[TowerTalk] Tower Incidents

[Doug Renwick]

I've said this many times but it doesn't penetrate thick skulls who insist
on climbing when they shouldn't be.
"If you are not ABLE (I stress the word able) to free climb, then you should
NOT climb at all."
What that says if you are not physically fit, mentally prepared, and
experienced, then you should not be climbing AT ALL. That applies to any
form of climbing ... rock, ladder, free, fall arrest, full body harness,
etc.
Every individual has to consider his/her risks that are involved in any
action. My level of risk is different than yours.

Doug


-----Original Message-----

Good stuff (see below) but I wonder if anyone of the "Free Climb" 
fraternity is ever convinced to use safety gear short of a personal near 
death experience since they know bad stuff ONLY happens to the other guy.

I remember when cars first started coming with seat belts and auto parts 
stores were selling after market belts to retrofit to older cars. Before 
it was a law with fines for disobeying many folks refused to buckle up. 
There were all sorts of specious excuses such as wanting to be thrown 
clear of the accident, not being trapped in a burning car with a buckle 
malfunction or drowning under water unable to release the belt and on 
and on and on all unsubstantiated by statistics.

There are multiple levels of learning ability which can be characterized 
as follows:

1.  pees on the hot wire and does it again later not having learned from 
the first experience.

2.  pees on the hot wire and subsequently avoids that act.

3.  Sees what happens when someone else pees on the hot wire and avoids 
that action/consequence without having to do it himself.

4.  Reasons that peeing on the hot wire is likely a bad idea and avoids 
doing it.

I try to be a #4 as much as possible and try very very hard to avoid 
ever being a #1

Once upon a time when I didn't know any better while taking a sabbatical 
I climbed towers with a linesman belt with two steel lanyards, provided 
by my employer.  Made it safe to use both hands for working on stuff 
but... if you fell it could break your back. Now equipped with a good 
fall arresting harness I try to not need it having three tilt over towers.

Patrick        NJ5G



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