Question about that rope trick I saw a guy do in Denver last week

I was on a removal job in Denver last Tuesday and this older climber used a friction saver setup I'd never seen before. He ran his rope through this little pulley thing and it cut his friction way down on the lowering line. Has anyone else tried something like that on big limb drops?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben4361mo ago

120 feet up on a cottonwood last spring I saw a guy try that same trick and the rope damn near smoked through his gloves before he got a bite on the prusik. It's a solid idea until you realize you're basically duct taping a rocket to your lowering line. Ever have to explain to a homeowner why their azalea bush got vaporized by a runaway limb?

matthew_owens91mo ago

Hauled out a pulley like that once on a big maple removal and ended up with the rope zipping through so fast I about lost my grip on the lowering line. Felt like a total rookie fumbling around trying to get control back. Still beats fighting the friction all day though, just gotta keep that thumb ready for the prusik.