Wilderness Tree Services > General Information > Machard Tresse
(From April 1998 Climbers' Corner in Arborist News)

Machard Tresse
by Ken Palmer
The hot topic of conversation among tree climbers at the 1997 ISA Conference in Salt Lake City was the "new French Prusik" knot. It was somewhat controversial since the International Tree Climbing Championship committee was faced with the decision of whether to allow its use in competition. It had been previously disallowed in 1995. In actuality, the knot has been around in arboriculture for awhile.

In 1993 I had the good fortune to be one of the Americans to attend the first European Congress on Tree Care in Lahnstein, Germany. To this day those of us that were there remember the Congress as a forum that helped us all to realize the importance of the ISA and the International Tree Climbing Championship series.

Francois Dussenne from Belgium introduced the Machard Tresse, an unusual climbing hitch, to all those present at the first European Tree Climbing Competition. He had used the climbing hitch in 1992 to help him win his second French Championship. Everyone who had a chance to try the Machard tresse agreed that it was more complex than the other climbing hitches. There was an equal sense of intrigue and caution among us.

The Machard tresse is, in my opinion, an advanced knot that requires experience and practice to integrate into a climbing system. I have seen several different ways of tying the knot, utilizing a variety of rope lengths of cord that is being used today. In this article we are endeavoring to compare and contrast several experienced climber's views on this knot. Each reader must assess the advantages and disadvantages before drawing their own opinions.

Ken Palmer is the only three time International Tree Climbing Champion. He has been climbing trees for over 22 years. He is president of ArborMaster Training, Inc., where he and partner, Rip Tompkins, are well known for their training programs.

By Dwayne Neustater
Just when you thought it was safe to sit in your Blake's hitch a new hitch emerges. The hitch I would like to introduce in Climbers; Corner debut is the very same hitch 1997 World Tree Climbing Champion, Mark Chrisholm used in Salt Lake City, Utah this past summer. Second place Kay-Olaf Busemann and I were the only other two who used this new hitch in competition.

This hitch has been used by mountaineers and rescue teams in France and Europe for many years. In fact Machard is the name of a French rock climber. I first saw Francois Dussenne of Belgium demonstrate this hitch to North American tree climbers in Halifax in 1994. Since then it has developed a small cult following. The hitch is radically different looking than anything we are used to and so at a glance you tend to want to shrug it off. Then why does the current world champion prefer this hitch? This hitch outperforms any other hitch I have used in all the right ways. That is not to say that it is perfect - it has its limitations as any other hitch does.

Advantages

• never binds or remains stuck when load relieved
• minimal slippage and creep
• easy to tie
• facilitates rapid and easy descents
• very nicely accommodates the fair lead system, even fair lead itself
• very economical in that cost per split tail is about $30.00
• no splicing required
• extremely strong due to the fact it is a closed knot system

Disadvantages

• reduce to no grab when tied with same diameter line or hard lay line
• must be comprised of proper material and proper length
• very rapid descents initiated with very little effort
• cannot be tied easily using a locking snap, best using a carabiner

These are all things I have experienced and verified with others who have been using this hitch for the past several years. Most people once they try it, feel the advantages far out weigh the disadvantages.

Some Important Points to Remember

1. Practice and test this hitch at a low height to be sure you are completely familiar with it prior to moving higher in the canopy.
2. Never start or try any new technique for a first time during a high-risk live environment. Always stick with what you know for sure first.
3. Never incorporate something new on the job until you and everyone working with you are completely comfortable with it in practice and theory.
4. Finally, plan your practices and jobs. Accidents are unplanned events, so plan not to have them.

I hope you enjoy this new hitch as much as I have. Who knows maybe you will enjoy it as much as Mark did and win the worlds.

Dwayne Neustaeter is an arboriculture instructor at Olds College in Alberta, Canada. He has been involved extensively in professional training programs as president of TreeKeepers, Inc. Dwayne also serves on the ISA Certification Test Committee and is the Certification Liaison for the Prairie Chapter.

By Paul Sisson
Overview and Warning
When tied and used properly, this knot is safer and performs better than any other friction hitch used for tree climbing. But, the knot has some shortcomings. To avoid serious accidents, climbers must be aware of these shortcomings and how to overcome them.

