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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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May 17, 2009 - 12:25pm PT
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70 footer.
live to tell about it.
new rope.
new rope rug complete with backstory chicks will dig (right chicks?)
win/win.
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apogee
climber
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May 17, 2009 - 12:32pm PT
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"should I retire a brand new rope after a 70ft whipper?"
Take it back to REI and return it for a new one.
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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May 17, 2009 - 01:32pm PT
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WHAT? You just figgered out it werks....
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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May 17, 2009 - 01:36pm PT
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measure the rope, take another 70 footer, and then re-measure.
keep this up until the rope no longer stretches. then make a door mat.
dang, 97 in Boulder Creek today, whats a mother to do?
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AllezAllez510
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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May 17, 2009 - 02:19pm PT
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When I climbed at Ceuse, I routinely saw Euro sport climbers take 50 footers on some of the harder climbs. Some of them are so hard you almost have to skip clips.
I bet this guys rope has had some life taken out of it, but it's probably serviceable.
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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May 17, 2009 - 02:23pm PT
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keep it....
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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May 17, 2009 - 02:40pm PT
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I wouldn't worry about it.
Technically, a 70ft fall isn't nescisarily that bad of a fall on a rope, if there are no edges. The more rope you have out, the easier any fall will be on a rope.
A short fall on to a rope can have the same amount of force as a 70ft, but less dispersion of those forces due to a shorter chord. God forbid you factor 2 onto the rope.
Your rope was probably going through many pieces of gear which also would create friction over the length of the rope and reduce the impact forces at the piece that caught you.
If I were you I'd be more worried about the cam you fell onto, make sure those lobes are still functioning properly.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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May 17, 2009 - 03:28pm PT
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The fact that you are asking means you should buy a new rope. You will be asking yourself the same question every time you lead on your current rope. It is your call.
Ken
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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May 18, 2009 - 12:44am PT
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Man, you haven't even told us how many times it's been stomped on with crampons! That's when you start to wonder...
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WBraun
climber
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May 18, 2009 - 12:46am PT
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Why Erik, YOU can always retire instead of the rope .....
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scooter
climber
fist clamp
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May 18, 2009 - 02:43am PT
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only if you were using tape.
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Ottawa Doug
Social climber
Ottawa, Canada
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May 18, 2009 - 12:51pm PT
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Retire, it's not brand new anymore!
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Mr_T
Trad climber
The 7th Pin Scar on Serentiy Crack
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May 18, 2009 - 02:26pm PT
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You did not come close to exceeding the UIAA fall factor of 1.7. The length of the fall is 70' and about 120' of rope out => FF 0.58. Worst case this is a fall factor 1 (misjudging distances). Given the amount of elongation (was 25' above pro, fell 70'), your rope did it's job and stretched. You had plenty of rope out to dissipate energy.
The UIAA implies your rope will fail after 5 falls of Factor 1.7. How comfortable are you knowing your rope is guaranteed to now sustain 4 of these before failure?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 18, 2009 - 03:36pm PT
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If I took a 70 ft. whipper, I'd retire from climbing and make a rug out of the rope.
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Fresh
Trad climber
meffa, ma
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May 18, 2009 - 04:20pm PT
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"The fact that you are asking means you should buy a new rope. You will be asking yourself the same question every time you lead on your current rope. It is your call."
there are plenty of reasons to buy a new rope, but this is one of the silliest. so you should retire a piece of gear whenever you have irrational fears about it? that's superstition, plain and simple. irrational fears aren't bad, because we all have them. but letting irrational fears influence our actions is anything but prudent.
there's only one important question--is the rope safe to climb on after a fall factor of .58?
(...probably.)
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Fresh
Trad climber
meffa, ma
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May 18, 2009 - 04:27pm PT
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separate question.
does a 70 foot fall on 120 feet of rope have the same impact on the rope's integrity as a 7 foot fall on 12 feet of rope?
I'd suspect the effect is the same, since the rope is as strong as its weakest component, but I dunno.
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curt wohlgemuth
Social climber
Bay Area, California
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May 18, 2009 - 04:59pm PT
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All I can say is, if you finished the multi-pitch climb after a 70' whipper near the bottom, you've either got huevos, or your brain got scrambled on the fall and you didn't know how to say "I think it's time to go down for beer."
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Mr_T
Trad climber
The 7th Pin Scar on Serentiy Crack
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May 18, 2009 - 05:04pm PT
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In comparing a 7/12 vs 70/120 the rope has linear everything - working elongation, stress/strain, hookean spring like - they're the same.
A 20' fall directly on the belay (FF 2.0) is far more dangerous than a 40' fall with 80' out (FF 0.5).
How much did the leader weigh? That actually makes a difference, not in fall factor, but in maximum stress on the rope. Since most climbers used to weigh 150lbs, this was ignored. With 220 lb wall rats, things change.
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Ed Bannister
Mountain climber
Riverside, CA
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May 18, 2009 - 05:15pm PT
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Man......
too many unasked or answered questions, like:
1)a tumbling fall? Was the fall a sliding "fall" on a slab?
or was the falling leader airborne?
2) If you are learning to lead/neophyte, ok that's your decision whether or not to lead, but why buy a cord under 10.2mm?
3) since the why came up, why would you in your life buy a Beal rope? earlier photos of good and bad rope bad one have too loosely woven sheath and hence small radius of 180, means the rope will flatten out over an edge, translation more easily CUT.
Beal ropes are forever too soft.
American Alpine Journal documents no broken ropes, but plenty of cut ropes and failed knots. A friend nearly broke a blue water rope on a 70 foot fall with a factor of .7. but that is the closest call i have heard of. Go buy a nice 60 x 10.2 from PMI, or Teufelberger, or Mammut. and oh Ya, Mountaineering The Freedom of the Hills might be a book purchase.
Beal ropes make great lines for boat anchors.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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May 18, 2009 - 05:41pm PT
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105 replies on a rope question - man that's completely rc.
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