First of all you dont let a new beginner lineman climb a 90 foot pole thats for real experienced lineman im a retired lineman 32yrs service to dixie electric membership corporation baton rouge louisiana
@@tinkerwatts7343 why the hell not? Maybe not on his few times but after that they’re good to go. The equipment won’t fail so it doesn’t matter if you kick out at 90 feet or at 9. I’m a lineman as well. Not for as long but that doesn’t matter in this instance .
@@bobbyb608 Speaking specifically about towers yes but that's a ladder so not the same as wearing hooks. Distribution, tree workers definitely climb higher on the daily. 90 foot trees are common you must live in a desert.
+John Purple That's the point I was about to make. I have been in telecom for 25 years now and I never even saw an 85 footer not ever! Now I have a cushy inside Government Telecom Engineer position with my County so my spurs are nice and rusty. I have to admit tho, I sure do miss the great outdoors and fresh air :( BUT HEY! I'm an old man now so I don't miss the weather! ha :) Yayyy!
lol very true im a heavy guy and im in the LATTC climbing program ... and i think all the fat guys like myself get skinny since you en up realizing this shit is no joke hahaha ....ive lost 70 lbs prior to entering the program and looking to lose another 90 lbs before it ends .....i would be at 220 @ 6'2 granted im no a flabby 310 i always was a powerlifter ...but for this i have to cut the weight and say fuck the power lifting and eating like a hogg...respect for this 100%
Pfffffft! FOLKS GIVE ME A DAMN BREAK! Justin you did great and just ignore 95% of the criticism that you have read on this thread! "learn to free climb"?
When I went through the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company’s Pole Climbing School back in 1968, we were taught to “Free Climb” up and down the pole using only our hands to hold the pole and our gaffs. We did not put the climbing belt around the pole until we climbed to the height where we were going to work. After working at the height we climbed to, we unstrapped the belt and “Free Climbed” down the pole. The new Bucksqueeze climbing belt used in this video is so much safer for pole climbers to use. Great invention and I’m sure it has saved lives and prevented major injuries from falling due to gaffs cutting out from the pole. Really enjoyed the video. Your climbing skills demonstrated were awesome. Good luck in your new career!
Were you in Washington state when you went to school and worked? My grandpa worked for the same company in Washington and the year you went to school lines up when my grandpa was working
I went through my apprenticeship 16 years ago without the buck squeeze or any of that. There is nothing better when you are finished with your work rhan to unhook that safety and climb down.
Free climbing is permitted anymore by OSHA in an attempt to keep lineman safer. I've been a lineman in Puerto Rico for 15 years and just this January our company changed our belts for these pole choker belts. You did an excellent job up / down and in good time it's not a race it's a job.
We never had belts for climbing, only to lock in at height. 30+ years in New England and any cut out where the belt pulled you to the pole ended with huge splinters. Not sure if the pole chokers eliminate this but I miss it regardless
Excellent technique!!! As a former tower climber go to be a wire tech for AT&T the only thing I do differently is never put anything through the D ring, ever. I've been up at 245' and had to free climb. I had two lanyards excess through my D ring and had to clip back on. Since the two lanyards were taking up the space I panicked for about a half a second looking to get my clip on facing out.....Still you did a fantastic textbook perfect job even waiting to relax and lower your heart rate 10 out of 10
+Beachnative42 No his technique wasnt. His feet were far too close and needs to be in the quarters. And he needs to be looking up not at his feet especially doing power. You can hit your head on a line or anything when you look at our feet and not up. What was excellent though was powering through his skittishness to climb up there.
Footing could be a tad wider but nothing to get in a twist about. If he is new then looking up occasionally is always a good idea but for the most part a great climb for someone doing it for the first few or so climb. Hell I've seen 30 year line man not climb as safe as this guy
I worked on telephone lines when I was in the Marines back in the 1970s. The great majority of the time we used pole steps or a bucket truck, but every now and then there was no getting away from having to gaff up a pole. I never did it often enough to feel fully comfortable with it and, yes, it is a far more intense experience in actuality than this video shows. Gaffing down was always a big leap of faith for me, too. I'm almost 65 now and fatter than I was at age eighteen. Getting atop a 25 foot ladder is a very big deal for me these days!
For me it was always the first step down that was the hardest but once I got past the first motion with the belt it’s pretty easy going down. Matter of fact, that anytime I stopped going up or down (especially the higher I was) starting again was the only hard part, except for getting physically tired haha.
If u lean back or lengthen your lanyard you can get more travel in each movement and take bigger steps. Also lesson your chances of getting out due to your gaffer pointing in towards the pole instead of more straight down. That should take off time and stress of you climb. Loosen the bucksqueeze some too.
