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My climbing rope got a bad core shot on a big oak in Portland
It happened last Thursday while I was doing a reduction prune on a 70-foot pin oak. I was about 40 feet up and felt a weird pop, then saw the sheath was cut and the core was showing. I had to do a controlled descent right away and finish the job from a lift. Has anyone else had a rope fail like that, and what brand did you switch to after?
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paulschmidt1mo ago
Yikes, that's a scary pop to feel up there. @nancyramirez is right about oak being a rope killer, it just grinds through stuff. I had a similar core shot on a Yale line and switched to Samson, their 16-strand has been way more durable for me on rough bark.
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nancyramirez1mo ago
Check your rope for any previous damage from that same tree. Oak bark can be super abrasive and wear down a spot over time without you noticing. What kind of friction device were you using when it happened?
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