earth first! climbers guild vol. 1

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C imb Training Orientation for BeginningAscending and Descending.

YOU MUST LEARN TO MID LINEDESCEND ON YOUR FIRST CLIMB!nots to earn

Ret rea F gure E g t

Eight on a bight

Double Fishermen

ater knotPrusik knot

Girth hitch

Pre-climb Checklist

Equipment, minimum:

Harness: Tree ar or st arnesses are very pa e , use or ong t me

per o s on rope. Roc arnesses are or s ort term c m ng.Carabineer 3 oc ng, 1 non- oc ng w t we ng on t or e-

scen er t e we ng e ps protect t e 8 rom n c s , extras are use u .

Descending Device: gure 8 s most common y use

Prusik loops: ea prus oop, oot prus oop w sa ety oop an

we ng or oot, an one or two extra rope oops.

Heavy Glove: or some other heavy fabric to hold while descending

Clothing:

Lightweight clothes, preferably more tightly fittingShoes with a good sole

Hair-ties for all hair lengths

Empty large items from pockets or secure items in zipper pockets, and

uc n or remove ewe ry.

C m ng g oves- e g oves or snug- tt ng gar en g oves wor

rea .

Gear Safet Check:

1. Tape on any gear prus oops, cara neers cou n cate t at t e gear

may e ret re . Duct tape s corros ve an s ou n’t e on any act ve gear.

ra ner s ou now w y tape m g t e on gear.

. arness: C ec or rays n we ng, unct on o uc es, sp t st tc ng,

defects, etc.

3. Carabineers Check gate and screws to see if they are in good working



order.

4. Descending Device: check for small fractures, burrs, deep surface scratch-

es, etc. Worn finish is usually o.k.. You should know if this device has been

dropped, if so put tape on it and mark it to be destroyed.

5. Prusik and Climbing Rope: Check for frays in sheath that reveal the core,

flat spots, hard spots, chemical burns, excessive tree sap, any visible core,correct nots ou e s erman, or ret rea gure e g t. Knots s ou ave

at east a 1 ½ nc ta a ter t e not . Foot Prus s ou ave a correct y t e

water not n t e oot oop we ng an a g rt tc to connect t e oop to t e

Prus . T e c m ne s ou ave a gure e g t or mon eys st not on t e

en o t.

T E PSYC OLOGICAL ASPECT OF CLIMBING:AT YOU S OULD FOCUS ON ASA TRAINER / CLIMBER

CLIMBER: it is your and your trainer’s responsibility to know the follow-

ing before you climb.

You should know at all times the dependability and experience level of your trainer. If you don’t feel comfortable with the trainer, do not climb. If you have

commun cat on pro ems w t t e tra ner, o not c m . I t e tra ner seems

un ocuse , o not c m .

You s ou as as many quest ons as poss e to ee con ent n eac aspect

o c m ng at any po nt o concern. You s ou a ways now w at you’re

ett ng nto an w y. Ma e sure you are com orta e w t w at you are go ng

to e o ng. Know eac aspect o t e c m sa ety, ascen ng, escen ng,m ne escent e ore you start c m ng.

Be sure to ma nta n awareness an a ca m o y an m n . I you aren’t we

reste , may e you s ou earn to c m anot er ay.

Do not try anything your trainer has not instructed you to do.

Keep your safety and others in mind at all times.

Maintain two points of safety at all times while climbing. No exceptions.

You should know all the knots listed on the knot page & how they are applied

and used.Know how a rappel device works and how to use it.

You s ou ave nspecte a t e gear w t your tra ner see gear sa ety

c ec .

Ma e sure you & your tra ner ave c ec e a sa ety po nts.

Ma e sure your gear ts.

I you ave ta en rugs o any n o not c m .



TRAINERS SHOULD KNOW THE FOLLOWING: it is your respon-

sibility to make sure the climber reads this paper and climb safely and

responsibly. People’s lives depend on it.

You must teach a climber how to mid line descend on their first climbYou are potent a y p ac ng someone’s e n anger proper sa ety tec -

n ques are gnore .

You must e a con ent an very exper ence c m er e ore you are a

teac er - no except ons. You must now a aspects o c m ng gone over n

t e EF!CG vo . 2.

You must stay menta y connecte at a t mes w t t e c m er. Do not a ow

yourse to ecome stracte y anyt ng. I some one e se s ta ng to you

es es t e c m er te t em you must ocus on t e c m er an not to stur .

