I am pretty sure that I have read an account of climbers weaving their climbing rope into some sort of makeshift hammock platform to give a flat surface for their tent to go on. It sounded pretty crazy to me. It might have been in Alpinist.

Anyways, I figure it would be warmer than sitting on rock if you were stuck overnight. I wonder if anyone has heard of this idea before or actually done it or has photos of what it might look like.

www.wilderness-survival.net/mountain-rescue-evacuation/rescu>>>
if it needs to be a hammock.

if you're just putting a tent on it... is it really an emergency bivy? just stack the rope

I've used the rope as a blanket before as I shivered out the night. Better than nothing!

It the account it wasn't exactly an emergency bivy, but it did sound pretty unplanned. Basically it got dark and they were stuck on a small ledge with no tent space. The whole rope hammock thing was pretty glossed over in just one sentence, like it was the normal way you set up camp. Something like "after several more pitches in the dark, Bob finally called it quits. We set up the tent on a hammock woven from our climbing rope and crawled into our sleeping bags for a few restless hours."

I've read that too. I can't remember where.

In the White Spider, Harrer talks about tying their packs to a piton, then putting their legs in the packs for somewhere to stand and sleeping that way. Ridiculous.

The litter idea is a pretty neat trick.

As for hammock versus on the rock, you trade less cold rock conduction for more cold air convection in heat exchange; radiation possibly similar in either. I don't know that you actually get much out of this idea.

In my unplanneds, I've found more benefit toward using the rope as pad and cover; helps control radiation, conduction, & convection and seems the better idea, along with using the backpack as cover. Also, be apt to be more mobile and to get up and do push ups and/or jump in place. Whereas maybe the hammock idea doesn't really give you mobility to keep warming yourself. So I don't know that you get all that much benefit to effort a hammock.

Certainly depends on the situation at hand. I guess what would be good to think about is choosing position to bivy than trying to reinvent a time-intensive creative way to use the rope. I'd go for a ledge than a hanging/semi-hanging bivy (what I'm thinking about is not an outing with big-wall type of equipment).

I've just heard of using the rope as an insulator against the rock for a bivy. Sleep atop the ropes and yes, put your feet into any pack you have to help keep them warm too. Zip up tight, and bury those hands deep inside if you can.