Basejumper.com - archive

just curious... How many jumpers use lifeline/some form of fall arrest system when climbing towers? I know there are many different systems in use and/or useable depending on the tower. But who does and does not and why?

I do not.

My reasoning is I trust myself very much. I have never had a close call, and in some ways I think it may be slightly safer because when someone removes their leash, they suddenly feel naked, and get a nervous shake sometimes.

the most dangerous thing I can imagine is a inside climb, unleashed, and a climber hitting their head on an internal structure and becoming unconscious. at a local A here at about 800' there is a bar across that is in perfect head-slamming distance from ladder. one must be careful...

I know of one very talented jumper that uses a leash, and a few that don't use one but should. and one other good jumper that probably does not need one, but had a very close call. but he has a problem with remembering to eat. and zippers. so special case/special needs you know.

I was known to climb the outside of cranes for the hell of it (as opposed to the ladder on the inside) and I have a legal outside climb wire-guyed A that I jump a few times every summer. doesn't bother me at all. in fact it just adds to the feeling. rigging a hand-held solo on an outside climb is wicked fun.

Once I climbed 1900 ft (just under 3 hours) with my rig in my stash bag... felt kinda nakid at first but, that feeling went away pretty quick.

On another jump I only climbed 350ish feet up at 460' antenna, on the outside... and that had me way more weirded out for some reason

I like to carry a carabiner with a piece of webbing around my chest strap just in case i need to clip into the tower. I would rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it at all.

Try rigging a hand-held solo on super tight inside climb, squeezing through to the outside, climbing around the corner (I squeezed through on the wrong side), and then trying to position yourself for exit.

Wicked fun indeed.

sounds like a terrifying idea! dragging an exposed PC and bridal through the frame of a tower. rig it on the outside!

ditto...you just never know when a sling and biner is going to come in handy
Before...or after exit !

we have climbing harnesses with cable ascenders at my work. im not sure how those cable ascenders work but they
seem like they just lock in place and seem pretty straight forward. anyone have experience using these things for tall A's and do they speed up the process? or do you prefer just to power up that bitch and work those biceps

Are you joking about the biceps part?

i think if the system on the tower allows for something to be rigged that isnt very inconvenient as far as taking whatever device it is along for the ride, there arent any reasons not to. Its like walking down to the exit point at yellow ocean in the snow without putting yur rig on first. (seen this) Why? then again alot of jumpers feed off the risk involved in those parts of the sport as well. whos to say the rush of free climbing a tower isn't outweighing the risk that is taken? isn't that "similar" to the risk/reward ratio for jumping? hmmm...

Haha! I guess I could have been a little more helpful on that one; although you did seem to have it under control Good times indeed!

carry a quickdraw. it helped me save a fellow jumper after he hit the tower after opening and got hung up.

also, the quickdraw was essential for me when i was at 600 feet and i bumped something and my rig dumped. I had to clip in before the canopy dragged me off the tower.

Same thing happened to me when I didn't have a quickdraw. When my slider-down canopy whacked open horizontally outside the tower with a lineover and bridle wrapped around the guy wire attachment, I was barely able to hang onto the ladder sideways when I pulled my cutaway and it didn't release. I promised any god that would hear me that I'd bring a quickdraw from then on if one of them would just help me out a little and release the risers... and then they released and floated to the ground.

However, none of the gods fessed up to say who did it, so I just assume it was coincidence and as such don't always keep that promise

i don't use cable grabs because they are noisy and they slow me down on towers where the cable is held in place with rubber stops.

quick draw or something similar seems like a better option IMO.

What...you stop for lunch or something? haha

  I agree about the cable grip, there slow, noisy, and heavy on the return trip. I am curious about this "quick grab" though can you explain what it consist of.

i attached a picture of a "quick draw"

3 flippin hours to climb!? or am i reading that wrong?
leroy you must be jesting.
jeff

It's not that out of proportion, I mean think of the poor jumper who was carrying him, it must have been rough!

a buddy may have had just enough weedy stuff to eat.. I stayed "up" wind

If you can't climb a fucking ladder, what the fuck are you doing BASE jumping. Obviously you need to get some skills, then continue with BASE. OR stay on the couch you fat fuck...

