36 ARBORIST•NEWS

Arborists use slick lines, also com-monly called throwlines, for avariety of tasks. Slick lines can be

used for installing climbing lines, loweringlines, taglines, and transfer lines; removinghangers; aiding in tying back shrubs,branches and trees; and reaching climbersor bucket operators who have dropped arope. Throwlines can be set from theground, from a tree, or from an aerial lift.Some people are reluctant to use throwlines,however, because there is some frustrationin learning how to use them and becausepeople believe they can be productive fasterwithout them.

The intent of this article is to encouragegreater use of the throwline by illustratingsome techniques that have not been widelycirculated. Some of these tricks I learned fromothers, and some I devised myself. Arboristswho are new to throwline use will, I hope,find additional ways to work through somecommon problems that make learning touse the throwline so frustrating. Those whoare already slick-line savvy may find a newidea or two that can be added to their exist-ing repertoire.

A number of sources describe methodsand uses of a throwline. Jepson, in The TreeClimber’s Companion, provides information

on weights, lines, use of the Big Shot, andinstallation of false crotches and frictionsavers. Blair’s Arborist Equipment also coverstypes of weights and lines, and is sprinkledwith some amusing anecdotal history. Bera-neck (Fundamentals of General Tree Work) hassome dated—but also some very interest-ing—tricks. This past fall, the discussion pageson the ISA Web site (www.isa-arbor.com)contained a couple of threads that discussedthrowing, types of string, and methods ofstorage. Also, instructional videos thatinclude some discussion of throwline useare available from both ISA and NAA.

Getting ReadyAlways wear a helmet and eye protectionwhen using a throwline. For the setup of thethrowline, I prefer to have a throw weight ateach end of the line. Various knots can beused to secure the string to the throw weight:Two half hitches, clove hitch, buntline hitch,anchor hitch, and bowline are all used asattachment knots in this application. Becauseof the small diameter of the string, however,and the amount of force that is sometimesused to pull on the string, these knots canbecome difficult to untie, particularly if thestring is frayed. Many of these knots can be“slipped” (passing a bight through the finaltuck), which can solve this problem. Anotherarrangement is to girth hitch the throw weight.It is easy to take the weight on and off evenafter being loaded and, although this knotdoes not slip once it is set, it can be backedup with a half hitch if desired.

ThrowingA common method of throwing the weightis the underhand throw (also called singlehand or pendulum). It is accomplished bymaking a slipknot in the string at aboutwaist height, holding the string at the knot,and swinging the weight back and forth.

CLIMBERS’C0RNER

Slick TricksBy Mark Adams

COPYRIGHT INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE

APRIL 2001 COPYRIGHT INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE 37

For higher shots with this throw, you canstand on a bucket or other item to increasethe length of the string and gain moremomentum on the swing. A variation of thisthrow is simply to tie the knot higher(above waist height) and use a different armmovement to swing and drive the throwweight. Because the knot is above waistheight, the arm and wrist have to move upand down to swing the line. When ready tothrow, start to drive the weight when theback swing is close to horizontal (about8:00 or 9:00 o’clock) and move the armand wrist in more of an upwards motionthan used in the previously describedmethod (Figure 1). This variation allowshigher throws without the need to stand onanything, but it requires different arm andwrist movements in the swing, drive, andrelease of the throw weight. It can take severalmonths of regular throwing to learn this ifyou are used to the other method.

Manipulating the LineOccasionally, the throw weight gets stuck inthe tree. This situation most often occurswhen attempting to pull the line out of thetree after an errant throw. To reduce thechance of this happening, remove thethrow weight before you pull the string outof the tree. This will not only reduce thenumber of times that the throw weight getsstuck, it also will eliminate the possibility ofthe throw weight flying uncontrollably outof the tree and breaking a window, dentinga client’s car, or clunking you in the head. Ifthe weight does get stuck and you want topull on the string without slicing your handopen (and if there are no targets behind

you), attach a stickto the line with aclove hitch orsimply by taking anumber of wrapsaround the stick.This becomes ahandle you canpull on until theweight shoots outof the tree or thestring breaks andsnaps back at you.You must wear ahelmet and eyeprotection whenyou do this.

When using the throwline to place a line,you generally will want to isolate a particu-lar crotch or at least a particular area of thetree. A number of methods can be used toisolate the desired crotch. As you work andgain more experience with the throwline,you will begin to recognize which trick(s)to use depending on the height and growthhabit of the tree and the system you aretrying to install. In the following examples,I use a number of abbreviations to facilitatethe discussion: tw = throw weight; tw1 = thethrow weight that was thrown; tw2 = thethrow weight on the other end of the line.

Sometimes your throw will be near, butnot over the target branch. For example, inFigure 2 you want the line to isolate branch A,but your throw lands on branch B—which isunsafe for climbing. One way to isolate branchA is to “walk” or “step” the throw weight.

Walking or Stepping the ThrowWeight

1. Pull tw1 into the tree, causing it toswing either by bouncing it on theway up or by starting the swing withyour hand before you pull the weightup into the tree (Figure 2a).

2. As tw1 approaches branch B, continuethe swing, then snap the string so thattw1 goes over branch B, flies backwards,and catches on branch A (Figure 2b).

