On Tuesday, November 12, 2013 1:21:34 PM UTC-5, wrote:

Avoiding the use of short ropes is a good way to help ensure long tow pilot life. Errors in glider positioning are magnified by short ropes.

This rational makes perfect sense, so why do the Europeans use shorter tow ropes that the North Americans? Is it just "common sense and tradition" or do the accident statistics prove one approach better than the other?