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Got called out on my climbing line placement by a guy at a comp in Knoxville

I was at a regional tree climbing comp last fall, feeling pretty good about my speed. After my work climb, this older climber from a different crew pulled me aside. He said, 'Kid, you're fast, but you're putting your line over a weak union every time. One good gust and you're on the ground.' He showed me how he looks for the 'triangle' of strong branches, not just the first high point. I went home and practiced in my backyard oak for like a month, forcing myself to ignore the easy spots. Now I take an extra 30 seconds to really look up and pick a solid anchor. It feels way safer, even if it's slower. Anyone else have a small tip that totally changed how you set a line?
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3 Comments
faith_perez
That triangle thing is huge, I started counting three solid contact points before I even throw now.
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owens.river
My old coach used to drill that triangle setup into us. He said if your feet, hips, and shoulders aren't all locked in, the throw goes anywhere.
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the_joseph
the_joseph29d ago
Triangle rule saved my shoulder too.
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