iohann wrote: My arm strength is insufficient for climbing with the standard methods. I love climbing trees but must hoist myself with block and tackle arrangement.
My problem & question: as i pull myself aloft, i need to pause from time to time. what device must i acquire in order to be able to pause my ascent and rest without the rope paying back through the pulleys and descending (if i should lose my grip, for instance)? something similar to the way an ascender works -- rope pays through the device for ascent, but will not do so for descent unless one "unlocks" the rope.
i hope this is clear.
thanks in advance for any advice that might be offered.
To be sure, no climber can ascend arms only, at least not for very far. If you look into various basic/established tree climbing techniques you'll see that ascending requires legs and core muscles as well as arms. I recommend you research and review DRT (doubled rope) with a Blake's Hitch, Super System (mechanical advantage DRT), RADS or Yo-Yo (3:1 mechanical advantage for single rope or SRT). Peter Jenkin's Tree Climber Basics DVD is a very good learning and information tool. Also look at Jeff Jepson's Tree climber's Companion booklet.
All that said for the system you've rigged, you need to capture progress and also be able to descend smoothly. A Blake's Hitch may work, or what's called a split tail with any number of hitches that are used with a split tail. Read up, watch, and learn from the sources I mentioned, I think you'll find the answers your looking for, as well as and most importantly: safety information.
-AJ