You must know what bad gear looks like and should know the history of the

ear being used.

If the climber seems uncomfortable with this training tell them there is no

rush in this training and they should maybe wait for another day.

You cannot be under the influence of any drugs.

You must be alert and focused. Do not teach someone if you are not mentally prepare to.

Remem er to ave pat ence.

I poss e t s est to ave two nes next to eac ot er so as a tra ner you

can go up next to t e person.

I two nes are not poss e t en t s a goo ea to r g t a n ng nes so t ey

are anc ore at t e groun an t en pass t roug a crotc n t e tre ,

s zea e ranc , or t rou a pu ey anc ore to t e tree or ot er str ure.

s a ows t e tra ner to e ay a c m er rom t e groun t ey were toree e up w e c m ng. On y attempt t s you are am ar w t e ay

techniques as you will be in total control of the person’s decent and subsequen

safety.

If you feel a climber isn’t ready or capable to climb safely then you have a

responsibility to that person and the campaign to refuse training. You are the

trainer and it is your call don’t let anyone guilt you or pressure you into a

training you don’t feel comfortable giving.Remem er you are a ro e mo e , so set t e sa est examp e poss e. You

re ect t e campa gn. Sa ety s coo , s ow ng o s not. Don’t et your ego get

n t e way.

Once t e c m er as rea over t e c m ng gu e, gone over a t e nots,

c ec e an assem e arness an r g, and gone through a climbing dem-

onstration, t ey may c m un er t e tra ner’s superv s on.



SAFE CLIMBING STEPS AND THE ABC ’S OFLIMBING: (assuming all gear is safety checked, youknow the knots and the mental aspects of climbing)

Now you’re ready to climb!

For clarity these directions are for right-handed people. Left-handed individu-

als need only to reverse the steps that make a right/left distinction.

1. Harness:

Pull harness up over your hips. The upper strap should rest on top of your

hipbone.

Ma e sure to ou e ac your arness e t an eep t e arness snug. A e t

not ou e ac or a arness too oose s as goo as no arness at a . Dou e

your eg straps t ere are any.

I your arness s too g, or too sma , sw tc t out or a etter tt ng one.

Do not ever ang or put any o your we g t on t e accessory oops, ocate

on t e s es o t e arness.

2. Carabineers:Attac cara neers t roug oops on ront o arness. T e exact oops an

pos t on ng o cara neers var es rom arness to arness.

When looking down on carabineers make sure that the gate is facing out and

away from your body. When locking the screwgates should screw down, think;

“Screw down, so you don’t screw up!”

You should have three carabineers facing the correct way, the left hand one

s for your lead prusik, the center one is for your foot prusiks safety, the right

hand one is for your eight to be attached later. You should have another carabi-

neer on your r g t accessory oop w t your gure 8’s g oop c ppe nto t

so you can ater trans er your 8 w t out ropp ng t . T e cara neer t at as

t e 8’s g oop n t cou ave we ng over t or extra protect on.

3. Prusik loops:

Attac ea prus oop to c m ne w t Prus not an t en use a g rt

tc to attac to e t an cara neer. Loc cara neer.

Next attac oot Prus oop to c m ne w t prus not. Let ang.Attac sa ety prus oop to t e oot prus oop. Attac w t a g rt tc on

t e s e o t e oot prus oop t at oesn’t ave t e s erman’s not.

Attach safety prusik loop to middle carabineer. Lock carabineer.

4. Before climb ABC’s:

A) Anchor: Hang on the climb line to ensure it is safely attached and will not

fall. Know exactly how it is anchored.



B) Belt/Buckle: Are all your harness buckles doubled-back (leg and belt)? On

New Tribe tree harnesses make sure your delta steel link is screwed down.

C) Carabineers: Make sure only one rope is attached to any one carabineer.

Make sure all carabineers are locked and in the correct position. When locking

carabineers don’t over tighten. If a carabineer is too tight, the extra pressure of

hanging off it can cross thread it making it really freakin hard to unscrew.D) Devices: A ev ce s w atever you are actua y us ng to c m . In t e

nstance o ascen ng up a ne t e ev ces are your ascen ng ropes. Ma e

sure t e nots are resse correct y an you ave two po nts o sa ety. In t e

nstance o repe ng .e. a m ne escent t e ev ces are your gure 8, an

your sa ety prus rope. C ec over yourse , your nots, an your gear o I

ave an 8? Do I ave an extra cara neer an prus ? A so ma e sure not ng

s tang e .

