A chat with my old boss about climbing gear made me realize how much we've lost.

I ran into my first crew lead, Frank, at the hardware store last Tuesday. We got talking about the new gear he saw at a show, all carbon fiber and quick clips. He said, 'You know, I miss when you had to really know your knots. Now it's just click and go.' That hit me hard because it's true. I remember him teaching me how to tie a proper bowline on a bight in the rain, hands cold and slippery. Now my new guys just use a mechanical ascender and call it good. They get up the tree faster, sure, but I wonder if they'd know what to do if that fancy gear failed at 60 feet. Do you think the push for speed is making us forget the basic skills?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahpark9d agoOG Member

Frank has a point about the basics. I still make my trainees learn knots first, even with the new gear. We spend a whole afternoon just on rope work before they ever touch a mechanical device. It slows down their first week, but I've seen it pay off when a carabiner gate froze shut last winter. The kid who struggled with his clove hitch knew exactly how to tie off and lower himself without it. Speed comes later, but the foundation has to be there.

rivera.jake9d ago

Totally agree, that foundation saves lives. Saw a guy's ascender fail once and he just calmly tied a prusik backup because he'd drilled the old school stuff. New gear is great until it isn't.