Tree Frog System revisited.

Tobe Sherrill had his system reviewed by an independent person, Burnham Chamberlain, well versed in the Texas System. Here is the review.

"Today I spent several hours exclusively on the TF system. I made about 20 ascents, ranging from repeated short climbs of about 20 feet, mixed in with 5 or 6 more of about 60 feet. This was a better set of trials than my previous batch...I was able to concentrate on just this and get things matched up to my harness and body better. So here's what I am thinking
now:

I had some learning curve troubles with the Croll, mostly involving detaching it during changeover to descend. But that got worked out, no problem with the unit itself. But I did observe one thing worth mention...I found that the carabiner I used to mount the Croll to my harness sort of blocks the rope where it exits the bottom of the Croll, making the rope take a bend. This fouling of the fair drop of the rope creates a drag that complicates things. I replaced the biner with a screwlink, your part #28737, which has a much smaller profile. I like this better, and it has the additional benefit of not getting as bound up with the biner on the left hand ascender tether. In fact, this may be the bigger advantage.

I think I am going to swap the CMI ascender mounting points so that the foot strap is in the right hole and the tether is in the left hole. This keeps these two lines from always being crossed. You might consider setting them up that way when assembled.

I did adjust the length of the foot strap per the instructions you emailed, and that is about right, but untieing and retieing the fishermans knot is hard after it's been loaded, such that I had to use needle nosed pliers and a small fid to do so...I still think using a fully adjustable foot strap, like part #28750, would be a better choice.

I found that I had to expend a fair amount of strength to keep my body upright, in line with the rope...in my mind perhaps more so than with my Texas system because with the TX I can use the technique I described to swing my heels up under my upper body rather than just hold my position with arm strength alone. But I willing to call that a draw as I'm sure I'll get more competent at best technique for that, and the TF is clearly much faster up the rope, so even if the energy expenditure is equal the gain in climbing speed makes it a better system than the TX. Keeping both hands on the ascender is helpful, but I occasionally kept the cam from grabbing when I accidentally held it open within my right hand grip on the top of the ascender. Careful hand placement should take care of that, but when it happens it sure spoils your rhythm! Speaking of rhythm, a good point in favor of the TF is that it is a smoother climbing motion, imparting less peak loads on the anchor point. The TX generates 2 to 3 g's with each sit-stand cycle, potentially a problem if tie in point assessment has missed something.

Changeover to descent on either the Petzl I'D or the Q8 (my personal favorite rescue 8) was not too hard to work out, and I am now adept at the procedure and find myself fully comfortable with it. Getting better at handling the Croll was the biggest part of it.

So I think you have a pretty good kit here. I think it would be a harder system to teach to climbers new to ascenders than the Texas, but perhaps not. The Pantin can be a challenge to some for keeping it on the rope, but a keychain biner handles that. I've had pretty good luck with folks that are not as strong in the upper body getting the TX to go for them, and I wonder about that with the TF, but for those with the arm strength to keep upright I think it has definite advantages, primarily the superior speed."

I did have the opportunity to try the system at the 2005 Gathering. I will post my comments later.

My two cents:
Over the last year I've been trying to put together a rope climbing system that allows you to walk up the rope similar to the rope walker system used in caving, but would have less equipment involved in order to more easily switch to a DdRT system and store the components while in the canopy.

After trying many components of many other systems, I arrived at basically the same system as the Treefrog very coincidentally, but without realizing it at first, until one day I just happened to see a Sherrill catalog and realized---hey that's what I've been using all along!--But with one major exception.

Instead of the Croll, which I could never get used to because of discomfort(cramps my neck), I use a Yates Rocker at the waist which does four important things: First, it relieves neck discomfort.
Second, it maintains the rule of having two points of contact with the rope at or above the waist at all times.
Thirdly and most importantly, you can descend or rappel with it on, as a self belay and it doesn't interfere with the rappel because it's kept below the rappel device, which keeps the control of the rappel safe since your control hand is below the Rocker.
And fourth or lastly, it can be used even in DdRT below your hitch as a backup also, so when you're in the canopy and switch to DdRT you use it, instead of having to put another piece of eqpt. away.

The only other difference, which I also use, and just so happens that Chamberlain suggested also, is that the tether on the handled ascender is more naturally in a better position if you attach it to the right hole and attach the footstrap in the left hole(as you face the ascender) so that they are not always crossed as in the Sherrill catalog picture.

Otherwise, with this system, I believe you can FLY! up the rope during ascent and believe it has far superior speed to the other systems. Also, changeover to descent is very smooth and methodical once practiced.
Anyone want to race?--haha.

Can anyone confirm who is the author of this system? Does Tobe state he invented it? Does anyone else care about plagerism? I know I copy and amend many things but help me understand if we should give credit where credit is due.

See you at the top,
Dan

Even if Tobe was possibly not the author, I will give him credit for bringing it forward to the tree climbing community.

No doubt there will be spin offs and variations to the Tree Frog in the future. It does have good foundation work now as far as a good climbing system

I agree with you Treetramp.
After seeing the same system in the 2003 Petzl catalog. I have to question the name "TreeFrog". As this is an orginal caving system.

We all adapt different techniques and improve them to suit our needs but we must not forget to credit those we learn from. It's a form of respect and a way to keep our lineage true. To me this is the heart of who we are.

Actually, the function of it is more like a Ropewalker system and not at all like a frog system. So maybe it should be called the Tree Rope Walker.