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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Jul 16, 2016 - 08:39am PT
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I inherited a 100 meter Beal Joker 9.1 rope. I really want to put this thing to use as a mega pitch rope. That to me would be the best style for it to go on. It has been mentioned that it would make a great TR rope for long Indian Creek routes, but this rope needs a more dignified life than simply being a TR workhorse.
Can anyone recommend routes where this behemoth can be used? I'm in Boulder, but could be anywhere in the Western US, any grade up to 5.13 sport or 5.12 trad. I'm thinking super long linked pitches, without rope too much rope drag.
My other thought of course is to cut it into two 50's and give the other half to a very deserving party. It seems there are a lot of routes now with 60m ropes, but that there would be plenty for a 50 still.
Thanks for any suggestions. (yes I realize this might require a big rack and well spaced gear).
This is by Paul Hunnicutt
Feb 11, 2009
Full circle :)
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Jul 16, 2016 - 11:41am PT
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There was a period of time I climbed with a skinny 100m that I used as a double on leads. 50m raps (probably close to 60m with stretch) with no knot to worry about was really nice.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Jul 16, 2016 - 09:09pm PT
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There I was. 100 meters above my belayer on an 80 meter rope. I could see the anchors. Two nutless. hangerless 1/4 inch studs, Rusted, bent 45 degrees downward, water spraying over the bolts and 10 meters of rotten face moves. It was hopeless, jingus, impossible, Impassable.
"Jesus. I'm falling." I yelled, to Jesus, my belayer.
"What?" yelled Jesus as I cast off from the wall, committing myself to his protection.
I flew through space, at peace with the knowledge that Jesus, my belayer, would catch me.
And then I splattered on the talus,
...and died.
Off belay
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Jul 16, 2016 - 10:06pm PT
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One bright day in the middle of the night,
Two dead boys got up...
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Climbsrox
Trad climber
seattle, wa
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Jul 16, 2016 - 10:13pm PT
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On a rather serious note I believe a 100 m rope was contributory to the demise of my best friend. After a day of 60m long slab routes my friends retired to the camp site which consisted of a large overhanging boulder some 60 feet tall in a beautiful granite basin in the north cascades. Rather than tying in to the end and pulling the rope all the way through, said buddy tied in short on a simple top rope. Upon reaching belay he didn't like the path of rope, clipped in safe and reconfigured draws on two bolts. He put the rope to be lowered back in the new setup, but clipped the wrong side (not belayed) and lowered off without weighting the rig. Unbelayed he fell and sustained fatal head injuries. My friend had been climbing some 40 years without serious incident.
We miss his presence every day and wish this simple mistake would have never happened.
Use abundant caution when top roping/cragging with long lines....
MH
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Jul 17, 2016 - 06:53am PT
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That sucks, MH, but any rope longer than 120' would have had a bunch of extra hanging around to confuse your friend.
Reasons to own an 80m
1. rapping the Hulk
2. Super Limits! (Outer Limits to the P2 anchors, then TR Crack-A-Go-Go)
3. Lower off Lunatic Fringe
4. Indian Creek
5. annoying old farts
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Jul 17, 2016 - 07:21am PT
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Before we ban them, we need to do some careful studies of how many climbers have been killed by ropes and if certain lengths are more dangerous.
Nobody needs a rope to climb that cliff.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jul 17, 2016 - 08:24am PT
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Carry less. Shorter pitches. Better communications. Less crag toproping
Pretty much sums it up, but I'll rant a bit anyway....
45m ~ 150ft (actual 147ft)
50m ~ 165ft (actual 164ft)
60m ~ 200ft (actual 196ft)
70m ~ 230ft (actual 229ft)
80m ~ 260ft (actual 262ft)
After a while it just seems silly. I think there is some wanting to be one of the cool kids or be able to say yours is longer. Seems like there's more fashion than function going on
I get long ropes for top-roping.
But, when trad leading, long ropes are most of the time harder to coil, harder to manage, more work to haul in, make you have to carry more gear (unless you're Donini, but even Donini goes with 60'except for Indian Creek - makes sense there), and make communication difficult (have even found myself thinking about adding a walkie-talkie to all that other extra gear!).
Seems like it makes things too complicated when I'm out here to climb to experience my life being less complicated.
Have thought about going back to a 45m rope. Seems like that would be great for unremarkable climbing I do in the mountains. Back to simple. Remember simple?
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Jul 17, 2016 - 02:18pm PT
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Some climbs have pitches that are set up for specific for specific lengths. It is annoying to come up 15 feet short of a bolted anchor (although my partner and I would probably just simul-climb a few feet in this scenario most of the time). For easy pitches the longer ropes can be nice, but the main reason I would do a multi-pitch climb with a rope longer than 60m would be to be able to do longer, single rope raps. In an alpine environment bailing from a long way up with a single 45M? (And I've mostly given up on bailing in alpine situations with two ropes. Don't won't to carry them and have had too many problems with the knot catching, anyway).