E) End of rope: Is t e en o t e rope c ose enoug to t e groun ? How goos t e not on t e en o t e rope?

F) Friends: Make sure that there is ground support that can hear you.

G) Gear: What extra gear will you need once up a tree?

) Hair: When climbing & descending pull back your hair or it will get

caught in the figure 8. This goes for facial hair, loose clothing, & even nipples!

This is very important!

If you have any more questions ask your trainer. If you don’t want to climb,

now is the time to speak. But otherwise, have fun!

Ascending1. The first thing to do when attached to a line and about to ascend is

to understand about the prusik “gate” and how to loosen it to slide the knot up.

he “gate” is the part of the knot where the rope crosses over itself. The prusik

not s es gne to e a e to s e eas y on a c m ne w en t ere s no

tens on on t ut as soon as any we g t s app e ; t e not t g tens & oc s on

t e c m ne. To oosen t rst ma e sure t ere s no tens on on t e not t en pus t e gate ac w t your t um . To t t pu t up w t two ngers on

e t er s e o t e c m ne r g t un er t e not. K n o “pus ng t ac , an

oo ng t up”.

2. G ve a tt e ump an s e up your ea prus as g as t can go.

a e a seat an ang rom t. You may sw ng a tt e ut t at s natura .

3. Make sure the climb line is between your legs and put your foot into



the foot loop. It should rest in the middle of your foot. Take any weight off the

foot loop (keeping your foot in the loop), loosen &pull the foot prusik up as

high as you are able (your foot goes up as you pull it up). Make sure to leave

at least 5 inches between the lead prusik and the foot prusik knot.

4. Gra t e c m ne un er your ea prus not, step up nto t e

oot oop an r ng yourse nto a squatt ng pos t on.

. From t s squatt ng pos t on you’re go ng to oosen your ea prus

not eep your ngers oo e un er t . Now stan up u y n your oot

prus an s e up your ea prus as you o.

. Once t e ea prus s pus e up as g as you are a e. Let go o

the knot, sit back in your harness, and repeat this process over again until you

reach about 10 feet off the ground.

A lot of people have a hard time with sliding the foot prusik up because

t ey eep t e r nee stra g t w en try ng to pus t up t us creat ng an

amount of force just enough to stop the prusik from sliding. The prusik

won’t slide if there is any pressure on it.

MID-LINE DESCENTIF YOU ARE LEARNING TO CLIMB YOU MUST LEARN TO MID

LINE DESCEND. LEARN THIS AT ABOUT 10 FEET FROM THE

GROUND ON YOUR FIRST CLIMB (this ensures no one panics high-off

he ground and has to learn it in a bad spot).

1. Slide your lead prusik up as high as possible and then hang from it.

2. Slide your foot loop up to a comfortable height. Now, take your

oot out o t e oot prus oop. Ma e sure you can get your oot ac nto t e

prus at a ater t me.

3. Ma e a g t an pus t up t roug t e g o e on your gure

t s ou e ang ng on an accessory cara neer on your r g t s e . T en

s e t e en o t e te up over t e sma o e. Unc p t e e g t an c p t e

sma oop nto your r g t cara neer an oc t. Ma e sure your e g t s ac-

ng t e r g t way w t t e rope ex t ng on t e s e o your repe ng an . See

picture). Pull up on the tail end of the rope (towards the top of your head) and

pull down on the standing line to get the slack out between your 8 and lead

prusik knot. Make sure all slack is taken out.



4. (This is an informational step, no action) In order to descend you must

oosen your lead prusik and get it within reach, then transfer your weight to

your figure 8 belay device,

5. So, to continue, Step back into your foot loop and step up slightly

to ena e yourse to pu more s ac out etween your e g t an your oot

prus oop. You w nee to pu out severa nc es o s ac so ma e sure youave enoug c earance etween your oot prus an e g t

6. Now t at you ave t e tens on o o your ea ascen ng oop you

s ou e a e to r ng t own to ust a ove your oot oop at eye eve .

. At t s po nt you w nee to e wear ng t e eavy g ove on your

right hand and you need to hold the running end of the line with sharp

downward pressure placing your hand on your butt so you are in essence sit-

ting on your hand.

