The Rope

"Q: Why do mountain climbers rope themselves together ?
A: To prevent the sensible ones from going home !"

"No, I'm not going to climb that [El Cap]. All of these ropes and gear are to tie up your wife and daughter." — Jeff Batten.

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." — Leo Buscaglia.

"Rope drag is Lucifer's stepchild." — Nathan Sweet.

"I saw that ! Grabbing the pro — two meters of penalty slack !"

"If we need rope ladders to ascend a peak, then we've climbed our ladders, not the mountain itself." — Tod Skinner (about the Trango Tower in Karakoram)

"I'm going to have to take you off belay for a second... the dog's all tangled up in the rope." — Said when the leader is on a 5.11 overhang.

"1) DO NOT EVER take your brake hand off of the beer. Spillage sucks.
2) If your partner falls before clipping the first bolt, be sure to quickly get the fuck out of the way. Gravity kills, dude, so don't try to interfere.
3) Penalty slack should only be invoked when you are in the mood to do so, but at those times, be generous." — The Primary Belayer Rules of Life, according to MadDog taking a belaying test in a climbing gym.

"Webbing /n./ rope that has been stepped on so many times it is flat."

"Something was wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was definitely wrong. Suddenly I knew what it was. In the darkness, in the wind and confusion, I had come unclipped from the rappel line. Just as I realized it, it was already too late. The weight of the pack and the steepness of the wall made it impossible for me to keep my balance. With a despairing cry I pitched over backwards into the night sky." — Duane Raleigh.

"Nylon rope: one that melts when you fall.
Hemp rope: one that breaks when you fall." — Tom Patey.

"I really find you intellectually stimulating and would love to converse at length about philosophical questions concerning Plato's Symposium. But first things first: would you mind flaking my rope ?" — K.M. Johnson.

"While climbing with a guy who had a really old and worn-looking rope, I asked him how often he changed it. 'Everytime it breaks' he said."

"You have to train your ropes better. Ropes are like dogs. Think consistent reinforcement of good behavior. New ropes need a lot of work. My rope is usuallys well behaved. However, Emily's rope is always getting itself tied up in knots. I think she neglected it when it was young." — Sue Hopkins.

"When men climb on a great mountain together, the rope between them is more than a mere physical aid to the ascent; it is a symbol of the spirit of the enterprise. It is a symbol of men banded together in a commoneffort of will and strength against their own true enemies: inertia, cowardice, greed, ignorance and all weaknesses of the spirit." — Psalms 61:2.