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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 climbers

or 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 some

common 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 of storage. Also, instructional videos thatinclude some discussion of throwline useare available from both ISA and NAA.

Getting Ready Always wear a helmet and eye protectionwhen using a throwline. For the setup of thethrowline, I prefer to have a throw weight at

each 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.

Throwing A 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

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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-leashsnap to the throwline just

above tw1. Pull the ropeand tw1 into the tree and

 just over the target branch.

Tie the other end of the 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 the

ground in the same paththat it followed the firsttime.

Figure 2. Walking the throw weight.Snap the string so that the throw weight 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 proper

alignment.

The Loop Trick

1.Let tw1 fall to the groundin 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

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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 of the 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 StickTie 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 Bag  With 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 of the string. Try adding a carabiner or a sec-ond throw weight for greater response.

Throwlines can eliminate a great amount of climbing and can be a big time saver, but

they 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 of techniques 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 to

the 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 of 

Tree 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 Gere for his suggestionsand comments onthis article.

•N

Climbers’ Corner