HOW TO GET A LINE INTO A PINE TREE

Pine trees have such densely packed canopies, how do you get your line over a limb? Not only that, how do you get your line to only be over the limb that you choose(instead of it being over every limb in the tree)?

Do you happen to know what species of pine it is? Or are you talking about conifers in general? Branch and crown structure in conifers can vary quite a bit from one species to the other.

To answer generally, you have to start looking for the branch you want, it's up there, somwhere. Conifers often hold larger branches in the lower part of the crown. This is where I look for a branch to throw to.

Once you get your throwbag up there and it actually comes back down over multiple branches there can be alot of work ahead to isolate the branch for DRT climbing.
-moss

Most people throw to a limb when throwing. Depending on the structure of the limb, I might just throw in a general area, then after I throw it, focus on the best limb available from the throw my finagling the line where it makes the best sense.

Might that work in the pines you are climbing?

love
nick

A limby tree is a situation where a throwball on each end of the throwline is a distinct advantage.

Say you get the throw weight over a decently large diameter branch. The end of the throwline still in your hand is probably at an angle, over many limbs. If the weight is allowed to fall straight to the ground, all the rest of the throw line can be pulled to where another weight is at the opposite end of the line. Pull the second weight up almost to the fork, then let it down slowly.

This way, it can be easier to get the two ends of the line parallel. As you lower the second weight to the ground, wiggle it to get it swinging, and follow the path the first throw weight made in between the branches.

Sometimes, the weight used to make the throw with is too light to pull the line reliable to the ground, depending on the texture of the bark, height, etc. Have a few weights of varying sizes handy.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Oman.. That helps a lot. I have been practicing with a giant white pine out in the back yard and your hint helps a lot. I guess I should have held off on hiring the local tree company to trim those extra branches.... Just kidding. Don
In a drop of water is the secret to the oceans.
In the sighing of the branches the secret of our heritage. Anonymous.

I gave up on trying to isolate my line in any evergreen. I now just toss the throw line high in the canopy as close to the trunk as possible and then pull my line up. I asscend SRT which has some advantages. By climbing SRT you dont get all the sap on your rope, you dont have to install a cambium saver, and you can usually get the rope higher in the tree for your initial climb.

emr wrote:

I gave up on trying to isolate my line in any evergreen. I now just toss the throw line high in the canopy as close to the trunk as possible and then pull my line up. I asscend SRT which has some advantages. By climbing SRT you dont get all the sap on your rope, you dont have to install a cambium saver, and you can usually get the rope higher in the tree for your initial climb.

Yep, it's tough work to isolate a branch for DRT in many conifers. If your TIP is up high, say in the 60+ foot range then a DRT climb is going to be slow trip up (not a bad way to enjoy being in the woods though). It's doable if you don't have SRT gear.

Even for a ground anchored SRT TIP that EMR describes you still have the path up to consider. With this kind of TIP I do some throw bag manipulation to get an optimal route up. Especially with white pine there can be a thicket of dead branches to get though, I try to work my throw bag down through the most open route.
-moss

moss wrote:

Yep, it's tough work to isolate a branch for DRT in many conifers. If your TIP is up high, say in the 60+ foot range then a DRT climb is going to be slow trip up (not a bad way to enjoy being in the woods though).

I think of it as a great challenage and enjoy taking the time it takes to get a good line in a pine. Lately I have been in a few big ones with branch in the 10-14 inch ranges and lots of them.

This is practice time, being patient, bouncing the bag about and fliping. At times I amaze myself as to how it works.

I have also learned to set a lower line with a good and easy path then set a higher one once in the tree.

You can even do a bad path, then get to a point that you need to lanyard in and move the rope over a branch or two to get a better path. I am now comfortable doing that.

ALL IN ALL - it takes practice. Take the throw line out and just pitch and pitch and pitch. It is a great way to burn calories, build up arm and chest muscles and rid your self of pent up stress. (well maybe)

works for me

jz

jerseygirl wrote:

I think of it as a great challenge and enjoy taking the time it takes to get a good line in a pine. ....At times I amaze myself as to how it works.

