Special thanks to Jim Ewing, research and development manager at Sterling Ropes, who conducted all the drop tests; Mark Chatwin, of Chatwin Guides, and Kolin Powick, quality assurance manager at Black Diamond, who critiqued versions of the text; Tom Cecil, of Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides, who exhaustively field-tested rigging systems; Dr. Richard Goldstone and Craig Connally, who provided studied opinions and hard figures about fall forces and anchor systems; Dr. Lawrence Hamilton and Dr. Callie Rennison, who fashioned the statistical analysis for Jim’s testing; editor and project expediter John Burbidge, who kept this monster on course from start to finish; and my coauthor, Bob Gaines, director of Vertical Adventures, who—among many other duties—provided most of the photos.