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

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List

This thread has been locked

Messages 41 - 60 of total 65 in this topic

<< First | < Previous | Show All | Next > | Last >>

couchmaster

climber

pdx

Mar 26, 2013 - 01:25pm PT

pfft - 80's were in vogue when this thread started but everyone is running 90m's now.

Jon Beck

Trad climber

Oceanside

Mar 26, 2013 - 01:35pm PT

ropes are for sailors

blasphemy! sailors use lines. It is rope until it is put into service, then it is a line or some other term such as hawser, halyard or lanyard, never a rope.

rincon

Trad climber

SoCal

Mar 26, 2013 - 01:36pm PT

70m - A MUST HAVE for certain areas.

What areas?

Is there a place where the anchors are 70 meters apart?.

Back in the olden days, we actually brought TWO ropes if the raps were long...I guess nobody does that anymore?

Rhodo-Router

Gym climber

sawatch choss

Mar 26, 2013 - 01:36pm PT

Ropes are like shoes, you can never have too many if you're looking for the ideal setup for each occasion.

I love my marathon 80 for long sport pitches, Indian Creek, and helping bruce hilden reassure himself that he is a master of logic immune to 'fads' like like not getting lowered off the end of the rope.

The 70 comes out for long-but-easy stuff like the EBMC where linking pitches does not entail a monster rack, or long-but-hardish stuff in the Black where the extra length is mostly a security measure in the event of a bail but 2 ropes would be too much too manage.

60m is kind of a default standard for cragging or multi-pitch- good enough for most single pitches and the occasional rope-stretching link.

50m- I haven't had one of these that has seen real use since the mid-90's. I have a 9.1 Joker that comes out for the alpine, or easier multi-pitch with a low chance of extensive hanging.

<50m (chopped ropes, mostly) actually get more use than the 50m 'standard' since there's lots of dinky sport crags where I live and 140' or so is plenty.

Buying more ropes costs more money, but the upside is that the wear gets spread out over them all so no one rope gets worn out real soon (mind you, I don't climb a lot of hard sport).

Given that the No.1-with-a-bullet way of getting hurt cragging seems to involve lowering with inadequate rope, carrying a bit of extra to the average single-pitch joint doesn't seem to be a big imposition-- especially compared with the time-sucking/dangerous shenanigans we all find ourselves doing when toproping longer single pitches.

Edge

Trad climber

New Durham, NH

Mar 26, 2013 - 02:47pm PT

Ron Anderson wrote:

May even kick back on the ledge talking with a cliff frog or sumpn..;-)

Am I the only one that read this and thought, "lick it?"

RyanD

climber

Squamish

Mar 26, 2013 - 03:30pm PT

Can u even buy 50m ropes anymore?

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.

Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2013 - 05:24pm PT

not to thread drift my own thread, but why are static lines almost always sold in lengths that are shorter than your average climbing CORD?

Rhodo-Router

Gym climber

sawatch choss

Mar 26, 2013 - 05:36pm PT

They're trying to weed out the sport rappellers.

looks easy from here

climber

Ben Lomond, CA

Mar 26, 2013 - 09:32pm PT

Can u even buy 50m ropes anymore?

I asked at my gym about ordering an inexpensive one to be my indoor beater, but it was a no-go.

Back OT, I bought my first rope last month, after having spent the last year climbing on my friends' 60 and 70 meter ropes. I went with a nice, lean 70. No regrets yet (we'll see if I feel the same when I lug it into the wilds this summer...)

ms55401

Trad climber

minneapolis, mn

Mar 26, 2013 - 09:43pm PT

yeah, I love dragging a 70-meter rope to my local 40-foot crag. Thanks, private equity!

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Mar 26, 2013 - 11:18pm PT

_Hi Pat

kennyt

climber

Woodfords,California

Mar 26, 2013 - 11:19pm PT

2. Longer sport?

that seems like it.

WBraun

climber

Mar 26, 2013 - 11:49pm PT

why are static lines almost always sold in lengths that are shorter than your average climbing CORD?

Because they hang straight down.

Static lines don't need to wander like lead lines.

Now don't-ch know that ......

Captain...or Skully

climber

Mar 26, 2013 - 11:56pm PT

We had a super long static line on New Dawn. The cluster cord.
Meh.

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Mar 27, 2013 - 09:33am PT

You can leave me a message pat,convince me we have anything to talk about. It is fun having
Have you stalk me! I have your hundred texts from after midnight last night and so do the authorities. They seemed more interested in video though.

Guess you had to delete.

10b4me

Ice climber

Happy Boulders

Mar 27, 2013 - 11:25am PT

Ron does have a point. Unless going to a fixed anchor, you can belay wherever you want.( just don't hold up the send train)

Nowadays, I'm more interested in getting a smaller diameter(9.1-9.5mm) rope

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Mar 27, 2013 - 06:42pm PT

My std cord for multi pitch has been a 70m for over 10 years. I like em, especially now that we're down to mid 9mm dias.

My sport climbing rope is a 60 (although I will occasionally bust out the 70, because my local sport crag the Riverside Quarry has several pitches over 30m that require a 70 to lower or rap if you don't want to do a L-P-L).

why are static lines almost always sold in lengths that are shorter than your average climbing CORD?

Huh? Not in my experience. Sure you can get em in weird lengths (blame the cavers or roped access workers), but just as easily get them in std 50,60,70 lengths. You can also just buy it by the foot. Last static line I bought was a 200m spool...if your climbing cord is longer than that, you must carry one hell of a big rack to link 3-4 pitches at a time.

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Mar 27, 2013 - 07:04pm PT

If you are going to use a static rope as a tag line make sure it is 5 meters longer than your lead rope to accomodate the stretch in the lead rope.

nutjob

Sport climber

Almost to Hollywood, Baby!

Mar 27, 2013 - 07:13pm PT

I've been using 2 x 8.0mm x 60m for at least 5 years. Before that it was 2 x 9.0mm x 60m for a few years. Using doubles has saved my arse on several occasions, for long raps, a few times needing to cut ropes, losing one in the wind, etc.

On some alpinish routes or where I'm mostly solo'ing but want a back-up plan, I only take one and fold it in half when using to minimize dragging.

I've found that linking pitches is only feasible on certain types of routes. I tend to more blocky bush-wacky wandering stuff where it's just impractical to do longer pitches. The communication issues and stuck-ropes issues are not worth the supposed time savings.

That said, I can see the benefit on straight-up clean cracks or slabs. But then you seriously run out your pro or bring quite a lot.

So I have never yet had an experience where I said "damn, if I only had a 70m rope." Plenty of times I've stretched a 60m though.