Now yer talking. I really enjoy the process of getting a throwline over a branch. I think of it as a major sub-discipline of tree climbing. Yes it has taken me an hour or more to get the branch I want, yes I talk to the tree and sometimes use heated words I later regret. But then there's the fun of walking up to the tree, throwing and watching the bag float over the branch on the first (or second) try and then dropping down in a perfect path for the climb up.

Gravity is a great friend, it's amazing how the bag can have eyes and drop right down right where it's supposed to go. As JZ said, keep practicing and the bag will start to work for you.

There's another positive aspect of taking some time to get your line in the tree. While you're throwing and re-throwing and moving your bag around in the tree you're really getting to know the tree, seeing things that you might not have picked up on when you did your initial assessment. When I get my branch in the first couple throws on a new tree I might think \"I'm not ready to climb yet\". After all we just met, have to get to know you a little better!
-moss

I did the twin pines again and have a video of the way my line ended up after the isolation, NOT clean, i had to do one change. The lines were on each one side of the tree - 3 and 9 o'clock. I was able to move then both to 6 o'clock but still had two branchs in the middle of them. That would require me to climb to that point, lanyard in and just flip the line to the back side of the tree, from 6 o'clock clockwise to 3 o'clock - that brought both line with only 1 twist in line for a CLEAN climb to the TIP. My best tip yet at about 60- foot up.

video for your viewing



jz

Pretty much all we have to climb around here is pines.

I tend to like (over-rely on?) gadgets, but I've found the big-shot helps a lot with Pine entry.

I fire a bag over a high branch trying to keep closer to the trunk (practically straight up) so the line up doesn't run over branches too far from the trunk. This is fairly easy to do with a Big-shot, and hard to do with a traditional throw (plus you can place a lot higher). When the bag goes over a suitable branch and down the other side, I then pull it back till it gets to the trunk, and then let it drop straight down. This gives a straight drop close to the tree.

Now you have a line going up and over on each side of the placement branch, both pretty close to the tree trunk. If the line needs a little walking to get closer to the trunk, or re-positioning, I'll usually pull the climbing rope through before making those adjustments, as the heavier rope does better at that than the throwing cord.

Then it's simply a matter of deciding which of the two ends seems more suitable for an SRT climb up. The other end I usually tie to 1-inch webbing wrapped 2-3 times around and secured to the base of the tree.

Good stuff on describing Big Shot use. For the conifers that I climb a straight up shot is going be blocked by a dense array of dead branches below the crown. I usually stalk outside the perimeter of the conifer dripline looking for a window to fire just above the target branch and next to the trunk. Then the fun begins, the shot is the relatively easy part. The throwbag could be though the crown of another tree. Gentle consistent pulling brings the bag back, whenever you break though resistance let the bag drop free immediately to prevent wrapping around a small branch. It's mostly a blind process. Soon you'll be able to drop the bag down the route that you'd like to take up the tree. Work the other end of the throwline with a heavier throwbag to bring it back to the trunk enough to set up your trunk anchor, if you capture a few other limbs in the system (as emr mentioned) all the better for your safety.
-moss

...but remember that with a system like this, when the rope is fixed at ground level (around the trunk perhaps), the tension in the rope EITHER SIDE of the branch is equal to your weight. Therefore the branch is actually supporting TWICE YOUR WEIGHT!!

This is good to remember when assessing whether or not your branch is strong enough

(btw, Douglas Fir branches can be brittle and snap suddenly, so make it a good one!)

...now I'm off to read the Holden post about peanut butter...

Take care

Michael

well i usually just fire my throw line up into the tree then wriggle it down and then just climb it then when i reach a branch a get a ascender of my harness stick it on the rope attached to a lanyard and then take of my gri gri then climb up past the branch then put my gri gri back on and then i just repeat i get to a branch every-time

Hey Xylem!
You have gotten some mighty good advice from your question. I hope you realize you have had replies from some top climbers worldwide. Keep asking more good questions.

I personally hand throw a lot of pines here in Georgia. Some I shoot with a sling shot. Make sure you keep close to the trunk. Pine is a bit brittle. Leave a fixed line (throw line) for future climbs, especially on breezy days (tree surfing). 18-22 inch diameter pines whip the best.
Always use a cambium saver. Beware the excessive sap on white pines.