The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
606.2008.3
Viking Rope Sling
04/12/2008
Hermione Cooper
04/12/2008
No.3 nylon spliced Viking rope sling
nylon
246 (l) cms
1
cream
We are not sure exactly when, but roundabout 1950, nylon rope started to replace hemp as the preferred rope for mountaineering. One of, if not the first, company on the scene were Viking Ropes, who pretty much captured the market for a couple of decades with their classic white hawser laid nylon which came in four different sizes, the thinner ones being used mainly for slings and belays and the thicker ones for climbing - 120 ft of no. 4 being the one that everyone used in the 1960's and 1970's for climbing.
As was often the case back in those days, the military had large amounts of rope slings made for various uses, and in this case our sling once belonged to John Hinde who for many years was a leading light in the RAF Mountain Rescue Service where slings like this would be used for anchors and for attaching to stretchers. Subsequently, surplus slings would have been sold off and acquired by the general mountaineering fraternity.
Donated by John Hinde
04/12/2008
28/04/2009
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
28/04/2009