A very popular recreational activity that is usually common in young kids but not limited to them only. Tree climbing is about going up and down a tree normally with a rope or a harness method. Not only is it done for fun but arborists have to know how to do so as part of their job. Arborists are the people who take care and manage trees all over the world. How you climb a tree is dependent upon many factors such as how many branches does a tree have or what is the height of the tree you intend to climb. Moreover, weather conditions also have an impact.
The two most famous techniques used for climbing a tree include free climbing and single rope climbing. Free climbing is basically climbing a tree without a rope, ladder or any other supporting equipment. All a person has is his or her limbs. It is quite dangerous and can lead to accidents and injuries if you are not a professional in free climbing. Even if you are somehow skilled in free climbing, it is advised not to go for it if the tree is extremely tall or the bark is difficult to keep a grip on.
Moving on to the single rope technique, this one involves using a throw line or weight to launch a rope over a strong limb. Ascenders are mechanisms that kind of lock the rope when pressure is applied downwards and they provide a lot of assistance a lot in single rope climbing. When the climber starts going up the bark, the ascenders allow the slack to feed through. But as soon as the weight of the climber starts putting against the rope, the ascenders lock automatically. In a single rope climbing technique, you can use two tactics. You could use a sit stand system or a rope walking system. In a sit stand system a climber positions his body in a sitting posture and straddles the rope along with the ascender attached to the foot. He has to utilize his hands to climb the tree while the legs would follow. On the other hand, the rope walking technique is when the ascender mechanism is attached to both the feet but on one foot it is attached a bit higher than the other one. In this technique all four limbs are used to pull up the body but the legs are to be alternated with each step.
Other techniques include the double rope climbing technique and the lead climbing technique. Lead climbing is usually considered the most difficult technique among all the other methods. Tree climbing is a lot of fun especially when camping with friends or family. Sometimes knowing how to climb trees can also be beneficial to escape from dangerous situations. This activity is gaining importance with time and in the contemporary era it is also considered an exercise.