It is Leroy you're calling fat right? Nice ...

3 hours is pretty ridiculous though and I must laugh. haha!!! <== laughing.

how many of you have actually climbed 2000 feet?

it's not double the time and effort to go to 2000 feet compared to 1000 feet.

Not me, highest I have climbed was 590'
and only because of Adam & Jake. I was
ready to exit once we got above 300 feet!

Please explain... cause I can think of reasons
why it would and would not be faster or slower.

my arms and hands start wearing out to an extent I don't encounter doing 1000 foot climbs. most of my climbs are to approximately 1000 feet.

Yeah, that makes sense, just like most
people can run 1 mile in 7 minutes but
very few can run 3 miles in 21 minutes.

just curious how fast do you think it should take to climb up 1900'. It's 2.5 hours for me to get up to 1800' and it's a work out. of course i have a body similiar to jabba the hut

i figure its teh trolls again but eh...


I have climbed 970 ft and been back on the ground in under 50 minutes.

also have jumped 300 ft twice in under 20 min with 2 packed rigs. (10 min climb up and down to the ground the first, 8 min climb up and down to the ground on the 2nd jump...)

I Think thats pretty ok...

Sorry for the delay in coming back to this thread.

Leroy is supposed to be all you can be, or another branch, so I was just ribbing him a little. Climbing is hard work. I'm the guy that needs a head start so don't listen to me. :)

I would have to argue that most people can't run a mile in 7 minutes and that more people can run 3 miles in 21 than you think :D But I'm a runner so...

yes, I am grandfathered

I just want to know how long it takes to climb the towers in the pictures where they are covered in ICE!! that is some crazy looking shit.

some A's have a cable running up the ladder, secured by bumpers every 20' or so, that you can rig a harness and pulley to... I haven't actually used mine yet, but the guys who taught me the trick said it let's you lean back a little while climbing, taking some pressure off your arms.

I also carry a quickdraw in my saddle bags, have only used it to hook to tower for rest on an exterior peg climb up to 290. also goo for cliimbing tall fences, clip both ends to fence and use strap as a step.

most of what I've read /people I talked to or climbed with say 1000' per hr is a good pace.

If you start using fall protection on an inside climb i'm going to start calling you Nancy....

Jeremy AKA Nancy,
remember when you used your fall arrest and alti-2 on my antenna?!

~Jake

 

I use a harness like this and I really like it. Climbing without it is a low worse. Some of my buddies use fall arrestors, but they seem to weigh quite a bit. My record is 1700' in 48 min, though these days im probably up to 1h15

jeremy, we're stopping on the way to TF friday at the first climbable A we see, I'll be up and down the thing 3x before you get up it once. And I'll do it in a skirt so you have to look up at the back of my balls while i climb by you

- nancy

I'm down for that bet, Nancy

Cool deal with the skirt, the last collier to where a skirt for me was your mom.

-Your step dad

That sounds a lot better. I've tried two different ones for use with outside climbs, one is nice and light and is actually fall protection the other one is really bulky and a little heavy. Someone put a pic up somewhere on here of the larger one a while back.

Your pulley deal sounds sweet though if you can climb without arms...nice, can you show a pic?

Its Mary to you Mr. Slamtastic and i tried them out about 6 feet from the ground to see how they worked.

I used the alti to double check the accuracy of your watch altimeter because based on your last jump i think your altitude perception is a little off

-Mary

Go big or go home! i just wasnt expecting the slider hang up and multiple line twists when i opened 50 feet off the deck. Fuck

~Jake

2shea... if you're gonna fuck my mom, just wear a condom please.

KC

 

yo man, this is bj.com, please post that kind of shit on blinc

1700 ft in 40 minutes.

 

1800" and a mad track with minimal tailwind... how far was that track?

you got me on that!

made two back to back jumps from 1500' tower last night for me birthday. thanks to my amigos. It was tough climbing....from the ground to the base of the elevator platform!!!!! Haha , yeah from a fat fuck!