[slackline]

20% off all ropes @ Rock and Run (via twitter)

[duncan]

Anyone spotted any deals on thin half-ropes or have one for sale? 

Something like a Mammut Phoenix 50m.

[Paul B]

No, but I bought an Edelrid Merlin 8.0mm and its a pain in the arse. Compared to the Phoenix which is the other half rope I own, it coils around anything. Its so problematic that I've taken to ensure we're always pulling it first if there's any chance it could catch at all.

A while ago Bananafingers were selling a 100m thin rope which I contemplated buying and chopping into two but I now can't find it, or remember if it was a half or twin (the colour changed at the midpoint).

[duncan]

Answering my own question, Mammut Phoenix are now £175 for two at V12.

[Grubes]

Just got an Edilrid Boa 70m x 9.8 from GoOutdoors for £107. The test begins...

How did the test go on this? I see its £108 for 70 and £124 for an 80m which seems pretty fair.
Anyone else got any experience? I know Paul said he thought it was heavy
Any advice how it will hold up to a fat bastard falling on it?

Is it worth forking out a bit more and getting a different rope?
I heard sterling ropes are good just look a lot more expensive

[Paul B]

I'll reiterate that point; I used it in its full capacity on Thurs last week and the damn thing felt like an anchor. Don't buy fat 80m ropes. The good thing about it is, given how excessively long it is for UK sport, it's possible for us both to use it at small crags without the need for a second rope!

I'm becoming more and more convinced (as once again I/we need another rope), that 9.4-9.7 is about the optimum balance between being practical and not wearing out in an instant.

With regards to Sterling, they've got a great reputation (as long as they're sheath doesn't touch Grit), but I can't really work out how you justify paying that much more.

[Fultonius]

Just got an Edilrid Boa 70m x 9.8 from GoOutdoors for £107. The test begins...

How did the test go on this? I see its £108 for 70 and £124 for an 80m which seems pretty fair.
Anyone else got any experience? I know Paul said he thought it was heavy
Any advice how it will hold up to a fat bastard falling on it?

Is it worth forking out a bit more and getting a different rope?
I heard sterling ropes are good just look a lot more expensive

Seemed OK in El Chorro.  Haven't actually used it enough to fully evaluate the life expectancy. Doesn't seem too heavy to me, but then, I've never sport climbed on anything lighter.

[moose]

I've used one too on several holidays in El Chorro and Turkey - lots of 30m pitches.  I didn't notice it being particularly heavy, though similarly to Fultonius, I do most of my climbing on an ancient 10.5mm rope so might not be best placed to compare.  It seems pretty hard-wearing though. 

[TobyD]

I'm becoming more and more convinced (as once again I/we need another rope), that 9.4-9.7 is about the optimum balance between being practical and not wearing out in an instant.

 

for its diameter & weight (and weight in g/m is a better guide really since manufacturers fudge the stated diameters a bit) the boa has been OK for me, not super hard wearing or light (it feels bloody heavy on the groove) but ok in both respects and cheap, so overall not bad.

[Grubes]

Thanks guys
I have narrowed it down to three ropes.

Beal Booster III 9.7mm x70 £180 63g/m
http://www.v12outdoor.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=82&products_id=2950&oscsid=4j4oc9c6jh2v5ejp4g4j06j4q1
Sterling Velocity 9.8mm x70 £184 62g/m
http://www.theleedswallshop.co.uk/sterling-velocity-98mm-x70m-745-p.asp
Edelrid boa 9.8 x 80m £124 + shipping 61g/m
http://www.outdoor-ranger.co.uk/edelrid-boa-98mm-rope-80m-p-20776.html?currency=GBP&language=gb

The £50 price difference for a longer rope is pushing me towards that but I am not sure.
Also it is the lightest g/m

I am currently using a mammut galaxy 10mmx60 at 66g/m so I don't think it will bother me too much

Anyone used the beal rope? any good?

[moose]

Have you looked at the Leeds Wall website.  The Boa is £110 for 60m there - and if you combined shopping with climbing you would save on P&P (and if you knew a Regular User member - Rob? - you could get another 10 or 15% off).  They also sell it off the reel per metre - works out at £105 for 60m. 

I treated myself recently to a Mammut Infinity 9.5mm teflon-coated Superdry.  I bought it with my recent adoption of "hard" sport climbing in mind but it looks so thin compared to my furry 10 year old 10.5mm I haven't dared use it yet!  Not entirely convinced it'll work with my grigri either.  I suspect it'll only get used when I get more scared of the soft spots in my old rope! 