This technique also can work to movethe throw weight up to a higher branch oreven to a branch or crotch that is across thecanopy. The only caveat is that you must letthe throw weight run. If you stop it abruptly,the weight may catch branch A (or some other

Climbers’ Corner

Figure 1. Throwingwith a long pendulum.Start to drive the throwweight by moving thewrist and forearm in anupwards motion whenthe throw weight is atabout 8:00 or 9:00 o’clock.

38 COPYRIGHT INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE ARBORIST•NEWS

branch) and wrap around it several times—making it impossible to retrieve from theground.

At other times, you may have the stringover a suitable branch with one leg of the

Climbers’ Corner

Let tw1fall to the

ground in aroute that is

easy to repeat. Tiethe rope to a dog-leash

snap using a bullet knotand clip the dog-leash

snap to the throwline justabove tw1. Pull the rope

and tw1 into the tree andjust over the target branch.

Tie the other end ofthe rope to tw1.

Pull tw1 (with therope attached) intothe tree up to thesnap.

Pull both ends of the ropeto the ground. Continue topull both legs of the ropeuntil it hangs on the targetbranch.

Figure 3. Theloop trick.

Let tw1 fall to theground in the same paththat it followed the firsttime.

Figure 2. Walking the throw weight.Snap the string so that the throwweight flips around the branch andtoward the desired crotch. Withpractice, and in an open canopy, thethrow weight can be directed to abranch that is above, below, or acrossfrom where it initially lands.

string following the desiredroute to the ground, but youare unable to get the secondleg of the string in the sameposition (Figure 3). In thissituation, use the loop trickto get both legs in properalignment.

The Loop Trick1. Let tw1 fall to the ground

in a route that is easy torepeat. It does not matterif there are numerousbranches between it andtw2.

2. Tie the rope to a dog-leashsnap using a bullet knot ormonkey’s fist.

3. Clip the snap to the throw-line just above tw1.

4. Pull the rope and tw1 intothe tree and just over thetarget branch.

5. Let tw1 fall to the groundin the same path that itfollowed the first time (thatis, it should parallel therope).

6. Tie the other end of therope to tw1.

7. Pull tw1 (with the ropeattached) into the tree upto the snap.

8. Pull both ends of rope tothe ground.

9. Continue to pull both legsof the rope until it hangson the target branch.

On higher throws, theweight of the rope has atendency to pull the throw-line out of the tree. Thisproblem can be countered bytying a larger bullet knot, byclipping a carabiner into thering of tw1, or both.

There will be times that,once the rope is over thedesired branch, it is restingsome distance out on thebranch rather than seateddirectly in a crotch. If the

Figure 2a

Figure 2b

APRIL 2001 COPYRIGHT INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE 39

only thing that prevents the rope from slid-ing down toward the base of the branch is acouple of small dead twigs, tie the ends ofthe rope together using two double-over-hand knots and pull this knotted rope intothe tree to break the twigs. For slightlybigger twigs or small stubs, use a jump stick.

Jump Stick Tie a sturdy stick in the rope using a clovehitch or an in-line girth hitch and pull thisstick up to break the twig or stub (tie theends of the rope together so that one end isnot inadvertently pulled off the ground).Experiment with tying the stick in the middle,at one end, or at both ends to achieve differ-ent reactions in the way it jumps. For stubsthat are too big to break, or if you are prun-ing the tree and do not want to break a livebranch, combine two of these tricks (walk-ing and jump stick) to create a jump bag.

Jump BagWith the throwline still in the tree, tie bothends of the string to one throw weight. Pullthe weight into the tree, swing it as it approachesthe branch, and then snap the string so thatthe weight flies over the stub or twig. If you

miss the first time, simply work the throwweight back and forth using both ends ofthe string. Try adding a carabiner or a sec-ond throw weight for greater response.

Throwlines can eliminate a great amount ofclimbing and can be a big time saver, butthey can sometimes be extremely frustrating.This problem should not discourage thenewcomer from persevering and tryingagain (and again and again). It will take timeto get a sense of when to try which technique.Practice and exposure to a wide variety oftechniques will make you more proficientand allow you to find a variety of tricks tosuit your own particular style of climbing.

A future issue of Arborist News will featureother slick tricks. If you have ideas that youwould like to share, please write to me or tothe editor. Tell us about a particular way thatyou used a throwline to access or remove atree in a tight situation. It is hoped that thesetricks will serve as a springboard for creativity.

ReferencesBeraneck, G.F. 1996. Fundamentals of General

Tree Work. Beraneck Publications, Ft.Bragg, CA.

Blair, D.F. 1999.Arborist Equipment:A Guide to the Toolsand Equipment ofTree Maintenanceand Removal, 2nded. InternationalSociety of Arbori-culture, Cham-paign, IL.

Jepson, Jeff. 1999. TreeClimber's Companion,2nd ed. Beaver TreePublishing,Longville, MN.

Mark Adams is aCertified Arboristin Roswell, Georgia.He can be reachedat adamsarborcare@att.net.

The author wishesto thank Sean Gerefor his suggestionsand comments onthis article.

A•N

Climbers’ Corner