My new climbing rope decided to retire itself halfway through a big oak removal in Cincinnati yesterday.

The core shot was right at my tie-in point, so I had to do that awkward crab-walk descent while my ground guy just stared, has anyone else had a rope fail in a totally stupid spot like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily_dixon271mo ago

Patricia's webbing loop is a solid fix for that exact problem. I started carrying a short length of static line after my climbing line got chewed up near the splice on a maple removal. It lets you set a quick emergency rappel without that awkward shuffle down the trunk. Always check your rope at the tie-in point before loading it, especially on rough bark. That core shot didn't happen all at once.

foster.patricia1mo ago

My old Yale cordage blew a core at the knot on a pine spar last fall. I keep a short loop of webbing on my saddle now for just that kind of emergency tie-off. It got me down without the crab walk of shame.

smith.ray1mo ago

Honestly, it feels like gear always fails at the most inconvenient moment possible. You see it with phone chargers dying right before a trip or a boot lace snapping miles from the trailhead. It's like a weird law of the universe that things break when you need them most.