Rant: That time my climbing line snapped 40 feet up on a job in Austin

I was up in a live oak back in July, doing a deadwood removal for a regular client out near Zilker Park. The tree had some pretty sketchy limbs, but I'd checked my gear that morning like always. About halfway through the job, I went to put some weight on my climbing line to reposition and it just gave way with a loud pop. I dropped maybe 10 feet before my friction hitch caught on a stub, but man that second felt like forever. Ended up dangling there for a solid 20 minutes while my groundie ran to the truck for my spare rope. The line was only about 6 months old, but I guess it had some hidden damage near the eye splice from rubbing on rough bark. Has anyone else had a rope fail on them like that or found a good way to spot internal wear before it goes bad?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyl1812d ago

Oh man, that gave me chills reading this. Same thing happened to me a few years back on a sycamore in Kyle. My climbing line snapped about 30 feet up when I was leaning out to tie in a rigging point. I fell maybe 15 feet before my lanyard caught me on a branch, but that moment of freefall stuck with me for weeks. I think a lot of it comes down to how the rope gets stored and used. I had a spot of fraying hidden under the cover right where the rope rubbed against a rough crotch, and I just could not see it until it was too late. Now I run my hands down the entire length of my climbing line every few weeks to feel for flat spots or stiff areas, and I retire ropes a lot sooner than I used to.

blairstone12d ago

Did you ever find out if that fraying was from a specific type of bark or just general wear, @caseyl18? I'm trying to figure out if certain tree species are harder on ropes than others.