Objects Database

Troll Climbing Tape(?)

Accession Number

1124.2014.1(a-b)

Object Name

Troll Climbing Tape(?)

Created

13/05/2014

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

13/05/2014

Brief Description

Rolls of orange sling tape.

Materials

nylon

Dimensions

2.5(w) cms

Number Of Objects

2

Colour

orange

Maker

Troll(?)

Object Production Place

Wales

Provenance

We don't know an awful lot about 'tape' and even the word can be rather confusing since climbers/mountaineers play tapes on their stereos, use tape to cover their cuts, patch their gear with duct tape and hang tape slings over rock spikes to make belays/anchors. It's the latter version that we have here and since these two wee rolls of 'tape' had been lying around for a while we thought we'd save them for posterity.
We think that tape for mountaineering first appeared in the 1960's - maybe a wee bit earlier - and early versions were tubular. Knots were used to join the tape together initially until a strong enough stitching system was invented. The British firm, Troll , were one of the first on the scene in the 1960/70's, their stitching system allowing them to create slings, climbing etriers and the revolutionary Whillan's climbing harness. Various forms of nylon seem to be the main construction material and refinements of this, such as dyeema, continue in the modern era.
Other than it being orange and tape, we don't know much about these two rolls, but suspect it's Troll from the 1970's and once belonged to Mick Tighe.

Acquisition Method

Donated by Mick Tighe

Acquisition Date

13/05/2014

Condition Check Date

13/05/2014

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

13/05/2014

Go Back

Related Items

Homemade nut on hollow tape
Moac on hollow tape

Click to see larger view

Click image for enlarged view

Click to see larger view

Click image for enlarged view

Click to see larger view

Click image for enlarged view

Back to top