That’s the problem I have right now. I’m currently in school and I rarely lengthen the lanyard. I exhaust so much energy from keeping close to the pole.
I never have climbed shit like that but I have done some things that don't look on video like they do and feel in real life. hear that breeze pick up. that's right about when the legs start to burn a bit the arms feel good but pump and u still gotta make it the rest of the way up and control yourself back down. way to stay collected my man good job. I can't imagine getting up there and then working on dangerous shit I don't even like to change a light switch when the breaker is off hahahaha
Hello, I wanted to kindly remind you that I sent you a message regarding your video. Please see my previous message. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Back in the day i did plenty of 30 footers with no belts but never a 90. 30 was plenty high. Amazing how everything seems higher looking down than looking up.
I cane hear the old man that taught me to climb. " Come on GRUNT! What, are you eating lunch up there? No matter how fast I climbed or worked. He only learned my name after about six months.
I went to climbing school, I've climbed 70's, 80's, H structures, water towers, etc. But over my 15 year career for every pole I've climbed I've dug a hundred holes. Linework around cities and suburbs is 90% underground. If you're afraid of heights, no problem. If you're afraid of holes or mud, you won't make it.
Legend Cox I've learned that if you get 3 feet off the ground and actually TRY to make your shit fail and it holds up, it helps build trust in it. Being 3 feet off the ground is the same as being 300 feet off the ground, it's all the same in the end.
@@wesleyprather91 Right on. It's all mental. I always had a serious fear of heights, but really it was a fear of my equipment failing. Once you get that confidence and lose the mental fear, it's a game changer. Doesn't mean you should be reckless though.
I've never used a bucksqueeze. Seems like they'll work you to death. But you also ain't gonna see me going up 90ft. Nope Nope Nope. I've been up 65ft and that was with the help of my 35ft boom. You guys got big stones.
Not kidding, they used to staple our paychecks to the top of 40ft footers every friday in training, also we had to play "catch" with a nerf football, who ever caused it to drop had to climb down and brngmt back up
Mad Respect to you my friend!! Trust me people, that's a lot harder than it looks! The brain tries to make you panic after 40 feet! That takes brass balls! HUGE brass balls!
Believe it or not I climbed a 90 ft. Pole on a dare as a groundman for the lineman during our lunch break, in 1971 while working at that time for KCPL. I survived but was shaking all over.
During "Lineschool" we had a Pole Yard with 5 -40 ft. poles out back of the school . Had to spend 1 afternoon shaving them down with Drawknives. Hahahahaha. they had been ......CLIMBED to DEATH. Last job I did , 30 yrs. later was Changing BELLS The poles were mostly 90's, on a switch-yard D.E. OLD MAN up the STICK. lol Cheers L.U.#1928
Squeezes suck when your on a cluttered backyard pole full of dips and standoffs. Wears you out. Climbing bare poles they are nice. Dirty poles, I'd rather free climb. That will get you run off these days. This is the new way. Not much of a problem climbing up to the telephone or cable. Go over those, then over secondaries and up to the primary or neutral. Now you're working
I have NW construction Grunts that would have hit the dirt before you made the top. Everyone wants to be a Lineman these days.. Keep it up though. Speed comes with experience. Tip of the day: Step in the quarter and stay centered, always looking up. You will be much smoother up the pole. P.S. I only grunt like that when I'm digging in hardpan dirt. One more thing- You better be IBEW or you are a sewer rat.
I’m in lineman school right now and we just had day 1 of climbing and my fear of heights kicks in at around 10-12ft. How can I overcome this fear and be able to climb all 45ft of the pole?
Had the same problem, just gotta tell yourself you literally have to do it so you might as well just do it. Sing a song hum whatever. Promise you the best feeling is overcoming that fear. If it’s easier on you don’t look directly up cuz then you know ur almost to ur breaking point. Look almost eye level but a little bit higher and go. To the point you can still see what your coming up on
@@alexaviles1646 2nd day of climbing went better. I felt more comfortable being up at 10 ft but the hard part for me is getting myself to keep going up.
@@lairdt it’s unnatural to just pick it up for most people. Just don’t give up on it. It’s gonna take some time. Take a rope up with ya and tie it where you are uncomfortable. Go down. Come back up and tie it higher than you did previously
I don't like to admit weakness, but I don't know if I could do that. I hate heights. Just watching that made me feel that wierd feeling I get when I'm high up. Good job though. Were you nervous the first time you climbed that high?
I just failed my climbing test. Definitely harder then it looks. First time in hooks and they wanted me to 360 the pole at 10' 15' and 20' each time within 5mins. FAIL!
