textured trees work best to hold your looped rope above your head.  If it wants to slip down, I'll screw in a tree step to prevent that.

2)  If you have limbs you have to get around, this WON'T work...but it also won't work for a climber.  You'd need to climb those trees with steps and a lineman's rope around the tree to hang you sand.  Then attach your ascending/descending rope above your head on the stand and drop the rope to the base of the tree.  From that point on you can go up/down with your brake assisted belay.

3) All my components are high quality climbing gear...rope (10 or 11mm climbing rope), large auto-locking carabiner (sometimes the screw locking carabiners have un-locked for me), and the Petzl GriGri 2 brake assisted belay.  I purchased mine from REI but any good climbing store will have these component

Warning:  This is a system that works for me and I am comfortable with it.  The climbing sales people are NOT allowed to give any advise as to using these components in this matter because they are made for climbing out of a climbing harness with everything in front of you.  That doesn't work if you want to shoot a Bow!  

Lastly make sure you put the rope in the belay devise the correct way.  If you put it in backwards, you'll have a fast sleigh ride to the bottom of your tree     Try it out a couple of feet off the ground so you know how to work it in an emergency.  Then hopefully you never need to use it.  I know I was stupid & lucky in my younger days but just remember young or old and in shape or not won't make any difference if you fall! tippit

[Bill Kissner]

I am curious as to where you are able to purchase shorter pieces of climbing rope? Seems most of it is sold in 60 meter lengths and that amount is very expensive.

[tippit]

Bill,
Any climbing store will sell it by the foot too.  I'm using a static climbing rope which does Not stretch vs regular climbing rope which has stretch to it so as to cushion the fall...but a climbing fall could be 10 to 20 feet. I'll be on the ground by then!  My 11mm rope ran just under a $1.00/ft.  So not including my harness which I already had, the rope, locking carabiner & belay would run around $130.

BTW: Congrats on your elk this year...Jeff

[Bill Kissner]

Thanks for the great info on the GriGri belay system Doc Jeff. I was totally unfamiliar with it. I am using a climbing harness I bought years ago called the "AD Pro". It has a carabiner on the end of a short strap that I attach to another endless strap that goes around the tree which I slide up the tree as I ascend with my climber.

I have often wondered if I were unable to regain the stand, if I would be able to hug the tree and cut loose should I fall. As you know I am getting older and fatter,   :D   so that would be a chore. I am thinking strongly about ordering your system to go with my harness.

[tippit]

Bill,

I was having the same concerns.  When we're younger, we feel like we can just jump out of the tree.  If you try it, set it up on the ground with the rope tight high above your head.  Then try sitting & be suspended.  Now you can reach above your head for the lever to let you descend.  It will take a few tries to get the hang of it especially finding the how low the belay needs to be so you can reach the lever to descend.

Once you figure that out, you're ready to truly suspend yourself.  Try it with a ladder against the tree and step off a few feet.  You'll still be able to get to the ladder (better yet have someone there with you).  Now practice letting yourself descend.  After you have the hag(sorry for that word) of it, your ready for the Big Top!

You'll find that the belay needs to be quite close to the back of your neck.  This makes it hard to but your harness on and attach it to the rope.  What I do is attach my harness & belay to the rope at the bottom of the tree and then put my harness on.  As you climb all you need to do is pull in the slack line going up.  Going down you have to use the lever to give you slack.

Most important test that the rope is in the right direction before climbing.  Look up GriGri 2 on You Tube.  Lots of good info...Jeff

PS:  It's Zach's system just trying to take care of the Old Man      He uses it when ice climbing so he can belay himself down especially with heavy gloves & cold hands.  If the rope slips off his belay hand, the GriGri automatically stops your descend.

[pdk25]

TTT

[Lamey]

now somebody outta make those and sell them!  real nice set up, best ive seen really.

[tippit]

Just bringing this back up top.  The more I use the GriGri 2 self belaying devise the easier and safer I feel.  I've even played around belaying myself down from about 10 feet off a ladder just to know I can in an emergency. I keep reading about tree stand falls and I'm so thankful for just being plain lucky over the years.  Look up GriGri 2 on You Tube...tippit

[Fletcher]

I just purchased 4 rigs from Safetree Hunt Systems: 30 ft of 11mm Bluewater Assualt line with a prussic loop.  Best price I could find on these things and made from good stuff.

[tippit]

I use 30 feet of 11mm static climbing rope and carry two prusik loops in my pocket of 5mm just incase...but it is a lot of work to go up/down a line with prusik loops especially if you might be injured.  The GriGri is one hand on a lever to lower yourself down...tippit

[Whip]

I missed this when you first posted it Jeff - looks like a great system!  

I have static lines and prusiks on all of my stands.  That has worked out well when I have other people come to hunt - they can just clip in without anything extra but a harness and a beiner.  

But to make the prusik work the static line needs to be tied off at the base of the tree or ladder so you can slid it up one handed as you go.  Would the GriGri work if the line is tied off at the bottom or is it best to leave the tail free?  

As you ascend is it a one handed operation to take up the slack?  Also, I think you mentioned it doesn't work on limbed trees.  Wouldn't it be fine as long as the static line followed the same path around the limbs that you are climbing?

[tippit]

Whip,

The GriGri just attaches to the rope and a benier on the back of your climbing harness.  Going up, you simple pull/tighten the rope by pulling the slack out of the rope with your hand below your grigri.

Your safty line just hangs free from above your tree stand to the ground, no need to tie it off at the base of the tree. Infact Don't do that cause as you get to the bottom coming down, you want to just pull the rope out of the grigri to un-attach yourself.

As you descend, the grigri will tighten you up to the rope just as if to stop a fall so you simply pull the lever to give yourself slack with your weight on the rope going down.

As to climbing through tree limbs you need to get your safty rope up above your stand.  That's why you can't use the grigri the First time going up to a stand that has limbs between you and your stand.  Once you have the safty rope attached above the stand the grigri will follow the line anywhere.  I use a climber so each time I climb I can push my safty rope up above my head on each upward movement of my climb or just leave my safty rope in the tree if I know I'm continually using that tree with my climber.

The important thing to do is try to a self rescue hanging off your safty line.  With your ladder stands it should be easier to get back to the ladder while hanging and not have to lower yourself to the ground.  But think about all the possible dangers.  If the ladder breaks and isn't there for you, then your hanging.  Prusik loops and ascenders are a two handed way to descend and need strength especially if injured in a fall.  The Grigri is one hand on the lever behind your head to lower yourself down.  I hope I never have to use it...but I already know how to lower myself down from hanging 10 feet off a tree as I practiced that.  Google Grigri to see how it is used in belaying...Jeff