Several years into 70m rope availability, what say you?

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Mungeclimber

Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 26, 2013 - 12:53am PT
Now that we are several years into 70m rope availability. Have you found them to be worth the price? Worth the extra schlep? Worth going down to a smaller diameter to reduce the weight enough to make it worth it?


What type of situations do you use your 70m for?

1. long alpine (with small diameter)?
2. Longer sport?
3. 70m standard areas, if there is such a thing?
4. Toproping longer than 100' lines since they are common in your area?


What areas do you use yours in?

Yos, Josh, Gunks, South Dakota, Banff, Peru, Jamaica?
karodrinker

Trad climber
San Jose, CA
Mar 26, 2013 - 01:07am PT
love mine. linking pitches is the shizzle. the extra weight? meh, 10 extra meters of pulling rope just develops stronger shoulders
Capt.

climber
some eastside hovel
Mar 26, 2013 - 01:17am PT
70's are already out of vogue.My friends and I are all runnin' 80's.Talk about strong shoulders when coiling...An 80 will do ya! :-)
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Mar 26, 2013 - 01:18am PT
Unless you're climbing exclusively at josh or somewhere like that, why would you buy anything else?

And yes Many new routes require them.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2013 - 01:30am PT
well so far, all the strong climbers have spoken up.

how about the rest of us?



I'll go first. I dislike coiling extra rope. But I'm willing to do it if the cord is good and the weight is offset. The jacked up thing is that to link pitches, my haul line will need to be longer too!


Lucky my rei dividend is big, like me.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2013 - 01:31am PT
Joe, I hear ya. Brutus used to run with skinny half ropes for back country work. Thought about doing that?
bhilden

Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
Mar 26, 2013 - 01:40am PT
Munge,

I don't follow fads or flawed logic so I still climb on a 50m and a 60m. What I think is funny is that people are so concerned about weight that they go out and spend big $$$ on a 9.2mm single rope and then buy a 70m or 80m. Oh, yeah, did I say flawed logic.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2013 - 01:44am PT
I hear ya Bruce. I haven't done the math, but I'd be coming down from a 10.5mm to like a 9.sumpin

I think it is a wash, no? So that's why the extra coiling is now weighed against sheer utility like...

linking pitches
toproping at the Creek
toproping at the cookie

etc.

The bummer for me would be linking entails more gear since I'm a scardy.
Big Mike

Trad climber
BC
Mar 26, 2013 - 01:54am PT
Only rope ill buy. 9.9 70m. Great for linking gear pitches, great for long sport routes.

I use mine in squamish, skaha, yosemite, las vegas (well it wasn't mine but same rope)... It's great for toproping 35m pitches. If i could find an 80m i would buy it.a

For climbs that require a tagline i really like my 8mm half ropes, 70m also or one skinny one fat depending on partners. (If their half rope haters or not)

Indispensable for any 35m skaha pitches.
squishy

Mountain climber
Mar 26, 2013 - 02:05am PT
I recently pick up a 40 and honestly, it's the best rope I've used...mmmmmm...I have an extra 70 in the closet somewhere, never use it much it's too big and I am really weak...I bet I can cut it into two 35's, nice, a twofer!
Steve Belford

Sport climber
Poway, CA
Mar 26, 2013 - 02:06am PT
I wouldn't buy anything else. I usually go for a 9.8mm. I am on my 5th or 6th 70m rope. The 70m seems to be the standard for the sport climbs around Bishop. I was in JT last week with a 70 and I did not even sweat the extra rope. I never have been screwed by having too long a rope.
bhilden

Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
Mar 26, 2013 - 02:16am PT
Munge,

I don't think you are gonna get people to seriously consider if they really need a longer rope all the time. One of the other fads and flawed logic I like is the use of rope bags to, supposedly, extend the rope life by keeping it clean. The same people who use rope bags also lower through their gear at the top of sport climbs instead of rappelling. Lowering puts way more wear and tear on a rope.
Big Mike

Trad climber
BC
Mar 26, 2013 - 02:31am PT
A short rope for cragging isn't a bad idea. Trouble is, there are lots of longer routes as well as shorter routes at our crags. Are you going to take two shorty's or just one long one?

A 60 would be nice for areas that are guaranteed sub 30m, trouble is there aren't many areas like that around here.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Mar 26, 2013 - 03:25am PT
80m in Yosemite...

Fish says 83m or you're hosed...
Dingus McGee

Social climber
Laramie
Mar 26, 2013 - 06:13am PT
My most recent 70m was cut in half for sport climbing at a somewhat constant height winter area along the North Platte river. I have 2 ropes of 35m.

Another climber there seeing my 2 tidy piles of rope cut his 70m in half.

Once I was doing the 5.11 west face route on Square Top with 60 meter ropes but could not utilize their length very often because of too much rope drag.

But keep buying those 70's & 80's as friends of mine give me their end trashed ropes. I cut the ends off and use the approx <60m piece for tram lines on steep overhangs.
tradmanclimbs

Ice climber
Pomfert VT
Mar 26, 2013 - 07:26am PT
Bigger,faster longer is not always better, this is supposed to be fun. pushing the pitch length makes sense sometimes but often it does not. sit down on that ledge and look arouund. appreciate the beauty of where you are...
Captain...or Skully

climber
Mar 26, 2013 - 08:27am PT
60 meters is quite a ways. Enough for me.
Gunkie

Trad climber
East Coast US
Mar 26, 2013 - 08:55am PT
In the Gunks, most pitches are less than 50m. Some are only 20'. A 60m line can go bottom to top in many places and bottom to grand traverse ledge most of the time.

I'd say 70m is overkill in the Gunks. However, being the cheap bastard that I am, I only have a 70m line that is very useful at other places like the 'daks, NH, Yos...
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Mar 26, 2013 - 09:37am PT

Me too--60m is great. . .

remember the 'old' ropes used to be 150 feet!
j-tree

Big Wall climber
Classroom to crag to summer camp
Mar 26, 2013 - 09:42am PT
I use a 70m 9.4 for freeclimbing but since I've been mostly aiding recently don't see much of a need. The extra distance you can go also means that you're having to carry extra gear or running out when you try to short fix.
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