UKC

I'm about to buy a half rope, which I'll mainly use for trad multi-pitch (no ice-climbing. Ever) I've got an overseas trip coming up soon, so a key consideration is weight.

I've narrowed it down to the Mammut Phoenix 8mm and the Beal Iceline 8.1mm. (both similar prices) Does anyone have experience of either of these ropes and which would you go for?

In reply to hazeysunshine: which have the best colours?

In reply to hazeysunshine:

I've found that the Mammuts are harder-wearing but the Beals last longer. I go Mammut personally, but it depends which is more important to you...

In reply to hazeysunshine: Not sure about Phoenix but Icelines are way too stretchy for my liking for use on trad - great for ice where you are never (fingers crossed) going to fall off but would be a pain if you end up dangling much. I think they stretch something like 37% (from memory).

In reply to hazeysunshine: Check the sheet % and number of falls on Beal Icelines vs. their slightly thicker Cobra II. Pretty big difference. For use on rock I'd go for something slightly thicker every time.

I've only used the Beal Iceline for iceclimbing and haven't used Mammuts Pheonix but other Mammut halfropes. Generally speaking Mammut ropes are much stiffer than Beal's and on pretty much every Beal rope I've ever handles the sheet is kind of loosening up over time and tends to slip towards one of the ends. A bit annoying, but I primarily use halfropes for winterclimbing and I think Beal's DWR is better and they are cheaper so that's why I tend to end up with them anyway.

In reply to hazeysunshine: im on my second set of phoenix ropes and they are very very hardwearing,in fact much more hardwearing than some 9mm ropes ive had,i retired my first set after 5 years and they still looked great i just retired them on principle (and one had a bight of rope run over by a truck on a roadside ice climb
i use them for everything trad/ice/mountain routes,they clip so nice being light and stretch less than ice lines,its amazing how well they cope with endless grit routes being so skinny.

i couldnt recommend them enough

In reply to cliff shasby:
+1
I've a pair too and they are the dogs. 2 years in and they look like new. The icelines are very dynamic by design for the nature of ice climbing I suspect, I'd be wary of getting these for trad. OP should consider buying a buggettee for use on these skinny ropes though.

In reply to blanchie14c: i carry a bugette just in case for belayers but ive found bd guide or reverso 3/4 are fine,anything with grooves really...

In reply to everyone: thanks for all the comments this is really helpful, the general consensus appears pretty clear...

In reply to cliff shasby: i have a BD ATC - not the guide, but it does have grooves. But good point, I'll need to think about a spare device

In reply to hazeysunshine:

I'm on my second set of Icelines and my main climbing partner has a pair of Phoenix. I've not noticed anything significant to choose between them - the Beal are possibly a bit slicker to handle and less prone to tangling, but there's not much in it. The Beal are brighter colours.

Not sure where this nonsense about Iceline's being too stretchy to abseil on comes from, I've abbed on mine many times, including 19 pitches down the Lotus Flower Tower, and didn't notice any issues, let alone any differences to the Mammut ropes. It is worth ensuring your belay device is up to the job on thin ropes though, I use a Reversino.

In reply to Adam Long:


Did someone say abseiling? I thought it was Nick who noted that they stretch a lot if you fall - which is what you want I guess. But I agree, absolutely no probs abbing on them as long as you have a grippy belay device. I once top roped on one iceline (silly idea I know, but it was what was in the back of the car) when I found some very thin ice on a local cliff. The ice gave way when I was about 4 or 5 mtrs up at a guess, and I very gently and smoothly touched the ground on rope stretch! So they do stretch a lot.

But having said that, I used my iceline loads for nearly a decade, mainly ice climbing but also some big mountain rock routes in Norway where it being long and light were great. It hardly showed any wear over that time and is the best value for money rope I've ever had of any type. I wouldn't choose it for predominantly rock climbing (particularly single pitch cragging) but mine was a superb rope.

I've gone for the Mammut in the end. With any luck it'll arrive before Easter so I can try it out in Cornwall with different belay devices

If I ever suffer a complete character transplant and take up ice-climbing, then I'd go for the iceline.