Your feet are too close together and you want to look up as you climb. Feet are supposed to be in the quarters of the pole especially if its a clean pole like the one you are climbing. I understand you are new. Good work getting up there, I would just work on those habits.
Thank the lord I'm not a lineman, but I went to school to be one!! In 1996 I went to tech school and for the next two years I was an apprentice. Pole climbing school for me was a splintered tooth pick that we had to climb without fall protection and without belting off. I can't remember what the final test height was, but we had to free climb to the top passing over one crossarm. Once you got to the top you belted in and did a 180 around the pole and came down. I even heard that they took a 9 month program and turned it into a 2 year program. Dakota County Tech MN
I’m a pole tester for BT in the UK. Do you Americans have these roles? As in the testing of the structure of the pole to ensure it’s safe to climb etc?
(I'll have to jot this down fast because I'm cooking dinner at the moment) Long story short. Right out of the Marine Corp back in the early 70's, the first job I got was building the 'new' cable TV system in the U.S., specifically the east coast. When hired, was asked if I knew how to "climb a pole?" I said, of course I do. I had never climbed a pole in my life...got the job, figured it out. Anyways, during my work building the aerial cable TV system in what we used to refer to as the 'sweet wine days' (because we made a shit ton of money) I easily climbed 1000's of 'sticks' between runnin' strand, lacing cable and splicing boxes. Towards the end of my climbing days I was working in El Paso, Tx where we were doing a highway crossing on Interstate 10. They had planted two 90' poles (minus what they had to put in the ground) perpendicular to and between the East/West direction of the highway and we had to install an 'X' pole support between the two poles that were going to carry the cable crossing over the highway. Me and another guy (cannot remember his name, but he was a hard workin' Mexican fella) FREE climbed those poles...meaning, only my old Bashlin gaffs, Belt (can't remember if it was a Buckingham or a Bashlin's) and strap. And both of us were up there for quite awhile sorting out the placement of everything...enough so that the scariest part of the whole thing was the climb DOWN, not the climb up. Why?...for me it was the fact that I had lost most of the feeling in my feet and could only feel pins and needles. I could barely feel the gaffs and their 'bite' each and every step I took down to the ground. To be honest, neither of us should have had done it. We'll chalk it up to 'Young and Invincible'. Thanks for sharing a darn good climb pard'! Glad you got back down to the ground Safe and sound. : - )
Coming down is always the best part😅. I'm an underground cable splicer and I'm forced to be a climber😢. We work on overhead stuff occasionally, so I have to be in my hooks from time to time. It's not a pretty sight (and I'm terrified of heights)
good old bucksqueeze. att tech. we have to use them. I wasn't around for the free climbing days. the way we get trained, shifting the belt and our steps is a lot more cumbersome then just going straight up like you are. good job man.
I’m still in climbing school, but I’ll never forget climbing a 70ft pole. It was our second week and I went first, I got 2:42 and thought that was good. Next kid up boasted a 1:23😂
Hi Justin, did you have to get any sort of approval for filming this? I know my company worries about lineman's safety and doesn't allow GoPros because they can be conductive. Did you somehow make yours non-conductive? Super cool video nonetheless!
Good thing you didn't gaff/spike/spur your calf or ankle and wreck a pair of socks. It's the sudden deceleration when you hit the ground that often results in irreversible damage, not the height. Stay safe 100% cause the loss of work, pain and opioid induced constipation isn't worth the risk.
When they taught us pole climbing at SNET in CT during the late 80s when I went they did not let you climb like this. You had to maintain 3point contact at all times until you were belted in.. Very strenuous and awkward. My older coworkers said if you ever have to climb a pole you will never do it like that again unless the boss is there.
It's amazing. I couldn't do this now. In 1998 I did the same climb free style as part of my training. You belted in at the top. Cutting out was wild. Guy would walk off the pole yard.
Was his hand sopposed to be holding pole on descend? It appears as though his upper torso was to close to the pole? Am I seeing why he fell correctly? Please excuse my ignorance. Im genuinely interested.
I don't do this no more but back when I did we never climbed up using the belt and climbing down I was up a 90 footer real quick and came down real quick , if we used a belt our journeymen would never let you hear the end of it.....now days I cannot get 15 ft off the ground without my knees getting weak lol
All the new guys thats all they know is stop falls so its easier for them.. It's not a bad thing but to try and make someone who's always free climbed or just hitched up the pole with a regular buck strap it's kind of like teaching someone how to walk again. It feels very restricting and aggravating.
