A bit of a rarity this, as ropes don’t usually survive very long when they are no longer used for climbing, being very handy when cut into lengths, about the garden, in the boot of the car or on the kid’s swing. Early ropes came in various shapes and forms though natural fibres were the norm for centuries until nylon came along in the 1950’s/60’s. Plant fibres have long been the favourite; manilla, sisal, heather and as is the case with this rope, hemp. Ropes of this type were described as being laid, or twisted and were universally made by twisting three strands together, the strands having been made from the plant fibres. There was much debate in the early days about rope, and it was not uncommon for them to break if you fell. Silk ropes were in use for a while in the early 1900’s but they were prohibitively expensive. The ‘hemp’alpine rope came into general use in the early 1900’s and prevailed through to the 1960’s when Viking started producing the first nylon climbing ropes. We suspect that Don Green retired his Alpine rope about this time and moved on to more modern versions. Fortunately for us, he kept it in one piece and we are delighted to have it in our collection.