Rope got pinched on a white oak in Asheville. Thought I was fine.

Was working a white oak in a backyard off Patton Ave. Tied my climb line through a crotch up top. Got about 30 feet up and the rope jammed between two limbs. Couldn't go up or down. Had to cut my lanyard loose and tie a second line with my hands shaking. Took 45 minutes to get out of that mess. Now I always run a redirect on anything tight like that. Anyone else had a rope pinch that bad?

3 comments

3 Comments

cora51822d ago

Man that's a rough spot to be in, especially up that high with your hands going. What gets me is nobody's talking about the limb itself though. A white oak in Asheville is gonna have that gnarly, twisting grain and those tight crotches from all the storms rolling through. You think you got a clean spot but that bark can hide a pinch point that'll lock you up faster than a cheap carabiner. Next time you're up in a white oak, give that crotch a good look with your eyes before you commit, and if it's tight, run a separate friction saver or a pulley right off the bat. Saves you from having to cut loose and hope for the best.

michaeld4822d ago

Had a red oak near Spartanburg do the same thing to me last fall, @cora518, and I was dangling for a solid hour before I could muscle it free.

nancyj1122d ago

Man that "dangling for a solid hour" part hit home, @cora518 had me squirming reading it because last winter up in a hickory near Greenville I got my line jammed so bad I had to cut it and drop my saw to the ground just to get free.