I’m 57 and get up on the roof - but I rigged up a cable along the roof line and wear a harness. Of course still the ladder to deal with. And of course after almost falling off twice on the split shake roof, I put the cable up.
Now it is asphalt, and I’ve never slipped!
My catch is if I’m up on the roof I don’t want to disturb the family, so I wait until they aren’t home. But in the back of my mind think that somebody should be home.
I guess Hulka’s story is a good reminder - and do it while they are home.
I’m guessing we all have had some pretty close calls in life. And of course all the close calls that you never know about.
Having a person stabilize the ladder is a hallmark of most ladder safety training.
Some homes now, especially above a certain pitch are installing harness clips. That’s a great idea if you’re going to be up there for a while. In my case, it would be ten times longer on the roof to hook up the harness and get the tether lengths correct than the actual repair will take. Should be under a minute. Plus it’s a brand new roof, so traction will be great. On my old roof, traction was far better in boots than tennis shoes.
And keep your cell phone on your person at all times