In reply to mountain.walker: You will get a load of replies from people saying that they did not have any problems but they were lucky. It's not worth the risk. Others will advise you to clear it first with the airline. The problem is that they are not the ones that confiscate the items.
Please do a search - this has to be one of the most often discussed topics. Its nothing to do with Easy KJet and all to do with airport security. On balance of probability, you are not likely to get away with it and your holiday will be ruined if you don't have enough time to recheck it as hold baggage.
In reply to mountain.walker: hi there. I work for an Airline and you will definitely have trouble getting a rope on. It comes under the banner of "Dangerous goods" I know it's daft but hey, I don't make the rules!
Or put clothes in your hand luggage. There is no weight limit on hand luggage on easyJet, within reason, just the size limit, and if you don't mind it maybe ending up in the hold (for free) 56x45x25 is a fairly generous size.
In reply to mountain.walker: Depends slightly on where you are flying from - Heathrow is the worst - i have had to bin a nut key (in rucksac otherwise full of clothes) and a friend has had to post slings home because they would not let them through in otherwise benign hand luggage. I have found Aberdeen more relaxed and less bureaucratic , but the days of taking an ice axe through pretending its a walking stick are over...