Page 9 - Nate Fitch, Ron Funderburke "Climbing Knots"

Introduction

he rope is one of the most expressive and indica-
T tive instruments in rock climbing. Much like a
climber’s body, the behavior, management, and usage
of a climbing rope directly reflect the values, efficiency,
security, knowledge, and effectiveness of the climbing
team. When the rope is deployed skillfully, intention-
ally, and thoughtfully, the climbing team probably has
a commensurate level of skill, intention, and fore-
thought. When the rope is deployed incorrectly, arbi-
trarily, or lazily, the climbing team probably does not
have an appropriate skill level to safely participate in
the sport. Perhaps the climbing team simply defaults to
patterns and practices that others have demonstrated,
without a careful consideration or analysis. Perhaps the
climbing team does not appreciate how or why the
details really do make a difference when they pertain
to staying safe and having fun.
More so than any other tool in the climber’s rep-
ertoire, the rope is the tool that should be thoroughly
understood and deployed in a way that makes a ges-
ture to all other climbers and users: this rope says who
I am, how I am doing, and how much I know.
The goal of this text is to deepen a climber’s
understanding of the use of the climbing rope. Begin-
ners may find this text helpful because the usage of
the rope can be learned and practiced. When learning
to tie knots and hitches, it is important to practice in
a safe learning environment, like a ground school. It’s
also important to learn to tie knots and hitches with
both hands, from different perspectives, and in adverse
conditions. Also, the use of online animated resources

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