A lot more intense than it looks, especially if you're a new climber
i felt like it looked more intense on this video. than i tried it out and it wasnt so bad
First of all you dont let a new beginner lineman climb a 90 foot pole thats for real experienced lineman im a retired lineman 32yrs service to dixie electric membership corporation baton rouge louisiana
2nd week of climbing I climbed a 65’ pole and did a crossover about shit my pants but after that 35’ poles seemed like nothing
Looked pretty damn intense to me. 😬
@@tinkerwatts7343 why the hell not? Maybe not on his few times but after that they’re good to go. The equipment won’t fail so it doesn’t matter if you kick out at 90 feet or at 9. I’m a lineman as well. Not for as long but that doesn’t matter in this instance .
now that i have a job with at&t climbing only 24-26 feet up. i have even more respect for these lineman
jaylaces try tree work them guys go higher than lineman. I went from power line clearance to now cable line work to get into the power side soon
jaylaces what do you do for atnt
DKTA- tree guys climb higher than linemen? RARELY. idk about you, but I’ve never seen a 500 foot tree. Or rarely see 90ft trees
25ft ? Damn that’s the shortest pole at northwest lineman college
@@bobbyb608 Speaking specifically about towers yes but that's a ladder so not the same as wearing hooks. Distribution, tree workers definitely climb higher on the daily. 90 foot trees are common you must live in a desert.
This is why you don't see many fat linemen. In 17 years with Kentucky Utilities I climbed an 85 footer once. Good job.
+John Purple That's the point I was about to make. I have been in telecom for 25 years now and I never even saw an 85 footer not ever! Now I have a cushy inside Government Telecom Engineer position with my County so my spurs are nice and rusty. I have to admit tho, I sure do miss the great outdoors and fresh air :( BUT HEY! I'm an old man now so I don't miss the weather! ha :) Yayyy!
lol very true im a heavy guy and im in the LATTC climbing program ... and i think all the fat guys like myself get skinny since you en up realizing this shit is no joke hahaha ....ive lost 70 lbs prior to entering the program and looking to lose another 90 lbs before it ends .....i would be at 220 @ 6'2 granted im no a flabby 310 i always was a powerlifter ...but for this i have to cut the weight and say fuck the power lifting and eating like a hogg...respect for this 100%
I resent that I'm a chubby lineman for Metronet on Lexington ky .an I kno fat lineman that work for at&t
Verizon here. Lost quite a few pounds climbing. The less I way the easier it is. Love the new super squeeze climbing safety belts
😅😅😅⚡⚡
Pfffffft! FOLKS GIVE ME A DAMN BREAK! Justin you did great and just ignore 95% of the criticism that you have read on this thread! "learn to free climb"?
The hardest part for him was climbing up with those enormous testacles
hardest part was climbing with that bucksqeeze choking the pole out
@@bornandraised66 it's nice but a pain sometimes
@@brickmason5295 that's a negatory brother. I would rather give the brown some slack to where it's barely touching the pole so it's easier to climb
@@bornandraised66 I hear ya! I grew up spanking that thing..lol.. hitch hiking...made it interesting climbing over obstacles..
Same here bro
When I went through the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company’s Pole Climbing School back in 1968, we were taught to “Free Climb” up and down the pole using only our hands to hold the pole and our gaffs. We did not put the climbing belt around the pole until we climbed to the height where we were going to work. After working at the height we climbed to, we unstrapped the belt and “Free Climbed” down the pole.
The new Bucksqueeze climbing belt used in this video is so much safer for pole climbers to use. Great invention and I’m sure it has saved lives and prevented major injuries from falling due to gaffs cutting out from the pole.
Really enjoyed the video. Your climbing skills demonstrated were awesome. Good luck in your new career!
I wouldn't be able to free climb transmission poles. These 90 and 100 foot plus poles are brutal on you.
Were you in Washington state when you went to school and worked? My grandpa worked for the same company in Washington and the year you went to school lines up when my grandpa was working
Fun fact: people were free climbing up until 2015 when osha made 100% safety up and down a thing.
Look at that. An old school journeyman who isn't a dick.
I went through my apprenticeship 16 years ago without the buck squeeze or any of that. There is nothing better when you are finished with your work rhan to unhook that safety and climb down.
dam id probably be good going up but theyd probably have to get a lift to get my ass down lol
+Nick 636n8r (stuntn24-7) Going down was much easier.
Yah going downs not the issue it’s dealing with the height. If you can get up your good
Getting to the ground is nothing. Just cut out. Lol
like a Cat in a tree.
goind down is worse for me (Tree climber), dont know why, but its near impossible for me to come down on spikes, I just set a rappel line usually
The way he sounds climbing that pole is me walking up 3 steps 😂
Free climbing is permitted anymore by OSHA in an attempt to keep lineman safer. I've been a lineman in Puerto Rico for 15 years and just this January our company changed our belts for these pole choker belts. You did an excellent job up / down and in good time it's not a race it's a job.
bucksqueeze
Fast up faster done
We never had belts for climbing, only to lock in at height. 30+ years in New England and any cut out where the belt pulled you to the pole ended with huge splinters. Not sure if the pole chokers eliminate this but I miss it regardless
"Free climbing is permitted by OSHA anymore"
I take he meant it 'isnt' permitted anymore?
