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Stop yelling “Rope”
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Saw a guide on Insta made a post recently about how it is essentially pointless to yell “rope” when pulling the rope from the anchor. Thoughts? Does yelling “rope” right as you pull the end of the rope actually prevent anyone from getting nailed? Should we sensually whisper “rope” to the group next to us instead of blowing out their eardrums? |
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I read the “article” on this. I think it’s dumb to eliminate it. I have been on multi pitch raps and the “rope” warning was enough for me to hug the wall and avoid being slapped by the rope coming down. Obviously if you look down and see someone in the line of fire, it seems careless to just yell and throw it anyway but with overhangs or long routes in general, you could easily not see someone below you so the warning makes a ton of sense. |
Colton Schultzwrote: It prevents surprises. And yelling rope just as the end goes through the anchors isn't correct. You do it just before you give the final pull so that people are aware and aren't "nailed". |
Colton Schultzwrote: Hmmm...yeah, sooo...don't let nearby people know that a few pounds of rope will be heading down at fairly good speed? And maybe debris along with it? One need not yell. Just tell adjacent folks in a polite and appropriate voice that a rope is headed down? Such a notice is usually appreciated and has been common for ages. Like any safety protocol, only a pointless practice until it hurts/injures like when your silent rope pulling neighbor's rope end thwacks somebody hard. |
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If you're rappeling a multipitch route that someone could be leading below you, it makes perfect sense to yell "rope." And yell it loudly. Edit: Although "saddlebagging" the rope helps, it won't prevent the rope from hitting the leader when it comes out of the above anchor. |
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Good points. The guide argued that if there's someone below/in the path of the rope, you shouldn't pull/drop it in the first place. Conversely, he argued that if you can see there's no one there, you don't need to yell at all. I agree it's still prudent to let other parties know when a rope is coming down; I could see how it applies on multipitch. This sort of "stop doing this" has been all the rage with the guides on insta. |
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Even merely pulling a rope at some single pitch areas, it seems like common courtesy. Some places have an astonishing number of people in a very small area, and, while it isn't an entire rope all at once, there's still a rope/rope end to get whacked by. Might knock over someone's beverage, or wake up the hammock dude. Or scare a crag pup!
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I didn’t yell rope at the hulk once and nearly whipcracked peter croft… So, always yelling rope to avoid harming legends from now on |
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You don't yell rope right when you pull the rope. You yell rope, pause, then pull the rope. |
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Gotta love the gumbies who yell ROPE! like someone has a gun and we should all take cover. I've jumped with fright before from several routes over when someone has broken the peaceful quiet of the crag by yelling "rope" at the top of their lungs... with no other climbers in their vicinity. |
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Part the reason to call rope is that sometimes ropes pull off rocks which are an actual hazard. |
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It's also courtesy. Like yelling "SHOT" before pulling the trigger on a Ramset at a construction site. So, reading this thread, there are lots of reasons for yelling "Rope". Few reasons for not. |
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The underlying sentiment of this guide's post is that you shouldn't just do things without thinking critically about them. Unfortunately he misses the equally valid point that you also shouldn't *never* do things without thinking critically. There's a time and a place for calling rope... Just use your common sense! |
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Locker, very sorry to hear that. On a related note… I heard a story once about a couple of climbers who liked to see who could grab the very end of the rope in the air just before it hit the ground… until one day the end of the rope they had just pulled bounced off the wall and whacked one of them in the eye. Not sure if this is a true story or not, but I don’t plan on playing the “snatch the rope end” game if it’s ever suggested. |
Colton Schultzwrote: Lol, it depends, sometimes it makes sense to yell rope, sometimes not. |
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Also: on windy days the end of the rope can be pretty damn unpredictable... |
Daniel Joderwrote: I used to play this game often. Despite good judgment and wife’s general disapproval, I still do on occasion. So far, I’ve collected one bloody lip and one black eye. I’m not very bright and don’t learn too good. |
Locker wrote: We think of your story every time we pull a rope. And then we say, "everyone got your retinas?" Makes the "buy a beer if you catch the last foot" a lot harder. Glad you kept your eye. |
Carey De Lucawrote: I've always played it where you have to catch it so your thumb can touch the end of the rope in order to win a beer. |
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Basically this guide hasn't ever pulled a rope onto his girlfriend's head, probably cause guide's girlfriend is an oxymoron. |
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Huh, I'll admit I was taught the rope catch "game" and always tried it. If you catch the end of the rope within 1 fists' width of the end, your partner owes you a drink. |
