pole-twista started this discussion ·
I am dying to purchase aerial silks as classes are too expensive, but totally fell in love w it and no way for me to rig silks or aerial hoop indoors so my only hope is rigging from a tree in the park I have found NO YT vids on how to do this or any other help for that matter.. any advice?
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Kobajo84 ·
http://www.laurawitwer.com/2013/08/01/rigging-from-trees-magical-or-moronic/ The best advice I can give is make sure a certified arborist assesses the tree to be sure it really is safe. Once it is deemed safe, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVBTbb5Blms http://aerialempowerment.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-rig-aerial-apparatuses-from.html
ty so much! :D
I personally am not a fan of tying off to the tree trunk: 1) it puts a lot of pressure on your climbing rope, you have to buy a rope rated for dynamic loads (more expensive) opposed to a static load (not to mention it gets full of tree sap) 2) tree branches are rarely smooth, the rope jugging back and forth across the tree branch can cause it to fray, sometimes very suddenly. 3) because trunks are round ropes can ride up and cause slip especially during heavy falls, so that drop you thought you had 5ft of clearance on suddenly goes down to 1ft ideally you can get up into the tree and set a proper sling with a guard on it to prevent rub to do this you will need a basic climbing harness and rope, plus either a mechanical ascender (with atc/gri gri pair for decent) or 2 prusiks knots (always use 2 climb ropes so you have a safety in case of failure) here is a video demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQgF-thouXY there are generally aborists schools that will offer weekend courses on how to do basic tree ascend, learning how to safely do your own rigging is an invaluable tool for any aerialists.
Ty so much! I am so frustrated wanting to silk & can't indoors so will have to see what I can do to make this as safe as possible ty for your help!
Have you considered an outdoor rig? They are pricey but can be moved around essentially anywhere outdoors (or indoors with the right clearance) and are built specifically for doing aerials. A friend recently purchased one (http://www.damnhot.com/trapeze/New_port_rig.htm) and I have used it, it was awesome and a new experience! I've attached a picture on it! I feel safe on it and the best part, you don't have to rely on a tree. I've seen people use it on the beach. Rigging to trees, as cool as I've always thought it looks, is just too much of a gamble for me. If you do choose to do that, I second with Kobajo, please make sure a professional arborist takes a look at the tree and limb you want to use!
Oops! I did not expect the pic to be so huge and it isn't even the full thing where you can see the rig, I'm sorry! The website I linked will prob be a better reference!
lol ty vm :)
And yes I will look into an independent rig ty for the advice
Kobajo84 ·
After reading that blog post I posted, I don't rig to trees anymore. That terrified me. I had a tree I rigged to at the park and after reading that, it really opened my eyes to looking more at the tree and assessing it's structure. There were some warning signs that didn't sit well with me so I no longer rig from my favorite tree. Just too much risk. I'm doing enough risky moves in the air with the fabric, adding a possible tree rigging mishap that would crush and kill me was not something I wanted to constantly have on my conscience. Something to think about.