@@flaccidego4291 Yes, thinking the same thing
Dag boss, I’m still nervous at my 32feet
Been climbing for 3 days
Excellent technique!!! As a former tower climber go to be a wire tech for AT&T the only thing I do differently is never put anything through the D ring, ever. I've been up at 245' and had to free climb. I had two lanyards excess through my D ring and had to clip back on. Since the two lanyards were taking up the space I panicked for about a half a second looking to get my clip on facing out.....Still you did a fantastic textbook perfect job even waiting to relax and lower your heart rate 10 out of 10
+Beachnative42 No his technique wasnt. His feet were far too close and needs to be in the quarters. And he needs to be looking up not at his feet especially doing power. You can hit your head on a line or anything when you look at our feet and not up. What was excellent though was powering through his skittishness to climb up there.
+Beachnative42 And yes the advice about the D ring is accurate even though I am guilty of climbing with a chainsaw tied to mine.
Footing could be a tad wider but nothing to get in a twist about. If he is new then looking up occasionally is always a good idea but for the most part a great climb for someone doing it for the first few or so climb. Hell I've seen 30 year line man not climb as safe as this guy
a wire tech??? sorry to hear that. hope you've got out of there. worst position in the company
Beachnative42 XXI
I worked on telephone lines when I was in the Marines back in the 1970s. The great majority of the time we used pole steps or a bucket truck, but every now and then there was no getting away from having to gaff up a pole. I never did it often enough to feel fully comfortable with it and, yes, it is a far more intense experience in actuality than this video shows. Gaffing down was always a big leap of faith for me, too.
I'm almost 65 now and fatter than I was at age eighteen. Getting atop a 25 foot ladder is a very big deal for me these days!
For me it was always the first step down that was the hardest but once I got past the first motion with the belt it’s pretty easy going down. Matter of fact, that anytime I stopped going up or down (especially the higher I was) starting again was the only hard part, except for getting physically tired haha.
And yet they still conduct "rodeos" that focus on speed. Speed does not have any place in the vocabulary for a lineman for a reason.
Yeah, you need that overtime 😂
If u lean back or lengthen your lanyard you can get more travel in each movement and take bigger steps. Also lesson your chances of getting out due to your gaffer pointing in towards the pole instead of more straight down. That should take off time and stress of you climb. Loosen the bucksqueeze some too.
That’s the problem I have right now. I’m currently in school and I rarely lengthen the lanyard. I exhaust so much energy from keeping close to the pole.
Same. I tend to make too many small movements. That said, sliding down the pole hurts enough that I tend to be overly cautious
Yea loose up the lanyard you’ll be able glide up alittle faster
Almost dropped my phone from sweaty hands
I have drop a bunch of flashlights
I never have climbed shit like that but I have done some things that don't look on video like they do and feel in real life. hear that breeze pick up. that's right about when the legs start to burn a bit the arms feel good but pump and u still gotta make it the rest of the way up and control yourself back down. way to stay collected my man good job. I can't imagine getting up there and then working on dangerous shit I don't even like to change a light switch when the breaker is off hahahaha
Hello,
I wanted to kindly remind you that I sent you a message regarding your video. Please see my previous message.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Back in the day i did plenty of 30 footers with no belts but never a 90. 30 was plenty high. Amazing how everything seems higher looking down than looking up.
Done no belt a couple of times, I will keep it from now on
I cane hear the old man that taught me to climb. " Come on GRUNT! What, are you eating lunch up there?
No matter how fast I climbed or worked. He only learned my name after about six months.
Taking my pole climb test today, woo!
I'm headed to school in March. Hopefully they work me up to 90 feet holy shit that's high.
I went to climbing school, I've climbed 70's, 80's, H structures, water towers, etc. But over
my 15 year career for every pole I've climbed I've dug a hundred holes. Linework around
cities and suburbs is 90% underground. If you're afraid of heights, no problem. If you're
afraid of holes or mud, you won't make it.
I've got to get over my fear of equipment failure.
Legend Cox I've learned that if you get 3 feet off the ground and actually TRY to make your shit fail and it holds up, it helps build trust in it. Being 3 feet off the ground is the same as being 300 feet off the ground, it's all the same in the end.
