Single ropes are a tricky one to get right - do you want something light for those all-out redpoint efforts where every gram counts or do you want a thicker rope that will take the abuse of working routes and repeated falls? Many opt for a compromise hoping that their chosen rope will take the abuse whilst still providing light weight performance.
Should these folk be reaching for the Mammut Infinity 9.5mm to fulfill all their single rope needs?
When I first received this rope from Mammut the one thing stood out was how coarse the sheath felt. Fortunately, although rough in the hand, the Infinity was still supple, so I got to work using and abusing it.
As I began using the rope I was initially very impressed, it handled well and the coarseness worked well with a GriGri right from the beginning. However, after a couple of outings I noticed that the sheath had already started getting fluffy at one end. I was surprised by this and a little worried about durability.
Fortunately after extended use, this furring hasn't got any worse and I can only guess it must be due to a bit of 'heavy dogging' that I may have been involved in. Overall the rope has worn little in the time I have used it over the past few months and I am very happy with the level of durability.
The handling of the rope has been great, it is not softest of ropes but it is certainly not an unmanageable wire, this gives it a feeling of toughness which, despite the initial fluffing at one end, seems to be well founded.
The Infinity has been treated with Mammut's COATINGfinish, which worked well keeping the rope dry and dirt free.
A nice touch when getting a new Infinity is that it comes lap-coiled so instead of having to carefully uncoil it to prevent kinking, the rope is ready to go preventing any user error and reducing time spent faffing around. This is a feature I always look out for in a new rope now as it makes life a lot simpler.
Conclusion
Overall the Mammut Infinity is a great all-round rope for intermediate climbers. It is tough enough to withstand the level of use of someone who goes sport climbing on a fairly regular basis, and mixes it up with onsighting and redpointing.
Perhaps a little too heavy for super hard onsights and redpoints and not quite durable enough to withstand long, hard working sessions where many falls will be taken repeatedly onto the rope, the Infinity is more suited to those looking for a good all-round rope, for general sport cragging.
Mammut Infinity 9.5mm Single Rope
The classic in the COATINGfinish™ line. The top climbers from the Mammut Pro team particularly appreciate the very balanced properties of the proven 9.5 Infinity. As well as its small diameter and light weight, this rope offers perfect handling for both climber and belayer. The COATINGfinish™ treatment also guarantees consistently high performance over a long period of time, as well as long-lasting protection from dirt and wet conditions.
Features:
- Versatile rope for experienced climbers.
- Extremely light rope, small diameter.
- Phenomenal glide and friction properties on the rock (PTFE coating).
- Best handling properties.
- More than sufficient safety reserves.
- Core with 10 inlays.
- Lap coiled for ease of use.
- Middle marked.
- Weight per metre: 58g
- Impact Force: 8.7kN
Price: £200.00 - 70m
MORE INFO: Mammut Website
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