Tree Climbing: Line Launching with a Crossbow

This video describes some of the techniques used to put a climbing rope high in the canopy of trees with reliable branches that are at least 160' from the ground. 

The whole setup involves four main elements. The 150lb compound crossbow, and a large mounted open face fishing reel, fiberglass bowfishing arrows with a duct taped tip, and 20lb test Berkeley Fireline.




Any use of a handgun can be very dangerous. Please seek qualified instruction before handling handguns of any kind, and especially crossbows. 

Simpler techniques to access lower branches exist and can be found in our other videos on this channel. For more information about this method contact Mark directly at mh45@cornell.edu

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Tree Climbing
• Canopy Research
• Berkeley
• Whitaker Forest
• Cornell
• Seed Collection
• Redwoods
• line launching
• crossbow
• fishing line
• zing-it
• CCrilley

[IkickPUPPIES4fun]

could you not use the zing it line on the reel? I am thinking of using a system like this for spikeless pruning to save time but it wont be much of a time saver running 2 lines and rope through every crotch lol

[CornellTreeClimbing]

@IkickPUPPIES4fun Unless you are pruning really really big trees I think it would be a lot easier to use a slingshot line launcher like the BigShot.

[snakeman12ify]

what type of crossbow did you use

[CornellTreeClimbing]

@snakeman12ify Ours is an Eagle IV 150lb compound

[CornellTreeClimbing]

@BatmanProject777 Re: the arrow nock, it isn't really necessary. We loose arrows fairly often, and it's just more money for more equipment that vanishes into the trees.

[CornellTreeClimbing]

@BatmanProject777 Well...yes...I have seen the edges of cut /snapped limbs. However, even the worst tree edges that I've seen aren't bad compared to the broken edge of masonry or the edge of a cliff that you might see in an industrial rope access project. Also consider that we almost always use a tube style friction saver or separate anchor on a limb. Contact on a lower limb is tangential, easier to see, and you'd feel significant drag as you pulled up your rope.

[BatmanProject777]

@CornellTreeClimbing Interesting answer......haven't you ever seen the edge on the end of a cut limb ?....kinda hard, jagged and sharp in some cases. Also some bark is horribly abrasive to ropes. As well, a tree may have a nail, or other various metal hardware pieces hunters possibly may use and leave. I'm not trying to prove anyone wrong, just that the premise that trees don't have sharp edges is a little short sighted. ( in my opinion ) By the way, why no nock on the arrow ?

[CornellTreeClimbing]

@ihallow We never had the line get cut while firing. The line to use is expensive, but by far the best option: Berkeley Fireline, 20lb test.

[ihallow]

When firing, line cutting not?

[CornellTreeClimbing]

@gpetleskov The answer is that this is...both. We are recreational tree climbers - not a job. However, even Arborists climb with a single rope - that is a job. This practice is reasonably safe because trees don't have sharp edges that might otherwise cut your rope, and the anchor points tend to be very strong. Once into the tree, having multiple connections is a common practice.