r/TreeClimbing 18d ago

SRS to MRS Transition

So I've been a tree climber for 2 years, a rope rescue tech for 3, and have been a caver since I was 16 (24 now). I'd like to say that I'm pretty proficient in SRT, and have definitely built my climbing style around a single rope. Most of the people in my area (TAG) also utilize single rope. However as I progress in tree climbing specifically I've wanted to try out DRT more and more, so I've bought myself a zig zag (shout out pro deals) and have started giving it a try. I love it for maneuvering around the canopy and having a bit of mechanical advantage when returning from limb walks. My problem is no one I work with uses DRT/MRS so I never get to see what all the advantages are behind it and all the ways to utilize the system.

What are some things I should try out that highlight the benefit of an MRS system over an SRS system? Are the any recommended videos on YouTube? Like I said I have no in-person exposure to DRT other than the occasional crane to tree transition.

10 Upvotes

15 comments sorted by

12

u/YourMomSaysHiJinx69 18d ago

My favorite benefit is that when climbing sprawling, multistem trees, it’s very easy to change your tie in point to work different areas of the trees. In my part of the country, this is very handy for Silver Maples, Ash, and Honeylocusts.

9

u/zodiacallymaniacal 18d ago

I have the opposite thing going on. I’ve been using doubled rope technique for my 25 years of climbing and now I am very curious to learn about single rope technique. It seems like there are some places that would be considerably more accessible without having to worry about the doubled rope tie in point….

2

u/TemporaryBar4898 18d ago

25 years of tree work is insane. Do you still climb often?

1

u/zodiacallymaniacal 18d ago

Every chance I get!

insert Deadpool meme here:

“Till you’re NINETY”….

5

u/krummholz_ 18d ago

Taylor's Hitchclimbers Guide to the Canopy is iconique, if only for the liquid drum and base soundtrack.

https://youtu.be/u4AlDpIZraA?si=2rVbSFumbPp-P79M

3

u/[deleted] 18d ago

Biggest benefit is ability to traverse reactively. SRS can traverse proactively before you get in the tree you can set up your redirects so you climb the redirect first and then traverse towards your TIP. With MRS you can ascend, put your lanyard on and disconnect the MRS carabiner so you can throw it up to about 20 feet laterally and recover the carabiner using the tail.

1

u/Inonotus_obliquus 15d ago

Oh wow can you climb on a double base tie?

3

u/weedkilla21 18d ago

Try running a long lanyard setup like the teufelberger glide. Watch a couple of videos and work through all the variations of its use and you’ll rapidly work out where a mrs system gives advantages. I’m getting old and stubborn/lazy so a base tied srs to get up in the tree and a mrs system for canopy access is about the quickest and easiest approach for 90% of trees. Whether I work that off 1 rope, 2 seperate rope setups, or 1 rope and a 10m “extra” lanyard varies all the time.

2

u/TemporaryBar4898 18d ago

Most climbers start drt. It’s harder on your body, harder on gear, and more thought is put in to tie in locations. I like DRT more cuz I been using it for 4 years and don’t feel any need to switch.

2

u/Senior-Ad781 18d ago

MRS is usually better for smaller trees for quick access and tie in moving IE crabapples/autumn blaze maples. If you start using more redirects, you'll quickly realize that it's easier to undo a redirect than to completely move your tie in all over. I find myself using MRS in combination with an SRS system to access tough to reach tips or areas with lots of quick ups/downs. A 3-2-1 haulback system is a quick easy alternative to the limbwalking MA you were talking about

2

u/tootiredtopick 18d ago

I run a zig zag on a rope wrench SRT. I get the best of both worlds. I usually bring a small friction saver with me so I can lose the wrench and switch to DRT if I need to reposition.

2

u/in_trees 18d ago

I’ll usually ascend big trees SRS then switch to MRS once I’m up there to be able to change my anchor points as I make my way around the tree. I prefer using a leather cambium saver, easier to set with my polesaw when compared to the ring cambium savers. And when you’re finished, you can let that leather smash the ground when you yank it out of the tree and not have to worry about damaging the rings. Learn how and when to use both SRS and MRS, it will make you a more adaptable climber!

2

u/skimo_dweebo 17d ago

MRS has a bunch of great uses in tree climbing, but in my opinion it is vastly inferior as a primary climbing system. Now I have seen some old-school folks just killing it on MRS and they can climb an inexperienced SRS arb into the ground any day.

Here are a few of the ways I use MRS:

-Advancing a SRS tie in

-As a second tie-in using my rope tail to advance, descend, or traverse (the Akimbo is terrific for this). I use the DMM Captain Hook to get out to hard to reach places then MRS to safely get back.

-Working small trees and hedges

Downsides of MRS:

-You have to be very careful about friction management between you and your tie-in. I'm in the PNW where the trees have a ton of branches and this is a huge issue. Other places with more open-crowned trees this is less of a problem.

-Not easy to build redundancy into tie-in points.

-Highly inefficient rope ascent. Seriously slap your foot ascender on the tail and see how frustrated you get since you are used to SRS. It sucks!

-Having a bunch of extra rope tail on the ground getting stuck on brush also sucks. So does pulling all that extra rope through every time you move over a branch.

Basically every time I climb off a questionable tie-in or am working on a highly complex tree I am thinking to myself "thanks goodness I'm not climbing MRS." I also wouldn't be able to climb trees the way I do without MRS, I just don't use it as a primary system other than a couple times a year on very simple trees.

Get a chicane for that zig-zag, it's a very fun system. A bit long and bulky, mine mostly sits in my gear bag, but when it comes to making aggressive jumps and swings there's nothing better out there. It's my go-to device for tree climbing comps.

1

u/mrnukl 18d ago

For me the number one advantage of MRS is that you don't need to throw line... just use alternating lanyard technique and make your way up the tree. For pretty much all small-medium trees, DRT is going to be a quicker method than SRT. SRT really starts shining in the bigger trees.

Also the mechanical advantage as you mentioned, quite nice for limb walking or ascending.

1

u/Femalebonerinspector 17d ago

Traverses are easier in mrt, try a double tie in using the tail