UKC

would you retire this rope? it's a 9.6mm edelid viper

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f135/kingborris/20151114_145446_zpsomubbp...

i think i know what i'm going to do, but just interested in a wider opinion...

In reply to kingborris:

If you have to ask the question, I think you probably know the answer.
Buy yourself a new rope for Christmas.

In reply to kingborris:

If I was at home I'd probably cut it at that point and see if I could still use either of the two halves for wall or grit use.
If I was on a trip and it was difficult or expensive to replace it I'd probably still be OK using it but I'd make sure I led on the other end so that section never would have to take a severe fall.

In reply to kingborris:

Nothing in the photo makes it clear how deep the damage goes - is this just wear on the sheath, or is it more significant? Is the core affected in any way? Can you feel any change in the structure at that point?

As a middle-aged man with a certain amount of disposable income, I'd replace it in a heartbeat; but I'm not so sure I would have twenty years ago?

In reply to Martin not maisie:

no damage to the core, only the sheath. most damaged strands of the sheath are just partial cuts / fuzzy, although a few appear to be completely cut through

the damaged area covers around 1/3 of the circumference

In reply to kingborris:

If you can see the core, bin it immediately.

In reply to kingborris:

Obviously this is your decision and only you can take this responsibility and nobody else can decide from a photo. things to check would be If the core feels consistent across the damaged area and the rope bends with a consistent radius if you take a bight and roll it back and forth over the area, doesn't kink unusually and goes through a belay device properly. If so I'd probably use it.

In reply to kingborris:

Have you had your moneys worth out of the rope?

In reply to kingborris:

You are asking this question while sitting safely at home. Imagine asking yourself the same question on a multi-pitch, 100 meters above the ground, looking at that "bomber nut" few feet below you. I suppose, you would think slightly differently in that situation!

I suppose, it's a wall/sport rope rather than trad rope (too clean and it's just a single rope). My wall rope looked fairly similarly before I replaced with Mammut Zopa 9.7mm: http://www.bergfreunde.co.uk/mammut-zopa-97-bergfreunde-edition/ . I think it was the cheapest wall rope (36 pounds for 30m) I could find, but it handles a lot better than some cheap ropes. It wouldn't beat DMM Statement/Shorty though!

In reply to Phil1919:


Have you had your life's worth out of the rope?

In reply to Phil1919:


Utterly irrelevant.

In reply to kingborris:



Definitely replace or cut down for wall use.
The sheath is a very substantial part of a rope's strength.

In reply to kingborris:

I wouldn't continue to use that bit. Given that the rest looks immaculate, if it's near the end then you now have a shorter rope. If it's near the middle then you now have two really short ropes for grit / the wall / etc.

In reply to kingborris:

I think that bit can be cut off and other good bits of the rope likely re-used. On that note, if you do decide to do that, I'd happily buy a 10-20m section if you have that left over.

In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

If you have, throw it away. If you haven't, consider some of the comments made. It does look pretty well used to me.

In reply to kingborris:

I don't think you can really tell by just looking at the photo. Can you fold the rope over either side of the damage and get it to touch itself immediately below? If the answer is yes, I'd cut it at that point and use the two parts as best I could.

In reply to kingborris:

Thanks for the responses.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to cur it down for indoor use. Fortunately the damage is < 1m from the middle so I'll end up with 2 ropes of around 35m.

It's a shame as I've had very little use out of the rope. .. Maybe 6 days at the crag. I'm still not quite sure how the damage happened. I did take a lob onto it the weekend it became damaged but didn't notice anything afterwards.

In reply to kingborris:

I've had a couple of under 10mm ropes do this very quickly on the sheath. (generally cheaper models) Most are much less durable. If it is only sheath then it's totally fine, a snag on rough rock etc
Any funny stuff on the core under it, chop it

In reply to kingborris:
The first time you use one of your new 35m-ish indoor ropes, don't forget to tie a knot in the end! ;O)

In reply to kingborris:

Would I climb on it? Probably not.
Would I belay someone on it? Not a chance.

In reply to kingborris:

I'd go over the fuzzy bits with my trusty Black and Decker hot air paint stripper, they'll shrivel right up and you would hardly know it had been damaged.

Then I'd put it on eBay and put the proceeds towards a new one.