@@wesleyprather91 Right on. It's all mental. I always had a serious fear of heights, but really it was a fear of my equipment failing. Once you get that confidence and lose the mental fear, it's a game changer. Doesn't mean you should be reckless though.
You have to undoubtedly trust your equipment
You have to get over that bro or find a new line of work as long as u have it on properly u will b good
Damn right
I can't lie, watching this with headphones on, my sphincter puckered a bit.
Nice work Justin. Thanks for shooting this video. Most people just have no idea what 90' let alone 10' looks like.
How to give someone anxiety
climbing like that will cause you to gaff out more. plus keep your heels 4 to 6 inches apart
Whooo, yall couldn't pay me enough to even attempt this.
This is such a great video, basically the only video on youtube with this camera angle.
I've never used a bucksqueeze. Seems like they'll work you to death. But you also ain't gonna see me going up 90ft. Nope Nope Nope. I've been up 65ft and that was with the help of my 35ft boom. You guys got big stones.
The buck looks complicated, but like anything, once you get used to it you can climb pretty fast with not much hassle. And much better than falling.
I love gaffing dont matter to me the height if u can climb 3 ft an do every thing u need you can do it from 70 ft
Adjusting that bucksqueeze when you don’t know if your gaphs are in at 60 ft is always scary😅
I mean, do we really need electricity?...I say come on down son and lets figure out a better way to do this!
Underground is sketchy
They have another way, after you get out of school you hardly ever climb poles anymore
@@t0xicity09 What? What do you mean?
@@hannahgarcia8645 bucket trucks are the thing now, you only climb a lot if you are a low level apprentice
It looks hard on the body, knees specifically. How many years does a typical lineman do this for?
They don’t do this everyday. Climbing is usually only used when you can’t get the bucket somewhere
How did it feel climbing 90feet . I climb 45 and it’s pretty sketchy lol
I know, I can't imagine being a transmission lineman and having to do that
Well, it’s obvious the guy is not afraid of heights that win no man gonna knock him down straight up
I’m a tree climber. So this shit is easy to me I climb 100ft daily😂 but I’m looking into becoming a lineman for the pay. I bet I’ll A’s the pole test.
Not kidding, they used to staple our paychecks to the top of 40ft footers every friday in training, also we had to play "catch" with a nerf football, who ever caused it to drop had to climb down and brngmt back up
Mad Respect to you my friend!! Trust me people, that's a lot harder than it looks! The brain tries to make you panic after 40 feet! That takes brass balls! HUGE brass balls!
Are you being timed? im thinkinh of attending Northwest Lineman college in Denton, TX
I admire you. I could not do this..the height alone freaks me out
Believe it or not I climbed a 90 ft. Pole on a dare as a groundman for the lineman during our lunch break, in 1971 while working at that time for KCPL. I survived but was shaking all over.
During "Lineschool" we had a Pole Yard with 5 -40 ft. poles out back of the school . Had to spend 1 afternoon shaving them down with Drawknives. Hahahahaha. they had been ......CLIMBED to DEATH. Last job I did , 30 yrs. later was Changing BELLS The poles were mostly 90's, on a switch-yard D.E. OLD MAN up the STICK. lol Cheers L.U.#1928
Yup I'd be scared even with the buck squeeze
I have pole climbed and that’s the best advise......trust your equipment. I always doubted that those gaffs could hold me up but they do. 👍
I can’t imagine free climbing this, you couldn’t pay me enough money😂
I have such a big appreciation for people who do this type of work, keep it safe out there
Squeezes suck when your on a cluttered backyard pole full of dips and standoffs. Wears you out. Climbing bare poles they are nice. Dirty poles, I'd rather free climb. That will get you run off these days. This is the new way. Not much of a problem climbing up to the telephone or cable. Go over those, then over secondaries and up to the primary or neutral. Now you're working
I don't care what anyone says, this takes balls
ncurc 97 nope, it’s like walking down steps
Lineman are ballsie sob
I have NW construction Grunts that would have hit the dirt before you made the top. Everyone wants to be a Lineman these days.. Keep it up though. Speed comes with experience. Tip of the day: Step in the quarter and stay centered, always looking up. You will be much smoother up the pole. P.S. I only grunt like that when I'm digging in hardpan dirt. One more thing- You better be IBEW or you are a sewer rat.
I have a hard time looking up constantly
The brotherhood is the shit
I've been in the cable business going on 3 years and I've gaffed more poles than I can recall but I still loathe putting the hooks on.
All the fiber techs in my group do t gaff at all I'm only one an they dont even get on ladders they just call me
Damn when they said super squeeze they didn't mean super squeeze against the pole lol
It would take all day on a 120'. Never had to do with bucksqueeze. Safety first, getting paid and coming home safe.
