UKC

so iv been looking into replacing my abb rope, have been looking into it for a while and have noticed that all semi static ropes iv seen so far are; 1, expensive and 2, heavy. they seem to be built for industrial uses, is there any real reason not to just use a standard dynamic 60m single rope instead of a 'Abb rope'. i guess the thinner sheath means it would ware quicker, but if 60m of single rope can be bought for £80ish where as you seem to only be able to get 50m of semi static rope for that cost, dose it matter? that way you would have a rope to abb off but also a single for leading strait routes?
or am i missing a obvious reason why people don't seem to do this more often?
dose anyone know of any good semi static rope deals going atm that would make it a better option?? i cant seem to find any

In reply to bodovix:

Climb up, abb down on same rope. Why do you need a separate rope for abbing? Or are you abbing as a hobby instead of climbing?

In reply to bodovix:

I've always just used a dynamic single for abseiling (Swanage, Cornwall, Gogarth etc) because I don't have a proper ab rope. Not died yet, though it's worth protecting it over any edges as there's a bit of a sawing effect when bouncing down an ab rope which can be unnerving.

In reply to bodovix:

Ab ropes for me are always discarded/pensioned off climbing ropes that I don't mind being made stiff and a bit grungy as a result of lots of people borrowing them to get into the cliff base. Always use dynamic, not static - I think most climbers do

In reply to bodovix:

If you're buying a new rope just for abbing then a semi-static will usually be far more hardwearing than a dynamic and will last a lot longer. It will make jumarring/prusiking more efficient and will abrade far less on any rock that it touches on the way down. However, most people generally use retired dynamic ropes they no longer trust to take big lead falls, which is a perfectly reasonable, zero-cost option as long as you're sufficiently careful to pad the rope over edges.

In reply to bodovix:
The main reason for buying a static ab rope is if you need one longer than the usual climbing rope length, eg 100m for Fairhead or some sea-cliff locations. Being static the lack of stretch is particularly useful on very long abs and of course once you own one it makes sense to use it where a normal climbing rope length would do too.

In reply to bodovix:

Have a look here http://www.caving-supplies.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdSrch.cgi/~@c~Semi-Static~Rop...

In reply to ChrisBrooke:


This and the fact more wear will occur from lengthwise stretch when loaded at points where it cannot be avoided. It is probably only really worth having a static rope for most UK uses if you are going to be equipping/cleaning routes or spend a lot of time climbing at the like of the bottom of tidal cliffs etc. You should always take care where any rope runs ofc but that which isn't immediately catastrophic will do more damage to a rope with plenty of give.

In reply to radddogg:

i climb almost exclusively on sea cliffs so having a rope hanging down is sometimes essental for acces plus its good to have a hanging rope to assend up if you get stuck at the bottom of some random cliff. self rescue and such. could have explained my need better in the original post my bad

In reply to bodovix:
thanks for the imput. probably just get a 60m single rope, lighter, cheaper and more diverse(self belay etc), if it bounces a bit near the bottom dosen't matter, its not like ill be painting or anything. just getting down to climb back up

In reply to bodovix:

The first time you try prussiking up 60m of dynamic rope you'll wish you had bought a static one! If you save some money and use a dynamic, at least use some of the left over cash for a couple of good rope protectors to put over any sharp edges.

In reply to bodovix:

Is it really cheaper ? I thought caving ropes were much cheaper than climbing ropes last I saw and also buyable by the metre

In reply to GrahamD:

No. £1.02 per metre for the 10mm static in Mr Lopez's link.

In reply to bodovix:

Not lighter if you get 9mm static (I have a 100m 9mm static line that is about 5.5kg); probably still more abrasion-resistant than a single...
Long abseils on a static, particularly on less than vertical ground, are much more pleasant than on a dynamic rope

In reply to LJC:

Exactly this, trying to get off the ground from the bottom of a 60m dynamic is a very difficult task. I'd buy static and carry it rather than repeat that again. Plus, in my own experience you only need to jug out when something isn't going right and if that's the case you don't want to spend 20min trying to get off the floor.

In reply to bodovix:

I bought static because it was cheaper at the time: From a caving supply company.

In reply to bodovix:

second for 9mm static. Wins avery time.