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what rope to buy?

tommy

18-Jan-2007
8:46:49 AM

hi there peoples,

im looking at buying my first rope for trad/sport climbing and not to sure whether to go for a dry treated rope or not. i think a 10-10.5mm, 60m rope would be good but have no real idea about which brands are better than others. any ideas??

cheers
tommy

dave

18-Jan-2007
9:40:59 AM

Have a read of previous topics such as this one:

http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=6&MessageID=4027&Replies=1

hopefully that will help a bit.

Dry treatment is good if you dont mind paying the extra. Definitely go for the 60m- having the extra length is very handy.

Ps imho steer clear of the Edelrid Python (common 1st rope). They are very dodgy.


Paulie

18-Jan-2007
10:39:48 AM

Don't buy a cheap Roca rope...they suck. Mine is like using 60mtrs of wire.

tommy

18-Jan-2007
12:23:43 PM

thats some good info, i was looking at a roca in the city yesterday which was $289 so i think i'll stear clear of that one..

Paul

18-Jan-2007
6:13:23 PM

My last rope was a roca, not to impressed with the sheath quallity. The one which I bought before that was a sterling, which was great and lasted very well even with some abuse.

My experience has taught me that it is probably worth spending the extra dollars and getting something quallity which will last, even though you do often trash your first rope.


cheesehead

18-Jan-2007
11:05:51 PM

Most people hate their Rocas.

James SqB and I each have a Roca Tasmania (Tasman? something like that) (10.5mm) The thing is bombproof, and is only just showing signs of wear 3 years on. I can't praise it highly enough, especially as a first rope.

And to contradict Dave (sorry mate), I'd never bother with dry treatment for a rock climbing rope. Sure it's a good idea (no question in the mountains), but the treatment never lasts long on rock. Costs extra and tastes terrible.

tommy

19-Jan-2007
8:45:13 AM

im a bit confused on the Rocas, so are the cheap ones no good and the expensive ones ok? dont think i'll bother with the dry treatment thing sounds like theres no need for gramps/araps type stuff.. i was talking to a friend in the gym last night that also mentioned mammut ropes are quite good?...


cheesehead

19-Jan-2007
10:19:01 AM

I think the big gripe with them is they are not smooth, subtle ropes. As Paulie said, like a cable.

Even when praising mine, I have to admit it's a bit on the stiff side, but this is coming down to pure aesthetics. It works just grand.

Yes, Mammut are excellent. I've got a new-found love for Edelrid ropes too. They handle gorgeously. My advice is that this is all nice, but hardly necessary for a first rope.
I'd venture that cable-like ropes will tend to last longer

One area where stiff ropes may be painful is with the rope twisting and knotting (eg, when lowering someone the rope just wants to knot up). That's worth investigating, but I personally haven't noticed this issue to be better or worse with any particular ropes.

dave

19-Jan-2007
10:47:35 AM

Go for Beal. They have way lower impact forces than any other brands (less load on your top anchor). They also use a different technique when creating dryropes. They heat the fibres as the sealant is put in thus meaning it is permanently in the rope. i'm sold.

Good Manufacturers:
Mammut
Beal
Sterling
Edelrid (some of the time)

comments anyone?


tnd

19-Jan-2007
11:00:24 AM

My 2¢: Roca are stiff and have very poor clipping "feel" when leading. So if you're just beginning and doing a lot of top roping they will be fine, as they are good value.

I'd say Mammut is best of all, but expensive. I've had Edelrid ropes and they were good and very hard wearing. Have heard good reports about Beal and Sterling.

I currently use a 10.2 Blue Water most of the time, great lead rope but it loves to twist itself into knots!

Get a 10.5 diameter for your first rope, better for wear.

