My climbing technique was garbage for 5 years until a guy on a job site called me out

I was up in a white oak last Tuesday in Portland, doing a removal with a rope system I thought was dialed. This older arborist from the crew next door watched me for like 10 minutes, then just yelled up, 'You're wasting all your energy with that wrap.' I came down all annoyed, but he showed me how I was over-gripping the rope and my hitch was set too tight. After 5 years of thinking I was efficient, I spent 30 minutes with him and cut my climb time by half. Anyone else have a moment where a stranger's blunt comment totally changed how you work?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben6625d ago

That guy just yelled up, 'you're wasting all your energy with that wrap' and it changed everything for you. Funny how sometimes the best advice comes from someone who doesn't even know you. I've had that happen with painting, a random passerby on a job told me I was cutting in a window wrong. Showed me a different angle for the brush and it saved me hours over a whole house. Those strangers see things we've stopped seeing because we've been doing it the same way too long.

abby_black4d ago

Strangers really do catch the blind spots. @ben662, that brush angle trick is gold. I had a guy walk past my scaffolding once, just pointed up and said "you're pulling that hose wrong, you're going to kink it." Changed my whole setup. Never would've thought about it myself. It's like their fresh eyes see solutions we block out.