8. Now you’re in position to rappel but whenever switching points of

sa ety n t s case a ng a t r po nt w t t e e g t t s mportant to re o

t e ABC’s to ou e c ec a po nts o sa ety.

9. Step own an trans er your we g t onto t e e g t w e o ng t e

tens on w t your r g t an w c you are s tt ng on.

10. Reac up w t your e t an an oosen your oot prus oop.

11. With your left hand hold your loosened lead and foot prusik knots.

he way to hold it is by making a peace sign and actually pushing down the

ead prusik from just above it instead of grabbing the knot directly. If it tight-

ens up you won’t be able to slide down the rope. If you start going to fast you

want the prusik to catch and stop you. People have a natural tendency to grab

on w en a ng an you were to gra t e prus not you cou prevent t

rom catc ng. T us t e peace s gn an gra ng a ove t e not as oppose to

ra ng t e not tse . T e ea prus not s ou e at a out eye eve ust

a ove t e 8 an stay t ere t e ent re escent. Once aga n t s rea y mportant

to ma e sure you s e t e prus not own w t you at eye eve . I t catc es

you ave to o t s w o e process over.

12. Start to s ow y oosen your gr p w t your r g t an . Let t e rope

ee t roug t e 8 an your prus s. Don’t ever gra t e ea prus t g t y.

Remember to hold the lead prusik loosely and let it slide along the line. The

ead prusik will push down your foot prusik so you only really need to concen-trate on the lead prusik. The grip of your right hand will be controlling your

speed.

13. Do not go ast. I you start to go too ast, t g ten your gr p on t e

ne w t your r g t an . I you’re go ng too ast or at any t me ee out o

contro or una e to cont nue to gr p t e ne et go o your ea prus . T s

w catc you. Remem er t at you’ ave to step ac up to oosen t aga n



you do this.

14. e VERY care u not to get anyt ng caug t n your 8. Ha r an

oose c ot es get eas y suc e n. In a ew cases peop es’ n pp e r ngs an

even reasts ave een caug t n 8’s so t s can’t e stresse enoug .

. Watc out or ranc es, an ow ar rom t e groun you are.

16. As you approach the ground slow down and prepare to come to a

slow connection with the ground. Approach in a nicely balanced manner with

your feet as downward as possible. Keep your knees nice and bent. Be care-

ful not to step on the line when you come down. Come all the way down to a

squat e ore stopp ng to ma e sure a t e tens on w e o your prus not.

17. Once you are on t e groun un o t e gure 8 rom ts cara neer,

ta e t o t e c m ne, an return t e gure 8 to t e arness. Ma e sure youo t s r g t away as a ter ong repe s t e 8 w eat up an e t on a ne

cou cause egra at on o t e ne ecause o t e eat. Ta e t e ea prus

o ts cara neer an t e c m ne an return t to an extra cara neer on t e

arness. Ta e o t e arness an put t n a sa e spot .e. not n t e rt . Care-

ful not to step on the rope.

18. alk to your trainer about any problems or anything you need

clarified. Make sure you thank your trainer. Talk to them about your climb and

spend a moment reflecting on what went well and what to work on next time.

19. T en as n t e g ory o av ng ust c m e up nto a magn -

cen ree.

20. Are you rea y or a more a vance tra n ng?

ote on midline descent:This method is good for the first time going up

a rope and not exceeding 10-20 feet. Once the climber has become comfort-

able with this method they should be shown how to take off the foot prusik

oop from the climb line. The easiest method for this is to hang from the lead

prusik and bring your right foot up as if you were sitting cross legged. Wrap

the running end of the rope around your foot 4 times and then cross your left

eg over your r g t oot so t at t e wraps are n t e en o your e t nee. T s

w prevent t e wraps rom com ng un one w e you remove t e oot prus

oop. Once t e oot prus oop s o t e ne t en you s ou e a e to stepw t your e t oot rect y on top o your r g t oot p nc ng t e c m ne

oops etween t em. Ho ng s arp ownwar pressure w t your r g t an

on t e runn ng en o t e rope you can t en stan up an s ac en you ea

prus . T s w put you ac nto a pos t on to start repe ng once you ave

s a en o t e oops o t e c m ne rom your r g t oot.



s s vo . or e on an.

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earth first! climbers guild vol. 1

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