Climbing Rope and Recycling

I have been following a series of articles on the Vice/Virtue and Splitterchoss Blogs for about two months now. Both of them have been offering up some good ideas on how to reuse some of that worn out equipment in some pretty creative fashions. Rather than tossing it out and filling up the landfills, the idea of what can be used, fixed, or recycled–rather than buying new equipment-is a pretty novel concept. Especially when you consider that each year hundreds of new outdoors equipment manufacturers are trying to get you to spend money on items that you may not even need.

Summer, over at the Vice/Virtue blog has put up another very good article. Her first piece, “Reduce, Reuse, Resole,” expanded on the merits that climbing shoes could be fixed cheaper than buying a new pair of shoes. Her second installment, “Rope Recycling, Rugs, and Cheapies“, looks at the climber’s lifeline-the almighty rope.

Ropes tend to tatter. Even the best of climbing ropes will only last so long going through the rigors and weight of holding a climber in place on a rough surface. Rock continuously grinds and shreds at ropes. Many of them are thrown out and replaced after only a few climbs. So what can we do to try to reuse or recycle climbing rope?

Summer suggests a few companies that actually offer up discounts for returning rope when you make a purchase. That would be rather easy, plus you get a nice discount. She also suggests sending it off to places like Mountain Equipment Co-op, who will tear the rope apart and use it as stuffing for other equipment. They offer that as a free service. You donate the rope, they recycle it.

Rope is actually one of those items that can come in handy around the house. You might not trust it to protect your life on a climb, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be good for something else..Summer mentions making a rope rug or practicing knot-tying. You could also use it, especially if you have a truck, as a tie-down, keeping everything in your truck nice and secure. Summer mentions clotheslines, dog leashes, and even pillow stuffing, if you want to take the time to separate the strands.

Along with the Vice/Virtue’s blog of ideas to reuse and recycle, we also get a list of companies that offer cheap rope for your future purchase and replacement needs. Pretty cool she has taken the trouble to come up with this nice article on rope. These ideas should save us time, money, and help with the environment.

While I am on the subject of Vice/Virtue, she is one of two bloggers that have recently joined up with the Skinny Moose Media team. Her blog address has changed so you might want to take note. The other blog to join the team, Discovering British Columbia, offers up some travels, insight, and adventure from the northern reaches of our continent. I approached both of these blogs about joining our team. They offer up some great content and adventure and I look forward to working with each of them in the future. Go check them out and welcome them aboard!