Mid-July saw the huge OutDoor Tradeshow descend upon the town of Friedrichshafen in Germany. This is the event of the year for European climbing companies, and there are literally hundreds of brands showing off their shiny new stuff.
The UKC/UKH reporting team consisted of five of us, splitting the many appointments. This enabled us to see more products than ever before and we have a series of reports about all the new developments on show. The first report covered climbing hardwear then we had one on packs. This next report covers the new developments in ropes - thinner, stronger and more hard wearing than ever before - we have met all the main players leading this development.
Corbie 8.6mm from Edelrid
Bluesign (pictured above) is a standard for environmental health and safety for textile manufacturing. Basically, meaning products with this symbol have been assesed on harmful chemicals, and environmental impact in the manufacturing process. Edelrid ropes have this symbol. Other outdoor brands working with Bluesign include The North Face, Patagonia and a few more.
Finesse 9.3mm from Mammut
The special feature of this rope from Mammut is the double twist technology demonstrated by Tom Cain in the above video, giving a smoother surface area and better handling and durability.
Absolute Pro 9mm from Millet
Millet ropes are new to the UK for 2014. This popular French brand are used and endorsed by the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix Mont Blanc. This video covers the Absolute Pro 9mm rope whioch features Millet's own three-core Triaxiale system.
Volta Ropes from Petzl
A major development for 2014 is a full range of ropes from Petzl.
Hattrick 9.7mm from Tendon
Hattrick 9.7mm from Tendon is a new rope for 2014 that uses their new Secure technology. The Hattrick consists of four layers - a parallel core together with a braided core, a braided intermediate sheath, and a braided SBS sheath. 'SBS' stands for 'simple braiding system' where every strand is plaited into the outer sheath independently. This is said to increazse abrasion resistance and imporve the mechnical properties of the rope.
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