Basics
There are many versions of this knot. The knot basically consists of a number of wraps above a number of braids. It can be tied with either a Prusik loop or a single cord. The knot is connected directly to a carabiner. A micropulley is usually used with this knot to help remove slack in the climbing line and to fair lead the climbing line into the knot. The performance of the knot is dependent upon several factors:

1. The pliability of the loop or cord used.
2. The length of the loop or cord.
3. The number of wraps and braids used.

Knot Mechanics - How the Machard Tresse Works
The Machard tresse works differently that ay friction hitches. It works like a Chinese finger trap rather than like a Boa Constrictor. As the knot tightens or loosens, the coils mostly stay apart. They do not press against or rub against one another. As a result there is very little internal friction in the Machard tresse. The knot grips and releases the climbing line very freely. It is very responsive to changes in load.

Benefits
During descents and limb walk outs:

• It is very precise - starting and stopping is very smooth and exact
• It is very responsive. A light touch is all that is necessary to exercise control.
• It is very secure. It won't continue to run once the climber has released it. And, it won't slip once it's stopped.

For performing work at a given station:

• It is the most secure of all the climbers knots. A sudden increase in load caused by a climber cutting off and holding a branch will not cause the knot to slip.

During ascents and limb walk returns:

• It is very easy to break the knot loose.
• It is very easy to remove slack.

Shortcomings
The knot can fail to set and grab the rope after it has been advanced. The knot opens up very easily when it is advanced. Sometimes, it can open so much that its parts loosely lose contact with the climbing line. Without sufficient contact with and drag on the climbing line, the knot won't tighten.

Descents can be overly rapid. Pulling the knot down too far opens up the knot too much and causes free fall descents. The knot can be pulled down too far without applying much pressure to the knot. Climbers who are used to pulling down hard and sharply on a Blake knot or tautline hitch will be in for an unpleasant surprise if they treat the Machard tresse in the same manner.

Ways to Overcome the Shortcomings
Failure of the knot to set after advancement:
Use a tighter knot, one that doesn't open up as much. Usually, this solves the problem. If the cord or loop being used is sufficiently pliable, this shortcoming is really just an adjustment problem. Tightening the knot usually makes it a little more difficult to break the knot loose and to remove slack. But, a good compromise can usually be found between consistent knot setting and easy knot advancement. If a good compromise cannot be found, the cord or loop being used is not suitable for use. Most likely, it is too stiff. To tighten the knot, shorten the cord or loop, or add another warp or braid.

Lightly squeeze some of the warp of the knot as the knot is being weighted. This creates sufficient contact and drag between the knot and the climbing line to allow the knot to tighten.

Overly rapid descents:
Don't pull the knot down too far. The actions that are most likely to result in this problem are pulling down hard on the know and pulling down quickly on the knot. Don't do those things. Instead, use a soft touch and apply pressure to the knot gradually. Pull the knot down only far enough to allow a slow descent. Keep in mind that the Machard tresse is a very responsive knot. Using it for descents is like driving a car with power steering. Little easy movements yield big results. Big quick movements will send you lurching all over the place.

Practice with the knot while on the ground. Become thoroughly familiar with it before using it aloft.

To stop a descent, pull up on the wraps of the knot, squeeze the wraps against the climbing rope, or simply let go of the knot.

Specific Recommendations for Tying the Knot
Use 5/16 inch Ultra-Tech to tie the knot. Ultra-Tech is a high performance, double braid sailboat made by Samson. The characteristics of 5/16 inch Ultra-Tech make it extremely well suited for use in a friction hitch.

Use a cord , not a loop, to tie the knot. The knot will be more compact and easy to reach. It will also be easier to tie. The length of the untied Ultra-Tech cord should be 49-50 inches. The jacket of the cord should be milked tight, and the cord's ends should be tightly whipped. This will prevent the core from poking out between the jacket strands.

Tie a double fisherman's loop in each end of the cord. (See Figure 2.) The length of the cord with these two knots should be 27-31 inches when the cord is stretched between 2 carabiners. The exact length needed will depend upon the climbing rope used. A new rope needs a shorter cord than a worn rope. A thin rope needs a shorter cord than a fat rope.

Slip one of the double fisherman's loops and a micropulley onto an HMS (or pear shaped) carabiner.

Tie the Machard tresse with 4 wraps 3 braids as follows: Find a spot on the cord that's a little more than 1/3 of the way down the cord from the end with the carabiner.

Place this spot against the climbing line.

Follow the steps shown on Figure 3.

Remove the micropulley from the carabiner, install it on the climbing line just below the Machard tresse, and then reconnect it to the carabiner.

Place the free, unconnected double fisherman's loop on the carabiner.

