Like it or not there are plenty of 'arborists' and tree climbers out there who use YouTube as a free training resource.
One could argue YouTube learning is the same as taking instruction from a book but there are some fundamental differences.
The traditional book publishing process requires all content to be reviewed and edited by professionals before it makes the shelves - the same cannot be said for YouTube.
Anyone with a GoPro and some video editing skills can claim to be an expert - it is left entirely up the viewer to decide whether or not the information presented is correct. This could be disastrous if your cognitive skills are lacking!
The instructional videos by US-based Taylor Hamel for the Treemagineers, DMM and Teufelberger have done an excellent job in presenting new, sometimes complicated, tree climbing gear (although his last video was a little over the top in terms of gear silliness).
Australian duo Joe Harris and Kiah Martin are now doing the same thing for ART.
The pairs latest video, featuring the ART Snake Anchor, demonstrates how YouTube has the potential to provide a learning experience for tree climbers who may not have easy or affordable access to other forms of instruction.
The ART Snake Anchor has been around for a while now but, to date, there has been little understanding of the products usefulness and versatility in tree work. Just like the Spiderjack before it Joe and Kiah's Snake Anchor video is bound to change all that.
The video is over 14 minutes long so be prepared to concentrate for more than a few seconds!
