A product that’s vital to preserving safety during climbing has been recalled due to an inherent failure of the item.
Porter Athletic, which is owned and operated by the Champaign, Illinois-based Litania Sports Group, announced the recall, which concerns their Porter Athletic Climbing Ropes. At issue is the fact that these climbing ropes, which have a clamp near the top that connects the rope to a surface, pose a fall hazard. The rope can itself fall through the aforementioned clamp, leaving a climber without any kind of anchor to the wall or other surface.
Only 44 units are said to be affected by the recall. However, there have already been three instances reported to the firm in which the item broke. In one of those cases, a climber sustained injuries to their wrist and back.
There are two models of ropes affected by the recall: 00118 and 00119. These white dacron ropes come in 12, 16, 20, and 24 foot lengths. They were available through the Porter Athletic website as well as via telephone and authorized distributors. The ropes sold from $387 to $877 across the country between September 2009 and September of last year.
All persons with the rope in their possession are being advised to cease use. They can expected to be contacted by Porter directly. Once this happens, the company has said they will repair the ropes for free.