Work the knot up and down, alternately setting it and breaking it loose. (Pull down on the carabiner to set the knot. Pull up on the carabiner to break it loose.) This will dress the knot. The knot, micropulley, and carabiner should appear as shown in Figure 1.

Then, connect the carabiner to the saddle tie-in point.

Paul Sisson won the 1996 Arbor Games National Finals. He takes care of the trees at the Seattle campus of the University of Washington where he has worked for 24 years. He also has several years experience as a commercial arborist. He is a Certified Arborist and a Certified Arborist Technician. He has a B.A. in philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

By Kay-Olaf Busemann
My friends at ISA asked me to write an article about a friction knot. A fancy looking one and one that was the subject of a lot of emotional discussions during the past five years. In Europe this knot is known as the Machard tresse. This means as much the braided friction knot. In the USA it is known as the French Prusik.

My first contact to this hitch is 1992 at the French Open Tree Climbers Championship in Paris, France. It was used by the three time French champion, the Belgian climber named Francois Dussenne. I had too much to do with myself to be able to take a closer look at him during this high level competition. I just noticed that a nice guy smoked everybody with his fancy hitch.

One year later at the first European Championship in Lahnstein, Germany I did what I had missed the year before.. I took a closer look and thanks to Francois, also a better understanding about how much different climbing styles are related to different friction hitch. A smoother hitch- a smoother move. And because of the fact that I met Ken Palmer and Bob Weber the first time, I had to throw my old style and technique overboard anyway. I also sunk my split tail - Prusik technique - without a tear.

This hitch, called the Machard or French Prusik, gave me a hard time in the beginning. It was not easy to adjust and find out what kind of materials liked each other. After the materials for the USA came to Europe, we had a multiple choice to find the wrong/right combination of techniques. Only the boom of international exchange brought light into the mental toolbox. So we found the right material melange for the Machard, a piece of 9mm dynamic rope and a 1/2 inch climbing rope. The length of the dynamic rope depends on the stretch and grip of itself and the real diameter and grip of the actual climbing rope. If the Machard is too short it has too much friction and sticks. If it is too long it starts sliding. Be careful , this is not a very big length difference.

The way the Machard works is a little different than other friction hitches like the tautline or the Prusik. It is not "breaking" the climbing line to get the friction. It works more like a China finger trap and divides the friction through a longer part of the climbing line (about 10 inches).

We used as break test machine. Most friction hitches break down between 1300kg and 1600kg. The Machard did not break, it started to slide by about 1500kg and found a new hold after it got a little release and started the procedure again until the machine was not able to continue. That does not mean that the other knots are too weak. Their breaking strength is still enough. They just work different. There is a picture I use: It is like driving 1300 VW Beetle and changing to a Porsche. They both are cars and bring you safe from one point to the other just the clutch works a little different. But anyway you should not learn a knot that you depend your life on out of a book. It does not matter how it is called. Knots are an art of understanding, an old science given from one generation to the other.

Kay-Olaf Busemann has won multiple Tree Climbing Championships all over Europe and has been a leading contender for the International Championship for several years now. He is from Freiburg, Germany.

By Francois Dussenne (with Frederic Mathias)
The evolution of ideas and techniques throughout the world is sometimes unexpected. In Europe right now, I see more and m,ore climbers using the Blake knot "made in the USA" and I hear that on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the "Machard tresse" is getting very popular. Maybe new stuff is simply very attractive! The point is though to look at it in an objective way that and think about the good and bad for the sake of efficiency and safety.

I discovered the Machard tresse from a videotape when I was in school ten years ago in France. The climber who demonstrated this knot was Jean Pieplu was working for Francis Dejonghe near Paris. It looked like another knot I knew, the Machard, but with a braid added to it (that's what "tresse" means in French).

So I picked it up form this tape and started working with it. The obvious advantages were the smoothness and fluidity. I've always looked for lightness and freedom in motion. The Machard tresse gave me a feeling of a third hand that would accurately let the rope run through a grab with a very light touch. I still think that the feeling is unique.

But as it is a "light touch" knot it takes care and attention to make it a safe knot. It has to be tied very cautiously and checked regularly for burns.

The minimum diameter of rope shouldn't be less than 8.5mm and the mantel mustn't be burned or damaged at any point. The Machard tresse is made out of a loop. The simple knot tied with a single strand is called a Valdotain tresse. I have not worked with it so I don't have much information about it. But Kay-Olaf Busemann is using this specific knot. The advantage seems to be that the diameter can be close to the diameter of the climbing line and still be efficient.

