With a few notable exceptions such as the first ascent of Mont Blanc by Jaques Balmat in 1786, the sport of mountaineering didn’t really get into full swing until around 1860. The period from then until the outbreak of the first world war in 1914 is often called the Golden Age of Mountaineering. Mountaineeers during this time, and for almost a 100 years after, attached themselves to their ropes by simply tying it round the waist, usually with a bowline. It took them rather a long time to realise that this was a rather uncomfortable procedure, particularly in the event of a fall and in the 1960’s they started to do something about it. Padded belts were the first to appear, the idea being that the rope could be threaded through the sheath on the outside with the padding ,making life more comfortable whilst absorbing some of the shock in the event of a fall. We have an excellent example of an early belt/sleeve here in the collection. It was made by Karrimor, we think around 1970, and was kindly donated by Alistair Ballantine of Glenrothes.