Got schooled by a master arborist at the Portland Climbing Comp last weekend

I was watching this guy Phil from Oregon work on a massive red oak and he pointed out my throw line was all wrong for the canopy spread. He showed me how to set a redirect using a natural crotch instead of a cambium saver, and it made my climb way smoother. Has anyone else tried ditching the saver in thick bark trees like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

rodriguez.jordan28d ago

Phil would probably laugh his ass off watching my first attempts at climbing after that comp. Tried ditching the cambium saver on a thick bark cottonwood last week and ended up with scraped knuckles and a bad attitude. Your redirect trick works great though, just gotta make sure the bark isn't too loose or you'll be eating dirt like I did.

miles27728d agoMost Upvoted

Saw a guy break down this exact concept at an Arborist meetup in Eugene a few months back. He was saying the key is to match the redirect point to the bark texture, especially on thick trees like cottonwoods where you can get that loose flaking bark. Funny you mention it @rodriguez.jordan because he warned about those exact scraped knuckles, said friction hit different on those rough barks. The natural crotch tip from Phil sounds solid for oaks with that deep ridged bark that holds rope way better than a saver.