I too hate cleaning gutters. The pitch of my roof is gentle, but the ground is just about as hard as anything. Haven't found out exactly how hard yet, and I plan to keep it that way.
I've always wanted to have an automated gutter cleaning system, which could double as sprinklers in the event of a bushfire or somesuch. Low Pressure, and High Pressure options, and have it installed at the gutter lip, along with some water pressure powered turbines that could chop up any bigger bits that happened to approach the downpipes.
Surely smarter men than me have made an attempt.
Trust me, ground is hard and humans don't bounce very well.
That's a good idea actually, the gutter system. I was thinking about a system that opened up from the bottom. Everything falls out, a quick spray with a hose and latch them back up again. probably won't work though, none of my ideas come out so well.
I thought along the same lines, but it would be difficult to get a clean seal along such a long, linear piece of metal on metal, with things like hinges involved. I think given that dirt is what tends to make seals perish, it wouldn't work very well.
The gardener that looks after our strata just wanders around on the roof with a leaf blower into the gutters. Works decently well, but nothing better than getting up there and hand scraping the gunk out and living in mortal fear of falling.
I tend to prefer sitting on the roof and shimmying my way around on my butt, as I have poor accessibility over the pergola, and with the neighbouring property being close on one side of the house.
That and the ground isn't exactly level at all points for decent and good implementation and practice of ladder technique.
Exactly what I do, however I've had to scratch away at some of the gutters to loosen dirt, leaves and moss which sort of gets baked on. There's some ground-level clean up, but like you say, better than falling off. Been there done that, don't want to again.
Shimmy-butting is another way to go and I did some yesterday. It's not a good look despite sounding like the best thing ever...although I guess that depends on who exactly is shimmy-butting and other factors.
Ladder technique man, not something one wants to get wrong.
I've got my gutter cleaning jeans. They have a red teracotta stain on the butt. It's an awesome look :D Better than being covered in blood.
Like...like one of them baboons with the red arse! That's gold.
I actually fucked up a pair of my FDX shorts yesterday in the same way, red terracotta dust. I hope it comes out, but I think in this case my hope will be in vain. I'll use them around the house, and when I want to channel my inner baboon-butt side.
I might have to invest in a battery blower to do the gutters. I've only got a corded one, which tends to do the job most of the time.
Wear them with pride in public. I don't give one care about what others think. :)
I have a Ryobi one and it does the job. It's good for the ground-level clean up also. Sometimes I dry my hair with it too. Works a treat.
Maybe there's a new fashion label in this...BabboonButt Clothing.