Today while I was walking to work, I past some guys that were putting up a new billboard. This isn’t one of those new fangled billboards though that they just stretch the advertisement over, they actually have to glue the pieces in place.
Anyways, I couldn’t believe the ropes that they were using. Maybe I’m spoiled with the ropes I use for climbing, but these things were huge. I’d hate to think how much they weighed. I mean, I’ve got a 10mm rope, which by climbing standards is quite thick (typically used as a gym rope because it lasts longer). However, the more hardcore climbers all have 8.5mm ropes.
Now, by contrast the multiple ropes that the workers had were at least double the thickness of what I have. Plus, they looked like they were from the 60’s, and I highly doubt they were dynamic. That means, when/if you fall, the rope doesn’t elongate at all, it just stops. Talk about a painful fall.
And it’s not even like my rope was expensive. I mean, if this is all these guys do, you can surely afford a $150 rope that weighs probably one tenth of what they currently have and won’t rip you in half were you to fall.