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Gary
Social climber
Where in the hell is Major Kong?
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Jul 18, 2016 - 07:49am PT
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Have thought about going back to a 45m rope. Seems like that would be great for unremarkable climbing I do in the mountains. Back to simple. Remember simple?
I make sure I only do old routes, then my 50m rope is fine. Who needs that extra weight.
OTOH, RJ Secor complains that the 50 is too long.
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Barbarian
climber
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Jul 18, 2016 - 08:08am PT
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I'm waiting for the 1000m so that I can toprope Freerider.
or jug it.
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j-tree
Big Wall climber
Typewriters and Ledges
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Jul 18, 2016 - 08:30am PT
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Outlaw 80m ropes and only outlaws will climb with them.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jul 18, 2016 - 09:43am PT
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Today's concept of extra long ropes and full length runouts is quite recent and local, being at first an adaptation to ledgeless routes in Yosemite and the ability of pitons to anchor virtually anywhere, and spreading from there by way of fashion. It is here that the natural climber will find it advisable to make a small readjustment in thinking. It is far more important to be well anchored than to make long pitches. And, it is often more efficient time-wise to stop shortand throw a sling over a block than run th rope out only to lose 10 minutes constructing an anchor. The British have recognized this as part of climbing with natural protection. On English and Welsh crags pitches of 30 to 60 feet are common. Every well protected ledge is utilized as a belay stance. And, the ease and quickness of placement and removal of runners and chocks makes these short pitches even more practical. The clean climber may find, especially on crag climbs and alpine routes, including moving in coils, that a shorter rope of perhaps 120 feet would overall more useful, economical, and convenient.
~ from the 1972 Chouinard catalog
Posted for fun. Yeah, I know, it's dated and quaint. Still there are some useful ideas here. A big one for me is that I hate having communication problems from long pitches. Communication is nice. For crags and alpine - shorter rope less bulk lighter weight less gear simple simple more fun yeah. I'm thinkin' a single 10.1 (I'm a big guy, those skinny lines don't work for me) ro double 8.5s in 150'? I'm thinking that sounds good.
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OlympicMtnBoy
climber
Seattle
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Jul 18, 2016 - 10:09am PT
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Good stuff here, the rope stretch issue is a serious one here. With a 70m 9.1 Joker I once had a buddy fall while seconding. It was a 65 meter pitch and he was about 15 feet off the belay ledge. With rope stretch he fell back to the ledge, hit it, and toppled off again backwards and upside down. Fortunately it was a "soft" impact and he was relatively uninjured, but pitching backwards off the ledge he had been belaying from shook him up pretty good for the rest of the day. We didn't gain much by having that longer pitch.
It's just more weight to carry unless you have a very specific climb in mind too. Sometimes I'll even take a 40m lead line and a pull cord, super light!
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Jul 18, 2016 - 10:29am PT
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^
Why would a longer rope result in a further fall on second?
edit: or at all, leading or following?
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nathanael
climber
CA
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Jul 18, 2016 - 10:54am PT
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Why would a longer rope result in a further fall on second?
Rope stretch. The Beal Joker mentioned above has a static elongation of 8% and dynamic elongation of 34%.
So if you run a full 70m pitch and your follower falls right off the belay, they'll fall 70m*8%=5.6m=17 feet. Likewise a lead fall with 70m in the system and you're going to be going for ride. Granted it's a slow and gentle deceleration but still. If you're 5' about your last piece, it's not just 10' fall, but 10'+slack+ at least 20' of rope stretch.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 18, 2016 - 10:59am PT
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The discussions about the danger of longer leads for the second make me wonder how safe my first couple of years were when we climbed on Goldline. All I remember is a gentle stretch, but if you were jumaring, you would jumar in place for the first 20 feet or so of a 150 foot lead.
John
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Jul 18, 2016 - 12:03pm PT
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I've TR'd "Fat City" in the Gunks which is a neat 5.10+ that overhangs at least 20'.
Two 60m "statics" tied together did the trick.
Even with the "static" designation there was serious stretch with 120m out. The coolest part was the enormous pendulum swing outward when coming off the crux at midpoint. Very slow though since the anchor was still very far away.
Early on though off the deck it'd still be possible to break ankles.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 18, 2016 - 12:23pm PT
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I don't like carrying giant ropes or making super long pitches just as a personal preference so it's annoying when routes or rap routes are set up for 70m ropes. Getting more and more common too! I think I'm on the verge of becoming an old grouchy guy...
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 18, 2016 - 06:45pm PT
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Better than politics and rehashing the news story of the day.
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