How much abuse cana rope take...

[pulldown]

OK here is a little scenario that i would like to hear peoples opinion on.
Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional and did not happen to me or anyone i know, any rumors of said story are not founded in fact and should be taken as conjecture.

A climber rappels off a rock face in the dark without a headlamp. Not sure why he didn't have a headlamp, lets just say that they did not expect to be out that long, or their dog ate it or something like that. Anyway, before reaching the bottom they realize their rope has gotten tangled in a tree. Unable to reach the tree they tie off enough rope to rap to the ground safely.
The rope is left, one end tangled in rope eating monster of a tree and the other end tied to the rock face. The rope is left there for five days. The bulk of it suspended in the air between the evil tree and the rock face. It endures some rain, heavy winds, sun and temperature fluctuations around the freezing mark.

5 days after the incident the rope is retrieved. Lets just say that it is a relatively new rope, only a year or two old with very little use (other than it's most recent adventure). Would you still use the rope or just toss it? There are a couple of things to consider:

1st - Abrasion to the sheath.
The rope is inspected and there is no abrasion. It appears to be in perfect condition and cleaner than before probably due to the spray wash it must have received.

2nd - UV damage.
This is probably nothing to be concerned about. It would be less exposure than five sunny summer days and i certainly wouldn't consider that much at all.

3rd - Freeze/Thaw cycle.
Now this is one i hadn't though of but was mentioned to me when i told a friend this fictional tale.
The rope is a dry rope but was exposed to rain, then freezing temperatures. It was suggested that the freezing and thawing could damage the core.
Oh the core, the center of strength, hidden from view and the center of many a climber's angst.

So, thoughts on these three points and the trustworthiness of a rope put through a highly unlikely circumstance as this???

[patzer]

Would the nature of the freezing be any more severe than that which would happen in the course of a regular ice climbing session?

Maybe those situations aren't comparable?

But how would freezing really impact the core? I'd expect the increase in volume from freezing as in a freeze/thaw cycle in rock wouldn't be a problem as the rope is much more dynamic than the change in % volume of frozen water. But maybe the crystallization could be a problem?

I don't really know anything about ropes though, so I am also curious as to the answers!

[*Chris*]

I'd personally climb on it without hesitation. I'd probably let my mom whip onto it. I'd certainly let your mom go for a ride. But hey, if it's not worth the worry to your fictional friend then by all means get a new rope. Cheers.

[Eager]

How much abuse can a rope take...

A lot:)

Freezing - should have no affect on the rope, thaw it and dry it. Unless the rope was being dynamically stretched (ie someone falling on it multiple times) while going through the freeze thaw cycle I wouldn't even consider this an issue. Check the core by bending the rope on a tight axis as well as running through your fingers, if you find any abnormalities bumps, hard spots, or gaps in the core, cut them out.

UV - is a major contributor in the degradation of climbing ropes. 5 days is probably not going to do much to the rope, 5 weeks is another story. If the rope is discoloured after you retrieve it, and you know it was in the sun, it may be worth thinking about retirement, at least from any major dynamic use. I'd still rap on it in double strands individually anchored for cleaning or something.

Abrasion - pretty self explanatory, if it's cut and the core is showing then it's no good, mild abrasion on the sheath increases the diameter of most ropes and often helps in the friction department while belaying.

[Fred]

Take it to the gym and load test it by whipping on the first bolt from the ground.

I'm sure the rope is fine.

As far as freez-thaw goes, while out ice climbing my ropes have frozen solid to the point you could hold them horizontally over six feet and I still climb on them.

[pulldown]

Again, just a hypothetical question about a fictional story that never happened to us.

I didn't really buy that freeze/thaw would harm it to any great extent especially over that short period.

[granite_grrl]

Heck yeah, I'd still climb on it.

I second what Fred said. If freeze thaw was really an issue then a bunch of our ropes are toast....and that we've ever taken out ice climbing at least.

[chossmonkey]

Oh, and the rope is fine.

[mick]

The rope is toast. Give it to me and I'll make sure you never have to climb on it again.

[Jordyyy]

this story sounds.....familiar...were there hurt fingers in this happening too? hypothetical hurt fingers i mean.

[pulldown]

Yes there were hurt fingers in this "story". I just gave the abridged version. There are many more amusing details to this tale.

So the consensus is that the rope is no worse for the wear and can live out the rest of it's life taking whippers on sport routes. Thought so, that will make a perfect ending to this story when i finish my novel.

[kate]

hi Todd,

in this highly entertaining fictional story, did your character and his friend happen to hike back to the car by the light of their cell phone..?

kt

ps. thanks everyone for your comments regarding the safety of the rope in question!

[Jordyyy]

hi Todd,

in this highly entertaining fictional story, did your character and his friend happen to hike back to the car by the light of their cell phone..?

kt

ps. thanks everyone for your comments regarding the safety of the rope in question!

oh yeah! i forgot about the cell phone thing. haha.

[pulldown]

Oh i also forgot the part where they tried to use the redeye reduction light on a camera to pack up their gear. It worked quite well until the flash went off in their faces and blinded them.

[granite_grrl]

Hey guys, this thread was getting out of hand so I removed the off topic posts and moved them to the suggestion and feedback forum here: http://www.climbeasterncanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6031

Please continue your complaining over in that forum. It will make things a lot easier on me, 'cause I'll just have to move you're complaint posts again if you continue in this thread.