Arborist Friction Hitches
Climbing arborists use a variety of climbing systems. They all have one thing in common: the Friction hitch. Alright, except for the climbers that are using devices like the Petzl Zigzag.
The friction hitch is the central part of the climbing system, which allows you to move up the climbing line and descend when required. Most of the friction hitches are tied with a separate piece of Prusik cord, but sometimes a tail end of the climbing rope is used. For example, with the Blake's hitch. The most common friction hitch is probably the VT hitch (Valdotain Tresse) and is often combined with a Rope Wrench and a tending pulley, to create an effective climbing system.
The use of friction hitches is not only limited to the main climbing system. It's good practice to tie-in twice, especially when working with sharp equipment in a tree. For those cases lanyards are being used. The friction hitches can also be used to create adjustable lanyards, which allow you to set a safe and stable working position. When you are working with power tools, you should forget about the rope lanyards and use a steel core lanyard instead.
