Fall factor

In <a href="/facts/Lead_climbing/TLmXA3wn">lead climbing</a> using a <a href="/facts/Dynamic_rope/eaeLJpxA">dynamic rope</a>, the fall factor (f) is the ratio of the height (h) a climber falls before the climber's rope begins to stretch and the rope length (L) available to absorb the energy of the fall,

f
        =
        
          
            h
            L
          
        
        .
      
    
    {\displaystyle f={\frac {h}{L}}.}

It is the main factor determining the violence of the forces acting on the climber and the gear.
As a numerical example, consider a fall of 20 feet that occurs with 10 feet of rope out (i.e., the climber has placed no protection and falls from 10 feet above the <a href="/facts/Belaying/wQ2dHtT5">belayer</a> to 10 feet below—a factor 2 fall). This fall produces far more force on the climber and the gear than if a similar 20 foot fall had occurred 100 feet above the belayer. In the latter case (a fall factor of 0.2), the rope acts like a bigger, longer rubber band, and its stretch more effectively cushions the fall.

Fall factor open-in-new

Fall factor