A knot/climbing question

efreysson

efreysson

Closer than ever
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 23, 2007
Messages
1,618
Reaction score
101
Location
Iceland
I have a scene of two characters stealthily leave the fourth floor of a building by tying a rope to a balcony and climbing down. The problem is I need some way for them to remove the rope once on the ground, so that no one will know they were there.

Is there some way to tie a knot that can be released without actually touching the knot?

I wrote a placeholder scene where one of the two cuts the rope just enough that it can be snapped with vigorous pulling once they are on the ground, but it doesn't quite feel right.
I'll appreciate any help.

The setting is pre-industrial, so any modern rock climbing gizmo isn't an option.
 
Drachen Jager

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
17,171
Reaction score
2,284
Location
Vancouver
Double up the rope. Climb down holding both strands, when both are at the bottom, pull on one end.
 

debirlfan

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 22, 2010
Messages
273
Reaction score
22
Do they need to go straight from 4th floor to ground? Or can they climb from 4th floor balcony to 3rd floor balcony, to 2nd floor.... If so, they could use a much shorter rope.
 
Drachen Jager

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
17,171
Reaction score
2,284
Location
Vancouver
Well, another way would be to have the rope end in a metal bit, sort of like a bolt (but without threads). about 2 feet back of the bolt have an eyelet in the middle of the rope so when the bolt is slid through the eye you have a loop of rope.

In the end of the bolt that sticks out is a hole where a pin can be secured. Tie the end of the pin to a string as long as the rope, when you give a sharp tug on the string the whole thing comes down. A little risky, but the weight of a person should prevent the pin from being easily pulled while someone is descending.
 

kasper

Registered
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
32
Reaction score
2
Location
America
According to Yahoo Answer users...
The simple answer is:

You feed the rope through a metal rappel ring so that it is doubled over, put a knot in the end, rappel down 1/2 the length of the rope, untie the end and then pull the rope through the ring.

Yes, you can also tie two ropes together and pull the rope in the direction so that the knot at the top doesn't go through the ring.

The "anchor" is usually just a couple of pieces of webbing around a couple of different attached rocks with a metal rappel ring - this is left behind (only a couple of dollars).

The reason for the ring is that you can pull the rope through it without damage. The reason for the knot in the end is so that you don't rappel off the end of the rope (many people get hurt or die this way). BE CAREFUL - rappelling is one of the most dangerous parts of climbing.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.