UKC

How many of you mix half ropes? Ie I have a perfect alpine 8.3 and a mammut meteor 8.3. And favour the mammut when setting off.

In reply to zimpara:

If needs must. I have also used a half and a single. Matching ropes is always nicer though as they feed through the belay with the same resistance.

In reply to zimpara:

It used to be normal practice for each climbing partner to bring his/her own half rope. Different lengths was a pita.

I'm talking 80s/90s here.

In reply to AlanLittle:




Isn't that still the norm?

In reply to zimpara:

I did most of my climbing back in the day

I'm fairly sure matched ropes would have been talked about down for weeks after it was spotted

In reply to Doghouse:

Most people I climb with these days own pairs, and we decide in advance who's bringing the ropes this time.

In reply to zimpara:

Sounds fine to me if they are the same diameter, I'm not sure I'd want to belay two different thickness ropes - sounds awkward?

In reply to springfall2008:


If they're both half ropes the difference in diameter will be minimal. Assuming you have good double rope belaying technique, a slight difference in thickness is not awkward, and is not something to worry about

In reply to zimpara:
The only issue is it's confusing if the colour is the same/similar. Otherwise, half and half of any diameter is fine.

In reply to Misha:


My memory is that it was rare for ropes to be so similar that they were hard to tell apart

But it was essential that both parties agreed which of the many colours in the sheath was the one that would be refered to.

This was to avoid moments along the lines of

"Watch me on yellow while I get this runner on green.."

"they've both got some yellow. When you say yellow do you mean they one that is also red and orange or the more purple one"

In reply to zimpara:

Regularly use an8.5 and an 8.3. No dramas. As one poster has said, sussing colours is more important!

In reply to John Clinch (Ampthill):

It's quite a good wind-up to use elaborate colour names for your ropes. If your leader says "take in on orange" (say), you can feign confusion because they didn't call it "Autumn Splendour". I particularly like insisting on calling my green half rope "Secrets of the Forest".

In reply to bpmclimb:

Thanks for the laugh I'll have to use that one next time I need taking on the Amethyst rope =P

In reply to Misha:

Good point, I could never climb with a blue and a green rope as I get them mixed up all the time. Luckily I normally climb with pink (or red?) and blue (which I call green all the time or is it green which I call blue - I still don't know)!

In reply to bpmclimb:

I had rope that I'm sure was called "coral" on the label. I always quite liked yelling "take in on coral!"

In reply to TobyA:

This makes me feel like my climbing buddy and I are infact rather normal with our crag humour then! Coral and aqua yarS yarS

In reply to Doghouse:


In my experience, yes.

In reply to Misha:


"Slack on blue"
"Noooo, the other blue"

It did happen it you both bought your ropes in the same year.