Rant: I used to climb with a basic lanyard setup for years, but a close call in a big oak in Springfield changed my mind.

I was doing a removal on a 90-foot white oak last fall and my old lanyard slipped on a smooth branch. I caught myself, but it was way too close. The next day I bought a Buckingham Ergo with the double locking snaps and I won't go back. Has anyone else made a specific gear switch after a scare?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.christopher2mo ago

My old steel-core flipline gave out on a maple limb back in '18, sounded like a gunshot. I spent the next week climbing with the shakes, feeling like a total rookie. Ended up switching to a rope lanyard with a tight eye splice and a proper pulley adjuster. The difference in how it grabs, especially on wet bark, is just night and day. I still get a little twitchy thinking about that old setup.

bell.evan2mo ago

Yeah, I was all about steel core until something similar happened.