What's the feedback on these Tendon ropes that climbinganchors.com are selling, they are very reasonably priced?


anthonyk

19-Jan-2007
11:03:49 AM

just to confuse things even further, i've never heard anything good about beal ropes (apart from dave's comments above).

have used roca ropes a fair bit and they are fine, esp for a first rope. i use a mammut supersafe and its brillo, but rocas are probably a fair sight cheaper. everyone says great things about sterlings, but i've seen some need to get retired after a year, although they were not treated particularly well. rocas under similar treatment lasted the same or longer. so i think they're probably a good option for a first rope


BigMike

19-Jan-2007
11:11:09 AM

For durability I reckon nothing beats Mammut. I took one on a two-year climbing trip ... mostly trad, few falls but a LOT of use. I've relegated it to an abseil rope now, but it's still looking better than the Edelrid I've used as a weekend climber for a year or so...


BigMike

19-Jan-2007
11:13:23 AM

Oh and from my experience, Beal get thrashed in no time. I took a brand spanking new one to Thailand for three months, got a nice surprise when I saw the core through the sheath on the last week ... right at the place where you tend to make your clip. OK I'd dogged and flogged the thing, and I'm a bit of a load, but still it was a surprise.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

19-Jan-2007
11:41:02 AM

Spectralcoat dentafloss kernmantle is the next generation of lightweight super-strong super-handling rope I hear.
I'd hang out for that if the price is reasonable.
You prollie won't be able to deconstruct it like some have suggested on another thread if you need to emergency extend your abseil line to get off an epic though.
:P

19-Jan-2007
11:51:39 AM

On 19/01/2007 BigMike wrote:
>
>Oh and from my experience, Beal get thrashed in no time. I took a brand
>spanking new one to Thailand for three months, got a nice surprise when
>I saw the core through the sheath on the last week ... right at the place
>where you tend to make your clip. OK I'd dogged and flogged the thing,
>and I'm a bit of a load, but still it was a surprise.

~Thailand has a reputation for killing ropes though~

Most ropes last me 1 year max. My experience has been...

-Roca Tasmania. Good first rope (when you don't know any better). Tough but wirey. Basically never died, until it was too fat to go through a belay device!

- Beal. Great feeling rope, light and soft catch. Needed to be cut regularly though, when core started to show.

-Bluewater. Similar to beal, but more durable.

-Tendon. Lasted a year of sportclimbing, including 2 blue mountain trips. Happy with performance. Only negative is sheath tended to fuzz up quicky.


Paulie

19-Jan-2007
12:33:44 PM

My 2c.

This is the Roca I've got, make sure you don't buy it!
http://www.rocaropes.com/mountain-gear/cuerdas-dinamicas/roxy-102.htm

I almost purely use Edelrid, in fact the Roca is the only time I've strayed and that was because Gemma was working in a gear store and got it for free...

I find Edelrid are excellent value for money, long lasting and the dry-treatment (agree with CH - you don't need it dry for rock) stays on forever. How good are my Edelrid doubles CH!

Another brand that I've used a lot (friend's ropes) is Sterling, they are really great too, supple and easy to use and seem to last for ages, they were also cheap 8yrs ago, don't know how they compete these days though.

Paul


dougal

19-Jan-2007
1:10:45 PM

Don't need treatment. Get a 60 or 70. Whatever you get wash it regularly and it'll handle better (unless you use the kids bubble bath by mistake).

19-Jan-2007
1:31:34 PM

dry treatment is unbelievable stupid. You look like a coal miner after a long belaying session..


foreverabumbly

19-Jan-2007
1:54:17 PM

I have a beal rope that I have been tempted to throw off the watchtower faces on several occassions, it has the tendancy to tangle and bird nest itself regularly, but it feels really good through the fingers. I just went out and bought an edelrid livewire 9.4 today, so new and shiny....

For a first rope, my advice is go into the store and buy whatever 10.5mm they have on sale. Once that rope dies you will have a better understanding of your specific requirements. "Am I a sport climber, trad climber, fall lots, will I use doubles or singles etc.


Paulie

19-Jan-2007
4:12:58 PM

On 19/01/2007 kp wrote:
>dry treatment is unbelievable stupid. You look like a coal miner after
>a long belaying session..

Not when you accidently drop your rope into a river when it's -10 outside it's not! I can handle (well, my g/tex jkt can) a bit of blackness, 120mtrs (that's 2x60mtrs) of frozen rope aint so cool...

There are 34 messages in this topic.