To climb lots of pitches, make sure your climbing rope has a middle mark. If it doesn’t, then mark it or buy a premarked or bi-color rope.
Middle Marks Speed Up Rappels
If you know the half-way point on your rope then you will save time on rappels since you don’t have to find the middle point. Instead you can just quickly shuffle the rope through the anchors until you reach the mid-point, toss the two rope ends off, and you’re “On rappel.” Don’t forget to tie a stopper knot, like a single figure-8 or fisherman’s knot, in the ends of both rope strands so you don’t accidently rappel off any loose strands.
Middle Marks Speed Up Coiling and Sport Pitches
A middle mark also makes it fast to find the rope’s middle to do a quick backpacker’s coil as well as to know where the midpoint is when you’re climbing lots of sport pitches. Again, if you’re climbing lots of sport pitches, tie a stopper knot in the rope’s end so it doesn’t run through your if you get to the end of the rope while lowering your partner. When you climb fast and a lot, you get tired and make mistakes.
How to Mark Your Rope
What if your climbing rope isn’t marked? Good question—but there are no easy answers. The best thing is to buy a bi-color or bi-pattern rope, which changes color or pattern at the midpoint. You can also mark the midpoint with a permanent marker pen recommended by the rope manufacturer, but this can weaken the rope. Or you can wrap a piece of tape or sew colored thread through the halfway point on your rope. To find out lots more about marking your rope, read Does Your Climbing Rope Need a Middle Mark?.