This guys needs to learn not to slap the pole with his gaffs.
Climbing with those strap looks like a hassle.
Better hassle than to live in a wheelchair or worse a coffin.
Living in coffins sucks, just ask Dracula!
It's a rush I love going to work just because of that
That's y we get paid the big bucks duh
My husband climbs 600' telecommunication towers...
I had a friend who would freeclimb 80' and sit on the top of he pole, I never figured out who he made the transition....
Those skinny guy in the tribe run up and grab a coconut without a belt. Nice work, watching from my couch
I’m in lineman school right now and we just had day 1 of climbing and my fear of heights kicks in at around 10-12ft. How can I overcome this fear and be able to climb all 45ft of the pole?
Had the same problem, just gotta tell yourself you literally have to do it so you might as well just do it. Sing a song hum whatever. Promise you the best feeling is overcoming that fear. If it’s easier on you don’t look directly up cuz then you know ur almost to ur breaking point. Look almost eye level but a little bit higher and go. To the point you can still see what your coming up on
@@alexaviles1646 thank you man! I will definitely try that
@@lairdt let me know how it goes brother
@@alexaviles1646 2nd day of climbing went better. I felt more comfortable being up at 10 ft but the hard part for me is getting myself to keep going up.
@@lairdt it’s unnatural to just pick it up for most people. Just don’t give up on it. It’s gonna take some time. Take a rope up with ya and tie it where you are uncomfortable. Go down. Come back up and tie it higher than you did previously
I don't like to admit weakness, but I don't know if I could do that. I hate heights. Just watching that made me feel that wierd feeling I get when I'm high up. Good job though. Were you nervous the first time you climbed that high?
I thought you were climbing to fix some power lines or something. Was that all for sport or is this training of some kind?
training
Lineman A school - in the description. If you want to be a Lineman you gotta be able to read.
Not true
I ain't never meet a pole I couldn't read
You gotta have a good set of bols to do that my man!
I just failed my climbing test. Definitely harder then it looks. First time in hooks and they wanted me to 360 the pole at 10' 15' and 20' each time within 5mins. FAIL!
Just Fun Gaming that's easy bro lol
Practice practice practice
Your feet are too close together and you want to look up as you climb. Feet are supposed to be in the quarters of the pole especially if its a clean pole like the one you are climbing. I understand you are new. Good work getting up there, I would just work on those habits.
dont think he asked for your worthless opinion
Pappi champaigne dont think he asked for YOUR worthless opinion either :)
+Rondo Cat I don't this he asked for your worthless opinion either
I know this post is 2 years old now but my question is, what tricks/pointers do you recommend for keeping the gaffs digging into your legs?
My instructor would be yelling at me to look up the whole time 😂
Thank the lord I'm not a lineman, but I went to school to be one!! In 1996 I went to tech school and for the next two years I was an apprentice. Pole climbing school for me was a splintered tooth pick that we had to climb without fall protection and without belting off. I can't remember what the final test height was, but we had to free climb to the top passing over one crossarm. Once you got to the top you belted in and did a 180 around the pole and came down.
I even heard that they took a 9 month program and turned it into a 2 year program. Dakota County Tech MN
I pray before I even sink a gaff
40k views? you're famous!
I don't know why...but I can step-throw-step-throw without thought up to about 35 feet. After that I start step-step-throw like you do.
I’m a pole tester for BT in the UK. Do you Americans have these roles? As in the testing of the structure of the pole to ensure it’s safe to climb etc?
Nice work the poles look pretty easy compare to palm trees I've done. But both have respect for.
(I'll have to jot this down fast because I'm cooking dinner at the moment) Long story short. Right out of the Marine Corp back in the early 70's, the first job I got was building the 'new' cable TV system in the U.S., specifically the east coast. When hired, was asked if I knew how to "climb a pole?" I said, of course I do. I had never climbed a pole in my life...got the job, figured it out. Anyways, during my work building the aerial cable TV system in what we used to refer to as the 'sweet wine days' (because we made a shit ton of money) I easily climbed 1000's of 'sticks' between runnin' strand, lacing cable and splicing boxes. Towards the end of my climbing days I was working in El Paso, Tx where we were doing a highway crossing on Interstate 10. They had planted two 90' poles (minus what they had to put in the ground) perpendicular to and between the East/West direction of the highway and we had to install an 'X' pole support between the two poles that were going to carry the cable crossing over the highway. Me and another guy (cannot remember his name, but he was a hard workin' Mexican fella) FREE climbed those poles...meaning, only my old Bashlin gaffs, Belt (can't remember if it was a Buckingham or a Bashlin's) and strap. And both of us were up there for quite awhile sorting out the placement of everything...enough so that the scariest part of the whole thing was the climb DOWN, not the climb up. Why?...for me it was the fact that I had lost most of the feeling in my feet and could only feel pins and needles. I could barely feel the gaffs and their 'bite' each and every step I took down to the ground. To be honest, neither of us should have had done it. We'll chalk it up to 'Young and Invincible'. Thanks for sharing a darn good climb pard'! Glad you got back down to the ground Safe and sound. : - )
How bad was it ?how often did you do it on the 90 ? you expected to do it timed?
