Page 107 - Nate Fitch, Ron Funderburke "Climbing Knots"

Conclusion

he knots, hitches, and ropework described in this
T book represent the selection of the most frequent
gestures of the rope to accomplish the most frequent
applications in a day of rock climbing. If the reader
simply uses the knots and hitches in this book as we
have described them, without variation or distor-
tion, hundreds of satisfactory days on the crags can be
enjoyed.
However, the point of this book is to elucidate the
consideration and analysis that should surround every
climber’s actions. The rope is simply one of the most
consequential opportunities for decision making, irre-
spective of the popularity of certain usages. The same
kind of application heuristic that we use to explore
the use of the rope could also be applied to anchoring,
selecting and maintaining equipment, creating training
regimens, or assessing terrain.
We invite climbers to explore the richness and
complexity of the sport by treating all subjects in
climbing more fully. There is a tendency in our sport,
due to the severity of our environment, to create rigid
rules and adhere to them. However, as our culture
and our sport have demonstrated, a rigid adherence
to prescriptive thinking and protocols can result in an
incomplete and often inaccurate understanding of our
tools, techniques, and folkcraft.
In the end, our environment has infinite variety.
So do we. We are infinitely capable of innovative solu-
tions to problems, and we are infinitely capable of
mistakes. Without exception, climbers find themselves

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