For the avid climber, they’ll tell you that their equipment is essential for a safe excursion. In fact, their climbing ropes are like their lifeline when out on the crag. Finding the right climbing rope for your needs involves a mixture of your needs as well as personal preference. For many, a few select multi-purpose ropes designed to handle many standard climbing situations is fine. For others, they’ll prefer a different rope to handle specific climbing techniques and requirements.
Shop our extensive selection of climbing ropes at Outdoor Shopping.
Design
Modern climbing ropes are designed with safety and durability in mind. Thus, the standard method of rope construction is known as ‘kernmantle construction’. This type of design is made to optimize the strength, durability, and flexibility of a rope for climbing. Here’s the breakdown:
Core (Kern) : This braided nylon center is designed to provide most of the shock absorption while providing a majority of your rope’s strength.
Sheath (Mantle) : Comprising 30-40% of the rope’s mass, the sheath encapsulates the core as a layer of protection. It’s abrasion-resistant and keeps the core from getting damaged during climbing.
And, thus, you have kernmantle! From here, the design of the rope itself can be altered based on the style of braiding, diameter, and other details.
Dynamic vs. Static
Knowing whether your needs require a dynamic or a static rope is one of the most basic questions, and this will determine which type of rope to purchase. While typically less expensive than a dynamic rope, a static rope is, as the name implies, used for situations where you don’t want the rope to stretch (pictured left). A dynamic rope has stretch incorporated in its construction, so when a leader falls, the force is reduced on the gear and the falling climber. Without this stretch, a fall could result in gear pulling or a broken back for the leader. A static rope is used for hauling gear on big walls, not for actually climbing on.
Shop our lineup of dynamic and static ropes at Outdoor Shopping.
Types of Rope
Once you’ve narrowed down dynamic vs. static, then there are a multitude of further options to choose from within the ‘dynamic’ category. The rated function of your rope will determine which situations they can safely be used in. Here’s the general guidelines and details for each type of dynamic rope that you’ll encounter in our inventory at Outdoor Shopping:
Single: A single rope is rated to catch falls by itself. Most typical climbing scenarios, such as sport climbing, or single pitch trad climbs, require a single rope leading many to see this type of rope construction as a good ‘all around’ rope to have in your arsenal. Single ropes range in diameter from 8.9mm to 11mm, and there are a few subsets to keep in mind
- Workhorse Single (10.4 – 10.2 - 10.1mm): Routes with rough edges can cut into your rope, and the workhorse single is designed to withstand the wear and tear. While they’re heavier and take up more room in your pack, they’re ideal for extreme climbing or working sport routes.
- All Around Single (9.9 – 9.8 – 9.7 - 9.5mm): Most people opt for these, as their use covers a variety of climbing techniques. Great for sport, trad, or alpine climbing, these singles fall in the mid-range rating on all aspects. Unless you’ve got a big wall or want to specialize in fast and light thrashing, then the all around single can probably handle your climbing needs.
- Skinny Singles (9.4 – 9.2 - 8.9mm): Trendy, flashy, and light-weight, the skinny single is designed for speed and easy carrying. If you’re doing several belays or having to carry your rope over your shoulder, the skinny single is probably ideal. Keep in mind that because they’re skinnier, they run a bigger risk of cutting on edges and will have a more difficult time catching falls.
Half: If you’ve got a long, wandering route ahead of you, the half rope might be your best option. Half ropes are rated be used with a leader tied in to two ropes, alternating which rope is clipped into each piece of gear. By alternating the rope clips, you reduce drag, and you can also limit the fall potential during a clip by pulling slack in the rope that is not running from the closest piece of pro.The half rope strategy is useful on zig-zagging trad climbs to reduce rope drag, or on a longer alpine climbs where two ropes are needed to rappel down. The downside is that more time and energy is consumed due to the extra bulk and weight of 2 strands, and managing belay transactions will take a little extra time.
Twin: Lighter and less bulky than their half counterparts, the twin rope is the skinniest of all ropes (going as small as 7 mm). Twins are meant for the leader to be tied in to two ropes, and clip both ropes into each piece of protection. These ropes are best for non-wandering climbs, but you’ll always have to clip both strands through each piece of protection.
