Another reminder and reason to knot the end of the rope

Public Service Announcement:

Dave MacLeod, the Scottish climber and general baddass, recently had a minor accident (badly sprained ankle) after getting lowered off of the end of the rope while sport climbing. Blog post here: davemacleod.blogspot.com/

If a mistake like this can happen to Dave, who is the definition of competence and experience, it can happen to anyone. You never know when a route will be a bit longer than you expect, and when your belayer isn't watching where the end of the rope is.

Keeping a knot in the bottom end of your rope while cragging is essentially a 100% guaruntee that you will never have this happen to you. Even when you think you are certain that the rope is long enough, it is worth having that knot at the bottom of the ropebag. That knot won't cause you any trouble sitting down there, and it may save your life (or at least your ankles) on that day of cragging when you accidentally leave your brain in the car.