I'm a 2nd year apprentice and I was borrowing a journeyman's belt and pole strap.  I had the spurs, but my belt and pole strap was outlawed.

 

Anyway, I was climbing a 90' tangent pole.  It was my second day of climbing and I was just learning so, of course, I'm going slow.  As I got to the first part of the X brace, I took off my pole strap and choker to throw it over as you do.  Then, my belt started going 1/4 of the way down my butt.  A few steps later, 1/2 of the way.  I asked the lineman who was climbing with me if this was OK. He said, "Yeah, go ahead."  So I did.  Now, it's all the way down.  Now, the belt starts taking my jeans with it too.

 

So, there I was, in all my glory, hanging there in just my boxers.  The other lineman had no choice but to undo them, pull them up, and, of course I took care of the rest.  It was raining and cold, too.  So you can just imagine how comfortable I was.

 

Man, I can't believe nobody had a camera.  Funny thing is too, that, there is a train that goes by the line every 2 hours.  It came 5 minutes later. THANK GOD!!!!

 

I'm the laughing stock of the job.  I'll probably still hear people asking me about it on different jobs.  That's all they know me by.

 

Trust me, I don't think it will ever happen again.  Well, let's hope anyway.

 

Clinton Bartlett

Sault Sainte Marie, ON