Find every type of dynamic rope in our extensive inventory at Outdoor Shopping.
Other Characteristics
Sure, you may have a handle on the type of rope you need, but there are still more details to consider.
Length : One of the more obvious questions is how much rope you’re going to need. A 50 meter rope might get you by somewhere old school like Yosemite or Tuolumne, but many places require longer ropes to get you back to the ground. Typically, most ropes are between 30 and 80 meters long, but a good middle-ground length to get you started is right around 60 meters. Ideally, you’ll want to have a 60 meter for multi-pitch and alpine climbs and a 70 or 80 meter for sport climbing and cragging.
Bi-Patterns, Middle Mark, or None : This detail describes the markings on your rope. For instance, a bi-pattern, or bi-color rope is one that has 2 distinct colors or patterns to clearly differentiate the two halves of the rope. A middle mark uses a simple black dye or thread to indicate the middle-point of the rope. Keep in mind that bi-pattern ropes make finding the center easy even after the rope is dirty. Having no markings at all means that you’ll be spending a lot of your energy calculating remaining rope or putting your own markings on your ropes beforehand.
Surface Treatments : Different treatments can prevent moisture retention, keeping your rope dry in wet environments. This ensures that there’s no added water weight, making it a wise purchase for anyone planning to trek in icy or wet conditions.
Shop all types of rope characteristics at Outdoor Shopping.
UIAA Criteria and Testing Specifications
Every rope in our inventory comes with a list of numbers and specs, but what do these really mean to you?
Fall Rating : This UIAA rating plans for the worst case scenario - falls - and the amount of falls a rope can withstand without failing. If a rope has the UIAA rating of 5, it means that it will likely take more than 5 falls, because it withstood 5 of these worst case scenario falls. Usually the higher rating means your rope will last longer before needing to be retired, however your rope should always be inspected because a single fall or belay over a rough edge could damage your rope.
Impact Force : The amount of force, measured in kiloNewtons, that the first UIAA fall puts on the falling object. The lower the impact force rating (in kiloNewtons), the less force is applied to the falling climber, ie the softer the catch. So if you are hoping for a cush catch with less likelihood for injury, belay failure, or protection failure, look for a rope with a low impact force rating.
Static Elongation : Sometimes known as ‘working elongation’, this is a measurement of how much the rope stretches while statically hanging with a 176 lb weight on the end. This measurement is most important for top roping or hauling.
Dynamic Elongation : This is a measurement of the amount of stretch in the rope during the first UIAA lab test fall and is linked to static elongation and impact force. The more stretch, the lower the impact force, and therefore the softer the catch. The UIAA sets a maximum amount of dynamic elongation at 40% of the rope. Any more than that, and the danger of falling too far (and possibly decking or hitting ledges) becomes too great.
Climbing Rope Care
As a vital piece of safety equipment, your rope should be maintained and inspected regularly. It can also extend the life of your rope, but knowing when to retire your ropes is essential to a safe climbing experience.
Inspection Points:
Sheath : Your sheath takes the most damage, as it’s designed to handle abrasions and frictions. If at any point you can see the core through the sheath, then it’s time to hang up that rope for good. Check for excessive wearing beyond typical fuzziness, and pay close attention to spots with melting, which indicates a fast or big fall. Your core may be damaged underneath, and that’s where the real problem lies. Be sure to wash your rope to ensure dirt buildup is kept to a minimum, as this can break down the strength of the sheath over time.
Core : As the heavy-lifter of your rope, the core should never be damaged if you plan to continue to use your rope. Inspect your rope by running it through your hands feeling for any soft spots, stiff spots, or flat spots, all of which indicate damage and are a good sign of need for a new rope.
Ends : Over time, normal wear and tear will cause the ends of your rope to get fuzzy and cause the sheath to pull away or bunch up from the tip. Regular maintenance should include trimming the ends and melting to reseal the end with a lighter or hot knife.
Be sure to care for your rope regularly as well by making use of rope bags, rope tarps, and even edge rollers to protect the sheath of your rope over excessively sharp outcroppings.
Shop our selection of climbing gear at Outdoor Shopping for all of your rope care needs and accessories.
