Rant: My climbing line got a nasty core shot yesterday on a silver maple removal.

It happened about 15 feet up when the line pinched behind a limb stub I missed. Had to switch to my backup line to finish the job. Anyone have a good method for checking for hidden snags before you commit your weight?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly.keith9d agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, that's the worst sound. My buddy had that happen on an old oak, line sliced clean through when a hidden metal fence staple he couldn't see from the ground snagged it. He dropped about ten feet onto his climb line's tail, scared him half to death. Now he does this slow, careful pull test from a few different angles on any sketchy section before he trusts it. Basically just yanks hard on the line from the side to try and feel for any catch points you can't see. It's saved his rope a couple times since.

jamiew839d ago

Pulling from the side sounds like a good idea until you realize it puts weird sideways force on the rope. That can actually grind it against a sharp edge you're trying to find. A better check is running your hand along the line path with a glove on, feeling for anything hard. You can also use a throw line from the ground to clear the path first. Yanking just seems like it could cause the damage you're trying to avoid.