That rope climbing technique I dismissed for 2 years actually saved my back

I used to think the footlock method was just showy stuff for tree climbing comps. But last fall I had a big white oak in Charlotte with a ton of deadwood high up, and my knees were killing me from spurring. A buddy talked me into trying a Blake's hitch with a simple footlock setup, and I got up 40 feet in under 3 minutes without any spikes digging in. My lower back felt way less wrecked at the end of the day, and I wasn't sore the next morning. Has anyone else had a climbing trick they avoided that turned out to be a game changer for the body long term?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlies372d ago

Totally, the footlock takes the load off your lower body way better than wrapping.

violag802d ago

Wow, I never thought about it that way! I bet the footlock helps with circulation too since you're not pinching your legs as much against the trunk.

simonk982d ago

Huh, that's actually a good point. Does the footlock really make that much difference vs just wrapping your legs around?