[psychomansam]

http://www.urbanrock.com/single-rope-70m-to-80m
cheap drycover beal and a slightly lighter superdry 9.5mm mammut option

fwiw the beal takes a lot more falls than the others. Personally i climb on decade old ropes, one off ebay, one donated off here, so I'm a long way from worrying about such things.

[tomtom]

Hi Grubes,

I have in a cupboard, in a rope bag a 4.5 year old Beal Edlinger II 10.2mm 60m rope that I've not used for 3 years or so. Its probably been used less than 10 times - and was bought before my last bolt clipping holiday in Spain - where it was used for 3 or 4 days (its probably been out a couple of times since for the wall etc..). Only one notable fall (c.4m - 2nd/3rd bolt clipping where an inattentive belayer stopped me 1/2 m above the ground... No nicks, cuts or defects to my knowldege.. Not dry treated etc.. its a sports rope.

I know most folk are adverse to 2nd hand ropes etc.. but if you're interested let me know - I can vouch for its use and safe (non UV) storage.. I even have the ticket/card that came with it...

T

[Grubes]

Thanks all
Being a fat bastard and a complete punter I have gone for the 70m beal so the extra falls will come in useful (I fall off a lot)
Plus it is a little thinner than the others.

[TobyD]

Thanks all
Being a fat bastard and a complete punter I have gone for the 70m beal so the extra falls will come in useful (I fall off a lot)
Plus it is a little thinner than the others.

in my experience, the number of falls is one of the least useful criteria for rope selection, it is a very blunt instrument when it comes to practical use.
If you can shell out the extra that beal usually costs, i'd go for one of those over mammut any time personally, having had several mammuts which were pretty shoddy to be honest. Beal tend to have a much lower impact force, which is one of the things i tend to look at much more than number of falls.

[TobyD]

I treated myself recently to a Mammut Infinity 9.5mm teflon-coated Superdry.  I bought it with my recent adoption of "hard" sport climbing in mind but it looks so thin compared to my furry 10 year old 10.5mm I haven't dared use it yet!  Not entirely convinced it'll work with my grigri either.  I suspect it'll only get used when I get more scared of the soft spots in my old rope!

it will work fine. 9mm works fine in a grigri, if you are careful and not a f***wit with it.

And how do all you lot make a rope last 10 years? I'm lucky to get one year out of most of my sport ropes....

[moose]

I'm a recent convert to red-pointing stuff that's hard (for me).  Over a decade of top-roping and generally successful onsighting routes abroad - absolutely no wear at all.  A few months of projecting stuff and falling off at Kilnsey and Malham - massive soft stretches at both ends!  Such is the price of failure!

[psychomansam]

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/tendon-ambition-8-5mm-60m-rope-twinpack-p216589/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=03_09_12-Extra-10-Percent-Off-All-Departments%20%281%29&utm_content=

Slightly off the current topic, but the extra discount code on this makes it £135 for a set of 60's which is retardedly cheap. Just thought someone might be on the prowl for a pair.

[moose]

Just after a bit of advice....

I recently bought a 9.5mm Mammut Infinity.  Its skinny Teflon-coated loveliness being more of a birthday treat to myself than a reflection of actual need; it's still unused as I haven't had the heart to subject it to grim wet-weather dogging sessions!  However, last weekend my partner was sufficiently alarmed by my old rope (an ancient 10.5mm) that they insisted on hacking 3m from both ends and even then had misgivings about its condition.

So, I have taken the hint and decided to retire my old rope.  However, this is my first season of "proper" sport climbing, and I have been shocked at how quickly redpointing appeared to wear-out my old rope.  Less than a year of redpointing seemed to cause far more damage than ten years of onsighting with few falls.  Although, I am unsure whether that was an illusion, and my old rope was more battered than I realised at the start of the year.  In the experience of those more au-fait with the rigors of redpointing, how well do 9.5mm ropes stand up to this kind of treatment; would be a waste to use a new 9.5mm as a workhorse rope?   Does diameter reliably make much difference to durability? 

Would it be more sensible to buy another, chunky rope for days I expect to spend dogging/falling (and occasionally succeeding) on routes and save the 9.5mm for those rare "the stars are in alignment" days when I anticipate ticking-off a long-term project.  Or is that impractical and/or 9.5mm ropes last well enough that it would be easier and cheaper to use the 9.5mm rope for everything and enjoy it whilst it lasts (and if it does knacker fast, just chalk it up to experience and go chunkier next time).  If having a separate "working" rope is the done thing, any suggestions?  I guess the problem is balancing sufficient durability to justify its existence with enough ease of use that it won't unduly hinder the odd end-of-day redpoint attempt. Mammut Galaxys have a reputation for durability and but this thread had been pretty damming about them. 

