Arborist Gear for Solo Mast Ascents

My introduction to rope walking ascent was caving back in the 1970s. Each trip started with 75-200 drop straight into a sink hole, followed by hours of cold crawling and scrambling in the dark. Tired and muddy, you then faced a rope climb without a whole lot of energy left.  Fifty-some years later, new equipment has moved the technique into the 21st century and given it some really cool advantages for sailors. Anyone who has seen the acrobatics in this year’s Vendée Globe could recognize how these devices would be beneficial to the single-handed sailor.

There are a half a dozen basic methods for climbing a fixed rope using ascenders. Most involve using the feet to lift the weight and the hands to move the ascenders up between steps. The ATN Mast Climber system (see “PS reviews of the ATN Topclimber,” January 2001 and August 2005), uses one ascender attached to the feet with a sling, and one attached to the waist harness. Rope-walking systems, on the other hand, fix one ascender directly to your dominant foot with a compact harness.

Another ascender, often referred to as a knee ascender, floats at about knee height, suspended between a harness to the other foot by a length of bungee cord that is routed up through a carabiner or small block on your waist harness, and back down to the foot ascender. Both of these ascenders are completely self-tending. You march up the rope, hardly thinking about what your feet are doing, with your hands free to grab the rope, mast, or anything else that will help your progress and prevent swinging—a real nuisance in the harbor, and a serious danger underway.

Rate of climb

At the local climbing crag, we found we could easily maintain an easy 30-foot-per-minute pace for hundreds of feet. Just keep marching at one easy step per second, hands gripping either the rope or rock. Some of our test climbing was banging against rock, and some was free-hanging under overhangs.

It was never strenuous or difficult to stay in balance and we never felt the need to take a break, even on climbs up to 100 feet. Our arms and legs were not tired at all, because the lean back, pull forward, and stand up cycle of the frog-type climbers is eliminated. You stay in-balance and in-column the entire time. With any of these systems, if you want to rest, you can just sit back on the chest ascender.

The rigging is a little fussy to adjust. Expect to spend 30 minutes settling on the right lengths for the knee ascender strap, bungee cord, and flip line.

The flip line deserves a little explanation. Arborists and construction workers carry an adjustable length line that they “flip” around the tree or structure so that they can lean against it to work. Think of the old leather strap that line workers use to use on telephone poles. Likewise, the mast climbing sailor uses a length of rope or a sewn climbing sling with a clip on each end to wrap around the mast and keep from swinging. Industrial harnesses have special D-rings on each hip to attach these. Climbing harnesses, on the other hand, have only one strong point, the center waist tie-in (accessory loops on the hips are not designed for use with flip lines.) I like to carry two climbing slings to use as flip lines, and at least 4 carabiners, for maximum flexibility in securing myself off to work.

Chest harness or not? If you are thinking of using your sailing harness  for this … forget it. The tie-in point for the chest ascender is mid-to-upper sternum and most sailing harnesses cross below the sternum. Instead of a chest harness, most arborists use a flip line connected to an eye in  the chest ascender. The line is rigged from one hip, over the shoulder, and down to  the chest ascender at sternum-level.

We tried both a climbing-specific chest harness and the flip line/chest ascender method, and decided the flip line method was simpler and more versatile (as illustrated on page 17).

Working aloft

Most systems place your nose just over the masthead. I like it closer to waist high, so I can look down on what I’m doing. To move up simply…

1. Step up until the chest ascender is nearly out of rope.
2. With one arm wrapped around the mast, lean in and wrap one of your flip lines around the mast, so you can’t fall back.
3. Detach the upper carabiner of the chest ascender. Note that it is still attached to your waist harness.
4. Wrap both arms around the mast, step up and lean forward, over the masthead. Cup the mast with your knees. You should be in a no-hands rest, leaning against the mast. Wrap the other flip line around the top of the mast, getting it snug and secure.
5. You are now secure to work, supported by both the foot and by the knee ascenders, two flip lines, and you are backed up by the chest ascender. Safe.

The really cool part is that you don’t have to climb back down, step by step, as you do with other climbing systems. Hybrid ascenders convert to descender without removing them from the rope or re-rigging. You simply sit back in the harness, remove the foot and knee ascenders from the rope, and the hybrid device provides adjustable friction during the descent, just like the rappel devices rock climbers use. Going too fast? Just let go and the device locks up, stopping the descent. Each device has a specific procedure. Study it closely.

Because your hands are free to grab the rope, the mast, or standing rigging, it is surprisingly easy to maintain your balance on a stationary boat and control your motion on a moving one. Holding the rope or rigging, one of your hands will always be near full extension over your head, like climbing a steep ladder. It takes only light pressure, little more than the weight of your arm, to stay in balance. You can hug the mast if the boat is swaying; again, it takes little effort to stay in balance over your feet. And just keep chugging away with your feet. With a little practice, it’s just like climbing a ladder.

Single Rope Ascender Kits

Knee Pads and Helmets

While not needed at the dock, underway they are damn handy, as are gloves. A foam, Type III PFD  can be good for the ribs. The first time I climbed a mast, many years ago, we were sailing to windward. The boat was stable, all I had to do was retrieve a fly-away spinnaker halyard, and the ATN Top Climber system worked fine. The second trip, on the other hand, was a rolly downwind horror show climbing mast steps with a belay from a halyard. I was young and hung on tight, but the steps were a menace and a rope walking system or halyard hoist would have been safer.

Pros and Cons

Rock climbers dislike the method because there is more gear to carry, and it is prone to snagging when working around overhangs and through chimneys. But cavers, and arborists like it for its speed and energy conservation. The rigging is more complex, but once you work out the lengths, it’s ready to go in minutes.

The Petzl Zigzag was one of the first hybrid devices and has a faithful following. We saw one on a Vendée Globe boat.

Although it works very well, the Zigzag/Chicane combo is expensive, bulky, and must be threaded on from the end of the rope. This works for arborist, but darn inconvenient for climbing a halyard rigged through mast foot blocks and jammers. The Rock Exotica Unicender, on the other hand, can be installed midrope. We also find the descent friction adjustment smoother and more adjustable with the Unicender.

Ascenders and descenders are always sensitive to rope size and stiffness. Most are optimized for not too stiff 7/16- to 1/2-inch double braid rope and 9-11mm climbing rope. Too small they may not catch, too large and they may not feed. Check manufacture requirements.  We tested on a stiff 7/16-inch halyard and a well-used 10mm climbing rope; all the units worked perfectly on both.

Do add extra padding to the leg loops of common climbing harnesses. We’ve reported on this before, but it is one of the best, cheapest comfort steps you can take.

Lower Ascenders

Conclusions

The big difference to us was having our hands free to hold on, balance, and maneuver. Around the crag and docks it was handy. Going aloft off-shore, this seems like a big deal. On the other hand, the increase in complexity and cost is a drag.

For a Vendée Globe guy, facing a 120-foot climb underway, we see the advantages, though we also see a lot of systems, all with their adherents. The frog style or Mastmate is probably the better value for climbing a 40- to 60-foot stick at the dock.