Vertical caving terminology and methods > Ladders, climbs and older techniques
A rope used to add assistance on a climb. Intended to be held in the hand or hands, and used for additional support, without using any SRT gear. For fixed handlines, these may sometime be made from nylon or natural fibre hawser laid ropes, rather than dedicated caving ropes, since they are easier to hold. Handlines may have knots added at regular intervals to make them easier to grip, at which point they become known as knotted handlines. This is most common with fixed handlines, which leads to the inevitable complaints that the person who tied them was too tall or short, resulting in knots that are too far apart or too close together for comfort.
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