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Washing ropes etc. after sea cliff climbing

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 GridNorth 14 Sep 2015
Do you wash any of your climbing equipment after sea cliff climbing? Back in the day, late 60's, when I used to go to Gogarth a lot, I did but I seem to have got out of the habit recently. With modern ropes how essential is it and if you climb on sea cliffs regularly how often do you do it?

Al
 Jon Stewart 14 Sep 2015
In reply to GridNorth:

After my first year of sea cliff climbing, all my gear rusted up (well the ropes didn't). I washed it all and WD40'd the cams, and the rack was fine again. I washed it all again the autumn or two after that, then stopped doing it. All seems well at the moment...
 dagibbs 14 Sep 2015
In reply to GridNorth:

It is generally a good idea to wash the metal stuff, as what salt really does is help corrosion along. Rope & other non-metal bits aren't as important, except in that they will gently re-contaminate your metal. Possibly not enough to matter, though.
 Dave Mahon 25 Sep 2015
In reply to GridNorth:

If you climb on sea cliffs then toss your gear in the cupboard for the winter, your cams will seize up. I made that mistake once!
 Toerag 25 Sep 2015
In reply to GridNorth:

If your rope's had a dunking or you've been out on windy days with lots of salt spray in the air then wash it - salt crystals will abrade the fibres. However, you're likely to retire a rope for other reasons before salt crystal abrasion has much effect.
Metalware needs regular rinsing - salt is hygroscopic and will absorb moisture from the air and continue corroding stuff until you rinse it away, especially aluminium.
 AlanLittle 27 Sep 2015
In reply to GridNorth:

Quick rinse under the tap for the metal stuff.

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