Bonus Episode: RopeLite

Douglas started this small gear company because he saw a need in the outdoor climbing and rescue community. As a Bellingham Mountain Search and Rescue member, he needed specific gear for specific tasks that could create efficiency within certain tasks. Douglas began experimenting with spliced ropes. Splicing takes apart the weave of a rope and reconfigures it to retain more strength than tying knots. After sharing some of his spliced ropes with his SAR team, they encouraged Douglas to start a business to sell his ropes to other climbers. 

RopeLite was born out of the desire to make better tools for vertical adventures. With a background in sailing, rock climbing, and rope rescue, Douglas has years of experience working with different types of ropes. His experiences taught him to value strong, light, and easy-to-use products. Every RopeLite product is custom-made to create the strongest and lightest ropes for climbers, ski mountaineers, and canyoners. 

After listening to Episode 95, Douglas contacted me about connecting Allen and Samuel with his products. He was on call that day and preparing to respond before getting the all-clear. I was excited to help everyone get in touch and to set up this interview to learn more about his products!  

Tune into this episode to hear what RopeLiteLLC is, why and how it started and how this whole interview came about.

Missed Episode 95? Click below to listen to Allen and Samuel tell their story of a crevasse rescue on Mt. Baker.

In May of 2023, Allen and Samuel were out skiing Mt. Baker, a 10,781 foot active glacier-covered stratovolcano in the North Cascades of Washington when they came upon another skier who fell 35 feet down inside a crevasse after the snow bridge he was standing on collapsed. With their knowledge of rope skills and crevasse rescue, they sprung into action to rescue the stuck skier. Tune in to this episode to hear all of the details.

This podcast is produced by Ashley Saupe. This podcast is sponsored by Rocky Talkie, Minus33, and supported by the American Alpine Club.