Was just climbing it the only task
It’s not for everyone. I did it for thirty two years and I only wish we had this kind of safety equipment.
It’s not for everyone. I did it for thirty two years and I only wish we had this kind of safety equipment.
Coming down is always the best part😅. I'm an underground cable splicer and I'm forced to be a climber😢. We work on overhead stuff occasionally, so I have to be in my hooks from time to time. It's not a pretty sight (and I'm terrified of heights)
good old bucksqueeze. att tech. we have to use them. I wasn't around for the free climbing days. the way we get trained, shifting the belt and our steps is a lot more cumbersome then just going straight up like you are. good job man.
gaphing huh, only maintenance techs required here (twc)
I’m still in climbing school, but I’ll never forget climbing a 70ft pole. It was our second week and I went first, I got 2:42 and thought that was good. Next kid up boasted a 1:23😂
Hi Justin, did you have to get any sort of approval for filming this? I know my company worries about lineman's safety and doesn't allow GoPros because they can be conductive. Did you somehow make yours non-conductive? Super cool video nonetheless!
I believe this was in a pole yard used for testing climbers for proficiency and safety. So no lines were ever connected to these poles.
Yeah there's no wires on that arm at the top.
Wheres your hard hat? if this is for a power company which anything over 15 usually is you should be scared NOT to wear it!
Go pro makes hard hat gripping cams
+Benjamin Ampezzan Ive done communication work at 40 feet, and 60 feet before I did power.
at that point a hard hat ain't even gonna do anything.
at that point a hard hat ain't even gonna do anything.
Getting down low 💀
Good thing you didn't gaff/spike/spur your calf or ankle and wreck a pair of socks.
It's the sudden deceleration when you hit the ground that often results in irreversible damage, not the height.
Stay safe 100% cause the loss of work, pain and opioid induced constipation isn't worth the risk.
When they taught us pole climbing at SNET in CT during the late 80s when I went they did not let you climb like this. You had to maintain 3point contact at all times until you were belted in.. Very strenuous and awkward. My older coworkers said if you ever have to climb a pole you will never do it like that again unless the boss is there.
Now come down and climb that 55 foot pole without the bucky squeezie
At my school I’m at now we have a 50 ft with a bell and by the time I get up there I’m shot
I don’t like that safety belt. Sure makes climbing look awkard
Sure as hell keeps folks from coming down with a case of death, though.
that's real extreme
It's amazing. I couldn't do this now. In 1998 I did the same climb free style as part of my training. You belted in at the top. Cutting out was wild. Guy would walk off the pole yard.
Was his hand sopposed to be holding pole on descend? It appears as though his upper torso was to close to the pole? Am I seeing why he fell correctly? Please excuse my ignorance. Im genuinely interested.
One step and go don't 2 step it homie lol nah just be comfortable doing what you do good job!!
Slow an steady safety is number 1 key to this job
Not sure why he keeps adjusting the green. Only really have to adjust the brown as the pole gets thinner as you go up. But to each his own.
I don't do this no more but back when I did we never climbed up using the belt and climbing down I was up a 90 footer real quick and came down real quick , if we used a belt our journeymen would never let you hear the end of it.....now days I cannot get 15 ft off the ground without my knees getting weak lol
All the new guys thats all they know is stop falls so its easier for them.. It's not a bad thing but to try and make someone who's always free climbed or just hitched up the pole with a regular buck strap it's kind of like teaching someone how to walk again. It feels very restricting and aggravating.
This type of climbing shoes cant be use on africa thick poles
Already practicing for Trump's wall?
LunarDoge trumps pole?
Bro did you go up there just to look around? 😮😮 respect
I only climbed this high once, but it was free climbing and a huge wind gust hit me near the top, twisted me around ont to 1 gaff...
WOW
Good lord son your 5 inches off the pole
A tree
Surgeon would’ve been up there wayyy faster
Why climb when you could have used a cherry picker
FUCK THAT, THANK YOU TO ALL THE LINEMAN THAT DO THIS WHEN IM SCARED CAUSE THE POWER IS OUT!!!!