Objects Database

Viking Rope Sling

Accession Number

606.2008.3

Object Name

Viking Rope Sling

Created

04/12/2008

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

04/12/2008

Brief Description

No.3 nylon spliced Viking rope sling

Materials

nylon

Dimensions

246 (l) cms

Number Of Objects

1

Colour

cream

Provenance

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.

Acquisition Method

Donated by John Hinde

Acquisition Date

04/12/2008

Condition Check Date

28/04/2009

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

28/04/2009

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Related Items

Viking Nylon Rope (No 4)