[sidewinder]

I have this rope as my main/only sport climbing rope for the last couple of years and have been very happy with it, at a guess I have used it for ~40 days of sport climbing and it is showing very minimal wear if any, though it is due a wash and a middle point remarking.  My sport climbing is a mixture of onsighting and redpointing, though I have not used it for any protracted sieges.

From this I would say just use it all the time, I like the way it handles and it works really well with the mark 1 gri-gri, fat enough to always lock but skinny enough to feed easily.  Using it all the time also saves you from carrying two ropes to the crag.  From what I have seen most redpointing/sport climbing damage occurs within the first ~5m, roughly where you keep dropping/hanging on the rope whilst working the moves.  If it's a 70m, which mine is, you can get two iterations of 5m off each end and still have a 50m, more than ample for most uk climbing, a couple more iterations and you have a 30m indoor/grit outcrop rope and buy yourself a new 70 or even 80m sport climbing rope at either the 50 or 30m stage.

From what I have read the larger diameter ropes can afford to have more sheath which helps in terms of durability.

[moose]

Cheers fella, I suspect you're right and that I should just use the 9.5mm for everything and enjoy the sensation of joining the 21st century!  I'm probably letting myself get unnecessarily worried by how insubstantial it looks compared to my ancient 10.5mm (which makes even new 10.5mm ropes look a bit weedy).  If I did buy a "work" rope, my 9.5mm would possibly sit entirely unused in a cupboard for years whilst I endured unnecessarily dropped redpoints and grueling days' climbing hauling a stiff, heavy cable after me (I have enough trouble making clips as it is).  It's not as though I have had any protracted sieges myself (so far) - at most a session or two of top-roping before trying to lead.  Maybe save getting a thicker rope for when I run out of short/medium term goals.  That is, unless there are lots of contradictory tales of 9.5mm durability woe?

[TobyD]

Just after a bit of advice....
Less than a year of redpointing seemed to cause far more damage than ten years of onsighting with few falls.   how well do 9.5mm ropes stand up to this kind of treatment; would be a waste to use a new 9.5mm as a workhorse rope?   Does diameter reliably make much difference to durability?  Mammut Galaxys have a reputation for durability and but this thread had been pretty damming about them.

yes, it does. 9.5mm is fine, unless you are a proper biffa (which you are not). In fact some may regard it as a bit fat by modern standards. Yes, diameter does make a difference - but so does the weave and various other factors. In my experience, Galaxys are a bit cack. This is based on not only having had one or two, but the rate of returns on them when working in climbing shops. (maybe they are better these days, however) It is best to just face the fact that, if you work routes a lot, and fall off, ropes wear out. They are no that expensive, in the grand scheme of things - i wear out far more pairs of 5.10s than ropes, and they are more expensive.

[shark]

I recently bought a 9.5mm Mammut Infinity.  Its skinny Teflon-coated loveliness being more of a birthday treat to myself than a reflection of actual need; it's still unused as I haven't had the heart to subject it to grim wet-weather dogging sessions! 

If the Infinity is that orange length of cack then if my experience is anything to go by then it will wear out really quick unless they've improved them in the last couple of years. This was especially disappointing given how well the Revelation lasts which is not intended as a workhorse rope. Mammut and the shop manager refused to accept the way my Infinity wore after 3 days on a sport rip was anything other than my fault about 4 years ago. I wanted my money back but only could get a goodwill replacement which also wore out quick. Others had similar experiences. I hope they have improved the durability since.

[Paul B]

Yes, diameter does make a difference - but so does the weave and various other factors. In my experience

This is so accurate; my best wearing rope thus far has been a 9.4 mm (Beal Stinger II or III), it far outlasted by last Mammut Vertex which wasn't great at all and was a lot fatter. The next one I'm going to go for is the 9.4 mm Sterling rope (time to find out if they're as good as their reputation suggests).

[moose]

If the Infinity is that orange length of cack then if my experience is anything to go by then it will wear out really quick unless they've improved them in the last couple of years

My rope is bright blue, evo's are orange though (and there used to be a rope brand called Infinity). 

Paul, the fella I was climbing with at Malham on Saturday was raving about Sterling ropes, said his had lasted for 6 years of decent use and was recommending them as good value. I had considered buying one myself but , like many people I suspect, was dissuaded by the premium (an extra £50 might be bugger all compared to the additional utility, or would you be paying for hype and import costs).  Maybe next time...