[TowerTalk] Safe Climbing was Re: Roswell Tower Accident

[JoeCoolDXer]

Most of the posts in this thread deal with climbing equipment and technique.  Another issue in climbing safety concerns carelessness/misjudgement due to prior consumption of alcohol, medications, "substances", sleep deprivation, etc...


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Pete Smith<mailto:n4zr at contesting.com> 
  To: Kelly Johnson<mailto:n6kj.kelly at gmail.com> ; TowerTalk<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com> 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 5:42 PM
  Subject: [TowerTalk] Safe Climbing was Re: Roswell Tower Accident


  I use two lanyards attached to my full harness at the fall-arrest D-ring in 
  the middle of the back.  I attach one above my head, climb up to the point 
  where I can just barely reach down to it, and then attach the other one 
  above my head.  I then detach the bottom one, climb, and repeat the 
  process.  In my case, I use my positioning lanyard as one of the two.  When 
  I get where I need to work, I make sure the fall-arrest lanyard is firmly 
  attached - look at it and yank on it - and then move the positioning 
  lanyard to my hip D-rings.

  To my mind, though, what you specifically do is a lot less important than 
  your mind-set -- never forgetting that, whether at 30 feet or 200, a fall 
  will probably be fatal, so always double-check everything.

  73, Pete N4ZR

  At 08:25 PM 10/24/2007, Kelly Johnson wrote:
  >My climbing experience is limited to heights of about 30 feet or so,
  >but regardless I'd like to understand the proper way of climbing up a
  >tower while remaining connected at all times.  When people start their
  >climb at the ground, how do they attach to the tower while climbing?
  >Do they have a safety cable permanently mounted to the tower or do
  >they clip a cable as high as they can reach, climb beyond it, clip
  >another as high as they can reach, and so forth or what?
  >
  >On 10/24/07, Bill Turner <dezrat at copper.net<mailto:dezrat at copper.net>> wrote:
  > > ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
  > >
  > > On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:08:48 +0000, n7ka at comcast.net<mailto:n7ka at comcast.net> wrote:
  > >
  > > >AT NO TIME SHOULD WE NOT BE ATTACHED SECURELY TO THE TOWER.
  > >
  > > ------------ REPLY FOLLOWS ------------
  > >
  > > I know you are right, but I have seen tower climbing professionals who
  > > climb a tower with no safety line connected at all, and only hook up
  > > when they are in place ready to work.
  > >
  > > If the professionals are so lacking in concern, what hope is there for
  > > us amateurs? I guess after you climb a few hundred towers with no
  > > accidents, you become immortal.
  > >
  > > My rule is to always have two connections to the tower: Either my
  > > safety line plus one hand, or two safety lines. I never trust only one
  > > safety connection, ever.
  > >
  > > 73, Bill W6WRT
  > > _______________________________________________
  > >
  > >
  > >
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  > >
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