Tests have been done on the Machard tresse, the Blake and the 3-laps Prusik. Frederic Mathias has worked on those tests with "Cousin", a French rope company, with the following results. The climbing line used for the tests was 1/2 inch High Vee Blue from New England ropes. The Blake was made out of the same rope. The 3-laps Prusik was made out of a 10mm diameter dynamic kernmantel rope (mountaineering rope).

Two tests were done. A static test was performed by pulling on the friction knot straight down on a single rope. When breakage appeared it was the climbing line that was broken first where it was constricted by the friction knot. The tensile strength with the Blake was 1987 daN at the breaking point, for the Prusik it was 2054 daN. The result with the Machard was particular. This knot started slipping at 600 daN, then catch, then slip again and so on. The double advantage being that it doesn't break the climbing rope and would have the capacity to keep an eventual shock load lower than 600 daN. So in case of a fall, a part of the energy would be absorbed by the knot which would keep the shock load to a safe level for body.

The dynamic test reproduced actual working conditions. A 80 kg mass was dropped in a factor 2 fall (distance of fall equals twice the length of the rope). None of the three knots failed to stop the fall but the Machard tresse slipped about 10 inches before stopping. The dynamic test showed again that the Machard tresse is able to absorb energy. Thus this knot is not potentially dangerous on a tensile strength point of view, even with a relative small diameter. To the contrary it shows very interesting and unique features.

The potential danger is more in the lack of education and care. The Machard tresse doesn't only have advantages, it also has weaknesses you should consider and be aware of before making it your knot.

I'm now working with a Schwabisch Prusik. I learned it from Bernd Strasser who came up with it. Its strange name comes from the area where Bernd lives in Germany: the Schwabisch land near Stuttgart. It is basically a Prusik made out of a single strand (split tail) which allows you to have only one lap on the bottom and three laps above. I find it to be a very good alternative. It can also be made of the same diameter as the climbing line.

Things will probably keep on moving forward. The main idea being able to reach the highest standards possible for comfort and safety. We have to keep an open mind to new ideas and to test them before use. Enhancing communication within the "tree world" should be the key.

Francois Dussenne is from Avelines, Belgium. He is a three-time French Champion Tree Climber, and is well known as an innovator in tree climbing techniques.

Frederic Mathias, of France, is an active member of the International Tree Climbing Championship committee. Fluent in several languages, Frederic often serves as an announcer and interpreter at international competitions.

By Mark J. Chisholm
Whenever a new technique, system, or piece of hardware come along it demands careful consideration to determine whether or not it should be adopted into your system. Since the final say is on your shoulders, it should be a priority to investigate the strengths and limitations as well as the purpose it would serve. The most important criteria to satisfy could be whether or not it is safer, easier, or more efficient in some fashion. The Machard tresse is a knot that demands a certain level of acknowledgment as well as respect. Once learned however, I think it effectively accomplishes all three of the above considerations. Let's examine the advantages and disadvantages that coincide with the use of this climbing hitch. First the advantages:

• It binds around the rope immediately when released.
• It never creeps or releases unexpectedly.
• There is no tail to mind during the climb.
• It can be easily be adjusted to provide more or less friction at any given time.
• When used in conjunction with the micropulley it breaks and advances with little resistance.
• In strength tests it outperforms other hitches.
• It facilitates unrestricted absieling
• It is extremely economical in that it costs about three dollars to replace.
• It distributes heat more readily due to an increase in surface area.

Like all climbing knots the French Prusik has its limitations which must be acknowledged in order not to compromise safety. It is my personal opinion, however, that the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Now for the disadvantages:

• It must be comprised of the right diameter and grade of dynamic line.
• It must be made to the right length, most importantly without exceeding that length.
• If it is not managed properly when repelling, a free-fall could result until the knot is released.

In order to evaluate this knot properly it must be used over a period of time in a diverse environment by a number of different climbers. I have used the Machard tresse continuously over the past two years with the exception of a few short attempts to return to a previously used hitch. The outcome is always the same - I return to the Machard tresse. I would like to also bring to notice the fact that it has yet to be approved or disapproved by the ANSI Z-133.1 committee. I would also like to mention that I know of no device or knot that has been examined by the ANSI without first gaining recognition by a vast audience. Whether you choose to climb with the French Prusik or not, it still proves to be worth knowing.

Mark Chisholm is the defending International Tree Climbing Champion and has conducted tree climbing seminars around the country. He is from New Jersey where he works with his father, Steve, and brother, Stephen, at their company, The Aspen Tree Expert Company.

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