rope recommendations

[mitchleblanc]

anyone else with a recommendation?

Yeah, I recommend you forget that trad crap, and stick to sport climbing: Single 9.5 mm baby. Better yet, get a double rope, but only use one at a time. People will think you are hella hardcore. <-- The "cool" icon.

[Fred]

personaly I'd get a single for WElsford

[dcentral]

I've have a bluewater rope that's 9.9 that I got in 2001. I've only gotten to use in a dozen or so times and mostly it's been for top ropes. I've lead with it a few times but I havn't taken any falls on it.

It's always been stored in its rope bag. I was just wondering if I should retire it? Just because its getting up to being 5 years old.

What do people think?

[martha]

Mammut says this:

Frequency of Use: Life Span:

never used 10 years max
rarely used (once per year) up to 7 years
occasionally used (once per month) up to 5 years
regularily used (several times per month) up to 3 years
frequently used (each week) up to 1 year
constantly used (daily) less than 1 year.

This is all subjective and depends on a lot of factors....where you stored it, if it has been exposed to lots of sunlight, heat, abrasion, falls, dirt etc etc.

Best bet, get someone who has gone through a few ropes to check it out for you.

My bet is that your rope is just fine.

[mathieu]

After deliberating for a good year on wether or not to buy a new half rope, yesterday's watery climb made me realize that I need a new one. So old yellow is now retired. It was an Elderid 8.5mm 55m and I think its safe to say that the trouble i've had over the years are behind me. Trouble you may ask, well I did the mistake of buying a 55m rope while my other Purple half rope was 50m (which is 7 years old but only used sparingly on glacier or short roping alpine terrain) and my partners have 60m 1/2 ropes. "OK on Yellow pull on Orange" could be heard at the crag. The rope was due for retirement, I bought it in the summer of 99, used it for ice climbing every winter (20X a season) and did one trip to the gunks a year and climbed in Welsford with it for 5 years (maybe 15X a year).

So anyways the point of this post is that I got a Beal Cobra 8.6mm rope. It feels nice, almost as nice as Mammuts Genesis which is my number one recommendation. It also has a low impact force. Just looking at the MEC website and they don't have any there (of either the Beal or 60m Genesis) and I picked up the last one from the MEC in Calgary.

Now here is a question: If I climb with two different 1/2 ropes (EX: one Beal and one Mammut) with different impact force, ellongation etc... Am I gonna burn in hell or live a happy fufilling life? In other words am I asking for trouble or it doesn't matter??

[Fred]

you are gona die for sure dude!!!!!!!!!!!!

why should it matter? Each rope is it's own independent life line. You should be able to climb with a 10.5 and 8.0 at the same time and have two different people belay you even

[mathieu]

Damn, I knew I was going to be burning in hell for all eternity.

Now with that said, what about twin ropes, since they are both running in the same pieces, then technically (and we are talking about microseconds here folks) when you fall, the rope with the most stretch will actually not catch the brunt of the fall.

Oh no I'm becoming like Fred, soon i'll be taking out my tables and slide ruler and calculate for how long the rope is fully stretched and calculate the coefficient of friction between rope and biner then multiplying that with the elastic modulus of the rope should give me the theoretical breaking strenght of Rope A. Now was that an equalized anchor with 3 pieces or was it just a Series anchor where one piece is backed by another which is backed by another. Screw it I'll just carve myself a seat in the snow, brace myself and give a hip belay now that should provide a softer catch.

[Fred]

twin ropes very much different. They have to be equalized as much as possible I would think. Probably because the breaking strength of one strand is much lower.

[Guest]

Now with that said, what about twin ropes, since they are both running in the same pieces, then technically (and we are talking about microseconds here folks) when you fall, the rope with the most stretch will actually not catch the brunt of the fall.

i would say you should use identical ropes when 'twinning' it... if not, the difference in elongations, sheaths, etc, will create friction between the two ropes during a fall... (friction + nylon) == bad news.. (as we all know... i hope).