"The rope toboggan has no terrors for this Tibetan"

wire, originally uploaded by jiulong.

In crossing, the traveller sits in a sling with his hands placed over the wooden slider or grasping the leather thongs to which it is attached. If his hands touched the rope, the friction would burn or lacerate them. Both rope and slider are greased with yak butter to facilitate the crossing." - JF Rock, 1925.