What length of rope do i need to climb the matterhorn?

How to climb a rope

• I am training to climb an 18-foot rope for a competition of sorts... What are some techniques for climbing (how to hold the rope, where to put the feet, etc.)? This rope WILL NOT have knots in it, nor will I be able to tie knots in it. The rope will be suspended 18 feet in the air, with the free end dangling. My goal is to make the rope climb as easy as possible?

• Answer:

  lowerjumper... Thanks very much for confirming my input as your answer. I'll repost it here for the sake of future readers. -------------------------------------------------------- I'm not sure there are really many workable alternatives for this. If speed is an issue in the competition, the ultimate speed involves simply going hand over hand, if your arms are powerful to allow you to use this method. "The world record of 2.8 seconds for the 20' climb established by Don Perry of UCLA is faster than most people can pull a loose 20' rope on the floor between their legs!" http://www128.pair.com/r3d4k7/Competitive_Rope_Climbing3.html Short of that, about the best and only option I know of is to use both hands to pull yourself up, then lift your knees and grab the rope between your locked legs and pull yourself up to a higher hand hold, repeating the process. About the only variation of that I'm aware of is in where between your legs you grab the rope. If you're wearing shoes with a good grip, you may be able to emulate the coconut tree climbers in the islands, and grab the rope between your feet, which would allow for a higher raise when you push up, however, in practice, I think you'll find this impractical and too fatiguing to continue for 18 feet. In that case you'll settle for the way most people do it, which is to lock the rope between your legs somewhere in the vicinity of your knees, or, if possible, somewhere between your knees and ankles, but this can more awkward than using feet. You'll see what I mean when you try it. --- A lot will depend on the rules for the competition, but from the way you phrased the question, it sounds like you intend to (and will be allowed to) use your legs during the climb, which is definitely in keeping with your goal of making the climb as easy as possible. sublime1-ga Additional information may be found from an exploration of the links resulting from the Google searches outlined below. Searches done, via Google: "rope climbing" ://www.google.com/search?q=%22rope+climbing%22 "rope climbing techniques" ://www.google.com/search?q=%22rope+climbing+techniques%22 "rope climbing techniques" -top ://www.google.com/search?q=%22rope+climbing+techniques%22+-top "rope climbing techniques" -top -mountain -wall ://www.google.com/search?q=%22rope+climbing+techniques%22+-top+-mountain+-wall gymnastic "rope climbing techniques" -top -mountain -wall ://www.google.com/search?q=gymnastic+%22rope+climbing+techniques%22+-top+-mountain+-wall