u/mark_andonefortunate

Post/reply here if you're looking for people to climb trees with! Normal posts for meetups / climbing partners are of course still welcome as well, just know that due to reddit's nature they get buried within a couple days.

I've deleted the monthly recurring thread since it'll also get buried each new month. This thread should make it easier long-term for people to find climbing buddies (and to easily find and delete their post if they so desire).

Be careful when posting your location, meeting people from the internet, and be sure you trust who you're climbing with - climb safe, have fun!

Hi again everyone, finally getting around to the followup thread to the "Rules/Suggestion Thread" from a month ago - https://old.reddit.com/r/TreeClimbing/comments/1tkedjx/rules_sub_update_suggestion_box/

The sub and sidebar rules have been updated; in an effort to reduce spam/repost bots a new function is in place requiring accounts be at least 1 day old to post here; and a couple other small things. Notably the freeclimbing rule has been expanded upon and clarified and will be navigated on a case-by-case basis. Anyone can use the !freeclimb command in the comments to summon an automod explaining the rule/reasoning - feel free to use the command but please don't abuse it, lol.

Also, the "monthly meetup thread" will be changed slightly - rather than a recurring monthly thread, it'll just be a sticky post that stays up, rather than a new thread each month. That will happen soonish.

Let us know if there's anything else on your mind, I've got a couple ideas kicking around too.

Hey there everyone!

/u/Shrikestep and I have been cooking this up for a little while based on some messages/feedback we've received from you all and some other recent discussions on the sub. We'd like to go over several proposed changes and get your take on what we're working with.

-Gear selling: no more directly selling/advertising/posting gear for sale. It's been a gray area for a while (some people are legit, some are not) that scammers/re-sellers like to use. Most of us know to not buy second-hand safety gear anyway, but there are plenty of other sites that sell legitimate safety gear rather than anonymous reddit accounts. Discussing gear, reviews, if item X is worth buying, etc. are is fine, just please know any future "selling gear" threads will be removed.

-Monthly meetup thread: there have been a few "anyone in X location want to rec climb?" posts, but due to reddit's feed/algorithm these posts get bumped down out of view within a couple days. We are looking into setting up automod to post a monthly Meetup thread to be stickied at the top of the sub to make it easier to find other people to climb with. If you participate, please be mindful to not doxx yourself and exercise caution meeting people from the internet / trusting someone you just met.

-Climbing versus tree work: this is one where we want some feedback from you all. The sub is treeclimbing, not the "tree work sub", although in some ways it does default to that because r/arborists is a shitshow (I'll mention that r/tree is nice, just more on the biological side of things than working in the field / rope access stuff). We've gotten mixed feedback about posts about bucket trucks and other tree work things - how strict do you all want this sub to be about climbing?

-The big one, free climbing: a couple big threads lately with mixed opinions. Currently the rules prohibit free climbing pics (specifically, require that climbing pics include a safe and secure climbing system). How do you all feel about this rule? A couple thoughts below:

We want this to be a place where professionals can discuss advanced gear and techniques - obviously we aren't, and can't, verify who anyone says they are, but mainly maintaining a certain standard of climbing with gear. There is a freeclimb sub (r/weedclimbing) but it is super dead, for what that is worth. We don't necessarily want to be the safety police here, but any freeclimb post invariably gets a bunch of comments and reports. Freeclimbing is dangerous and we are wary of encouraging people (mainly kids) to do it.

Conversely, freeclimb posts make for a good opportunity to educate people on safe climbing practices and get them interested in the profession, the gear, etc. - climbing with a rope is way more fun than freeclimbing, in my opinion, since I can access more of the tree. As a kid, I never really knew this job existed. Opinions vary of course so we'd like to hear the community's feedback on this one.

-I'll sticky this thread for a week or two to give people plenty of time to read and discuss. We're open to any suggestions for the sub as a whole, too.

-In the meantime please keep reporting those repost spammers, be cool and don't be a jerk, and climb safe